ANNOUNCEMENT: New Logo for Downtown Lakewood

[stephen davis]

Before




After

?????

.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Before




After

?????

.

Stephen


Oh, oooppppps.

Will relink and/or repost when I am near a computer.


.

[Jim O'Bryan]

To be fair, I used a photo of St. Charles, just like the above area. I took the photo this
morning, and because of where I was standing I got the south side of the street, but
it is still St. Charles and Detroit like the Illustration.


Detroit and St. Charles without any way finding.





OK

NOW


Detroit and St. Charles with way finding signage!





.

[Jim O'Bryan]

To be fair, I used a photo of St. Charles, just like the above area. I took the photo this
morning, and because of where I was standing I got the south side of the street, but
it is still St. Charles and Detroit like the Illustration.


Detroit and St. Charles without any way finding.





OK

NOW


Detroit and St. Charles with way finding signage!





.

To get more to the actual feel for this important step for DowntowN Lakewood to get
us on the right road, I went back and use all of the objects from the Bid sheet,
including the two lurkers and the car.

Not much of a game trying to find all ten items, as they really pop, but go ahead and try!







.

[Jim O'Bryan]

I'm not sure if this would sit better in the "color survey" thread but either way as always its good to see an in-depth discussions on all things Lakewood.

I've had the pleasure of chairing the Signage & Wayfinding Design sub-committee with other wonderful and very talented Lakewood residents. Where we stand today in terms of the signage and wayfinding study is still only one quarter complete. There is still a lot of work to do, and more public participation and input is needed. What we need to concentrate on at this time is selecting a color for the logo.

Sean

First I agree it is always good to see an open in-depth discussion of all things Lakewood. Through open dialogues
we can stop long enough to see the trees for the forest. It is a shame that many others in this city have decided
it is best for all when "a select group of gifted individuals" lead us out of the darkness with their very hidden
agendas. Thank you for the kind words, and I would encourage all Lakewoodites to use their right to speak and
be heard.

I will bring "the "color survey" thread" you speak of back up later today with some items that I still have
questions about but as you "had the pleasure of chairing the Signage & Wayfinding Design sub-committee" I
was wondering.

What happened with the design that was chosen by the community volunteer committee?
What happened to the design the community voted on?
What happened to the design the city was billed $71,000 er $30,000 for having the volunteer committee design?

In the other thread, as you point out it is the color thread I will be asking

What happened to the colors that the committee had chosen?
What happened to the colors, the community had chosen in the test in front of Gieger's?
What was the cost of that color test to the community?

I am just curious, as it seems that in the year since everything was presented, many, many changes have
happened. Could you possible update us on the committee's progress and how many Lakewoodites are still
on the "Signage & Wayfinding Design sub-committee"?

I would hope that this is not another committee that has asked for community participation just to throw out
those decisions for what a very, very small handful of people wanted all along.

Thank you for your continued support in heading the "Signage and Wayfinding sub committee" and in your
endless dedication to "in-depth discussions on all things Lakewood."

I would encourage all to go back, and read this thread as many of us did yesterday. It
is fascinating, as Scott points outs, what comes to the surface when Lakewoodites take
part in a "in-depth discussions on all things Lakewood."

.

[sharon kinsella]

Okay, I never should have re-read that. That's what I get for listening to you Jimmy.

Not everyone on here knows how sick I was last winter. To top it off, I was spoken to like a dog for asking questions.

Uncalled for, unprofessional and irresponsible. Can't believe anyone give LA any money.

Should have seen it this past summer when a dear friend innocently introduced me to MAC, thought she was going to have a seizure. I put out my hand and cheerfully said "Bet you'd never thought you'd meet me".

I received one of those limp noodle handshakes and watch the dust swirl from the quick exit stage left.

Coward.

The "L" in the logo is for the losers that paid for those signs, exemplified by their manner of public engagement.

[Dustin James]

Jim O'Bryan raises some very good points as does Sharon - probably two sides of the same coin.

Studio Graphique is already marketing the job they did for Lakewood Alive on their web site. http://www.designwithdirection.com/caseStudies/lakewood.htm

Which is just good salesmanship. I mean it looks like they did the job! It gives the firm credibility that a city the size of Lakewood, trusted them with the responsibility of not only wayfinding - but enhancing "the overall visitor experience of Downtown Lakewood, a designated Main Street district."

