New signs in downtown Kent provide direction, character
Story by J. Tyler Singleton
Video by Mike Drake
All throughout downtown Kent, new signs now direct visitors to the nearest parking lot or farmer’s market and tell them “You are beautiful!” or that “Graffiti goes here.”
Downtown Kent signs have character from Michael Drake on Vimeo.
The city of Kent placed the new signs as part of the Signage and Wayfinding program which started in 2011. The city of Kent paid $230,000 for the new signs and the banners coming to downtown Kent in spring. Jim Bowling, the superintendent of engineering in the city of Kent, said the city utilized a tax increment-financing (TIF) program to generate the funds for this project.
Bowling said the redevelopment of downtown Kent increased the property value, and subsequently, the property tax of the downtown area. The city of Kent then, under this state permissible TIF program, used a portion of this increment for a specific length of time to pay for the public infrastructure that was built to support the redevelopment.
“This money didn’t exist without the development downtown and could only be used on development downtown,” Bowling said. “These funds couldn’t be used to pay a fireman, pave a street or fix any other thing in the city of Kent.”
Cities use this type of financing in redevelopment areas. Bowling said the city of Kent negotiated an agreement with school districts and other entities that benefit from an increase in property values.
Bowling said other competing projects such as the redevelopment of Erie and Depeyster Street, new parking meters and upgrades to street lighting fit into the cities budget along with the new signs.
Bowling said the city engineers defined what the city of Kent needed built, how much it was going to cost and then make this happen. Even though Bowling’s role focused on these aspects, he said he recognized the importance of wayfinding and place making as downtown Kent becomes more of a visitor destination. Bowling said these wayfinding signs direct visitors to the place they want to visit while also enhancing the sense of arrival in downtown Kent.
“If you’re waiting for a sign, this is it”
Cathy Fromet, the director of strategy for Studio Graphique in Cleveland, said the new sign process started in 2012. Heather Malarcik, the executive director of Main Street Kent, brought Studio Graphique and the city of Kent together. Fromet said her firm started with a wayfinding study focused on planning the types of signs, location and budget for the project. The firm began developing a new identity for downtown Kent to bring a cohesive message that all of the downtown stakeholders wanted people to understand about downtown Kent.
The stakeholders in these meetings included the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce, business owners, Kent State University representatives and Main Street Kent.
Malarcik described these meetings as “brain dumps” and focused on defining the messages the new signs needed to convey. The stakeholders in the meetings started with saying the words that they thought of when they thought of Kent and the words they wanted others to think of when it comes to Kent. Malarcik said Main Street Kent used social media to get a better idea of what is important to citizens.
“Main Street Kent’s purpose is to revitalize and promote the downtown and also create interest and events that drive traffic downtown,” Malarcik said. “We have a good thumb on what and doesn’t work and what people are interested in through trial and error.”
A team from Studio Graphique performed an audit of downtown Kent after the stakeholder engagement workshop. During this audit, the team walked and drove downtown Kent and documented locations to help plan for the new signs. Fromet said her firm then conducted surveys, workshops and public meetings to gather more information about downtown Kent.
Studio Graphique then presented three unique concepts to the downtown Kent stakeholders. Fromet said the winning concept, titled Kent Speaks, featured the tagline “Uncommon, unmistakable.”
“The Kent Speaks concept brings the fun loving energy of the community to life through quirky messaging and interactive signage,” Fromet said. “On the surface, downtown Kent is a traditional town but upon further exploration it has characters.”
Studio Graphique presented two other unique concepts to the group of stakeholders.
- The Real Kent with a tagline of “Honest Living.” This concept plays off modern restoration. Downtown Kent looks at reusing its own fabric in a renewed way. Celebrates Kent as a real place evolving over time offering authentic experiences.
- Downtown Kent with a tagline of “Uncommon, unmistakable.” Downtown Kent is proud to be different than any other community. Its people are unique and so are its brand elements. This concept brings together the accepting nature of Kent and its love for all things colorful.
Fromet said the personality traits that came through after the work of her firm included: character, fun, eclectic, quirky, intoxicating, musical and house party.
“People need to have a sense of arrival when they come to Kent,” Malarcik said. “This isn’t any other downtown. Kent has its own character. We want to create a sense of place and character so that people want to come back to here. This is key to sustaining the businesses that are here.”
