Our inspiration for this modern style welcome sign came mostly from the welcome sign for Vancouver, Canada. This approach would give Central Falls a look of it’s own among the more traditional syle signs of surrounding towns. The double paneled structure design of this option would make for the option of having a bilingual sign, showcasing the multi-cultural heritage of the City

Guastafeste, Lindsay

Robinson, Arnold

Roketenetz, Elyssa

Saenz, Jorge

English

HELIN Digital Commons

Central Falls Welcome Sign Project

DOCS@RWU

The Roger Williams University Community Partnerships Center The Roger Williams University (RWU) Community Partnerships Center (CPC) provides project-based assistance to non-profit organizations, government agencies and low- and moderate-income communities in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. Our mission is to undertake and complete projects that will benefit the local community while providing RWU students with experience in real-world projects that deepen their academic experiences.CPC projects draw upon the skills and experience of students and faculty from RWU programs in areas such as:  •	 Architecture	and	Urban	Design •	 Historic	Preservation •	 Law •	 Justice	Studies •	 Business •	 Education •	 Engineering	and	Construction	Management •	 Environmental	Science	and	Sustainability •	 Community	Development •	 Visual	Arts	and	Digital	Media •	 Marketing	and	Communications •	 Graphic	Design •	 Political	Science •	 Psychology •	 History •	 American	Studies •	 Finance •	 Public	Administration •	 Public	Relations •	 Writing	Studies •	 Sustainable	StudiesCommunity partnerships broaden and deepen the academic experiences of RWU students by allowing them to work on real-world projects, through curriculum-based and service-learning opportunities collaborating with non-profit and community leaders as they seek to achieve their missions. The services provided by the CPC would normally not be available to these organizations due to their cost and/or diverse needs.iCPC	Project	Disclaimer:	The	reader	shall	understand	the	following	in	regards	to	this	project	report:  1. The Project is being undertaken in the public interest;   2. The deliverables generated hereunder are intended to provide conceptual information only to assist design and planning and such are not intended, nor should they be used, for construction or other project implementation. Furthermore,	professional	and/or	other	services	may	be	needed	to	ultimately	implement	the	desired	goals	of	the	public in ownership of the project served.  3. The parties understand, agree and acknowledge that the deliverables being provided hereunder are being performed by students who are not licensed and/or otherwise certified as professionals. Neither RWU nor the CPC makes any warranties or guarantees expressed or implied, regarding the deliverables provided pursuant to this	Agreement	and	the	quality	thereof,	and	Sponsor	should	not	rely	on	the	assistance	as	constituting	professional	advice. RWU, the CPC, the faculty mentor, and the students involved are not covered by professional liability insurance.   4. Neither RWU, the CPC, the faculty mentor, nor the students involved assume responsibility or liability for the	deliverables	provided	hereunder	or	for	any	subsequent	use	by	sponsor	or	other	party	and	Sponsor	agrees	to	indemnify	and	hold	harmless	RWU,	the	Center,	the	Faculty	Mentor,	and	the	Center’s	student	against	any	and	all	claims	arising	out	of	Sponsor’s	utilization,	sale,	or	transfer	of	deliverables	provided	under	this	Agreement.Community Partnerships Center Roger Williams University One	Old	Ferry	Road Bristol,	RI	02809 cpc@rwu.edu http://cpc.rwu.eduiiTable of ContentsIntroduction.....................................................................................................................................Inspiration Images..........................................................................................................................Option #1.......................................................................................................................................Traditional Style................................................................................................................. Traditional Style Variations.................................................................................................Option #2....................................................................................................................................... Modern Style...................................................................................................................... Modern Style Variations......................................................................................................Option #3....................................................................................................................................... Combined Style.................................................................................................................. Combined Style Variations.................................................................................................Typography Options......................................................................................................................123345567789iiiIn	the	spring	of	2013,	we	were	approached	by	the	City	of	Central	Falls,	RI	to	come	up	with	a	concept	design	for	a	new welcome sign for the city. This sign would aim to draw in more people and, perhaps, get rid of some of the nega-tive emotions that are wrongly associated with the small area. Our initial meeting and site visit with the representa-tive	clients	proved	to	be	very	informative	about	the	area	and	the	people	that	live	there.	A	lot	of	ideas	were	initiaially	brainstormed at this meeting and a lot of inspiration was found at the site and surrounding areas.During	our	first	meeting	as	a	design	team,	we	decided	to	research	what	welcome	signs	of	surrounding	areas	looked	like,	as	well	as	take	a	look	at	some	other	city	welcome	signs	around	the	country.	A	quick	Google	search	showed	us	that	there is no one formula for making an attractive welcome sign and this is when we discovered that we could really have some fun with this design.After	the	initial	research	was	completed,	we	got	down	to	researching	the	ins	and	outs	of	actually	contrusting	a	wel-come sign; what dimensions were we looking at? What about budget? What materials would make the most sense to use	based	on	our	area?	What	about	maintanence?	Lighting?	Flora	and	fauna?	