Cutouts or Silhouettes

1950s billboards grew taller and larger and employed a number of new attention-grabbing gimmicks. Large silhouettes were often used, which made it easier for the passersby to recognize the image out of the corner of their eyes, much like a logo. As well, cutouts began to be used on billboards, seen in the image below. The cutouts gave the illusion of a larger-than-life, three-dimensional object.

Large Cutout Billboard: Image courtesy of Catherine Gudis, Buyways: Billboards, Automobiles, and the American Landscape, 2004.