Visual Communications

Environmental graphic design firm specializing in wayfinding systems, sign design and more

St. George’s Episcopal Church – WARDEN’S CORNER

by Kathie Brown, Parish WardenIt was a great honor to participate in the installation service for Father Paul. I hope all the participants felt that way and that all who attended enjoyed the service. What a wonderful family of God we have! If you didn’t attend the classes on the Catechism, you missed out. I am a life-long Episcopalian and have learned a lot. Father Paul is such a good teacher and is always interesting to listen to. It has helped me think about how I can do a better job living out my faith. Please consider about attending the classes the next time they are offered.The Finance Committee has been spending a lot of time getting things in place with the financial advisor we recently hired. All of the endowment money (over $300,000) is now with the new company. Our next task is to determine how much money needs to be liquid in the short term, so that we can determine how much of the money that is currently in savings and CDs can be invested with our advisor in order to try and earn a better return.

I hope by now you have seen the new carpeting in the coat hall and in the hallway by the choir room. It’s a great improvement. This was made possible by a special gift from a parishioner for this purpose. Prior to installing the carpet, you probably noticed the painting that was done. Special thanks to Carole Leonard for overseeing the whole project. This was no small task. A big thank you also goes to Tom Zaun and his brother, Art, for taking down the shelf and short wall on one side of the coat hall, patching the wall, repairing a large crack in the brick and putting new stain on the doors and trim. And thanks to all the people who helped with painting and prep work: Ron Holbach, Karen Hurlbert, Bill Stromberg, Margaret Heil, Brad Heil’s father, Al; Gladys Williamson, Alan Poulsen, Tom Zaun and Carole Leonard. Please make sure to admire the work.

Several months ago in one of these columns, I mentioned that we were looking at upgrading our church sign to allow for a changeable message. We have been having a difficult time coming to agreement on a design. Mary Poulsen has a neighbor who is a sign designer – Richard Lang from Visual Communications. She contacted him and he was nice enough to lend his expertise (at no charge) to come up with another design possibility. The Vestry enthusiastically approved the design at their March 15 meeting. The design allows for back lighting of the name of the church and for an electronic message line. We are now waiting on a price quote from the company that would actually make and install the sign. My sister, Leslie O’Donnell, and I are planning to pay for the new sign with money from our parents’ estate.

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Just Follow The Signs May Be The Solution

Eden Prairie weighing an extensive sign system to detangle that navigational mess around its business district.

Star Tribune Last update: September 05, 2006 – 12:40 PM

Richard Lang looks at the mess of circling streets and unmarked freeway entrances that make up Eden Prairie’s central business district and sees a simple solution: signs. Of course, no one knows better than Lang just how complicated it can be to create simple signs.

Lang is a consultant with Visual Communications, the firm Eden Prairie hired to help design a sign system for the area surrounding Eden Prairie Center and where Hwy. 212 and Interstate Hwy. 494 meet.

This summer, Lang and a committee of residents and business owners mulled over how signs might better guide drivers and pedestrians into and through the area. The committee concluded its work with a list of proposed street name changes and sign proposals. A variety of city commissions must weigh in on the proposals before any changes are made. But Lang explained how the proposals might work. He walked us through a hypothetical drive to Redstone American Grill, what he calls a “popular can’t-find-it spot” in the business district, to illustrate where and how the proposed signs could make a difficult area easier: From 494, the first sign you might see shows where to exit to enter the Eden Prairie central business district, which would have a grand name like “Prairie Center” or “Eden Prairie Business Center.” You take the sign’s advice and exit. At the top of the exit ramp there would be a large, 16 – to 18 – foot tall kasota stone sign marking the area and a directional sign pointing toward the area. It might seem repetitive, but it should. At each point, you get a little more information, Lang said.

This sign is the first to introduce you to the subdistricts around Eden Prairie Center. Lang has proposed, and the committee has agreed, that the overall area be broken into three or four subdistricts that on signs would have distinct names, color-coded and with identifying icons. These smaller areas would break the puzzling maze of streets down a bit and help visitors focus on a smaller area.

The Redstone Grill is in a sub-area tentatively called “Town Center,” which in some proposed options would include the area to the west of the mall area and south of Hwy. 5. You would know the subdistrict because the restaurant’s advertising told you that was where to find it. Lang expects businesses to make their subdistricts part of their identities. “First they’d give the address, then they’d give the subdistrict, then they’d give Eden Prairie,” he said.

So at the end of the 494 exit ramp you take a left onto Prairie Center Drive and head south, following signs directing you to “Town Center.” Along the road, you notice street-side banners that let you know you’re in the Mall area. “We’re creating a sense of place,” Lang said. You continue following Prairie Center Drive, being careful not to turn too early. You know from signs along the way that Prairie Center Drive circles the Eden Prairie Center mall and will eventually bring you to the Town Center sub-area. You cross Flying Cloud Drive (also known as Hwy. 212), but aren’t confused by whether it’s Flying Cloud or Hwy. 212: Both names are labeled on all signs.

Now you are in the Town Center sub-area.

There are only a few more streets to negotiate. You make a right on Singletree. When you approach Eden Drive, deciding which way to turn is easy. You know the address, and the “Eden Drive” street sign tells you which addresses are to the right and which are to the left. You take a left. You enjoy a meal.