I did not know that downtown Lakewood was a designated historic area. http://www.preservationnation.org/main-street/

So, Studio Graphique will go to the next little town and sell them on some signs as a way to look branded. They might want to break away from the Copperplate Font theme they did for Heinen's and LA, it's kind of looking the same. http://www.designwithdirection.com/caseStudies/heinens.htm

I suppose it also helps Lakewood Alive look they are doing something, although Studio Graphique cites on their web site, this process started in 2007.

The exercise that Jim did with actual images of the environment is what separates wayfinding sketches, from what they are likely to look like amid all the other signage and visual noise. It identifies scale challenges, legibility and yes, color contrast.

It's your money.

But I do like the ideas about getting people off of I-90 to find their way to Lakewood.

.

[sharon kinsella]

Studio Graphique is siting the LA job on their website. Seems like patronage really works.

Jimmy this would answer the question of why they went outside Lakewood, gettin by with a little help from their friends seems to apply to poor judgment, no rfp's with grant monies and bad graphics.

I swear, the older I get the dumber some folks look.

[sharon kinsella]

Also Dustin, I thought I'd point out that the projects on Madison and W. Blvd. that are looking like a bomb hit them, are designated as a historic landmark.

Lots of designations around town.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Studio Graphique is already marketing the job they did for Lakewood Alive on their web site. http://www.designwithdirection.com/caseStudies/lakewood.htm

So, Studio Graphique will go to the next little town and sell them on some signs as a way to look branded. They might want to break away from the Copperplate Font theme they did for Heinen's and LA, it's kind of looking the same. http://www.designwithdirection.com/caseStudies/heinens.htm

I suppose it also helps Lakewood Alive look they are doing something, although Studio Graphique cites on their web site, this process started in 2007.

The exercise that Jim did with actual images of the environment is what separates wayfinding sketches, from what they are likely to look like amid all the other signage and visual noise. It identifies scale challenges, legibility and yes, color contrast.

It's your money.

But I do like the ideas about getting people off of I-90 to find their way to Lakewood.

.

Dustin

And there is the rub, and underlining many, many, many of the nightmares. Where to start?

I no longer find it odd as the Orwellian named "LakewoodAlive" constantly goes outside of the city to spend
their money. As they are all regionalists and will explain at a moment's notice what is good for the region is
great for Lakewood.

So the group that preaches "Buy Lakewood" not only never even thought of using a Lakewood design group.
Now one must wonder if they went outside, so they could come back and stage the entire "faux committee, we
will make it look like they wanted it deal" that this city is becoming famous for. That a couple people wanted this
so they decided to trick Lakewoodites into thinking we NEED it.

But it is your last sentence that really sticks in my craw.

But I do like the ideas about getting people off of I-90 to find their way to Lakewood.

The state of Ohio offers that signage at a pretty affordable cost. We can see those signs all over the state, and
or other states. FOOD this exit, McDonalds, Cheese Barn, etc. Often these are done through a local Chamber of
Commerce, that collects the names and the signs are leased like other signage in monthly or yearly packages.
These signs are not only for food, but services and yes even Geiger's could be on the sign. This exit for...

But what are we bringing all of these people in for? How many are we looking to attract? Once here where are
we sending them? Our three biggest events "4th of July Fireworks," "Lakewood Arts Festival," "Madison Car
Kulture Show" have no problem getting people there. Tens of thousands make it with little or no problem. Or is it
for the empty big box stores they told us we NEED, that sit empty like Panera Bread, 5 Guys Burgers, etc. while
Lakewood's organic and homegrown spots are so full you cannot get a seat like Melt, The Root Café, the
Beer Engine and now 2 Dad's Diner? (All owned by real Lakewood entrepreneurs)

Why do we need these signs? From what I see we have already spent a ton out of pocket. The sign study done
by volunteers saw a bill being submitted for $71,000 er $38,000 by LakewoodAlive to the city for their volunteer
efforts, and that was merely a sign study and color study. How much will this cost the tax payers when we have
a School Levy, and tax hike, and a Library Levy ahead of us, not to mention another bond issue coming down the road!
Is this best use of the public's money and time?

