The City of Beautiful Welcome Signs
Good signs come to those who wait.
For years, University Heights was known as “The City of Beautiful Homes.” While a rebranding campaign in 2018 updated the door knocker logo and city motto, University Heights still has beautiful homes, and now it has beautiful welcome signs to match.
Last month, new welcome signs were installed across University Heights, with more to come later this summer and fall.
“The new signs were a long time coming, and now that they’re finally being installed, they exceed my expectations,” said University Heights Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan. “More importantly, the response from University Heights residents has been overwhelmingly positive.”
The signs feature the new University Heights city logo and colors. The four colors of the logo are made with transparent plastic, creating a stained-glass appearance that allows sunlight to pass through the signs.
“Mayors from other cities have reached out to me, asking how their cities can have such beautiful signs,” Brennan said.
Seven signs were installed the first week of July, with eight more to go up soon. In addition to the welcome signs, a new sign was installed at Walter Stinson Community Park.
The city logo and the new signs were designed by Guide Studio. Design consultant Kevin Fromet said he is thrilled with the finished product. “The University Heights brand represents the community mosaic," Fromet explained, "and it is great to see that come to life in the physical environment."
“Translating the brand into signage provided an opportunity to create a more dynamic brand experience," noted Fromet. "The transparent colors in the signage are meant to mimic stained glass, allowing light and scenery to show through in various ways depending on time of day, location, and the viewer’s vantage point.”
Future signs will include monument signs, plus signs at Purvis Park and UH City Hall.
Mike Cook
Mike Cook is the communications and civic engagement director for University Heights.