Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 32

DESIGN MATTERS
JEFF

A TALE OF THREE CITIES
Always remember the five P's.

HE "Five P's of Success"
go as follows: Proper
Planning Prevents Poor
Performance. A bit trite,
maybe, but true nonetheless.
With many variables to account
for, such as the changing of the
seasons and weather-related visibility issues, sign designers especially
should keep these five P's in mind.
A case in point is the three adjoining
Northern Kentucky cities of Bellevue,
Newport and Fort Thomas.
Although not created at the same
time, the three cities' entry signs have
a consistent wrought-iron design
that weaves an elegant common
thread in the region. The three
city councils were wise to take into
account what neighboring towns had
done and make the effort to create a
coherent look and feel.
Solid, well-constructed signs such
as these aren't cheap, and the hurdles

RUSS
is ST's Senior Art Director.
Email him at jeff.russ@
stmediagroup.com. The best
way to remember the five
P's is to forget them. Once..

T

32

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

FEBRUARY 2018

associated with big-budget items in
small towns are often hard to overcome. Hats off to the visionary folks

who recognized the value of having
signs that go beyond what is merely
required.
With that said, there are some
lessons to be learned here. Bellevue's
signs (which were installed first)
incorporate a blue, black and gold
circle that has high-contrast text.
The designers took advantage of
the principle that a yellow/black
color combination creates the most
graphic contrast (even more than
black and white). The result is an entry
system that is readable in nearly any
lighting or weather condition.
When Newport's signs came online,
they took a slightly different approach.
Using a larger, rectangular shape,
with mostly black on white, the signs
ensured proper readability using
white space and sound typographic



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - February 2018

Signs of the Times - February 2018
From the Editor
St Update
At Large
Tech Review
Vehicles + Vinyl
Design Matters
Nuts + Bolts
The Ultimate Soft Sell
Coming to Light
Buy, Merge or Go Home?
New Products
Advertising Index
Last Look
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - Intro
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - BB1
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - BB2
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - CT1
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - CT2
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - Signs of the Times - February 2018
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - Cover2
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 1
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 2
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 3
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 4
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 5
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 6
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 7
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - From the Editor
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 9
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - St Update
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 11
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 12
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 13
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 14
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 15
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 16
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 17
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 18
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 19
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - At Large
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 21
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 22
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 23
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - Tech Review
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 25
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - Vehicles + Vinyl
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 27
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 28
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 29
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 30
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 31
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - Design Matters
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 33
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 34
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 35
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - Nuts + Bolts
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 37
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 38
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 39
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - The Ultimate Soft Sell
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 41
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 42
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 43
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 44
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 45
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - Coming to Light
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 47
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 48
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 49
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 50
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 51
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - Buy, Merge or Go Home?
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 53
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 54
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 55
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - New Products
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 57
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 58
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 59
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 60
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 61
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 62
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 63
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 64
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 65
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 66
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 67
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 68
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 69
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 70
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 71
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 72
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 73
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 74
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 75
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 76
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 77
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 78
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 79
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 80
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 81
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - 82
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - Advertising Index
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - Last Look
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - Cover3
Signs of the Times - February 2018 - Cover4
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