Back to the point I was trying to make, on where are we headed, and who is driving the bus, and where are
the damn plans!

Lakewood Ohio with Way Finding


Red Bank New Jersey after a revitalization effort that smells like "Mainstreet."

Secret Stash is the most famous store in Red Bank. It is Kevin Smith's comic book store
and museum, which does draw from all over the world.


Signs mostly gone, wires moved behind the stores, poles missing, street lights and traffic
lights wired underground, real brick, not hillbilly painted concrete, etc.


Very clean, very safe, and very enjoyable.


Notice anything? This revitalized mecca for small shops in New Jersey have gotten rid of all of the signs, removed
the clutter, the filth, the graffiti, the needed list of accomplishments, and just made their city, cleaner, safer,
and thereby more fun to be in, and more importantly to live in.

So back to the simplest of all questions. Who are we serving and why and at what cost?

Is it as Dustin asks so that a small group of "volunteers" can feel like they can accomplish
something, anything? If that is the case wouldn't it be cheaper to have their "volunteers"
stick to giving themselves awards for things they had nothing to do with, or steal er
borrow events as they have in the past and take the credit?

AS for me, and I am only speaking for me, I would rather see all of Lakewood benefit from
cleaner safer streets and being the best place to LIVE and raise a family. Not create high
crime zones of empty mall like shopping. Remember the Grow Lakewood Power Point?

But as we know, I am an odd bird.

Side bet, Will LakewoodAlive stage a takeover of Lakewood Is Art ala Mainstreet, LCPI, Spooky
Pooch, or just steal the concert event and throw Lakewood Is Art to the curb ala Walk and Roll? I bet the later.
At least it is all done for the good of the city, not ego and personal gain$ Double or
nothing who is next the Chamber of Commerce? MAMA? The Schools? The City?

Oh wait, strike those last two.

Dustin, my question to you, and others. Is it better for a city to get a person directly to a
location, or have they wander a bit and discover other stores, and features they might not
have been aware of? After traveling the 20 miles from "the Quickie Mart," to Red Bank
all without way finding, a journey many hundreds take all summer long, I stopped and
shopped and ate in many locations I had never ever heard of. Just a thought.


The start of our pilgrimage from Highlands, New Jersey to Red Bank, New Jersey.

.

[Jill Jusko]

"Hill billy painted concrete." Wow.

What I see when I look at these New Jersey town street photos is the unique signage above the stores. I think it adds so much to the appeal. I've mentioned it in other threads, but I don't think Lakewood stores do nearly enough of this, and it's a shame given the number of storefronts we have. (Of course, there are exceptions.)

[Jill Jusko]

I don't know what the signage laws are in Lakewood, so I don't know whether what you state is correct or not.

[Jim O'Bryan]

I don't know what the signage laws are in Lakewood, so I don't know whether what you state is correct or not.

Jill

I own a sign shop. I have done signs in Lakewood. The size of the sign is based on the frontage on the street,
what other signs say, how many are already on the building, etc.

Melt, Dave's Cosmic Subs, Meinke, Rozi's, The Beck Cafe, and others have all had issues trying to get larger
and "wilder signs."

As I had posted, we need a plan, and we need to know the plan.


.

[Jill Jusko]

Well, I'm not speaking to the size of the sign at all, more the originality of the appearance. And while I acknowledge you own a sign shop, I'm one of those people who generally go to the source about what the requirements are. And maybe I'll do that.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Well, I'm not speaking to the size of the sign at all, more the originality of the appearance. And while I acknowledge you own a sign shop, I'm one of those people who generally go to the source about what the requirements are. And maybe I'll do that.

Jill

Please do, call the building department. They have always been extremely helpful
with figuring out signage for the signs I have done.

While you are not addressing the size, that would be one of the largest limiting factors
when looking at signs like Secret Stash, etc. in the Red Bank photos. Drive past
Dave's Cosmic Subs, and picture the front with a sign twice as large. Go look at
the signage on Big Fun a W116th on Clifton, that would not be allowed in Lakewood.

Our last vision plan was 1993, Grow Lakewood was more of a report/presentation.
Red Bank started a year later than Lakewood with this.
https://data.c3alert.us/file/download/9d5b97ba-5025-4865-acbe-321520d25350.file

.