Visual Communications

Lend a Hand Award

2011-07-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

Cheryl Long O’Donnell, and the Visual Communications team, was recently recognized by the Midway Chamber of Commerce for their volunteerism. This new award, the Midway on the Fairway ‘Lend a Hand’ award, recognizes hard working volunteers and will be given out each year starting in 2011. We are thankful to be recognized for our hard work and look forward to remaining active in the Midway Chamber of Commerce. We have found our involvement in this group to be most rewarding.

Skyline Parkway...The signs they are a-changin'

2011-04-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

For well over a century, Skyline Parkway (or Rogers Boulevard, as it was originally known) has been a popular attraction for tourists and Duluth residents alike. All they have to do is find it — and try to stay on it. “It doesn’t always follow the main routes. It twists and turns,” said Laura Stahl, who got lost on her initial hunt for the roadway when she first moved to the area a dozen years ago and still has trouble finding it. “Some parts of Skyline are so bad you wonder, ‘Is this really where I’m supposed to be?’” More about Visual Communicatons' design: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/199151/

United Hospital Interior Signs Featured in TwinCities.com

2011-04-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Allina United Hospital who just opened the Peter J. King Emergency Center through an extensive addition to the facility. Visual Communications designed the interior sign system throughout the hospital and are proud of the signs featured in this article.

Lost? Historic Skyline Parkway Will Soon Have Signs

2011-04-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/local/Cant-Find-Your-Way-Skyline-Parkway-Will-Soon-Have-Signs-118624899.html

WDIO.com Suggestions Wanted: New Signs for Skyline Parkway

2011-04-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.wdio.com/article/stories/S2034648.shtml?cat=10335

The Hang of It: A Century of Stories

2011-01-09T10:23:00.000-08:00

by Steve Aust

Visual Communications and Archetype sign help a community college celebrate its centennial

From medieval times, when warring clans used animal blood and vegetable dyes to decorate flags before heading into battle, banners have served as a visual-communication. They’ve perpetually loomed as a cornerstone for signshops that emphasize vinyl fabrication. According to the 2009 Commercial State of the Industry Report (see ST, August 2010, page 62), 92.8% of shops that produce non-electric signs fabricate banners, and banners represent 19.9% of all commercial sign sales (among high-volume shops that gross more than $500,000 of sales annually, that percentage grows to 23.8%). Ever-improving materials, inks, RIPs and color profiles have enabled providers to deliver more vivid, crisp prints that can be installed in more varied environments.

Sure, there will always be a market for 4 x 8-ft. “Sale Today” or “Grand Opening” banners designed with black, Helvetica letters. Such a job’s price point is simply what fits some customers’ modest bottom lines. However, some customers thankfully take the maxim, “A business with no sign is a sign of no business,” to a higher level with dynamic, soft-sided signage – often well integrated with broader environmental-graphic programs that feature signage, wayfinding and other signage elements.

Visual Communications (St. Paul, MN) created a banner and signage more

Major renovation and expansion in 2008

2010-11-15T09:29:00.001-08:00

Hennepin County Medical Center is in the midst of an $80 million renovation and expansion of its downtown Minneapolis hospital and community clinics.

Inpatient capacity and critical care are the first areas of need to be addressed with the construction of a new observation and recovery unit and all new intensive care units in 2008.

The new 5,500 square foot, 15-bed outpatient observation unit opened this spring on Red 5 for patients who need to be observed for conditions including chest pain and following interventional procedures. This will, in effect, add 16 medical/surgical beds by freeing beds that were used for
observation and former Cardiac Short Stay unit rooms.

This fall, the first phase of the new 60,000 square foot, 48-bed critical care floor and intensive care units will open. This will replace the medical and surgical intensive care units and feature the latest technology and patient and family amenities. Twelve additional rooms will be available
in the current MICU 1.

