Character
Companies go under, their stores close, and their signs and logos are taken down and demolished. “These pieces of typography are all unique design objects, why should they be demolished,” says Aleksi Hautamäki, founder of the Finnish company called Character, which recycles unused signage. “We choose the letters that have character, take them, replace the old neon tubes with LED’s, check that they are ok and put them on our website.” Recycling is an integral concept behind the business. “Sustainability of this product is not superimposed, but in the very essence of it,” explains Hautamäki. “The second life cycle creates new value for everybody involved, the sign maker, the producer, the retailer and the customer.” The individual letters are sold online and priced depending on their size and shape. The alphabet lights have a life span of 30,000 hours, which means that if left on for 8 hours a day, they will last at least 10 years. Character has detached storefront signage and turned the solid typography into relocatable objects of light and sculpture.
Letter ‘S’ from old storefront sign transformed into modern light.
