Field Notes: Street Banners
A fixture in many thriving downtown areas are street banners. They can welcome people, market the place, highlight an upcoming event, or set the tone for a season.
While some places excel in their banner game, others have lessons to provide.
In Lawrenceville, NJ, the banners provide a nice welcome when people visit town.
In Princeton the large banners on large poles have place branding and are changed seasonally.
The summer banners in Princeton were three different varieties that tied in to the Summer Local theme.
This torn banner in Metuchen was nice two years ago. Now it is yet another growing sign of neglect in the downtown environment. Height and placement were the culprit here. The banner was oriented on the street side of the pole and just high enough to be hit by a semi truck mirror. After the strike the banner has been noticeably dislodged and torn.
The banners in Trenton, are much like Lawrenceville, though add brand pillars. In this instance the word “history.” As this placement shows not every location is historic so it does not fulfill the brand promise of what people should expect.
These banners at the Princeton Shopping Center are high enough to prevent vehicle strikes. They try to have companion messaging to either side of the pole.
The banners in South Orange Village, NJ, have a stylized monograph with retro vibes, and a place identifier. They are placed higher on the pole and are of a diminutive size to avoid strikes.
Union Square in NYC promotes their wildly popular Greenmarket and encourages neighborhood strolls.
The Flatiron and NOMAD districts share a banner and have a space at the bottom for sponsorship.
Rahway has the stock live, shop, work pillars to which they add dine and create. There is some differentiation here and the playful colors also tie to the identity of Rahway as a place with an arts strategy. Note the placement on the sidewalk side rather than the street side of the pole, and the orphaned bracket on the street side.
The Hoboken Business Alliance has the standard shop, done, play brand pillars. They add stay to the list given their close proximity to NYC and a large number of hotels in the area. A hashtag is used effectively to reflect the #milesquarecity given the entire city fits in only one square mile.