Neon comes from the Greek ‘neos’ meaning ‘the new gas’. William Ramsey and M. W. Travers in London discovered neon gas, in 1898. It is made by liquefying air and it is separated from other gases by fractional distillation.
The French engineer and chemist, Georges Claude, was the first person to apply an electrical discharge to a sealed tube of neon gas to create a light, and his first neon lamp was unveiled in 1910, in Paris. He patented his neon lighting tube in the United States, in 1915.
The application of Claude’s new technology quickly followed. His company, Claude Neon, sold two neon gas signs to a Packard car dealership in Los Angeles in 1923. The signs said ‘Packard’ and each sign cost $1,250. The idea quickly took off and others began using neon lighting (nicknamed ‘liquid fire’) for their outdoor advertising too. By 1924, Claude Neon franchises had appeared in 14 major cities across the US, and in 1927, the company could claim that it had created 611 out of the 750 neon signs on display in New York City.
After the Second World War, plexiglas shadow boxes with fluorescent lighting displaying letters and graphics, took over from neon. In the US, many neon signs were switched off during the wartime blackout period and were never switched back on again.
However, from the late 1970s, a neon revival began and today retailers and advertisers continue to harness its appeal as a material for signage. From Times Square in New York, to Piccadilly Circus in London, to the Akihabara district of Tokyo, brands and retail outlets use neon to arrest the attention of passers-by. Architects and merchandisers incorporate neon to add illustrative flourishes to the interior and exterior of buildings – from simple ‘open/closed’ signs to artistic creations that create unique abstract sculptures by ‘drawing’ with light.
Contribution to Retail History
Neon signs broke new ground in retail advertising and transformed the urban landscape of many cities around the world into an eclectic showcase of flashing lights. More recently, LED screens have also become part of the neon landscape in major cities broadcasting various product advertisements and news programs.