Disclaimer This blog is about the graphic design of burglar alarms and has no connection with the companies featured. Most photos show vintage sounders and are not the latest products of the firms under discussion. For up-to-date info on any company, please visit their official website.
Burglar Alarm Britain
Where vigilante culture meets vernacular design
Category Archives: Eye
Crime Cure, Bristol: old fave
Posted by on May 17, 2013
“Crime Cure” burglar alarm, Bristol • Update of an old favourite, as featured here. Where’s the house? It’s surrounding the massively complex heraldic device. • Spotted: The Arcade, Horsefair, Bristol, Avon, BS1, England, 2013 • Politics: In the Liberal Democrat constituency of Bristol West
“i2i Security”, Middlesbrough: geddit?
Posted by on March 8, 2013
“i2i Security Middlesbrough” burglar alarm, Middlesbrough • There’s only one eye so it’s Eye 2 I, geddit? If it was Eye 2 Eye, they’d have had an eye on both Is. And if it was I 2 I, it would suggest serious undermanning. Or something. Found above a suitably poetic Lord Byron sign (see below). • Spotted: Bridge Street East, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS2, England, 2012 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Middlesbrough
“Pro-Guard”, Stroud: professionalism
Posted by on February 13, 2013
“Pro-Guard Security Solutions Ltd” burglar alarm, Stroud • There are lots of guard alarms, but this starey-eyed sounder is the only one offering the added excellence of professionalism. If you wanted unprofessional guarding, maybe you’d hire a certain quadratic firm who messed up a bit during the Olympics, ha ha. • Spotted: Threadneedle Street, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5, England, 2012 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Stroud
“ATA Systems”, Bristol: intricate
Posted by on January 22, 2013
“ATA Systems Protegimus” burglar alarm, Bristol • Not sure if this is related to yesterday’s ATA – the trestle-tabley monogram’s quite similar, if somewhat ambiguous as to whether it says AA or ATA. The surrounds, however, are vastly more intricate: a heraldic array of shield, crossed swords, scary cyclops eye, what looks like a maltese cross poking out from behind, and all supported with a scroll bearing the Harry Potteresque declamation “Protegimus” (we protect). Leaving nothing to chance, then. • Spotted: Nova Scotia Place, Bristol, Avon, BS1, England, 2013 • Politics: In the Liberal Democrat constituency of Bristol West
“Western”, Falmouth: staring eyes
Posted by on January 9, 2013
“Western Security Systems We Watch Day and Night” burglar alarm, Falmouth • Not the most obvious time reference, but the roundel at the top states “we watch day and night”. And to reinforce the point, there’s a pair of staring eyes – one in the light, one in the dark. Nice! • Spotted: Market Strand, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11, England, 2012 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Truro and Falmouth
“Isis”, Oxford: posh
Posted by on December 2, 2012
“Isis Security Systems” burglar alarm, Oxford • Oxford’s other famous river is the Isis (a posh name for the Thames), which like the Cherwell gives its name to a long-running student magazine. Isis was also an Egyptian goddess, and this sounder piles on the references with the visual pun of a startled-looking eye. I reckon that’s a CR logo underneath it, another brand that’s common in the town. • Spotted: Cornmarket, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1, England, 2012 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Oxford East
Above: fops punting on the Thames, aka the Isis, at Oxford
“Cox Security”, Beckenham: apple in Bowieland
Posted by on April 12, 2012
“Cox Security” burglar alarm, Beckenham • Cox – it’s an apple, geddit? To me, the logo also looks like a staring eye, which would make it a pun on “the apple of my eye” and thus also qualify it for the “vision” and “monograms” categories. I found a couple of Cox security firms on the internet: Cox Security Solutions Ltd near Milton Keynes, and the wonderfully-named CoxLocks in the Surrey area, which is nearer to Beckenham (which, pathetically, I always associate with David Bowie in his dress-wearing days). But neither has this logo, so it may be some completely different firm. • Spotted: High Street, Beckenham, Kent, BR3, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Beckenham
Left, David Bowie in Beckenham (and a dress); right, a cox apple
“Crime Cure”, Bristol: vintage inverted pocket
Posted by on February 5, 2012
“Crime Cure” burglar alarm, Bristol • This is an absolutely classic sounder, and it makes me chuckle every time I see it. I found it at eye level in downown Bristol, the city that never stops giving great burglar alarm gifts. Everything about it, from my shallow design-based point of view, is good: it’s vintage metal; an unusual “inverted pocket” shape (though I have found one other); rare use of green; amusing name in bold modernist type; and a complex piece of heraldry incorporating eight popular security tropes in a tiny space, namely lions, keys, an eye, a padlock, some bars, a shield, a castle, and even a motto – “protect and deter”. An internet search on “crime cure security” throws up firms in business listings all over the place, including Bristol, but as none have their own websites I’m assuming they’re all defunct.• Spotted: High Street, Bristol, Avon, BS1, England, 2011 • Politics: In the Liberal Democrat constituency of Bristol West
