Gordon Andrews is regarded as one of Australia's leading 20th century designers. As well as being responsible for the design of Australia's first decimal currency banknotes released in 1966, Andrews also turned his hand to sculpture, photography, jewellery and furniture design.
In his design for a simple, functional Keep of the Grass sign at the Carlingford housing estate in north western Sydney, Andrews playfully jumbles up the letters and simplifies the message by deleting 'the' from the message.
His slightly cryptic approach to the sign's design forces the viewer to linger a little longer to decipher the sign's message, thereby cleverly capturing attention, which is the purpose of any good sign design.
The browning grass and trodden earth on the top left of the colour photograph hints at why this particular sign was required in the first place - to allow newly planted grass time to establish itself in its new environment.

Sign design and colour photograph by Gordon Andrews (1914-2001), around 1958.

As a photographer, Andrews photographically documented much of his own work.

Colour slide, sign, 'Keep off grass', photograph and sign design by Gordon Andrews, Carlingford housing estate, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, around 1958

Colour slide depicting a Keep off the grass sign with bold black letters placed vertically and horizontally across the sign on a white background, sign reads 'KEEP OFF GRASS', and has tappered bottom edges inserted into a field of green grass, the grass is slightly down trodden in the upper left section of the image.

Made: 1953 - 1963

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1953 - 1963