Two new clinics will serve the growing primary care needs in the community. A purchase agreement has been signed on a block north of Lake Street in the Whittier Neighborhood for a clinic to replace Family Medical Center, which is currently over capacity. Sites are also being reviewed for a new clinic in Brooklyn Park. The first phase of the master facility plan also includes purchasing land for a new outpatient clinic and education facility in downtown Minneapolis.

Other recent improvements at the medical center include renovation of existing inpatient psychiatric
units, including the addition of 15 new inpatient psychiatry beds; renovation of the inpatient
Pediatrics unit; construction of a new express care team center in the Emergency Department; and
renovation and expansion of the mental health crisis center.

Signs of the times

New signs are being installed around campus over the next eight weeks. More than 25 new signs will be installed as part of an exterior signage plan created to help patients, families, and visitors get to where they are going. There will be new entrance signs, traffic control signs, and landmark campus signs. Some will replace current signs and others will be new. Along with improving wayfinding by helping people get to the right main entrance, the new signs will have the updated logo and address information and increase the general visibility of the hospital to the thousands of people who drive by and walk through the campus every day.

Read the full PDF

St. George’s Episcopal Church - WARDEN’S CORNER

2010-06-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

by Kathie Brown, Parish Warden

It was a great honor to participate in the installation service for Father Paul. I hope all the participants felt that way and that all who attended enjoyed the service. What a wonderful family of God we have! If you didn’t attend the classes on the Catechism, you missed out. I am a life-long Episcopalian and have learned a lot. Father Paul is such a good teacher and is always interesting to listen to. It has helped me think about how I can do a better job living out my faith. Please consider about attending the classes the next time they are offered.

The Finance Committee has been spending a lot of time getting things in place with the financial advisor we recently hired. All of the endowment money (over $300,000) is now with the new company. Our next task is to determine how much money needs to be liquid in the short term, so that we can determine how much of the money that is currently in savings and CDs can be invested with our advisor in order to try and earn a better return.

I hope by now you have seen the new carpeting in the coat hall and in the hallway by the choir room. It’s a great improvement. This was made possible by a special gift from a parishioner for this purpose. Prior to installing the carpet, you probably noticed the painting that was done. Special thanks to Carole Leonard for overseeing the whole project. This was no small task. A big thank you also goes to Tom Zaun and his brother, Art, for taking down the shelf and short wall on one side of the coat hall, patching the wall, repairing a large crack in the brick and putting new stain on the doors and trim. And thanks to all the people who helped with painting and prep work: Ron Holbach, Karen Hurlbert, Bill Stromberg, Margaret Heil, Brad Heil’s father, Al; Gladys Williamson, Alan Poulsen, Tom Zaun and Carole Leonard. Please make sure to admire the work.

Several months ago in one of these columns, I mentioned that we were looking at upgrading our church sign to allow for a changeable message. We have been having a difficult time coming to agreement on a design. Mary Poulsen has a neighbor who is a sign designer – Richard Lang from Visual Communications. She contacted him and he was nice enough to lend his expertise (at no charge) to come up with another design possibility. The Vestry enthusiastically approved the design at their March 15 meeting. The design allows for back lighting of the name of the church and for an electronic message line. We are now waiting on a price quote from the company that would actually make and install the sign. My sister, Leslie O’Donnell, and I are planning to pay for the new sign with money from our parents’ estate.

Just Follow The Signs May Be The Solution

2010-05-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

Eden Prairie weighing an extensive sign system to detangle that navigational mess around its business district.

Star Tribune

Last update: September 05, 2006 - 12:40 PM

Richard Lang looks at the mess of circling streets and unmarked freeway entrances that make up Eden Prairieʼs central business district and sees a simple solutions: signs.

Of course, no one knows better than Lang just how complicated it can be to create simple signs.

Lang is a consultant with Visual Communications, the firm Eden Prairie hired to help design a sign system for the area surrounding Eden Prairie Center and where Hwy. 212 and Interstate Hwy. 494 meet. This summer, Lang and a committee of residents and business owners mulled over how signs might better guide drivers and pedestrians into and through the area.

The committee concluded its work with a list of proposed street name changes and sign proposals. A variety of city commissions must weigh in on the proposals before any changes are made.

