Yesterday Slog had the Elliott Bay sign coming down from its old Pioneer Square location. Today the sign is already up at its new one on 11th10th.
Gotta admit though, it did look more at home nestled in on that old brick building than it does sticking up above the new one.
I understand the historical significance of the old sign, but it doesn’t look very good up there on sticks. My hope is that they’ll move it inside, reuse it as an interior decor element, and then have a new sign made that fits onto the building.
I thought it was temporary when I first saw it today. It doesn’t fit the building.
Let’s hope they’re doing a better job with the inside of the building.
My advertising guy hates this comment thread :)
That sign looks horrible! It should have been mounted on the building somehow, like the Everyday Music sign next door….which looks great. I agree with Lolalaptop: move the sign inside and mount it on a wall. Maybe the next big windstorm will take care of it for us. *crossing fingers*
Yes, Welcome.
We’re critical because we care. :)
Wait…nope, it looks like one of those signs in a fake western town where all of the buildings are facades. You’re not a facade are you Elliot Bay Book Co.?
I agree the new application of the sign is awful and an indoor instillation would not only create an artistic element but allow for the New location to create and establish a New identity.
I for one am glad to see that everything Eliot Bay Books does is not received with open arms. Eliot Bay is awesome but just because they moved locations and a sign should not provide any signal that the dynamic of The Hill is changing. A new store does not a neighborhood struggling to retain its character make and by locals speaking out hopefully EB will realize that not everything they do is perfect or welcomed.
I will miss the Pioneer Square location dearly but they are still around and with their new location and God like status I wish them well but I am happy to see objection and concern even if it is about their sign.
Yeah, the relationship of the sign to the building looks, in the picture, pretty silly. But I’m wondering if the people in charge are just possibly not idiots, and this is not the end of their work.
I meant my comments in the best possible “constructive criticism” way. As a graphic artist, I have a good eye for logo placement.
The emotional undertone of this sign treatment is: We’re clinging to our old building, and, in fact, are not too sure how long we are going to stay in this location, so we’re not going to make an effort to look settled.
While I’m happy that Pike/Pine has become the flavor of the month for many businesses, as a long time Hill-ite, I’d like to see more of a commitment, signage-wise.
Yes, Elliott Bay, I want a ring on my finger!
I agree with many of the comments here (except for the one about the wind blowing it down…then it can’t be preserved elsewhere).
My two cents: Move the original inside and scale down the design to break it into smaller sections in a new sign and place the sections in the band above the windows. That way the original design and colors would be retained. Plus, that band looks quite suitable for signage.
One other question. The sign suggests that Elliot Bay Cafe is relocating too, is that the case?
From Elliott Bay’s website…
ELLIOTT BAY CAFÉ…SOON TO HAVE TWO LOCATIONS!
For those Elliott Bay Café devotees who are wondering—there’s double good news.
YES—Tamara Murphy will be coming along with the bookstore, opening a brand new E.B.C. in our Capitol Hill location.
And YES—Tamara will continue to operate the original E.B.C. in the basement of 101 S. Main after the bookstore’s departure.
i guess i care more about the contents of the building than how the sign sits on it. is it different from other buildings in the general vicinity? sure, but is it a violation of city code? no, so i don’t understand why people “care”.
so, it may not mesh with your particular design sensibility. but then it’s also not your store. of course, i understand, you’re just anticipating elliott bay coming and knocking your choice of signage for your establishment when all of you open your businesses next month, right?
and who knows, maybe they have a reason for making the sign stand out that way. nearly every week i read about how local bookstores are going out of business, people aren’t reading physical books as much anymore and amazon keeps killing the local book seller. wasn’t a downturn in business one of the reasons elliott bay moved to the hill in the first place? it could be that they realize that they need to cater to more than just neighborhood residents and since they are on a side street a very visible, albeit gaudy, sign placement might just help customers locate them.
Well zeeblepoop,
I think you may have missed the point of these comments.
Nobody is saying it violates any code or that it’s not good for the neighborhood. We’re just voicing our opinion on the aesthetics of the sign. Also, how the hell can ugly signage quell the changes in the retail book selling world? Who is going to buy at Elliott Bay instead of Amazon because the signage sucks?
And this batch of conformity whiners thinks I am bitchy!!!!!
Most of the time I don’t like the decor of the bedrooms I end up in – but – rarely say anything. Just not too pertinent to the matter at hand. I will go E. Bay locus to buy books with nary a glance at the sign – sorry.
Mike with a Scoff
@scoville
you get an F for reading comprehension.
i didn’t miss the point of the comments. people feel the placement of the sign is aesthetically displeasing and they have ideas on how it can be done better because they “care”. you can be sure i got the point.
my comment about violating the city code is illustrating that, as a business, elliott bay isn’t doing anything outside the norm of what’s allowable per established, recorded city rules. had some ordinance been violated regarding the placement of the sign, then you’d have a reason to gripe was my point. there’s nothing in the code that says a sign has to make people feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
and yes, you and all the other commenters have every right to your opinions. this is an open comment thread on a public blog post and you can type and post, almost, anything you want. but don’t be surprised when i exercise my right to post my opinion of your opinion.
“Also, how the hell can ugly signage quell the changes in the retail book selling world? Who is going to buy at Elliott Bay instead of Amazon because the signage sucks?”
again, you get an F for reading comprehension.
i didn’t say the sign would change anything about the current climate of the book selling world. it won’t sway people from amazon to elliott bay. however, these are the conditions against which e.b.b. finds itself and part of why they moved from their pioneer square location to capitol hill – to better compete in a changing retail climate.
that said, i hypothesized that elliott bay likely put the sign on their roof, on sticks, so that it would be more noticeable (it’s caught everyone’s eye who commented here) to those shoppers who choose to seek them out; helping them attract and retain customers. remember, they’ve been in pioneer square for a long time and rely upon customers from outside the seattle area, be that the eastside or the east coast, who may not be as familiar with capitol hill as you or i may be. if a customer gets frustrated because they can’t find you, they won’t shop with you.
having their sign on sticks makes it much more noticeable, albeit not very design savvy. sometimes, as a business owner, you have to forego aesthetics in favor of increased business. having gaudy sign placement is one way to be sure to inform customers, looking for the store, that they’ve arrived. thereby helping elliott bay compete in this brave new retail book selling world.
I thought you had missed the point too.
I think it is because you put building code violations into the conversation at a place were it didn’t quite make sense.
So while you think it is poor reading comprehension you do bear some responsibilty for the effectiveness or lack of it in trying to make your point.
I find it funny that you’re scolding someone for reading comprehension on a blog, as if everyone is going to take the time to read your carefully written diatribes. When a comment is more than one paragraph, I immediately start skimming. Get over it.
@seattlebrad
since when is a dicussion in a blog’s comments section an excuse to turn off one’s brain and carry out discussions in just two or three sentences? maybe YOU should get over it.
hope that was short enough for you. i wouldn’t want you to break your brain reading.
Personal insults are not cool on this community nice people non hysterical blog.
Shame on zeeebleoopeeeyy – take the insults elsewhere, please.
Children, don’t make me pull this blog over
The Everyday Music sign looks equally bad