ANNOUNCEMENT: New Logo for Downtown Lakewood

[sharon kinsella]

Isnt' - it isn't working.

I hate being sick.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Wayfinding
The process of using spatial and environmental cues to navigate through an environment. In its most literal sense, wayfinding is the ability of a person to find his or her way to a destination. It can also be defined from the standpoint of the designer or site owner and operator seeking to improve the function of a particular environment. Wayfinding is not separate from traditional signage design, but is a broader, more inclusive way of assessing all the environmental issues that affect our ability to find our way.

Okay....I understand the ‘most literal sense’ definition of wayfinding. I challenged with interpreting the ‘using spatial and environmental cues’ and the ‘more inclusive way of assessing all the environmental issues that affect our ability to find our way’ parts. Can someone translate these to plain English for me?

Wayfinding - Buzz word of sign/graphic companies and urban planners desperate to be relevant. Fondue of the 21st century.

AGS and awarding winning graphic design firm would sell a way finding system to Shaker Heights where I do not live and work.

I would not send a Lakewood bill for $62,000 er $23,128.

Psssssssssssst read the quote

Wayfinding
The process of using spatial and environmental cues to navigate through an environment. In its most literal sense, wayfinding is the ability of a person to find his or her way to a destination. It can also be defined from the standpoint of the designer or site owner and operator seeking to improve the function of a particular environment. Wayfinding is not separate from traditional signage design, but is a broader, more inclusive way of assessing all the environmental issues that affect our ability to find our way.

FWIW


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[Charlie Page]

I can go on and on about buzz words used in the business world, but the design world is foreign to me. I need help! I'd like to understand this program further before passing judgement!

________


In 2005, LA put a wayfinding program in at a cost of over 2 million

http://www.downtownlawalks.com/index.php?f=release

Here's a sample from Portland.

http://www.portlandonline.com/Transport ... 00&a=98858

[sharon kinsella]

The think is LA is huge, Portland is pretty big, Cleveland is big.

Lakewood is small. Someone in decent shape can walk East to West in a reasonable amount of time.

Not that much square mileage here to need this kind of program.

I've worked the census here and trained census enumerators to find addresses, there are some small pockets I had never seen, but not much.

Lakewood is very well laid out on a North to South, East to West pattern. Just follow the numbers.

[Jim O'Bryan]

I can go on and on about buzz words used in the business world, but the design world is foreign to me. I need help! I'd like to understand this program further before passing judgement!

Charlie

I think $2 million for LA might be a bargin, depends on everything. BP America spent over $6 million on their logo which was nothing more than them italicizing the B and P and placing them in a rectangle, er area of exclusion. However then came the execution, books id guides, corporate id police, signage, stationary, id badges and on and on and on. By the end a little under $6 billion was spent worldwide on implementation.

With New Balance it was different, a look and feel that worked on shoes as well as everywhere else. Pasting logos on hundreds of shows, and mocking up hundreds of signs for instore and out, whew, just to get a final OK.

In the end, New Balance became a hot shoe to own, and BP went from 3 largest corporation the the world to just out of the top 300.

You need the Buzz words to get the $$$$$ from one sign or a "program." It is the flash in the sale that allows the buyer to think cool. In the end signs need to be legible, unique and blend in. Or I could say

Wayfinding
The process of using spatial and environmental cues to navigate through an environment. In its most literal sense, wayfinding is the ability of a person to find his or her way to a destination. It can also be defined from the standpoint of the designer or site owner and operator seeking to improve the function of a particular environment. Wayfinding is not separate from traditional signage design, but is a broader, more inclusive way of assessing all the environmental issues that affect our ability to find our way.

As I said in the end legible, distinctive, captures the feel, etc.

We have all seen signs and logos that are hard to read. And example would be the white on yellow "Downtown" I have no idea why they would even submit that combination.

In the end, the Swedes call it fondue, my poor Irish relatives call it melted cheese. You can charge more for Fondue, it sounds cooler.

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[Dustin James]

[quote="Charlie Page"]I can go on and on about buzz words used in the business world, but the design world is foreign to me. I need help! I'd like to understand this program further before passing judgement!

________
Charlie,

The Fondue analogy might have confused you. I believe what Jim was trying to say in an abstract way, is that Way finding may be a new “flavor of the monthâ€

[sharon kinsella]

I seem to be eliciting no further response on my questions, why?

Why was the information conveyed in such a cumbersome manner? Must I really do all that work to get those questions answered?

I feel like I'm being stonewalled, is this the message that you want sent to Lakewood citizens?

I might as well as for the information I'm thinking would be relevant to this whole things -

What portion of the budget for signage came from the city of Lakewood?

What portion of LakewoodAlive's budget comes from the city of Lakewood?

Is there a breakdown on where LakewoodAlive's budget come from? Private sector? Grants City Of Lakewood? Is everyone volunteer? At Lakewood is Art, all are volunteers, is that true with LakewoodAlive? What percent of Spooky Pooch Parade went to the Animal Shelter?

It would behoove a project that is looking to incite development of our town to see that this information is available to any of Lakewood's residents without it being a research project.

Citizens need to be involved in this process and should feel vested.

Thank you.

[Dustin James]

I seem to be eliciting no further response on my questions, why?

What portion of the budget for signage came from the city of Lakewood?

What portion of LakewoodAlive's budget comes from the city of Lakewood?

Is there a breakdown on where LakewoodAlive's budget come from? Private sector? Grants City Of Lakewood? Is everyone volunteer? At Lakewood is Art, all are volunteers, is that true with LakewoodAlive? What percent of Spooky Pooch Parade went to the Animal Shelter?