It’s not the fastest way to get to the restaurant, Lang acknowledges. But it’s built on an understanding of how areas and streets work together. Layers of different signs can make it clearer. City officials said the proposed signs, which likely will be considered by commissions and the City Council this fall, could be in place in a year. Jenna Ross • 612-673-7168 • jross@startribune.com


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Visual Communications Brings “Green” Wayfinding Signage to Macalester College.

First “LEED Platinum” higher education building contains sustainable signageAs more architects, planners and corporate executives pay closer attention to “green” buildings when it’s time for an expansion or a new facility, the official certification designation called “LEED” (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is becoming the standard to follow. Recently, Minnesota environmental design company Visual Communications Inc. facilitated the integration of wayfinding signage into Minnesota’s first platinum-certified higher education building, The Institute of Global Citizenship, at Macalester College in St. Paul.

LEED (http://www.usgbc.org/) was initiated in 1998 by an entity called the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and has since become an international standard. LEED approval is obtained when a building demonstrates that it is “sustainable”, in other words, it’s designed in a way to save energy, emit less carbon dioxide, use recycled and recyclable materials, utilize water better, and generally provide for a healthier-than-normal environment for those working in and around the building. Visual Communications has been a member of the USGBC since 2008 and has completed 5 sustainable projects, both locally and nationally.

The LEED initiative is now widely known amongst planners and architects, who focus a lot of attention on sustainable construction materials and elements such as carpeting, walls, floors and water systems. Now, environmentally friendly wayfinding signage is also getting more attention as a way to round out the LEED-qualifying package. And every building needs environmental graphic signage , especially directional and identification signs. Visual Communications specializes in environment and directional signage and has completed hundreds of projects nationally, from city-wide projects to single-building master plans.

Visual Communications helped Macalester College take advantage of new advancements in sustainable wayfinding signage materials when Macalester was planning the new building to house their Institute (http://www.macalester.edu/igc/).

Macalester’s goal was to achieve the highest level of LEED certification – platinum – and they were able to do exactly that, earning points not just for the more obvious building and systems components, but for the wayfinding signs as well. The building, Markim Hall, is a $7.5 million, 17,000 square-foot facility and was the first higher education building to earn LEED platinum certification in the state of Minnesota. It opened in the fall of 2009.

According to Suzanne Savanick Hansen, sustainability manager at Macalester, “The signs used at Markim Hall were made out of a locally-made product which is 85% post-consumer waste. They were included in the category of ‘local and recycled materials’ to earn points toward our LEED certification.” The product is made from consumer waste paper, yet it’s very durable, and can accept a wide variety of graphics. The material is also eco-friendly to make, as any waste created in the manufacturing process is recycled back into the manufacturing process. It was used not just for the wayfinding signage, but for interior window sills and counter tops.

Since its inception in 1991, Visual Communications has designed many wayfinding systems in the educational sector, as well as dozens of environmental graphics and wayfinding systems for entertainment venues, financial institutions, government , health care, libraries, office campuses and retail.

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“Green” Wayfinding Signage Helps Toward LEED Certification in Buildings

First “LEED Platinum” higher education building contains sustainable signageAs more architects, planners and corporate executives pay closer attention to “green” buildings when it’s time for an expansion or a new facility, the official certification designation called “LEED” (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is becoming the standard to follow. Recently, Minnesota environmental design company Visual Communications Inc. facilitated the integration of wayfinding signage into Minnesota’s first platinum-certified higher education building, The Institute of Global Citizenship, at Macalester College in St. Paul.

LEED (http://www.usgbc.org/) was initiated in 1998 by an entity called the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and has since become an international standard. LEED approval is obtained when a building demonstrates that it is “sustainable”, in other words, it’s designed in a way to save energy, emit less carbon dioxide, use recycled and recyclable materials, utilize water better, and generally provide for a healthier-than-normal environment for those working in and around the building. Visual Communications has been a member of the USGBC since 2008 and has completed 5 sustainable projects, both locally and nationally.

The LEED initiative is now widely known amongst planners and architects, who focus a lot of attention on sustainable construction materials and elements such as carpeting, walls, floors and water systems. Now, environmentally friendly wayfinding signage is also getting more attention as a way to round out the LEED-qualifying package. And every building needs environmental graphic signage , especially directional and identification signs. Visual Communications specializes in environment and directional signage and has completed hundreds of projects nationally, from city-wide projects to single-building master plans.

Visual Communications helped Macalester College take advantage of new advancements in sustainable wayfinding signage materials when Macalester was planning the new building to house their Institute (http://www.macalester.edu/igc/).

Macalester’s goal was to achieve the highest level of LEED certification – platinum – and they were able to do exactly that, earning points not just for the more obvious building and systems components, but for the wayfinding signs as well. The building, Markim Hall, is a $7.5 million, 17,000 square-foot facility and was the first higher education building to earn LEED platinum certification in the state of Minnesota. It opened in the fall of 2009.

According to Suzanne Savanick Hansen, sustainability manager at Macalester, “The signs used at Markim Hall were made out of a locally-made product which is 85% post-consumer waste. They were included in the category of ‘local and recycled materials’ to earn points toward our LEED certification.” The product is made from consumer waste paper, yet it’s very durable, and can accept a wide variety of graphics. The material is also eco-friendly to make, as any waste created in the manufacturing process is recycled back into the manufacturing process. It was used not just for the wayfinding signage, but for interior window sills and counter tops.

Since its inception in 1991, Visual Communications has designed many wayfinding systems in the educational sector, as well as dozens of environmental graphics and wayfinding systems for entertainment venues, financial institutions, government , health care, libraries, office campuses and retail.

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