But Lang explained how the proposals might work.

He walked us through a hypothetical drive to Redstone American Grill, what he calls a “popular canʼt-find-it spot” in the business district, to illustrate where and how the proposed signs could make a difficult area easier:

From 494, the first sign you might see shows where to exit to enter the Eden Prairie central business district, which would have a grand name like “Prairie Center” or “Eden Prairie Business Center.”

You take the signʼs advice and exit.

At the top of the exit ramp there would be a large, 16 - to 18 - foot tall kasota stone sign marking the area and a directional sign pointing toward the area. It might seem repetitive, but it should. At each point, you get a little more information, Lang said.

This sign is the first to introduce you to the subdistricts around Eden Prairie Center. Lang has proposed, and the committee has agreed, that the overall area be broken into three or four subdistricts that on signs would have distinct names, color-coded and with identifying icons. These smaller areas would break the puzzling maze of streets down a bit and help visitors focus on a smaller area.

The Redstone Grill is in a sub-area tentatively called “Town Center,” which in some proposed options would include the area to the west of the mall area and south of Hwy. 5. You would know the subdistrict because the restaurantʼs advertising told you that was where to find it. Lang expects businesses to make their subdistricts part of their identities. “First theyʼd give the address, then theyʼd give the subdistrict, then theyʼd give Eden Prairie,” he said.

So at the end of the 494 exit ramp you take a left onto Prairie Center Drive and head south, following signs directing you to “Town Center.” Along the road, you notice street-side banners that let you know you're in the Mall area. “Weʼre creating a sense of place,” Lang said.

You continue following Prairie Center Drive, being careful not to turn too early. You know from signs along the way that Prairie Center Drive circles the Eden Prairie Center mall and will eventually bring you to the Town Center sub-area. You cross Flying Cloud Drive (also known as Hwy. 212), but arenʼt confused by whether itʼs Flying Cloud or Hwy. 212: Both names are labeled on all signs.

Now you are in the Town Center sub-area.

There are only a few more streets to negotiate. You make a right on Singletree. When you approach Eden Drive, deciding which way to turn is easy. You know the address, and the ʻEden Drive” street sign tells you which addresses are to the right and which are to the left.

You take a left. You enjoy a meal.

Itʼs not the fastest way to get to the restaurant, Lang acknowledges.

But itʼs built on an understanding of how areas and streets work together. Layers of different signs can make it clearer.

City officials said the proposed signs, which likely will be considered by commissions and the City Council this fall, could be in place in a year.

Jenna Ross • 612-673-7168 • jross@startribune.com

Visual Communications Brings “Green” Wayfinding Signage to Macalester College.

2010-03-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

First “LEED Platinum” higher education building contains sustainable signage

As more architects, planners and corporate executives pay closer attention to “green” buildings when it’s time for an expansion or a new facility, the official certification designation called “LEED” (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is becoming the standard to follow. Recently, Minnesota environmental design company Visual Communications Inc. facilitated the integration of wayfinding signage into Minnesota’s first platinum-certified higher education building, The Institute of Global Citizenship, at Macalester College in St. Paul.

LEED (http://www.usgbc.org/) was initiated in 1998 by an entity called the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and has since become an international standard. LEED approval is obtained when a building demonstrates that it is “sustainable”, in other words, it’s designed in a way to save energy, emit less carbon dioxide, use recycled and recyclable materials, utilize water better, and generally provide for a healthier-than-normal environment for those working in and around the building. Visual Communications has been a member of the USGBC since 2008 and has completed 5 sustainable projects, both locally and nationally.

The LEED initiative is now widely known amongst planners and architects, who focus a lot of attention on sustainable construction materials and elements such as carpeting, walls, floors and water systems. Now, environmentally friendly wayfinding signage is also getting more attention as a way to round out the LEED-qualifying package. And every building needs environmental graphic signage , especially directional and identification signs. Visual Communications specializes in environment and directional signage and has completed hundreds of projects nationally, from city-wide projects to single-building master plans.

