A key mistake that any organization can make is to create and implement a brand image that does not align with their business. What does your signage say about your brand? You may be sending out the wrong message to your tenants and their customers, one that says your brand is outdated, stale or irrelevant. Don’t let your signage create a perception that you’re not proud of. 

In today’s competitive retail environment, the strength and relevance of your brand image is more important than ever. Signage and “streetscape” play a major role in your business and are an untapped opportunity to target a critical mass audience of potential customers so close to your front door.

How can retailers create a unique and exciting experience that will draw consumers to their center rather than shop on-line? Building a vibrant, fresh, bright, and striking environment will attract new customers and businesses and will strengthen and enhance your new brand.

Creating an effective visual solution is the first step in an overall business strategy that conveys a clear message of what your customers will experience when interacting with you. Powerful visual branding is the most cost-effective way to maximize your impact on shoppers. 

When considering different visual design options, consider the following: 

• Keep it consistent, visible and legible – Your “streetscape” is your “first impression” and must project the powerful image you want the public to have of your center.

• Tell your own unique story – Consider what your tenants, visitors, and customers will value about your location, tenant mix and unique property features upon opening your center. Determine what they will like about the products and services that you offer and leverage those characteristics in the design. This will ensure a strong and successful brand for years to come.

• Design – One of the most important factors for an upcoming brand is the design development. Your design must make a commanding statement. A design that can be read and understood with a quick glance will create the most effective sign. Keep it simple.

Your “streetscape” will make thousands of impressions every day, creating top of the mind awareness. A well-researched and well-engineered branding program will promote a better visitor experience, improve traffic patterns to your location, and reflect your overall brand image.

CEA Group of Cambridge, Mass. approached Poyant in early 2017 with their plans to rebuild the old New Harbour Mall on William S. Canning Boulevard in Fall River, Mass. The developers recognized a chance to create a unique and modern shopping experience to enhance the region’s image by providing a transformational look from the indoor mall style shopping of the New Harbour Mall to the new modernized open-air retail shopping center of SouthCoast Marketplace.

Poyant’s role was to provide expert advice on the most efficient and effective methods to construct the architect’s vision and turn their conceptual designs into a reality. 

The goals for the project included:

1. Create a distinctive, impactful and vibrant brand that features contemporary chic conceptual designs with a connection to the industrial history of Fall River.

2. Create an eye-catching look that conveys an exciting shopping experience.

3. Maximize the visibility and traffic exposure for the shopping center.

With these goals in mind, Poyant worked closely with CEA Group and Prellwitz Chilinski Associates (PCA) to create a branding package that would showcase the unique and influential experience that SouthCoast Marketplace would bring to the region. Poyant’s design and engineering teams provided solutions to materials and methods for fabrication including final color schemes, logo layout, and logo font to align with the goal of maximizing the vibrancy and visibility of the brand.

“We are honored to be a part of the team that CEA Group has carefully selected to ensure that the development of this property truly raises the bar for the entire South Coast,” said Stephanie Poyant Moran, branding specialist at Poyant. “The contemporary industrial design of the marketplace’s signage pays tribute to the roots of the region while boldly introducing a uniquely high-end, must-see retail and entertainment destination.”

Poyant fabricated and installed the plaza identification and wayfinding signage throughout the site including a refurbished high-rise tripod sign, 40’ wide highway landmark plaza identification sign, 40’ main entrance pylon sign, 17’ secondary pylon sign, 14’ directional monument sign and tenant directional sign. The key was to incorporate the SouthCoast Marketplace brand logo and unique industrial I-beam design contributing to a cohesive, recognizable brand image of “industrial chic” that residents of Fall River could connect with on a historical level.

Poyant is proud to have collaborated with the CEA Group and PCA to help achieve their goals for this large project that has been widely supported throughout the region. The project successfully provides a contemporary and industrial design, creating distinct, lively and historical brand identification. The project exemplifies an impressive transformation for SouthCoast Marketplace in Fall River. 

Our singular focus is and always has been…Building Your Brand, Building Your Success. The SouthCoast Marketplace project was completed in December of 2017, on-time and on-budget, and is considered a huge success by all involved. 

Richard Poyant is the president of Poyant Signs, New Bedford, Mass.