Hand-drawn black and white street signs reading 'Tiny' and 'Signs' against a black background.

Tiny Signage of Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington

A quiet street in a suburban neighborhood with a parked black car on the side, green trees, utility poles, and houses in the background. The street has a white dashed line and a metal guardrail on the right.

Scouting

Firstly, I typically scout on Google maps for a street sign that's been recommended for a tiny sign. Once I've pinpointed the location, I use Adobe Illustrator to create a vector graphic of the street sign. During this process I make certain to kern the wording to ensure that the sign as accurate to its real life counterpart as possible.

A large format printer printing on a green roll of material, with the printed area visible in the photo.

Fabrication

Now it's time for production. First, vinyl is loaded into the plotter and cut to shape. Next, it's time for weeding, application taping, and installation of the vinyl decals. These are then installed to a laser-cut acrylic chit that has been fastened with a neodymium magnet.

A street scene with a road, a car, trees, and a street sign reading 'Crona Heights Drive' under a bright blue sky.

Installation

Finally, it's time to install at scouted or recommended locations. Since the tiny sign is fastened with a neodymium magnet, it's a matter of sticking the tiny sign to the pole. We then photograph and record the sign for all you lovely people to see and enjoy!

Street sign reading 'CONNAUGHT TCE' against a blue sky background.

For the taking

Once a tiny sign has been posted to Instagram, it’s free for the public to scavenge! Be sure to keep your eyes peeled around the city and suburbs of Wellington – you might just find yourself a tiny sign! If you find one, please be sure to tag @tiny_signs.

Have a Suggestion?

We love getting tiny signage requests! Please make use the comment section to put through a request!

Before doing so, please check refer to the tiny signage archive located below or check out the @tiny_signs Instagram account.

Tiny Signs Archive

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Tiny Signs Archive *

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A person holding a small wooden box in front of a laptop keyboard and a smartphone on a wooden desk.
Street sign on a utility pole reading 'BUTT ST' and a small street sign below the pole with the number 14884. Clear blue sky and residential houses on a hillside in the background.
Street signs at the intersection of Wilson Street and Daniel Street against a bright blue sky. There are utility poles and power lines, with a tree and buildings visible in the background.
Street signs on a wooden pole indicate the locations of Kilbirnie Seaton, Constable Street, and the Newtown neighborhood, with some signs partially obscured and others pointing left.
Street sign on a pole at the intersection of Bond Street, with a modern building with glass windows and trees in the background under a clear blue sky.
Street corner with a traffic pole and street signs that read 'THE TERRACE.' Modern buildings with glass windows and metallic panels surround the corner.
Street sign indicating 'BOWEN ST' and 'MUSEUM ST' with a 'NO EXIT' sign below, at an urban intersection with building glass windows, trees, and people in the background.
A street sign reading 'Youngs Ln' mounted on a white exterior wall of a building, with blue sky and rooftops visible in the background.
Street signs on a utility pole showing street names Aro Street and Karori Avenue under a clear blue sky, with power lines overhead and some tree branches visible.
Street sign reading 'Ohiro Rd' attached to a green utility pole with blue sky and greenery in the background.
Tiny Signs Volume #3
Owen Street
Riddiford Street
Rugby Street
Roxborough Street
Cable Street
Abel Smith Street
Leeds Street
Tinakori Road
Bidwill Street
Tiny Signs Volume #2
Wakefield Street
Blair Street
Tory Street
Taranaki Street
Eva Street
Ghuznee Street
Wigan Street
Manners Street
Dixon Street
Tiny Signs Volume #2
The Esplanade
Lookout Road
Oriental Parade
Willis Street
Victoria Street
Garret Street
Cuba Street
Lambton Quay
Glenmore Street

Why?

It’s sometimes the smallest things that can put the biggest smile on your face, and that’s what it’s all about!