| Business Beat |
| Brandmarks - appropriate and prominent landmark signs |
 When clients Historic Columbia Foundation and the Old Shandon Neighborhood Association asked Semaphore to design signs for their properties, Creative Director Roc Jackson found a balance between form and function. The results are what we at Semaphore are now calling "brandmarks" - tasteful and incredibly durable markers and street signs.
Attention to Aesthetics
Roc Jackson worked closely with Robin Waites, Executive Director of Historic Columbia. As their agency of record, this was one of our first projects. Roc studied the sites to find the unifying themes and architectural details which were beautiful and useful. For instance, he noticed old brick and terra cotta tones. Also, he used the pewter color often associated with the traditional markers we see on South Carolina roadsides. Both earthen colors don't distract from the architecture; they complement it.
The fonts are also suggestive of appropriate time periods. The name of the property, not the organization, is the most prominent part of the sign. That's because the one thing that tourists look for first is the name of the property. Just ask any docent there!
The markers at Historic Columbia are made of one material and the rendering is digital. That means it's cost-effective to alter, regenerate and affix a new sign to the specially designed permanent backing without damaging the property.
At Historic Columbia, it was also important to use one style of sign to unify the various properties. If a visitor drives by the Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home and the Robert Mills House (both from different eras), the signs make it easy to distinguish that they are both foundation sites. Now, visitors and members of the community can associate this "brand" with all of its properties. This increases the foundation's visibility in the community.
 The same goes for the Old Shandon Neighborhood. It was the first suburb of Columbia and the farthest away the trolley would venture at that time. Three years ago, the Neighborhood Association started to plan to commemorate its history and set the area apart. We designed neighborhood signs that are dignified and appropriate to the surrounding architecture. At any corner, you know you are in Old Shandon by the "look" of the street sign. The symbol, a green oak leaf, refers to the vast numbers of oaks in the area. The design of the street signs, placed near a Victorian home, makes it seem as if you have stepped back to the turn of the last century. As at the Historic Columbia sites, the property itself is a piece of art and the sign is simply a caption.
Attention to Accuracy
While these details may be beautiful, they must also be approved by a city's preservation officer and a rigorous set of zoning specifications-a process made easier by Roc's attention to history and design. In fact, Semaphore heartily applauds Columbia's efforts to maintain this integrity because that, in turn, increases the beauty and significance of what we call "brandmarks."
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