35 - Nevada, Betty Willis
Design is frequently about creating a space, image, culture, impact, or impression that changes a person's day. It defines what people experience. Huge developments, widespread distributions, down to the smallest impacts. Betty Willis designed a sign that has stood for 60 years, welcoming and initiating an experience for all in Las Vegas.
Nevada is the 28th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on February 7, 1920.
“It’s a powerful combination of symbolism, kitsch and mythology,” said Hal Rothman, a history professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. “It embodies the casual hipness of Las Vegas, nostalgia for the Rat Pack minus Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.”
“It’s a call to arms for our city because ‘fabulous’ is what we do best,” said Richard Hooker, the city’s senior cultural specialist. “Classic neon artists like Betty are the design heroes of the city, giving the place an image in the public mind. Their signs are like music to the eyes.”
The neon lights were the world Ms. Willis grew up in. Her father was one of the first contractors of Las Vegas starting just after the turn of the century. In 1942, she went to art school in Los Angeles. When she returned to Las Vegas, Ms. Willis worked many jobs ranging on all spectrum. While she moon lighted for an ad company, she met the owner of Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) developing the neon image of Las Vegas. Later, she joined Western Neon, and designed her sign to be placed on the entry to the city from people traveling from Los Angeles.
She designed the sign in 1959, and never trademarked the sign as “a gift to the city”. It is commonly replicated for all memorabilia of the city.
Why this woman?
Betty is a designer that speaks the same language of me and designers of my generation. She designed within this niche market because she saw the value of experience. She worked because she enjoyed the camaraderie of her male colleagues. She didn’t work with men to compete. She knew she was undervalued to her male colleagues but didn’t use it as a barrier between them. The appreciation for her designs was enough value for herself.
Betty also saw people for who they really were. Her early jobs within the courthouse included dressing divorcees appropriately as they went to court. She saw the strength of women to be able to do more with a little help.
She lived in Las Vegas as the culture we know today grew. The color, light, and glitz of the city spoke to her. She saw a way for her to build on people’s adventure to the desert. The details, typography, and consideration of every detail was developed to create memories for all visitors. The emblem was a threshold that meant something special when people entered the city.
She noted, “When a logo is successful, people remember it. It’s a pretty good job that sign has done.” Success is in the little things. Every aspect coming together for the bigger picture is important. Vegas isn’t Vegas without the mystique. The glamour. She created some of the most memorable, and just built more and more.
Nevada is the 28th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on February 7, 1920.
“It’s a powerful combination of symbolism, kitsch and mythology,” said Hal Rothman, a history professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. “It embodies the casual hipness of Las Vegas, nostalgia for the Rat Pack minus Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.”
“It’s a call to arms for our city because ‘fabulous’ is what we do best,” said Richard Hooker, the city’s senior cultural specialist. “Classic neon artists like Betty are the design heroes of the city, giving the place an image in the public mind. Their signs are like music to the eyes.”
The neon lights were the world Ms. Willis grew up in. Her father was one of the first contractors of Las Vegas starting just after the turn of the century. In 1942, she went to art school in Los Angeles. When she returned to Las Vegas, Ms. Willis worked many jobs ranging on all spectrum. While she moon lighted for an ad company, she met the owner of Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) developing the neon image of Las Vegas. Later, she joined Western Neon, and designed her sign to be placed on the entry to the city from people traveling from Los Angeles.
She designed the sign in 1959, and never trademarked the sign as “a gift to the city”. It is commonly replicated for all memorabilia of the city.
Why this woman?
Betty is a designer that speaks the same language of me and designers of my generation. She designed within this niche market because she saw the value of experience. She worked because she enjoyed the camaraderie of her male colleagues. She didn’t work with men to compete. She knew she was undervalued to her male colleagues but didn’t use it as a barrier between them. The appreciation for her designs was enough value for herself.
Betty also saw people for who they really were. Her early jobs within the courthouse included dressing divorcees appropriately as they went to court. She saw the strength of women to be able to do more with a little help.
She lived in Las Vegas as the culture we know today grew. The color, light, and glitz of the city spoke to her. She saw a way for her to build on people’s adventure to the desert. The details, typography, and consideration of every detail was developed to create memories for all visitors. The emblem was a threshold that meant something special when people entered the city.
She noted, “When a logo is successful, people remember it. It’s a pretty good job that sign has done.” Success is in the little things. Every aspect coming together for the bigger picture is important. Vegas isn’t Vegas without the mystique. The glamour. She created some of the most memorable, and just built more and more.
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