COMMUNITY SIGNS: Pointing in the Right Direction

Double-faced, projecting, custom
signs work at pedestrian-scale.

Signs are the most consistently colorful feature of cities - a fact that can be both good and bad. Commercial signs can be gorgeous and well-integrated to the architecture, especially in in wealthy cities with lots of design controls. But, in most cities, commercial signs are often non-descript, poorly coordinated and clutter up the streetscape. But this is a topic for a future blog. Today we will look at community signs, and, once again, things are changing for the better.

Some community signs, like the "Welcome to Las Vegas", are iconic. At a single glance, they represent their cities. But what if a city has a less memorable image? In those cases, planners and designers take a city's most memorable symbols and put them on their community signs. These signs are popping up all over and are helping to reinforce their city's image. If it's an ugly sign, not to worry! Psychologists point out that the longer we look at something - even something quite plain - the more we like it. This "mere exposure effect: might also explain why we all think we're pretty good looking! This third edition of my blog will examine two trends in community signage: community wayfinding and street signs.

Community Wayfinding Signs - It took us long enough, but planners finally realized that our cities need iconic signs to tell us where the cool stuff is. And the sign itself can be a symbol for the city you're in. Santa Barbara's new community directional sign serves double duty - it helps orient the visitor and reminds them of the city's culture.

Community wayfinding signs help the travelor to know
that they're heading for some key destinations.

San Juan Capistrano's new signs have the rounded
top symbolic of the mission's curved bell gable.

Big cities are in special need of wayfinding signs. LA is so big and spread out, and contains so many distinct districts, that people get lost all the time. One of the most famous American urban designers and theorists - Kevin Lynch (The Image of the City, 1980) - thought that cities should be "legible" or readible so that people know where they are. One characteristic of "legible" or imageable cities is that they contain districts of distinct identity that help make a city interesting and diverse.

Bravo LA! This wayfinding sign brands the district - Chinatown -
and helps people find destinations within it.

Newport Beach's oval signs catch the eye and have
good color contrast.

Less imageable cities need wayfinding signs as well, and perhaps even more. Your city may not be the most exciting, but you do have destinations like the library, City Hall, the park. Designing an attractive community sign program can help give you city a stronger sense of identity.

Laguna Hills has made its top destinations easier
to get to with attractive new signs.

Street Signs - Something as seemingly boring as a street sign can also make a big difference to a community's image. Street signs are on almost every corner, so why not give them some pizzazz?