Can we talk about how a peeling mall logo in Tulsa changed my mind on gradients?
I used to love putting soft gradients on every logo I touched, thought they looked modern and slick. Then last week I was at Woodland Hills Mall in Tulsa and saw the old food court sign with a gradient that had faded into this gross banded orange mess after maybe 12 summers of sun. I stood there staring at it for way too long and realized all that pretty blending just turns into ugly stripes once the ink gets baked or printed cheap. Now I sketch everything in flat colors first and treat gradients like a treat, not a default, because that sign made the case better than any design teacher ever did. Has anyone else seen a real world sign fall apart and made you rethink a habit?