One of the problems of being a design lover is that you find yourself critiquing everything around you: the paint choices in your local coffee shop, the authenticity of a mural scene or the font choice on a menu.

Recently, I visited the Philadelphia Art Museum and was stunned by the captions underneath a few statues in the sculpture garden. The imposing figure pictured above is General Friedrich von Steuben, the chief of staff for George Washington during the Revolutionary War.

I suspect you don’t come to the WallCandy Arts Blog for a history lesson, but please indulge me because this was an AMAZING man.

A military strategist from Prussia, Steuben first volunteered to serve in the Continental Army for free. He is credited for instilling discipline into the Minutemen and often conducted drills by yelling at his troops in German and French (hey, it worked!). He is also the visionary who decided that the Continental Army needed to separate the kitchen and latrines for sanitary reasons and suggested that leaving rotting animal carcasses in the camp might not be a bright idea either.

In the PBS Kids cartoon, “Liberty’s Kids,” General von Steuben was voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger!

Most people who walk by the statue learn none of this information. Why? Because the text is virtually invisible — especially when the sun is in your eyes. Take a look at how difficult it is to read the engraving. Gold letters on a tan background is absolute blasphemy.

Heads should roll over this.

Now take a look at this wall sticker display I created for my daughter’s birthday party, using elements from the WallCandy “My Sunshine” set.

Notice how golden brown decals are not stuck on the golden brown wall. Note how the letters were chosen for maximum contrast. I assure you, no one walked by the dining room and was unaware that a birthday party was going on.

Unfortunately, there is currently no commercial demand for General von Steuben removable wall decals, but you can honor his memory by choosing colors that bounce well off each other!

(Full Disclosure: The fuschia and green Happy Birthday letters were handcut freestyle from paper plates. Try experimenting with different textures of paper and layering them on top of WallCandy decals with tape. You still don’t do any damage to the walls!)