Loading...
LTC 159-2003 CITY OF MIAMI BEACH Office of the City Manager Letter to Commission No. To: From: Subject: Mayor David Dermer and Date: July 8, 2003 Members of the City Commission Jorge M. Gonzalez '~.. City Manager WAYFINDING SlGNAGE UPDATE AND INVITATION TO JULY 24TH "IDENTITY FORUM" The Mayor and City Commission approved the professional services agreement with Hillier for the Citywide Wayfinding Signage System on April 30, 2003. On June 25, 2003, the project kickoff meeting was held between the consultant and the City's Steering Committee, consisting of the following department representatives: Jorge Gomez, Planning Director; Christina C. uervo, Assistant City Manager; Saul Frances, Parking Director; Doug Tober, Convention Center; Ronnie Singer, Capital Improvements Office; Fred Beckmann, Public Works Director; Grissette Roque Marcos, Visitor and Convention Authority; Donna Shaw, Tourism / Cultural Development Director; Trish Walker, Finance Director. John Bosio, Associate Principal of Hillier, reviewed the project scope, methodology and timeline. It was noted that generally the planning, design and documentation process takes 6 months, but this may be affected by the timeliness of City approvals. The following day, June 26, 2003, the consultants presented an introduction to the project to representatives from visitor destinations and attractions that may be eligible to be listed on the vehicular signage system. These representatives, which we have titled "Stakeholders" for the purposes of this project, are one of several audiences that will be invited to give public input throughout the planning and design of the signage system. The consultants will be holding individual interviews with the Stakeholders on July 22-24 to collect technical information about visitation, routing, entrances and parking. Also, on July 23, 2003, the consultants and staff will be holding one of several meetings planned with FDOT and Miami-Dade County Public Works Department to coordinate regulatory issues that will have a major impact on the system. The Society for Environmental Graphics Design (SEGD), which has been advising us for the past two years, will participate in these regulatory meetings, as well as to provide recommendations on maintenance and management of the signage system. The Mayor and Members of the City Commission are encouraqed to attend the "Identity Forum" to be held on Julv 24, 2003 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM at the Wolfsonian Museum. This will be a brainstorming session where visual materials will be presented and discussed to help identity the theme, images and brand of the signage system. The Administration has asked Kelley Swofford Roy, Inc. (KSR), the public relations firm selected to provide image, branding and communications services for the City to collaborate with Hiller to present this "Identity Forum", and use the results to create a consistent identity for Miami Beach communications and signage. We are also inviting the Stakeholder group and members of the Planning Board, the Historic Preservation Board. and ~be Design Review Board to participate in the "Identity Forum" (see attached invitatiar~ ,j~3 ~-~'~ F:\PLAN~ALL'~Meyers~Signage System\LTC July 24.doc ~ 3 tX ~ ~ 0 3 ~3 L TC Wayfinding Signage Update July 9, 2003 Page 2 of 2 C: Christina Cuervo, Assistant City Manager Jorge Gomez, Planning Director Saul Frances, Parking Director Fred Beckmann, Public Works Director Donna Shaw, Tourism & Cultural Development Director Grissette Roque Marcos, Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority Doug Tober, SMG, Miami Beach Convention Center Ronnie Singer, Capital Improvements Office Trish Walker, Finance Director Joyce Meyers, Principal Planner 'C ENT Y F R B U M Auditorium IDENTITY = The state or fact of being a specific person or thing; individuality FORUM = An assembly, program for the discussion of public matters If we gathered 20 people in a room and asked each person what the identity of Miami Beach is, we are sure to get 20 different responses. The Identity Forum has been created to provide everyone with an opportunity to comment and discuss ideas amongst each other and to build consensus. what i s; ' The Identity Forum is a creative brainstorming session that provides a visual presentation and group discussion of images, colors, typography, pattern, materials, architecture, themes, words and historical references that reflect (or don't reflect) the overall identity of Miami Beach. The images are used as the tool to help encourage reactions, receive feedback and facilitate the discussion. ~-~, ~ ;,~:~ .. ~ Because of the number of invited guests,this will be conducted in an "Open House" format and will be an informal discussion. The design team will provide all the visual materials and facilitate the forum. The images will be set up in strategic "stations". Individuals will be free to move through the forum at their own pace and sequence. Members of the design team will facilitate each station. ~::, The purpose of the Identity Forum is to identify elements and aesthetics that reflect the "Group's" perception of Miami Beach. The design team is irterested in the group's likes as well as dislikes. ~© ~:~ i ,: The goal of the is to build consensus among the group as to the identity(s) of Miami Beach and to provide the design team with general sense of design direction, which they will use as inspiration during their design process. ....... ~.~ ~ ~ ~.~:~:: ~ The City of Miami Beach recently engaged the services of an environmental graphic~ consultant, Hillier, to plan and design a wayfinding and identity signage system. This wayfinding system will help guide visitors to and from Miami Beach's most significant destinations. In a separate but parallel action, the City selected a public relations firm, Kelley Swofford Roy, Inc. (KSR) to provide image, branding and communications services for the City's Department of Tourism and Cultural Development. These two consultant teams will collaborate to present this "Identity Forum", and use the results to create a consistent identity for Miami Beach communications and signage.