CONSIGN
On the quaint, old streets of downtown Mystic, CT there exists a yellow building in the same hue of the Ocean House in nearby Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Lorrel approached me with her sign being as recognizable as Montauk on a foggy day. She was looking for a new identity that matched more closely the boutique’s mission of offering high quality garments at affordable prices. Lorrel, her mother, and her other partners liked the feel of their old sign, but not the execution.
photos courtesy of Lorrel.
I requested the Madden ladies and partners define literally what their business means a little more clearly, in their own words. “Fashionable, savvy, animal-lovers (most important), budget-conscious, trendy, chic, modern, eco-friendly, quirky, original...this is when we got stuck! Basically we like that its a neighborhood place that our customers know us and we know them and we all talk and share stories. Steve [the cat] is a huge attraction and people bring their own pets in while they shop (in fact we encourage it).” //// YES, IT IS...
photos courtesy of Lorrel.
Through the application of a business card, and sketches of what signage might be for them, I helped articulate their own vision of Pennywise Consignments, independent of signmaker’s specs. Formally, the logo has a modern, hatched feel, an iconic extension of the descenders on both the ‘p’ and the ‘y’ as well as a quirky and phonetic ligature between the ‘y’ and the ‘w.’ The vision for the sign was to have these pieces stick out from a distance down the beautiful Greenmanville Avenue in Mystic.