Carrabelle Saga: Part 1, The RiverWalk

 When I was contacted by Lee Norris of Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc. about creating a sign for their soon to be completed RiverWalk project in Carrabelle, Fl. http://www.ectinc.com I was clueless to the happy string of circumstances which were about to unfold over the next few years. But I am getting ahead of myself. ECT had just cleaned up a neglected stretch of water-front right on the Carrabelle River in the heart of town. Restrooms, board-walks, boat-ramps and covered pavillions were then added and are now a source of pride for the entire community. This project was funded by different public agencies and a sign that acknowledged their participation was in order. Mr. Norris relayed to me that this would also be a place for Carrabelle's visitors to enjoy. The sign should be appealing enough to make a photographic souvenir, as the town's guests document their visit.

 Since I am very visual, I knew that a visit to see the RiverWalk was in order, before I even attempted a design. I was delighted to find that my assumptions about it were correct. It absolutely had to be Nautical.

I presented this conceptual rough to Lee and he trusted where I was going.

Fortunately, I was given a budget sufficient enough to take an illustrative approach and add some dimension rather than a simple flat panel.
 Creating vector art from the rough was time consuming but the results were well worth the effort.
Colors were chosen that would compliment the projects architecture. Pelicans were added to the design to create an interesting shape and reflect the care that had been taken to preserve the environment.

One of the features that made this project more inviting were the "bronzed" accents. The 5 institutional logos that had to be included carried with them the potential of making this sign bureaucratically stuffy. By building faux portholes as a framing device we made the logos a unique element which tied in perfectly to the overall theme. The patina effect was achieved with a metal based paint followed by an acid wash.  Lee was astonished when he held the light weight PVC thinking it was actual metal.

This project was one of the first signs that we went all latex for the paint. 

The day that Nancy and I delivered and installed the RiverWalk sign, we were greeted by many of the citizens of Carrabelle. Two of which were Cal and Tamara Allen. We enjoyed a beautiful day, a boxed seafood lunch from the Fisherman's Wife (at that time still a roadside stand). Before we left Carrabelle. Mrs. Allen invited me around the corner to the future Carrabelle History Museum.
To be continued