People with signs in public space are part of everyday urban landscape in the United States. Those written statements or messages are used not only for clarifying who they are and promoting their activities, but also for expressing their views on politics, religions, and world.

Majority of sign users are homeless, who were not as active as others who try to talk to the public. They seem to stay in the certain block and help each other. “God Bless You” is a popular phrase among homeless people’s signs. It shows their hope for the better life in difficult situations.

Most of the signs are hand-made with markers on card-boards or papers. Some try to be creative, illustrative, or colorful to attract attentions. However, compared to San Francisco, there are less artistic signs in Seattle. People on the street were surprisingly cooperative to be photographed. Also, they did not ask for any return except a couple of them. Some of them enjoyed looking at the digital photos very much.

All photos used for the assignment are taken on January 19, 2004. Some observations are also made on January 11, 2004 in downtown Seattle.