Signage Ideas

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Signage encouraged guests to share details from the event on social media sites.

To encourage social media activity, signage surrounded by festive streamer paper indicated the special "Kate Young Target" Wi-Fi account and Twitter and Instagram hashtag.

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

At the Taste of Tennis event, staffers with racket-shaped signs guided guests to the correct check-in areas.

Colorful arrows (and some smiley faces, for added pep) led guests to the festive event.

Adhesive signage placed on the walls helped direct guests around the space.

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.

Ten street signs, each 10 feet tall and made of PVC pipe with a weighted wooden base, were placed throughout the 136,000-square-foot store to emphasize the neighborhood's iconic streets. Illustrator Bill Brown's art for Target's campaign was painstakingly hand-drawn, sketched, and scanned in for each sign.

Organizers scattered circus-style signs depicting food-related phrases and pictures throughout the park to create an amusement-park-like setting.

Directional signs helped guest navigate the more than 30,000-square-foot space.

Maxim's sprawling Hot 100 projection

The activation inside Advertising Week's main venue was simple, with clean lines, white tables, and pops of color to highlight key statistics from AOL properties. The colorful signs stood atop small booths, which offered free pens, candy, and electronic device chargers.

The large balloons marked with the names of Fox shows also led the way to the upfront's after-party at the Trump Wollman Skating Rink in Central Park.

Designed by Shiraz Events, the event took place on December 13 at New York's Angel Orensanz and had a sinister, superhero-inspired look. Deriving inspiration from comic books, the dessert table had candies with phrases such as "pow!" and "blow!" written on bright signs.

As a nod to the green color scheme and grass in Patch's logo, the producers constructed what they dubbed the back porch bar, from which baristas served Nespresso.

Rather than a simple step-and-repeat, Cartoon Network created a three-dimensional sign at the Roseland Ballroom, beside which upfront attendees posed.