“ASG Vision”, Bristol: flamboyant tail
Posted by on November 2, 2011
“ASG Vision” (over “OS Resolution”) burglar alarm, Bristol • Aha – I love a sticker, and especially a violent yellow one. Bristol seems to have a particularly thriving burglar alarm ecosystem, and here, ASG Vision have effected a brutal takeover of a hapless OS Resolution box (both firms I have come across this one time only). It’s included due to the “vision” reference; what the acronym ASG refers to remains opaque, but I reckon its flamboyant tail is a very abstract eye. • Spotted: Broad Street, Bristol, Avon, BS1, England, 2011 • Politics: In the Liberal Democrat constituency of Bristol West
“Focus Security Systems”, Bristol: dying star
Posted by on October 31, 2011
“Focus Security Systems” burglar alarm, Bristol • The inclusion of the word “Focus” on this faded device leads me to think of this as a stylised eye, though it could equally be a dying star. Focus don’t appear to have a website, and when I looked them up on Google Street View it showed a caravan… so that may be an apt metaphor. • Spotted: Town centre, Bristol, Avon, BS1, England, 2006 • Politics: In the Liberal Democrat constituency of Bristol West
“Metro Security Centre”, Tower Hamlets: wide eyed
Posted by on October 30, 2011
“Metro Security Centre” burglar alarm, Tower Hamlets • I’m probably reading too much into this design, but I see it as one immense red eye with a staring black pupil, hence its inclusion within the “vision” theme. Although that would only work on sounders of this specific almost-eye shape, and most firms use a variety of box styles over the years, so I’m probably wrong. • Spotted: Redchurch Street, Tower Hamlets, London, E2, England, 2007 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow
“Raysil”, Southwark: snorey update
Posted by on October 29, 2011
“Raysil Security Systems Ltd” burglar alarm, Southwark • Here we have a more recent and less faded version of yesterday’s Raysil alarm, sporting the same dodgy design on a lovely new hexagonal box. In other words, a snorey update included for the sake of completeness. • Spotted: Farnham Place, Southwark, London, SE1, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Liberal Democrat constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark
“Raysil”, Birchington-on-Sea: sci-fi Clearasil
Posted by on October 28, 2011
“Raysil Security Systems Ltd” burglar alarm, Birchington-on-Sea • Once again an abstract eye stares out from a diamond-shaped panel, this one less elegant than yesterday’s and possibly constructed from a clunky mutated R and Y. Raysil, reminiscent of Clearasil, is an odd name. The word “ray’ is always quite sci-fi-sounding, and it’s set in what in lesser graphic design circles of the 1980s would have passed for a sci-fi typeface. But I’m wondering if, more prosaically, it’s made of two names run together: Ray and Silvia, for instance, or Ray Silver (though my researches show the erstwhile owners, who sold out to a venture capital company in 2008, are not called anything like that). As an aside, can I point out that this hefty, angular sounder is surely one of the ugliest “jewel-shaped” (aka delta) boxes ever made. • Spotted: Town centre, Birchington-on-Sea, Kent, CT7, England, 2006 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Thanet North
“Octagon”, Marlborough: one-sided
Posted by on October 27, 2011
“Octagon” burglar alarm, Marlborough • An abstract octagonal eye for a company called Octagon, in a circular sounder. I bet they’d have liked an octagonal one, but to my knowledge such things don’t exist. (There’s an eight-sided box as sported by the Next Gen alarm at top left here, but being irregular it looks nothing like a classic octagon.) • Spotted: Town centre, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8, England, 2007 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Devizes
“Intelligent Security Installations”, Eton: untutored
Posted by on October 26, 2011
“Intelligent Security Installations” burglar alarm, Eton • Despite the lack of pupils, I reckon those are peepers dotting the “i”s with their blank-eyed stare, although the design – unlike pupils at nearby Eton – is most kindly described as “untutored”. Just as well they spell out the firm’s name underneath, or the meaning would remain totally obscure. • Spotted: High Street, Eton, Berkshire, SL4, England, 2009 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Windsor
“Panther Security”, East Grinstead: mutant eyebrow
Posted by on October 25, 2011
