Lions Club Exterior Signage

The Lions Club of Winnipeg approached ViewSource Media to develop new outdoor signs for their buildings on Portage Avenue. The buildings are large and prominently situated on one of Winnipeg's busiest streets so it made sense to not only identify the buildings but to promote the Lions Club brand as well.

Our first job was to assess the site. We needed to determine the best way to promote the Lions Club brand and maximize impact with the new exterior signs. We checked viewing angles for pedestrians but also, and more importantly, for vehicle traffic. The flow of traffic on Portage is quite heavy at all hours and extremely heavy during morning and evening rush hour. We wanted to take full advantage of this traffic flow and get the Lions Club brand seen by as many people as possible.

Given the hours of daylight - or lack thereof - in this northern city, we decided it would be best to have illuminated signs. This did require extra effort to determine the electrical requirements and do the hook-up, but the client agreed that the visibility boost would make that expense worthwhile.

The Lions Club is an international organization and they are global leaders in community service. They have a detailed brand specifications document which we used to ensure our work would be consistent with other elements of the Lions Club marketing. The colours specified are bold with great contrast and they were particularly well suited for the backlit signs. 

The next step was to superimpose our suggested graphic design treatment into photos of the building. We find that using photography of the site is really beneficial because it allows the client to easily visualize the finished product. A bit of back and forth resulted in a simple design that highlighted the necessary elements and prominently displayed the Lions Club logo.

Once the signs were in place we did our site inspection. The size and colours of the signs make them easy to see in midday sun but they really shine at night. Even in the large spaces on the side and front of the building, the backlit signs are impossible to miss. The client wanted their logo identity to stand out and we think this project is a great success!