Aesthetics, the classics and cool are all one in the same. Some things never change regardless of what a younger or more naive generation thinks or believes. Some things never stray from elegance. Your judgement might well be understood by some, but it is completely wrong.
That thing, the OP showed is hardly reclaimed aesthetics. Throwing terms around like you know what they mean is what's wrong with this place. Just that..... throwing crap around and because you say it, it's gospel. There is nothing nice or pleasing to the eye, when someone does not take the time to match up end grains or size and just haphazardly puts totally unmatching flat and end grains together and comes up with a mess like that. That's an eye sore.
There is a such a thing as making a perfectly ugly sign and whoever made that one achieved it.
The reasoning powers you've displayed here..... are the same as with the many misused and even used type faces of today. For centuries, sign people have strived to make perfect looking characters and in a matter of a decade or so, with the intervention of computers, we can now convince people that silly fonts which look like they were made by second graders are really neat..... even reclaimed styles, huh ??
Gino, I didn't say I agreed with it. You are, however, terribly mistaken. Aesthetics, the classics, and cool are not all "one and the same". Maybe to someone from your generation they are, but, and I really do hate to tell you this, you're not cool anymore. Sorry. I'm not cool anymore either. That ship has sailed. You don't get to decide what looks good to the general public.
The ultimate arbiter of what's "cool" is the person who had that sign made and the multitude of young, hip kids that love that style and aesthetic. That's not you. Sorry.
You CLEARLY don't have your finger on the pulse of what's "cool" in young, urban areas, because that sign you're looking at is considered "cool" to a LOT of people. Go to any hip, urban flea market and you'll find
thousands of overpriced, poorly made pieces of junk that people buy up like it's gold bullion. You don't have to like it. I'm not a fan of the style, but it's EVERYWHERE in hip, urban areas.
[Edit: My bias is showing. I don't like the reclaimed look, but it's not junk. Apologies.]
Haha now we have someone who is going to tell us what is "cool" or not.
Last time I checked Gino is allowed to have his own opinion on subjects such as this, or is that uncool.
I'm older that Gino and the sign looks alright with me. And, the expression "cool" is from an older generation.
Also to the OP, good luck on hanging your cool sign.
I knew you couldn't resist slinging mud. Be careful, you wouldn't want anybody flinging any dirt back in your direction.