Not so long ago, I was traveling around Switzerland. During my time in the country, there was always something just a little off, and I couldn’t place what it was.
Was it cleaner? Was the architecture just very modernist? Did it have something to do with the season?
Eventually, I realized that the difference I was noticing between Switzerland and California (my home state) was that there was simply much less advertising in the physical spaces of cities.
I am not sure if this is a result of some legislature there or if it is just a result of the way the Swiss think about visual design and advertising.
But I absolutely loved it. It was so refreshing to see the beauty of a city block without being bombarded by advertisements.
It really lets the character of a city shine through.
LA, SF and Sac seem to be on the opposite end of the spectrum… practically the only thing you notice are the billboards.