San Diego photologs from the 1970s

4 hours ago

High-resolution photolog scans from 1970s San Diego reveal colorful streets with pastel cars and creative signage.
Photologs were film-based precursors to Google Street View, capturing every road mile for state programs.
San Diego's footage shows vibrant steak restaurants, strip clubs, diverse car colors, and spinning business signs.
The 1970s had a whimsical, Wes Anderson-esque aesthetic with Futura road labels and sun-washed palettes.
Cars featured simple steel designs and a rainbow of colors, contrasting today's limited white/silver/black options.
Signage was motorized, artistic, and typographically rich, crafted by sign-painters before digital precision.
Graphic designer Aaron Draplin notes human error in hand-painted signs added charm lost with computer design.
The footage evokes nostalgia for drive-ins, low gas prices, and commercial kitsch like spinning KFC buckets.
The author used AI tools and ImageMagick to analyze images, extracting cars, people, and signs from the scans.

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