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The whole 'sandwich board sign is best' thing is getting old | DIY Protests and Signs - Free To Speak

The whole 'sandwich board sign is best' thing is getting old

I keep seeing people at rallies in Portland last Saturday hauling these huge cardboard sandwich boards. They look clever but try navigating a crowded sidewalk with one of those things. You end up smacking people in the face every time you turn around. I switched to a simple 24x36 foam board on a wooden stake and I can actually move through the crowd without being a hazard. Am I the only one who thinks the trendy oversized signs are more trouble than they're worth?

3 comments

3 Comments

aaron_perry2mo ago

My buddy Jake brought one of those sandwich boards to a climate thing last spring and ended up clipping a woman with it so hard her coffee went flying. She was not thrilled and he had to buy her a new one from a cart across the street. He switched to foam board for the next march and said it was way less stressful.

samflores2mo ago

You say they "look clever" but honestly who cares how clever you look when you're whacking people in the shins with cardboard? I've seen these things fold over in a light breeze too and then it's just a floppy mess. Foam board on a stake is the PRO move, way easier to carry and you can actually see where you're going. People act like sign design is this huge political statement when it's really about not being a total inconvenience to everyone around you.

hugos462mo ago

Man, @aaron_perry's buddy Jake sounds like he learned the hard way. I was at a march last month and watched a guy with one of those sandwich boards try to squeeze between two parked cars. He got stuck for a good 30 seconds while everyone just stared. Meanwhile I had my foam board on a stake and walked right past him. The sandwich board thing forces you to stay in one spot or move super slow if you want to avoid hitting people. A stake lets you hold it high and clear of the crowd, plus you can switch hands when your arm gets tired.