There are so many ways to track how cities change over time, but one of the most remarkable is surely the signage that we encounter every day.

Toronto might have more buildings and traffic than in the past, but sometimes it's the markings on our streets that are the most noticeable sign of change.

You might not notice the manner in which various typefaces and types of lighting shift over the course of a year or two, but when you expand the spectrum over the course of a decade or more, the differences are remarkable.

As far as overall trends go, you'll notice how text-heavy signs were in the first half of the 20th century.

By the time the 1960s rolled around, giant neon signs dominated the Toronto streetscape. A few decades later, however, these shining beacons had mostly faded away.

Today LED signs and image-based billboards reign supreme. Along the way, the city progressively lost plenty of visual character.

Contemporary signage might be more energy efficient, but it also tends to defined by corporate logos and a homogeneity that breeds nostalgia for the way things used to be.

We can't go back again, but there's plenty of photos to provide us with memory trips.