Pat Denner (1924 – September 25, 2011) was the designer of
Vegas Vic.
Denner was raised in Salt Lake City, and studied commercial drawining and design at the
Pratt Institute in New York City.
In 1951, the
Young Electric Sign Company
YESCO is a privately owned manufacturer of electric signs based in Salt Lake City, founded by Thomas Young in 1920. The company provides design, fabrication, installation and maintenance of signs.
Many notable sign projects have been produce ...
in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
commissioned Denner to design an illustration for the manufacturing of the neon sign. He also was commissioned to design
Wendover Will for The
Stateline Casino in
West Wendover,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
in 1952.
Denner also designed in 1952 the first seat-down menus for
Harman Restaurants, home of the
KFC in Salt Lake City and then created the likeness of
Col. Harland Sanders for the menus and posterity. Back then the franchise was not established and Harman Restaurants had only two locations in Salt Lake City.
The 1950s were productive and creative for Denner as an art director and graphic designer. From his studio at Denner & Associates located at the corner of Main and Broadway in Salt lake City he handled many of the prestigious accounts of those days, such Walker Bank,
Equitable Oil Company, Auerbachs Stores, Harman Restaurants, Dee Restaurants and others. Mr. Denner created oils, watercolors and portraiture for many selected clients like the
U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association in Park City and others from his store front studio in Salt Lake City, Utah. Pat Denner died September 25, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah at the age of 87.
Mr. Denner was a subject of a documentary, ''Howdy Pardner!'' (directed by George Leon - 2007), which is described as being "about Americana, iconography, outdoor advertising, graphic design and its influence in the popular culture".
References
External links
* Blog devoted to the film, ''Howdy Pardner!''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denner, Pat
2011 deaths
Neon artists
1924 births
People from Salt Lake City
Pratt Institute alumni