Project Spotlight - KNKX - NPR

Company Overview:

KNKXKNKX Public Radio
930 Broadway
Tacoma, WA 98402

Project Overview:

The city of Tacoma is very excited to welcome KNKX to the area, connecting the region to jazz, blues and NPR news. We were lucky enough to be awarded this project and to work with the KNKX crew on branding their historic location at 930 Broadway. Given the historical nature of the building they were moving into, we worked closely with the city through each phase of this project. Most of the artwork was provided to us but we had to value engineer the designs to work as an effective signage solution while seamlessly incorporating the NPR logo into the layout.

Challenges:

On the surface, this looks like a pretty straight forward sign design, but one challenge we faced was finding a solution to include the NPR logo without overpowering the KNKX brand. NPR is of course very recognizable and it was an important piece to include but we wanted it to be a secondary element of the sign rather then the focal point. We were able to achieve this by positioning the KNKX logo above the NPR logo and instituting scaled proportions so that it was clear that KNKX was the primary brand being showcased here. 

Another unique obstacle that we faced was having to work through the historical review process given the historical significance of the KNKX office. Before diving into this, it seemed like it could pose some problems with the deadline we were working with but thankfully the city and historical review board were a pleasure to work with and moved things along very quickly. This allowed us to get a lot of the prerequisite paperwork taken care of efficiently and stay on track with the fabrication and installation schedule in order to get everything completed on time for their grand opening in early September. 

Keys to Success:

It truly takes a full team effort to execute a project on time and within the parameters of a city's heightened sign restrictions due to the historical nature of the building. Our designers were able to work with the customer to take their concept and bring it to life for their new location by featuring their logo front and center while incorporating the NPR element of their brand in a subtle yet integrated fashion. This allowed their audience to understand exactly who KNKX is as well as offer some insight into the type of content that they offer. 

The city of Tacoma was excellent to work with when it came to the historical review process. Their excitement to have KNKX in Tacoma was evident throughout the process. We were able to move through the review seamlessly and onto the fabrication and installation with Tacoma's approval. This allowed us to stay on track with the September deadline without any concerns for time constraints.  The result was a happy customer and a happy city!

Signage Pictures:

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