This research investigates signage advertising within the public realm and its affect on
the environment throughout time. The thesis addresses signage as a contributor to visual
pollution, and seeks to understand the factors and trends that cause signage to be a polluter.
The intent is to analyze the contribution of sign types to visual pollution, providing a foundation
for professionals to utilize when grappling with an over-abundance of signage and emerging
technologies.
Field work has been conducted in Thailand because a multitude of sign types with
varying attributes coexist in the public landscape. This makes Thai cities ideal to observe
because different sign types can be rated for their pollution levels and viewed for comparison
within the same context. Additionally, because regulations are lax or not enforced, emerging
sign technologies are permitted to dominate the landscape with little hesitation. The researcher
studied three cities of differing scales, focusing on the Central Business Districts, and in turn
was able to cross-analyze information to discover trends. This allowed more general conclusions
to be drawn about Thailand as a whole.
Advertisers seek new signage technologies to compete with existing sign types and
messages. These technologies have increasing amounts of stimuli and use more resources,
which together create visual pollution. Furthermore, regulations for new signage technology
have not been integrated to work cohesively with existing policies and practices. They are not
updated when new technology emerges, and, due to the lack of incentives or disincentives for
cities, new technology is often managed with policies for old sign types. This causes irrelevant
and often redundant infrastructure to remain in or be introduced to the environment.
Despite, there are opportunities to harness new innovations to benefit both advertisers
and viewers. If intelligently planned for and utilized, signage could enhance the experience of
place. It can create identity, target consumers to make marketing more effective and bring life
to public spaces. New sign types should not be abolished or limited because of negative
qualities or mismanagement, rather, they should be better handled when introduced into cities.
Lastly, recommendations were made for urban planners and other professionals to
consider as they deal with the ever-evolving public domain. Through quantifying and creating
more literature about visual signage pollution caused by emerging technologies, cities around
the world may be compelled to take visual pollution seriously as a threat to the urban landscape.