“Panther Security” burglar alarm, East Grinstead • For years I didn’t spot the “P” in the eye here, and was racking my brains as to what the full word could be – “ANTHEM” was my best (and wrong) guess. Then recently I came across this more recent version: lo and behold there was a letter “P” in the eye, so the firm is of course Panther. Although real panthers don’t have eyebrows. • Spotted: London Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19, England, 2004 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Sussex Mid
“Crism”, Sheffield: concrete poetry
Posted by on October 24, 2011
“Crism” burglar alarm, Sheffield • A piece of concrete poetry, no less. I haven’t got a subscription to the OED (never thought a burglar alarm blog would necessitate one), so can’t check if it’s a real word – but I suspect it isn’t. And even if it was, in Scrabble it would only get you a weedy 9 points. To continue the poetry theme, the only rhymes are “prism” (from which it is doubtless derived) and “schism”, so it’s probably pronounced “Krizzum”, though I’m not stalkerish enough to ring them and see how they say it when they answer the phone. I guessed it was a firm run by someone called Chris M, and checking their website find this is indeed the case. Which would surely be “ChrisM” (note the upper-case M, and being one letter away from “Christ”), but perhaps that’s a bit too avant-garde, even for Sheffield. • Spotted: Campo Lane, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S1, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Sheffield Central
“BAC”, Bristol: uninspired iris
Posted by on October 23, 2011
“BAC” burglar alarm, Bristol • I like burglar alarm-hunting in the West Country, because there are so many independent firms with quirky designs. Sadly, this is one of the less inspired ones: I’m not sure if it’s a letter “O” representing the iris (or perhaps a number “0″, for zero crime), but I’m including it in the typographic section anyway. There’s an example of BAC’s current design here, which is even worse, and doesn’t look like an eye any more. The firm is based in the unpreposessing yet quaintly-named suburb of Fishponds; their website gives no clue as to what BAC stands for, but I’m guessing Bristol Alarm Company. • Spotted: Exchange Avenue, St Nicholas Market, Bristol, Avon, BS1, England, 2011 • Politics: In the Liberal Democrat constituency of Bristol West
“Euroscan Security”, East Grinstead: plucky move
Posted by on October 22, 2011
“Euroscan Security Ltd” burglar alarm, East Grinstead• Now, in the never-ending procession of eyes, I move on to typographic treatments. This one is quite clever, though invoking the continent is a plucky move in this swathe of deeply traditional stockbroker belt, which is represented in parliament by Tory grandee Nicholas Soames, the portly grandson of Winston Churchill. And referencing the Euro isn’t exactly reassuring to anyone these days. • Spotted: Middle Row, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19, England, 2004 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Sussex Mid
“Argus Always Alert”, Westminster: retro gem
Posted by on October 21, 2011
“Argus Always Alert” burglar alarm, City of Westminster • So I was standing waiting for the bus near Victoria Station, as one does, when I looked up and saw this: a superb vintage Argus alarm, with an abstract eye in the “g”, and the enjoyable tagline “always alert”. It’s much nicer than the more recent red-and-black Argus Fire & Security Group alarm I found here, though I presume it’s the same company. The building it’s on is also a retro gem: Kingsgate House (pictured below), an attractive marble-fronted 1960s office block which is about to be swept away in a massive redevelopment, along with its all-seeing, hundred-eyed, always-alert guardian. • Spotted: Kingsgate House, Victoria Street, City of Westminster, London, SW1, England, 2011 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Cities of London and Westminster
Above: Kingsgate House, Victoria – not long for this world
“Vigilance Security”, Tower Hamlets: deeply dull
Posted by on October 20, 2011
“Vigilance Security Systems Ltd” burglar alarm, Tower Hamlets • A deeply dull design, included only because there’s a faint, pinky-mauve eye on it – squint hard, and you’ll see it behind the “V” of Vigilance. If you don’t fall asleep first. • Spotted: Bethnal Green Road, Tower Hamlets, London, E2, England, 2005 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow
“Securidor”, Islington: bilious egg
Posted by on October 19, 2011
“Securidor Total Security Systems” burglar alarm, Islington • A pun on Securi-door, presumably, in a font by famous graphic designer Neville Brody (an unlikely hit with burglar alarm designers), above a bilious, badly-drawn eye that looks more like half a fried egg. It’s nice to know Securidor offer total (as opposed to what – partial?) security, but the nit-picking grammar police will be on their tail for that wrongly-spaced phone code – it should be 020 8 blah blah blah. • Spotted: Wedmore Gardens, Islington, London, N19, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Islington North
