The new, large signs will be 10-by-20 feet, up from the current signs' 8-by-16 feet. A smaller version will be 6-by-12, replacing 5-by-10 signs.

Cayford described the signs as "retro-looking and fun and very tourism-oriented." Davis described the artwork as "dead-on."

"It kind of evokes a nostalgic era of motor travel in the U.S., but it's also hip and new, based on the placement and the 'Utah: Life Elevated' brand," he said.

On the new signs the "Utah" text is large compared to the current billboards. "We didn't want to muddle the message by trying to put too many words there," Cayford said. "We opted to go with a soft-sell, because we didn't want to muddle the message, which is 'You're coming into Utah, we're proud of our state, and we want show you some of the beautiful scenery and things that you can see here."'

Cayford noted that the state's new tourism branding has been seen mostly by people outside Utah, but the new signs will help introduce it in-state. About 80 percent of the state's visitors arrive by car, and in 2005, that meant 13.65 million nonresidents entered Utah by highway.

"In the scheme of state government, this is a little project that's a big project," Davis said of the sign enterprise. "It will be seen by millions and millions of people, so our messaging is hugely important."

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E-mail: bwallace@desnews.com