If all the official signage that can be found around an average city bores you, you might not even notice the ones that are a little bit off, warning you of dangerous pigeons and tiny sinkholes or explaining the history of awkward silences in the area. Some are so small, they’re easy to just pass right by – like the one situated next to some velvet ropes and a mouse hole that reads “please wait here until called.” Your loss, really, because in this case, sharp observational skills really pay off.

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A post shared by Michael Pederson (@miguelmarquezoutside)

Australian artist Michael Pederson, better known as ‘Miguel Marquez Outside,’ isn’t interested in art galleries. He prefers to hide his strange and witty signs throughout cities like Sydney to be noticed and enjoyed by the public. A mental health worker by day, Pederson installs his temporary works as quickly as possible knowing they could be up for mere minutes or last for months. It’s all good as long as they make someone smile or help get them out of their own heads, he says.

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A post shared by Michael Pederson (@miguelmarquezoutside)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Michael Pederson (@miguelmarquezoutside)

Pederson’s latest round of signs are even smaller than usual, alerting passersby to sidewalk weeds, questionable holes in shrubbery, exits to other dimensions and what they should do in the event of accidental staring on the bus. Previously, his installations have given parks solitude ratings, offered ‘personal space preference cards’ to pass out in public, and encouraged people to press a button so a trained proxy can go into a secluded wilderness area and scream on their behalf.

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A post shared by Michael Pederson (@miguelmarquezoutside)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Michael Pederson (@miguelmarquezoutside)

If stuff like this won’t prompt you to pay closer attention to your surroundings, what will? Follow Pederson’s work on Instagram @MiguelMarquezOutside or on tumblr.

You’re hurrying along the sidewalk on the way to work, running late and not in the greatest mood, when you see a sign in the adjacent field that simply reads “PLEASE WAIT HERE, YOUR FUTURE SELF WILL MEET YOU SHORTLY.” How does that affect your day? Little moments like these can bring some much-needed levity to the world around us, especially in dark times.

Impeccably produced, often enticing you to push a button or take a card, these guerrilla installations look pretty legit until you stop to read what they say. They’re easy to miss, if you’re hustling too quickly and tuning out your surroundings – but if you take a moment to notice them, they might just make you smile.

Artist Michael Pederson (aka Miguel Marquez Outside) creates these little interventions and puts them up all over his home city. Sometimes they’re site-specific, referring to things that can be found in the local environment, like a hole in the curb or a sidewalk that ends abruptly.

The personal space cards would actually be pretty handy, and who wouldn’t be tempted by a time travel pay phone? Check out more of Pederson’s work at his tumblr and Instagram.

Street signs are boring. They pepper the landscape and add just a little bit more monotony to our lives. Thankfully, some homegrown artists and fans of culture jamming decided to mix it up a bit, and add some spice to an otherwise dull aspect of our daily commute.

(Images via cityspk, relatedtodesign, woostercollective, failblog)

What’s more fun than deer crossing signs? Monster crossing signs. Deer with wings. Dinosaurs. Take your pick, and some artist out there has had fun tweaking this old favorite into something a bit more exciting.

(Images via weburbanist, woostercollective, visualize, three-colours)

These are some of the most creative sign changes around. With tons of creativity, and equal skill, these signs will force anyone into a doubletake.

(Images via senseslost, zocom, interbent)

There have been an increasing number of news stories about electronic construction signs being hacked by mischievous hoodlums. While it may not be in the best interest for the state, it certainly makes the highway trek a bit more interesting.

(Images via pointingandgiggling, hiddeninasnapshot, radioiowa, conceptualdestiny)

One of the dangers of putting up street signs with simple text, is that they can be manipulated. “Stop war” seems to be a favorite, but some culture jammers have a bit more creativity, and a love of wizards.

(Images via woostercollective, photobucket)

It’s easy to bring one’s favorite childhood stories to life by adding a few elements to signs that would otherwise go unnoticed. Extra points for making the sign seem like it was always meant to be that way.

(Images via visualize, visualize, whybird, inhabitat)

Anything can be adjusted! Adding one’s own spin to street signs, or “finishing” road paint jobs that could use an update is a public service. Culture jamming is fun for the whole family.

(Images via keepingitrad, woostercollective, trendhunter, keepingitrad)

Who knew “do not enter” signs had such potential for awesomeness? Some people saw it, as these signs are covered with excellent graffiti.

The influence of graffiti looms large on the art world at all times, from a street artist like Banksy being hailed as master by traditional art critics to a graffiti artist like Barry McGee transferring his work from a wall to a canvas. There are also artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, who brought the street art directly into the gallery. Dan Ericson, better known by his moniker “The Signtologist”, is one of these artists.

An Artist with a Focus on the World of Hip-Hop

(image via: ARTST)

The Signtologist’s niche in the art world is one of those “so simple I wish I had thought of it” ideas – he paints portraits on street signs. The mostly monochromatic portraits tend to be of figures important to the world of hip-hop – one that’s deeply important for The Signtologist. In fact, as the artist told one journalist, it was a hip-hop artist (Black Thought, the rapper from The Roots) who gave him his monicker.

(image via: ARTST)

The Signtologist’s most famous piece is his bullet-ridden Stop Sign portrait of slain rapper The Notorious B.I.G.

(image via: ARTST)

This piece is emblematic of both the weaknesses and ultimate strengths of The Signtologist’s works. While a piece like this, with its obvious political undertones (as he mentioned in an interview) seems like it SHOULD matter, but it doesn’t.

(image via: ARTST)

And what raises The Signtologist’s work well above the “mere novelty” of street signs being used as canvases is the quality of the work – the hand-painted portraits are expertly and beautifully crafted and, no matter what your opinion on street art may be, you can’t seem to take your eyes off the works.

(images via: ARTST)

That’s the brilliant part about painting on signs that are designed to be seen by distracted drivers – you CAN’T miss them.

(image via: ARTST)

If you’d like to see more of The Signtologist’s work, head over to his profile on ARTST, the brand new online community for artists started by The Neptunes’ Pharrell Williams.