Lamppost Banners - Branding a Community

Downtown Anamosa has 45 lampposts with brackets to hang banners, but in the time I’ve been here, they have remained empty.

Late last year, I was approached by the Anamosa Chamber of Commerce in what could be called a loose attempt at branding the town. There were originally eight images proposed, but it was decided less was more. Fewer images increase repetition which increases the “stickiness” in the viewer’s mind, meaning increased recall of the pictures.

One of the challenges was the canvas. The space I had to work with was area 18 inches wide and slightly over 52 inches high. Even with allowing for the bracket pocket at the top and bottom, I still had a height more than twice the width. Such a height meant the graphics had to be vertical.

Or did they?

Why not use a circle in such an extreme rectangle?

The white space in this instance is a dark blue. In the center, I placed the graphic, a circle with the sides chopped, and a white circle, treated the same, behind it, to help set it off. Then text above and below.

 

Actual banners on the left, mock-ups in the center and right.

These turned out pretty much like they looked on paper. Had to add chamber members at the last minute, but that was no big deal, just move up the graphic a smidge.

You could do a rectangle within the rectangle of the banner, but finding the proper images becomes a bit more tricky. In doing a circle, you had a bit more leeway, and if the picture was too horizontal, having it bleed off the page was acceptable. For continuity's sake, the background color remained the same. I've seen some communities use a variety of colors, and it takes away from the overall scheme. Using the same color throughout reinforces the recognition.

All in all, they're eye-catching, and have received a favorable response.