Transforming spaces and creating experiences with placemaking.
Think about some of your favorite places to go – libraries, shops, parks, apartment complexes. Now imagine what those places would look like without their signs. Learn why Placemaking is important and how it differs from Wayfinding.
Placemaking vs Wayfinding
Placemaking often gets confused with wayfinding signage. While placemaking focuses on creating engaging spaces that build a sense of identity within a community, wayfinding is the process of guiding people through a space. Placemaking might be an art installation or a monument sign in a community garden. Wayfinding signs are often maps, arrows, and other visual cues guiding people through an airport, hospital, or other large campus.
The two are often intertwined with each other. A placemaking project may include wayfinding elements so people can feel a sense of place and navigate within it. Similarly, well-designed wayfinding systems help create a space’s sense of identity.
We’ve talked extensively about wayfinding signage, so let’s take a closer look at placemaking.
Think about some of your favorite places to go – libraries, shops, parks, and apartment complexes. Now imagine what those places would look like without their signs. The design, colors, and materials that go into a signage plan help brand a space and give visitors a vibe, a feeling, that sets the tone for what they’re about to experience.
Here are some placemaking projects Latitude Signage + Design has been part of.
Pickle Palace | Cedar Rapids, Iowa
The new pickleball courts are also home to a multi-level, indoor/outdoor restaurant, event, and recreation venue that hopes to revitalize Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s southwest side. Uniting all the elements of the social space under one brand with placemaking was paramount to building an experiential environment befitting of the name Pickle Palace.
The Latitude team partnered early with the developers to realize their vision, which included:
- A four-sided scaffold sign made of 42” tall channel letters that has become a skyline landmark
- Illuminated channel letter signage at multiple entrances
- Ceiling-mounted 36″ open channel letters with exposed incandescent LED bulbs in the interior duckpin bowling area
- Vintage-modern wayfinding signs, including a 78” tall T‑mounted elevator sign and 40”x30” directory on each floor
- ADA restroom signs with both tactile lettering and Braille
Element Research Center | Boulder, Colorado
The new seven-building Element Research Center — a science and technology campus featuring offices, lab spaces, and numerous amenities — required extensive signage to help visitors navigate the property and create a cohesive look and feel across its 453,565 square feet.
Latitude collaborated with a global architectural firm to bring a unique design vision to life. That vision included using heavy rebar to manufacture exterior signs. The industrial feel speaks to the cutting-edge science and technology organizations that have made the Element Research Center their home.
See the complete Element Research Center signage project here.
Community Alliance | Omaha, Nebraska
When you visit a large hospital or healthcare center, you want to feel a sense of comfort and peace. That’s why placemaking is crucial to creating a welcoming environment in medical settings. Community Alliance, an Omaha, Nebraska, healthcare organization, recently opened a 127,700-square-foot facility with multiple entrances over an expansive property. Signage needed to be large enough for people to read from far away without feeling loud or overwhelming.
The final signage plan uses all the square footage available to build a cohesive visual brand and provide campus navigation. Oversized monument signs can’t be missed from the busy Omaha streets, ensuring visitors spot the campus as they approach.
See the complete Community Alliance signage project here.
The Ives | Denver, Colorado
Placemaking gives apartment complexes instant vibes. That’s important in big cities where there are hundreds of residential communities to choose from. How do you make your campus stand out and draw in your target audience?
The Ives in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, was looking for a modern, upscale look. They used unique patterns and colors to make each floor look and feel different, which was carried through to room identification and other permanent signage. The dual signs approach enabled creative design freedom while ensuring ADA compliance. Exterior signage with bottom-mounted, illuminated letters stacked on top of each other create a striking canopy at the entrance of The Ives.
Triumph Park | Waukee, Iowa
Waukee, Iowa’s new 66-acre park is home to 12 softball and baseball fields, practice areas, concessions, an 11-acre pond, greenspaces, trails, and a 15,000-square-foot inclusive playground. Like any large campus, placemaking is key to visually uniting the space.
The signature look for the Triumph Park signs is fabricated aluminum letters sitting on black aluminum trestle-style structures throughout the park that can be used to welcome visitors and take team photos after winning the big game. A donor wall on the side of the concession stand spells out “Triumph” with vertical aluminum fins standing two-inches off the wall and spaced two inches apart, creating a cool visual effect as you walk by. Flag-mounted directional signs and field markers complete the look and help people identify key locations from far away.
Key Placemaking Takeaways
Placemaking creates environments that empower visitors to get a feel for your organization. Your signage company should consult with you to understand your brand and the mission of your organization. Together, you can decide on a placemaking project plan that creates a meaningful experience for your visitors.
Ready to Start Your Placemaking Project?
Reach out to us at connect@latitudesignage.com to find your expert for any questions on incorporating creative signage solutions in your building project.
More reading on wayfinding:
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