“TecServ UK”, Nottingham: Freudian epic
Posted by on October 18, 2011
“TecServ UK” burglar alarm, Nottingham • Dull though it may appear to the untrained eye, to the expert burglar alarm analyst this small device is a Daily Mail-esque Freudian epic. Clad in royal blue and English mustard with a modern yet understated font, it mixes trendy with traditional in a riot of symbolism: a padlock within a passionately flaming eye, a name suggesting service, technical prowess and patriotic values, and a sub-offer of fieriness and security. Surely the very model of a Femail reader’s fantasy burglar alarm engineer – a Heathcliff of the sounder, a Mr Darcy of the bell box. Or perhaps I’m reading too much into it. • Spotted: Friar Lane, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG1, England, 2011 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Nottingham South
“Case Alarms”, Islington: manga face
Posted by on October 17, 2011
“Case Alarms” burglar alarm, Islington • If you ignore the logo, this looks like a weird Japanese manga face with a single red eye and a gaping blue mouth with one red tooth. Well, it does to me… • Spotted: Caledonian Road, Islington, London, N7, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Islington South and Finsbury
“Image Security”, Westminster: unattracive pupil
Posted by on October 16, 2011
“Image Security” burglar alarm, City of Westminster • Continuing the theme of abstract eyes is this more literal – and far less attractive – take on the “red warning eye” as featured by Barry Bros yesterday. Note the red strobe, which is far more common than the unusual green one featured a few days ago on this Spy alarm. • Spotted: Great Titchfield Street, City of Westminster, London, W1, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Cities of London and Westminster
“Barry Bros”, Westminster: red eye
Posted by on October 15, 2011
“Barry Bros” burglar alarm, City of Westminster • An even older Barry Bros alarm than yesterday’s, this time with a big red eye and an ancient 071 code, plus a much bigger box. I prefer this red eye to the newer blue ones, because it looks like a warning light. Thankfully this is the last Barry Bros box, as there’s not much else to say about them. • Spotted: Lower Marsh, Lambeth, London, SE1, England, 2011 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Vauxhall
“Barry Bros”, Camden: back to the 90s
Posted by on October 14, 2011
“Barry Bros” burglar alarm, Camden • This is a slightly older version of yesterday’s Barry Bros design, minus the word “security” and with an outmoded 0171 code – very 1990s. The actual sounder is of the same style as yesterday, with the slim square bulb beneath; it’s quite a common type, though I haven’t featured many so far. Other than that there is nothing scintillating to note – I am simply being completist about sounders with eyes on. • Spotted: Covent Garden area, Camden, London, WC2, England, 2004 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Holborn and St Pancras
“Barry Bros Security”, Westminster: abstract eye
Posted by on October 13, 2011
“Barry Bros Security” burglar alarm, City of Westminster • This is quite a popular firm in central London, and I have come across several versions of their abstract eye design. This is the most recent-looking, although dating back to 2002; it bears the magic word “security”, whereas the older ones don’t. Barry Bros’ rather antiquated website says they were founded in 1945 and are based in Praed Street WC1, opposite Paddington Station; Google Street View shows them as still there, so presumably they still exist. • Spotted: Mortimer Street, City of Westminster, London, W1, England, 2002 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Cities of London and Westminster
“Spy Alarms”, Tower Hamlets: giant mascara
Posted by on October 12, 2011
“Spy Alarms” burglar alarm, Tower Hamlets • My final Spy alarm is the only example of this logo I’ve found – which I reckon is a more recent design than yesterday’s, though the eye still sports giant mascara. The green strobe at the bottom is unusual (most seem to be blue), and was presumably chosen to match the lettering. • Spotted: Fairfield Road, Tower Hamlets, London, E3, England, 2010 • Politics: In the Labour constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow
“Spy Alarms”, Westminster: sitting on fossils
Posted by on October 11, 2011
“Spy Alarms” burglar alarm, City of Westminster • Here’s a more recent iteration of the Spy design than yesterday’s, a strange and decorative Egyptian-looking eye which is either crying, emitting rays, or has very effective mascara. It’s sited on a strip of marble teeming with the fossils of ancient sea creatures – which is a lot more interesting than the burglar alarm, really. • Spotted: Strutton Ground, City of Westminster, London, SW1, England, 2007 • Politics: In the Conservative constituency of Cities of London and Westminster
Above: a better view of the fossil marble strip
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