Signage Ideas

In 2008, when Showtime hosted the premiere party for the second season of The Tudors at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers, the network made a big impression by covering the property's enormous rotunda in mesh vinyl. With a stone pattern and carefully placed windows that aligned with the building's, the fabric draping made the exterior look like a castle, while brightly colored polyfabric banners publicized the event and the show's cast.

Matching the color scheme in the cocktail space, large letter-shaped structures bookended by blue and white flowers marked the arrivals area of the 2012 BET Awards preshow dinner in Los Angeles.

Signposts high above the crowds detailed each station's chef and menu.

Zagat's "30 Under 30" series honors young talent in the culinary industry, and an event to celebrate Chicago's winners took place at Nellcote on March 25. Shiraz Events produced the sleek affair, which had a marquee-style "Z" to honor the host brand.

At the culinary event at New York's Pranna on April 2, large marquee letters spelling out "Food & Wine" surrounded a lounge area.

Larger-than-life letters spelled out the host group's name at the Orange County financial conference, which took place in late March and had a party with a performance by Macklemore.

Working with Fox's Bob Stillo, Russell Harris Event Group produced the Fox Emmy party at Soleto Trattoria and Pizzaria in Los Angeles last September. The Russell Harris team described the event as having a "Restoration Hardware-esque" look, with design by Thomas Ford. A Ford-designed sculpture used old-fashioned sign letters, metal numbers, and plexiglass signage to represent the three hosting networks: Fox Broadcasting, 20th Century Fox, and the FX channel.

Last January, Stella McCartney turned New York's 632 on Hudson into a cozy home-like space to showcase her pre-fall collection. In keeping with that motif, large topiaries spelling out the designer's name stood out front.

For its first New York pop-up shop—a retail promotion aimed at driving buzz for this year's draft—the N.F.L. took over a 10,000-square-foot space in Midtown. To advertise the effort in the heavily trafficked area, organizers placed large decals and a countdown clock in the windows.

In July, a bright gobo of Thrillist's logo was splashed on the side of Chicago's Mid nightclub, one of the venues the lifestyle Web site used for its weekend-long experiential venture known as Hotel Thrillist.

An enormous billboard made it hard to miss Target's Toronto pop-up store, the Minneapolis retailer's first event in Canada. The bright red sign combined Target's logo and colors with that of the Canadian flag, and marked the site of the temporary store for the Jason Wu collection on King Street West.

When Lanvin opened its New York flagship store on Madison Avenue in 2010, the fashion house threw a colorful bash that drew decor ideas from artistic director Alber Elbaz's whimsical sketches. Outside, producers covered the facade with an oversize drawing and framed it with hundreds of colorful balloons.

The 2011 NBC upfront used bright colors to grab the attention of passersby. Not only was the Sixth Avenue front of the Hilton New York dressed up for the occasion, NBC also parked double-decker buses custom-wrapped with its logo outside the venue.

To kick-start holiday shopping in November 2011, Barneys New York turned its flagship store on Madison Avenue into Lady Gaga’s Workshop. The custom 40- by18-foot truss that marked the entrance was completed overnight in preparation for the midnight opening.

This August, almost 100,000 people flocked to the city of Chicago for Lollapalooza in Grant Park. Oversize signage marked the entrance to the festival, and as the sun set, the letters on top were illuminated.

For the 2009 launch of its Stephen Sprouse collection, Louis Vuitton paid homage to the late designer with an event at the Bowery Ballroom. Outside the downtown New York concert venue, the French fashion house installed neon signs and approximately 66 thrift-store televisions playing original footage from the Sprouse estate.

To emulate the “insiders-only” feel of New York Fashion Week in 2006, Victoria’s Secret Pink created Phi Beta Pink Sorority House as a preview party for fashion editors. On the awning of the Fifth Avenue storefront, the girly clothing brand placed three-dimensional Greek letters, a move that required a 24-hour permit.

For the 2010 Boardwalk Empire premiere, HBO spared no expense, hosting three parties to promote its new series. The event in New York turned Rockefeller Center’s Rink Bar, Sea Grill, and Rock Center Café into a Prohibition-style speakeasy, and an illuminated sign for the show at the entrance referenced the bright signs on the Atlantic City boardwalk from that era.

The season-two premiere of The X Factor, which took place at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles earlier this month, used promotional banners to cover the barricades and most of the venue’s surface.

The 2004 premiere of De-Lovely aimed to transport guests to the 1930s setting portrayed in the film, and the marquee of New York's Supper Club was revamped to reflect the movie's musical theme.

Solo cups are an often-spotted component of any tailgate party. Turn them into decor by arranging dozens of the cups inside the spaces of hurricane fencing to spell out game day messages.