Visual Communications helped Macalester College take advantage of new advancements in sustainable wayfinding signage materials when Macalester was planning the new building to house their Institute (http://www.macalester.edu/igc/).

Macalester’s goal was to achieve the highest level of LEED certification – platinum – and they were able to do exactly that, earning points not just for the more obvious building and systems components, but for the wayfinding signs as well. The building, Markim Hall, is a $7.5 million, 17,000 square-foot facility and was the first higher education building to earn LEED platinum certification in the state of Minnesota. It opened in the fall of 2009.

According to Suzanne Savanick Hansen, sustainability manager at Macalester, “The signs used at Markim Hall were made out of a locally-made product which is 85% post-consumer waste. They were included in the category of ‘local and recycled materials’ to earn points toward our LEED certification.” The product is made from consumer waste paper, yet it’s very durable, and can accept a wide variety of graphics. The material is also eco-friendly to make, as any waste created in the manufacturing process is recycled back into the manufacturing process. It was used not just for the wayfinding signage, but for interior window sills and counter tops.

Since its inception in 1991, Visual Communications has designed many wayfinding systems in the educational sector, as well as dozens of environmental graphics and wayfinding systems for entertainment venues, financial institutions, government , health care, libraries, office campuses and retail.

“Green” Wayfinding Signage Helps Toward LEED Certification in Buildings

2010-03-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

As more architects, planners and corporate executives pay closer attention to “green” buildings when it’s time for an expansion or a new facility, the official certification designation called “LEED” (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is becoming a standard to follow.

Now, thanks to a family of new sustainable materials, environmental signage such as ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) signs, wayfinding signage and directory signs, can help a building earn points toward LEED certification.

LEED was initiated in 1998 by an entity called the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and has since become an international standard. LEED approval is obtained when a building demonstrates that it is “sustainable”, in other words, it’s designed in a way to save energy, emit less carbon dioxide, use recycled and recyclable materials, utilize water better, and generally provide for a healthier-than-normal environment for those working in and around the building.

LEED certification can be obtained for homes as well as for commercial, educational and government buildings, and it can apply to modifications to existing buildings as well. A point system is used to evaluate all aspects of a building’s construction and operations, with four levels of certification possible: certified; silver; gold; and the highest level, platinum.

The LEED initiative is now widely known amongst planners and architects, who focus a lot of attention on sustainable construction materials and elements such as carpeting, walls, floors and water systems. Now, environmentally-friendly wayfinding signage is also getting more attention as a way to round out the LEED-qualifying package. And every building needs environmental graphic signage, especially directional and identification signs.

Recently, Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, took advantage of new advancements in sustainable wayfinding signage materials when they were planning a new building to house their Institute for Global Citizenship. Their goal was to achieve the highest level of LEED certification, platinum – and they were able to do exactly that, earning points not just for the more obvious building and systems components, but for the wayfinding signs as well.

The building, Markim Hall, is a $7.5 million, 17,000 square-foot facility and was the first higher education building to earn LEED platinum certification in the state of Minnesota. It opened in the fall of 2009.

According to Suzanne Savanick Hansen, sustainability manager at Macalester, “The signs used at Markim Hall were made out of a locally-made product which is 85% post-consumer waste. They were included in the category of ‘local and recycled materials’ to earn points toward our LEED certification.” The product is made from consumer waste paper, yet it’s very durable, and can accept graphics. The material is also eco-friendly to make, as any waste created in the manufacturing process is recycled back into the manufacturing process. It was used not just for the wayfinding signage, but for interior window sills and counter tops.

Macalester College is finding that going green has benefits beyond the environment. According to Suzanne Savanick Hansen, “Markim Hall has been a destination for many visitors who want to see a LEED Platinum building. It’s definitely good for us in terms of increasing awareness of our college, and demonstrating environmental leadership. We also find that many financial donors to Macalester are interested in our eco leadership. We had certain donations because we have such a high-profile, sustainable building.”