Doug Lansky spent years circling the globe as a travel writer for the Chicago Tribune, but when he came back with stacks of photos, friends and family were most intrigued by a series of funny signs he snapped. Inspired, Lansky's collection grew, as did interest in them, including six 
newspapers that began running weekly stories on his signs. Needless to say, images of funky signs soon started pouring in, and now 17 years later, he's published two Signspotting books for Lonely Planet and takes submissions from all over the world that he displays on his website. Lansky even finds himself circling the globe once again with Signspotting exhibits. 
Lansky notes the irony that, while Americans can't cash a check or use a library card in foreign countries, they do allow us to get behind the wheel of a car. While driving on the opposite side of the road is tough enough, these places often make it tougher with "a few wacked-out signs" that include "road-side traffic symbols that look more confusing than psych-test ink blots, mangled English, and the occasional screwball posting that almost stops us in our tracks," he writes on his website. Lansky's first exhibition took place last year in Stockholm, and he's currently displaying 100 signs at a Copenhagen showing this month. The exhibit moves to Arhus, Denmark, in July and then off to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August.
Photos courtesy of Doug Lansky and Signspotting.com.
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