San Diego photologs from the 1970s
📸 San Diego Photologs from the 1970s
By Jon Keegan | June 23, 2026 | ⏱️ 6 min read
A stunning set of high-resolution photolog scans has surfaced, offering a vivid glimpse into a bygone era defined by whimsical signage and a palette of pastel automobiles.
🎞️ What Exactly is a "Photolog"?
Back in 2022, this newsletter kicked off with a look at highway photologs from 1980s Connecticut. For the uninitiated, photologs were the analog ancestors of Google Street View.
Starting as early as 1961, various states deployed specialized vans equipped with cameras to document every single mile of their road networks. While the Connecticut archives provide a fascinating time capsule, the image quality is often grainy and low-resolution.
However, while browsing the Internet Archive, I stumbled upon the most pristine examples I've ever encountered: scans from San Diego in the 1970s.
The Technical Process
These images were originally curated by the San Diego Transportation and Storm Water Department. Because they were scanned directly from the original 35mm film, the clarity is exceptional.
The metadata for these frames is embedded at the bottom of the images, typically following this format:
[Date] | [Mileage] | [Direction]
🔍 Key Observations
After analyzing ten full videos from the collection, I noticed several recurring themes:
- Culinary Trends: A surprising obsession with themed steakhouse dining.
- Nightlife: A proliferation of strip clubs featuring "Go-go girls."
- Automotive Palette: An incredible spectrum of colors, specifically bright reds, various greens, and soft pastels.
- Graphic Design: Business signage was vastly more imaginative, boasting superior typography and artistic flair.
Our modern world has lost its sense of whimsy. 🦩
🎨 A "Wes Anderson" Version of San Diego
The raw footage on the Internet Archive is unaltered and somewhat dim. To bring the images to life, I applied color correction and increased the contrast. The result is so vivid that it feels like a playable version of Grand Theft Auto set in 1973 San Diego.
Despite growing up on the East Coast, certain landmarks felt familiar:
- Jack-in-the-Box
- Fotomat
- Bonanza
- 76 Gas Stations
The aesthetic is strikingly similar to a Wes Anderson film—characterized by warm, sun-drenched hues and the use of the Futura typeface on road labels.
Imagine Bill Murray stepping out of a perfectly centered, emerald-green Datsun, parked right under a neon pink sign for "LES GIRLS," which boldly advertises "BURLESQUE" and "HYPNO-SEX-ISM."
🚗 The Death of Color in Automotive Design
The cars of the 70s were built with heavy steel, glass, and seatbelts that were largely ignored. Most importantly, they were colorful.
| Era | Typical Color Palette | Vibe |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | Pastels, Emerald, Bright Red, Mellow Yellow | Vibrant & Diverse |
| Modern | White, Silver, Black | Monochromatic & Bland |
While I find the current trend depressing, DIY projects like Slate auto's wraps offer a glimmer of hope for a more colorful future.
The 1970s Experience: Imagine cruising down Camino Del Rio, smoking a Lark cigarette and listening to Rare Earth. You pull into a Texaco to fill up your "Mellow Yellow" AMC Gremlin, paying a price of: (specifically for low-lead Fire Chief gas), before heading to the Frontier Drive-In to watch Charlton Heston in The Omega Man.
✍️ The Lost Art of Sign Painting
From tire shops to fabric stores, the signage of the 70s was a masterclass in typography and architecture. Today's LED boxes and vinyl banners are a pale imitation.
I reached out to Aaron Draplin (of Draplin Design Co), a designer whose work echoes the bold lines of this era, to ask why this style vanished. Draplin explained via voice memo:
"Somewhere around 35 years ago, they become pretty predictable... What Draplin pointed to was the computer, and the precision it brought. Up to that point, you had the quality of the human element, the human error... there's just this kind of perfect sprinkle of 'shitty' to that stuff... no amount of filters or texture tricks or whatever can sort of nail."
Essentially, the "charm" was a result of human imperfection:
We've lost the wonderful commercial kitsch of the era:
- Tilted KFC buckets.
- Eerie Jack-in-the-Box puppets.
- Massive Arby's cowboy hats.
- The "ALL YOU CAN EAT" cartoon cowboy from Chuck Wagon.
👥 The Human Element
Looking at the candid shots of people biking home from school or shopping, I can't help but wonder where they are now. I saw one woman crossing the street with her infant; that baby is likely my age today.
👕 Gear Mention
For those obsessed with road standards, check out the MUTCD Highway Signs T-Shirt. It celebrates the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), the 900-page FHWA bible for every road marking and safety sign in the USA.
