Pasadena Company Shows the Way to Downtown
By Erick Galindo, Staff Writer
As downtown areas and the entry points to America’s cities continue to evolve, wayfinding programs are increasingly an integral part of a city’s identity.
“Leaders are more aware than ever of the value wayfinding projects bring,” said Jennifer Bressler, a principal with Hunt Design. “While many factors contribute to the success of a city and downtown, the role of effective signage and graphics cannot be underestimated.”
Founded in 1977, Hunt works with recreational venues, civic entities and other developers on signage projects. The firm’s clients include Kennedy Space Center and The Walt Disney Co., among others.
The Pasadena-based graphic design firm recently placed the finishing touches on civic wayfinding programs for Fontana’s Civic Center district, a gateway park for the city of Palm Springs and a directional sign system for Rancho Cucamonga.
“What’s interesting about these projects is that all three asked us to do a signage program that promotes their identity,” Bressler said.
The newly installed system in Rancho Cucamonga, for example, helps visitors find civic landmarks and shopping destinations by using the city’s grape logo to reinforce its brand throughout the city.
“The directional signs are a valuable addition to the community and enhance Rancho Cucamonga’s positive public image through the presentation of distinctive guide signs that make the city even more user friendly,” Linda Daniels, Rancho Cucamonga’s deputy city manager, said in a statement.
According to Bressler, all three projects bring an enhanced sense of place to each city by identifying and reinforcing an image in a fresh and unique way.
“It was the thrust of the city of Rancho Cucamonga, for example, to create a unique identity for the city associated with its vineyards,” she said.
Fontana’s new program includes monument signs identifying the Civic Center and civic buildings. It also include pedestrian directional and directory maps to guide visitors within the Civic Center.
“The signs created an identity for the Fontana Civic Center that was already there,” Bressler noted. “We try to find a way to turn something that was always there and beautify it in a creative fashion.”
In Palm Springs Hunt created a “dramatic” new gateway placed at the entrance to eastern Palm
Springs that greets visitors and creates a “bold” welcome.
While these types of projects vary in scope in size, Bressler added, there is a great deal of collaboration between Hunt and city officials and communities. They can take more than a year to complete.
“There is so much corroboration on these projects, with the many departments, stakeholders, businesses and home owners,” she said. “I think that is the most interesting part of these projects. It can be difficult to deal with all the ideas, but with a lot of listening and understanding we can weigh all the messages and come out with a great project. After all, everyone has a common goal of making a more successful city.”
The company’s future projects include some repeat work for Redondo Beach, where Hunt had previously designed a logo for the city. Hunt will work on the city’s major roll out of public parks.