Designs Decoded: Technical Drawings from Federal Heath

This exhibit features technical drawings from the archives of the Federal Heath sign company that until now have never been seen by the public. The drawings are an important part of The Neon Museum’s growing initiative to catalog and digitize the Federal Heath collection. They are shown alongside images of the signs selected from a variety of photograph collections housed at The Neon Museum.

Before CAD/CAM, there were tools of the trade sign designers used to take their creative ideas from concepts to buildable plans that could be shared with clients, owners, and investors: the mechanical pencil, engineering and architectural scales, the T square, paper and the drawing board.  Many iterations later, on drawing after drawing, compiled into heavy rolls of blueprints, some designs eventually won out and were built while other concepts fell into obscurity. The technical drawings in this exhibit (1982-1997) are as visually compelling as any Renaissance artist’s sketchbook with exuberant, ambitious designs offset by notations indicating technical specifications, measurements, scale and proportion, revealing an elegant balance between art and technology.

This exhibit shows how design complexity was rendered into striking and often abstract or symbolic displays deployed for advertising, combining logos, typography, shape and color to create a visual code that attracts, expresses theme, and conveys complex messages. The resulting structures of light would come to define Las Vegas worldwide.

1979-2007 | 3959 Las Vegas Blvd South

The iconic signage originally designed by Brian “Buzz” Leming during his time at YESCO featured Tiffany-style glass, a burgundy and gold color scheme, and 19th century-style lettering that is now known as “Barbary Coast Block.”

Many of the design elements seen here were retained when the property became Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon in 2007. Today it is the site of The Cromwell Las Vegas.

1989-present | 3555 Las Vegas Blvd South

O’Sheas opened on the Strip next to the Flamingo as a unique party destination looking to attract a young crowd with its beer pong area and low-minimum gaming tables. Buzz Leming created the festive, Irish-themed signage to reflect the casino’s atmosphere.