Signage

This signage for Bank of America is utilized very effectively for this establishment. It is huge with simple bold letters, which don’t distract but just carry the message in them. It is also very bright and lit up with red, white and blue colors. Red color is very effective and hard not to notice. White and blue colors on the red create a good color composition and work very well together. Another very important aspect that adds to the affectivity is its corner location with smooth transition from ones side to the other. It will be clearly noticeable from all available sides. If you are far to the one side you will see the words “Bank of A” and you will know that it’s a bank, and if you are walking from the other side you will see the logo of the bank, which sends the same message, saying that there is a bank here. Moving images of the skyscrapers are very appropriate not only because they move and attract attention, but also because of the location, which is in the center of NYC.

The signage for the W Hotel is very effective. It is huge and stylishly designed. Letter W is red, which is the best attractive color and the sides of the building are also lit up with red. Both W letters are positioned in different directions, which will enable people to notice it from every corner. The font of the letters is simple and clear, without any additional enhancements, which could distract. I also like the white lit up awning, which not only gives more attention to the W letter just above it, but also clearly shows where the entrance to the hotel is, making it easy for people to find it. The signage is very nicely designed and I’m sure people always notice it and spend some time looking at it. It doesn’t have any wording that it is a hotel, but it is clear by it’s design, it covers the whole side of the building and it has a characteristic lit up entrance.

This signage is very legible and appropriate for the establishment it represents. It is not only huge, but it’s also very brightly lit up, attracting people’s attention. I like that it has different fonts, styles and light used. The first top line “MAMA SBARRO’S” is lit up with white and is big, bold and straight. It’s like it makes a statement and those 3 horizontal lines on both sides of it enhance its effect. Next line has the word “sbarro” twice, which is written in a slight italic style. It makes them stand out from the rest of the words, but at the same time italic is not overdone and doesn’t make it hard to read. They are black, which makes an effective contrast to the words in white and colors around it. Also the repetitiveness of these words makes brain memorize it, which is very effective. The last line has 6 words describing what can be found inside. The words are smaller than the name of the place, but still large enough and written in a simple font to be easily read and useful to attract people inside. Colors used, such as red, green, white and black are appropriate and effective. I also like that except this sign on the side, the establishment has another sign just above the entrance, which is rounded and therefore enables people to see it from many different sides.

The signage for Jamba Juice is poorly designed. It has small letters and what’s more important they are of a brown color that easily blends with everything around it. They don’t stand out and don’t attract attention. They are written on the glass, which reflects everything around it, making the words look even more insignificant and neglected. The style of the signage doesn’t do a good justice for the establishment. There is nothing in it that represents juice, freshness and desire to go in. It’s hardly even noticeable. The Renaissance Hotel, which is next to it, stands out more because of the lighter awning, which makes Jamba Juice look like it’s lost deeply inside.

The signage for Starbucks is poorly designed and hardly readable. The problem with it is that the letters are made from the same color and the same material as the background. Because of that they blend with the background and are very hard to read. They tried to differentiate it by adding a light behind every letter, but it didn’t work. The font they used is so thick and dense that light doesn’t help to separate letters from each other. The material the letters and the background are made of is similar to the mirror and it reflexes everything that is located on the opposite side, confusing the signage even more and making it even harder to distinguish the words. We can clearly see the reflection of the W Hotel and a movie add in it. It works better as an advertisement for what’s across the street, than for itself.

The signage for NY Gift Shop is poorly designed because it is dark and hard to see. It looks like a continuation of the building it is in. It’s just dark and brown. DVD Video shop and Deli surrounding it add to its darkness, because they are brightly lit up and make the Gift Shop look even darker. Letters are of a good size, but they are dark red on a brown background, so it all blends together. This signage is not effective and not appropriate for a gift shop. It should be fun, bright and attractive, instead of being dark, old looking and boring. To make it better the letters of the sign should be either light up, as the other signs next to it, or they should use white letters and they will reflect the light, or they should use white background and black letters to make it noticeable.