After CoSign’s first go-around in the Cincinnati suburb of Northside, the main business district was spruced-up, invigorated and made more interesting. At the time, sign advocate and urban visionary Eric Avner spoke of “creative place-making” and the economic importance of well-designed signs.
CoSign’s recent second round of custom-designed signs has successfully transformed the neighborhood into a full-blown commerce and recreation destination.
CoSign (a collaboration between the American Sign Museum and the Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation) unveiled nine new signs November 29. The design and fabrication process required six months, but the impact was immediate. A nice video explaining how it works can be found at www.cosigncincy.com.
Like last time (see ST, January 2013, page 42), designs were submitted (nearly 300!) to the participating businesses, who picked their favorites to be judged. A panel of design experts (I was again honored to be a judge) then selected nine finalists to be fabricated, installed and unveiled. The unveiling ceremony was quite a neighborhood event, with local media on hand to cover the event.
Photos only partially do justice to the end results. Individually, each sign is a compelling mixture of art and craftsmanship, but taken as a whole, the signs create a much stronger effect. Eric’s suggestion of “creative place-making” certainly rings true. American Sign Museum founder Tod Swormstedt sees it as “an opportunity to educate business owners and the general public about the importance of signs.”
An exact formula for effective sign density might be tough to pin down, but this second round of signage in this eclectic Cincinnati suburb surely makes the case that “more is more”.