Etc.Based	on	our	own	personal	research	and	the	brainstorming	session	with	the	clients,	our	team	came	up	with	three	distinct options to present to the city. We thought that three options were a good number in order to demonstrate a wide enough variety to the client without completely overwhelming them with options. We also provided three differ-ent variations of each option, none of wich change the overall design of the option, but which show diferent material options	that	could	be	used.	Again,	we	wanted	to	showcase	a	variety	of	options	without	being	overwhelming	and	we	believe that we have succeeded in this.Thank you for allowing our team to be a part of this project, we hope you enjoy what we have come up with.IntroductionCentral Falls Design Team and Project ManagersLindsay	GuastafesteElyssa	RoketenetzJorge	Saenz1Inspiration Images2Our inspiration for this traditional style welcome sign came mostly from the brick of the mills surrounding the site. We decided to mix this material with one	of	Central	Falls’	most	prized	sights;	Jenks	Park.	We	took	a	look	at	the	entry	signs to surrounding towns, along with the	entry	sign	to	Jenks	Park	and	we	de-cided to morph the two together to cre-ate this traditional style welcome sign for Central	Falls.	Option #1Traditional Style We have also included a small circu-lar space at the top of the structure which could encompass a bronze molding	 of	 the	 Central	 Falls	 city	seal. The base would hold a place to plant some annual or semi annual flowers along with some shrubs which could be planted on either side of the structure. The base could also hold solar panels or a spot light to provide added light on the sign at night. 3For	option	#1,	we	have	given	you	3	different	variations.	The	structure	would	look	the	same	in	all	three	variations,	however, the materials used in each would differ slightly. In	 variation	#1,	we	have	 really	 drawn	 from	 the	mills	 and	 the	traditional welcome signs of surrounding towns. This structure would be made completely out of brick, with a space in the mid-dle (which could be made of stone or vinyl) where the words of welcome could be placed.Variation	#2	is	the	same	structurally,	however,	in	this	variation,	only the base would be made of brick. The rest of the structure could be made of stone or wood. There are pros and cons to each of these materials but either would look nice with the brick base and the bronze city seal. Variation	#3	does	not	use	any	brick	on	the	structure	and	would	be built completely out of  stone or wood. Traditional Style: VariationsVariation #1Variation #2Variation #34Our inspiration for this modern style welcome sign came mostly from the welcome sign for Vancou-ver, Canada. This approach would give Central Falls a look of it’s own among the more traditional syle signs of surrounding towns. The double paneled structure design of this option would make for the option of having a bi-lingual sign, showcasing the multi-cultural heri-tage of the City. Option #2Modern Style This particular design does not include the small circular space which could encompass a bronze molding of the Cen-tral Falls city seal (although one could be added into the welcome sign). Again, the base would hold a place to plant some annual or semi annual flowers along with some shrubs which could be planted on ei-ther side of the structure. The base could also hold solar pan-els or a spot light to provide added light on the sign at night. 5As with option #1, we have again given you 3 different variations for Option #2. Again, the structure would look the same in all three variations, however, the materials used in each would differ slightly. In variation #1, we have again pulled elements from the mills and the traditional welcome signs of surrounding towns. The top sections of structure could be made out of colored vinyl or stone where the base would be built using a brick patteren.Variation #2 is the same structurally, however, in this variation, the base would be made out of stone (inspired again from the Jenks Park Tower) with the top portion made out of vinyl. Variation #3 would be made entirely out of stone with the option of having the wording either engraved or built on using colored vinyl pieces.  Modern Style: VariationsVariation #1Variation #2Variation #36Our inspiration for this in-between style welcome sign came mostly from mixing elements from the first two styles that we liked with the stone churches found all over Cen-tral Falls. We also found inspiration in the design of the Atlantic City welcome sign. This approach would also give Central Falls a look of it’s own among the more traditional style signs of surrounding towns. Option #3Combined Style As with option #1, this design also includes a small circular space (located in a separate base structure) which could encompass a bronze molding of the Central Falls city seal. There is no base structure on this option but there would still be  an area around and in front of the structure which could encompass plants and lighting fixtures. 7Again, there are 3 different variations for Option #3. The structure would look the same in all three variations, however, here, the materials used would stay the same but there would be minor differences. In variation #1, we have chosen to depict a tapered stone slab which would house the words of welcome. The front piece for the seal would be located as a separte structure placed out in front of the stone slab. This front piece structure would also be made out of tapered stone.Variation #2 is the same structurally, however, in this variation, the front piece structure would be made out of a piece of cut vinyl.Variation #3 would be made out of straight cut stone with the front piece section being made either out of straight cut stone of a straight cut piece of vinyl.Combined Style: VariationsVariation #1Variation #2Variation #38For the typography of the sign, it is typical to keep the fonts used simple and easy to read. Shown here are a series of options that could be used to draw more people to your city. All of these options could include the bilingual option if you choose to go that route. A quote, such as “small in size, big in spirit” could also be included under any of these options if you would like to include it.Southern	Aire	=	“Welcome	to”	script	 					Lao	MN	=	City	Name	 					Letter	Gothic	Std	=	State	NameTypography OptionsDescriptionFonts Used9

https://docs.rwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&amp;context=cpc_design

Central Falls Welcome Sign Project

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