I have been to South Korea three times and each time I have been impressed with the improvement in outdoor signs, especially storefront back-lit signs.

When I visited there for the first time in 1984, 22 years ago, every sign I saw was not attractive and made of dull plastic.

This was due to the use of recycled material. Also, the molding technique was “20 years behind that of Japan” according to an expert who was traveling with me.

I visited there for the second time in 1994, 10 years later. The material for the back-lit signs was totally changed to FF sheets.

At that time, plastic was used for most signs in Japan, therefore, the Korean signs were ahead of us. I was really surprised and impressed with the speed of improvement in South Korea.

During my most recent visit, I again found improvement: The visuals on the FF sheets were mostly photos instead of letters.

The restaurants’ signs in Miyongdong, the busiest section of Seoul, displayed close-up photos of dishes.

In Japan, displays of this sort are mostly wax samples while back-lit FF photos are used in Korea. Which one of these displays would stimulate more appetite?