It would behoove a project that is looking to incite development of our town to see that this information is available to any of Lakewood's residents without it being a research project.

Citizens need to be involved in this process and should feel vested.

Thank you.

These seem like reasonable questions in this new day of transparency-- and this forum seems like the perfect place to reach a wide variety of opinions and ideas. Can't imagine why LakewoodAlive or any other helpful organization or individual would want anything less than full disclosure. Certainly nothing to fear when everything is on the up and up.

Right?

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[Esther Hazlett]

Citizens need to be involved in this process and should feel vested.

According to the opening post, there was a public meeting about all of this. Perhaps you should have attended.

[Grace O'Malley]

Esther, perhaps you should have read this thread before posting:

http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7038&highlight=lakewoodalive+signage

I don't think a post made on an internet board the day of an event is a good way to publicize a request for attendees to the entire community of Lakewood.

However, Sharon did see it and had another legitimate commitment or I'm sure she would have tried to attend.

Trying to marginalize Sharon's concerns by insinuating that she chose to avoid participation is very haughty of you.

[sharon kinsella]

First - I couldn't and wouldn't attend every meeting impacting my city. I have neither the time nor the energy.

Second - This is all being done with grant monies which they couldn't receive if they weren't non-profits, therefore this is information that the public is entitled to upon request. I asked a question that could have been answered easily and was given unusable, information.

Why don't you read the first answer I got and see how long it takes you to answer the questions I asked?

[Melissa Page]

I was happy to see LakewoodAlive Exec. Director reach out to the deck members and then all the constructive conversation…it was refreshing. But then it went bad and some got off track and pursued a divide and conquer effort. So now instead of taking the Observation Deck 1 step forward towards being a tool for well-rounded civic involvement that can lead to positive action, it looks like we just went 2 steps back. This is discouraging.

I’m a 36 yr old mom of young children and am extraordinarily involved as a civic volunteer here in Lakewood. Among that long list is LakewoodAlive and Main Street. And I attended that public meeting to help identify needs and wants from the community. I must have seen it at least twice publicized prior notice. It was at the library and I’m guessing about 35 people from the community were in attendance. Concerning wayfinding and sign design feedback there was active participation from the attendees.

I can attest that current city and civic Lakewood leaders want to collaborate private and public partners and involve the community. They may not have a perfect system down for how to best go about this and it can’t just happen overnight. But for goodness sake, when we see any attempt to involve the average citizen of Lakewood by all means don’t push it back! If it is nurtured it can grow and be improved upon going forward. If it is stomped on it will retreat and never realize what it can be.

I have just witnessed how online discussions can be spinned in a destructive tone and left to a few players which has the same negative effect as what those same players are accusing others of doing. Way to advocate for status quo and discouraging people like me from reading these deck discussions.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Mel

Once I dumped the Stephen Eisel notes calling people with opinions A-holes for offering suggestions I do not see the negativity.

All I see are very strong positives and people reaching out o be a part and try to understand, the process, the group, the vision and the dream.

The post was simply a release asking for input and input abounded. some of the best civic and artistic minds in this city jumped in with color suggestions and design suggestions. Now if for some reason the designs are locked in stone, maybe that should have been claified with a simple, "Color choices only."

I was refreshed that not only did we get more than 35 people chiming in, but ended up moving the design and process farther down the road than even I could imagine. The designs set forth by 4Design are breathtaking. They fit the city, they fit the project and the goal, and they were free, built on the fly based on the input of many.

As for the recent questions by Sharon Kinsella, I have to believe she has every right to ask for clarification. Now it might have been put forward in very strong terms, but it is a public 501 C3 that is not only dependent on our money, but solicited the city for funding the week before Christmas.

What does not kill us makes us stronger. As you and I have laughed about many times, I myself been fired many, many times on the Deck, just last week, they raised the torches again, and came with pitchforks demanding edit buttons, and votes on this truly civic project.

In the end, I stood in the fire and answered the questions and complaints to the best of my ability.

While I can understand some fo the "pains" I certainly have to think they were all meant to move the project, the city forwards.

FWIW


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[Mary Anne Crampton]

Our IRS FORM 990 from 2005, 2006, and 2007 is posted on Guidestar.org.
For those of you unfamiliar with Guidestar, its mission is to revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving.


Look for our report by searching Lakewood Community Progress Inc. Alternately, I keep a copy of our most recent 990 in the lower right hand drawer of my desk. Our office hours are 8:30AM - 5PM and I am usually there earlier and later. That said, call before making a special trip since Shannon and I are both called to meetings outside the office throughout the week. 521-0655.

LakewoodAlive's 2008 Annual Report has been posted on our website:
http://www.lakewoodalive.com/news/2009/ ... eport.html

Our 2008 Form 990 will also be posted there as soon as it is ready.

Below are the first two lines of the posting re: color.

*****
Signage Color: Community Input Sought

As part of its signage and wayfinding design project, the Downtown Lakewood Design Sub-committee is seeking community input on the color selection for street signs in the district.

*****

To keep abreast of the Wayfinding and Signage Design Project and all other activity related to our Downtown Lakewood revitalization efforts, sign up for the LakewoodAlive e-letter here: www.lakewoodalve.com/join.html

If you only want to get the e-letter, all we need is your contact information and email address. Leave the rest blank.

Mary Anne

[Jim O'Bryan]

Mary Ann

I would encourage you to post you e-letter here.

No one gets news into the hands of Lakewoodites faster or better without
agenda than the Lakewood Observer.

I am sure you would agree.

That way people can read it without signing in or leaving emails.

FWIW


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