January 15, 2007
The Ugly Stick: Inappropriate Signage
There's a certain charm in Toronto's pre-war lowrise apartment buildings, usually consisting of three to five stories with characteristics of the era like high ceilings, wood floors and crown moldings. Though a trend only recently back in fashion, it was also a time when buildings had names like The Gloucester Mansions, The Manhattan and the LaVerne.
Toronto's pre-war (World War II) apartment blocks seem almost frozen in time with their solid brick walls and Art Deco accents, which is why what happened last week at 64 Wellesley Street East is so repulsive.
Property management company TransGlobe erected six neon blue signs on the building's postage-stamp lot, creating a totally neighbourhood-inappropriate and visually offensive assault in front of the old brick walkup.
Now, Toronto is no stranger to ugly lawn signs placed by property management firms, but 64 Wellesley's take the cake. The main sign overwhelming the front walkway is enormous and reflective. A subtle forest green awning that crowned the entrance has now been replaced by a gaudy blue one, sadly masking a stained glass street number. The most brazen and inexplicable additions are two large steel towers, each flaunting more logos and phone numbers, and three structures are topped with a prominent disk featuring the corporate logo. Though they're only metres apart, the phone number is prominently and unnecessarily featured on five of the six blue signs.
Even the dentist office located in the building has suitably tasteful billing. A tiny black sign on the lawn simply proclaims "Dentist" and another unassuming placard beside the door shows a cute smiling mouth with only "Dentist Dr. Alan Gans" written on it.
Obviously, TransGlobe's signs are a standard design, allegedly consistent across their properties. A national management company that rents-out 19,000 apartments and more than 5 million square feet of commercial space doesn't likely have neighbourhood appropriateness or architectural suitability on its radar -- and that's the problem.
A nicely-landscaped, early 1920s tenement has no place for giant metal sign poles, and bright blue isn't even the management firm's corporate colour. There was little consideration for how incongruous an Arial font would look against elaborate concrete moldings and leaded windows, and any sense of pertinent scale is absent.
One can almost hear the boardroom decisions behind this corporate signage, with executives bandying about phrases like "consumer awareness," and "brand synergy." According to their website, TransGlobe clearly prides itself as a benevolent manager of well-maintained buildings, and although there's nothing worse than a neglectful landlord, tenants also don't want to wade through a forest of billboards to get to their front door. Redfern Court's new billboards would look more at home in a north Toronto business park.
The only positive we can see is for giving directions to visiting family or delivery trucks. "It's the old brick building with all the bright blue metal signs -- you can't miss it!"
The Ugly Stick is a series about Toronto's urban design crimes. Suggestions for future Ugly Sticks can be sent to marc@torontoist.com. Read the previous column on how not to market a condo here.
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Hideous.
Looks like they slap that fugly blue awning on every building, no matter what. I can guess what the exec's are thinking too, "When you see that shit-blue sign, you think TransGlobe".
Now, imagine if they put a little thought into each individual building and created something unique that enhanced each location.
Seems like they would staple that blue awning to a baby's forehead if the price was right and they thought people would see it.
Good call on giving this the Ugly Stick! This place is a couple of blocks from my apartment, and I actually looked at an apartment in it before I found my place. The inside is great, and the apartment was adorable. I always admired this building walking by. I was horrified when they put those signs up - it ruined the building completely. It makes me glad I found a place in another pre-war building with signage that blends in with the exterior and nice gardens to draw your eye away from the signs.
Carly: In this interview with TransGlobe CEO Leonard Drimmer, he places a lot of focus on customer service and how well the buildings are maintained, and the building is always in good shape whenever I walk by it, so the company seems rather enlightened in that respect. Aesthetics? Not so much.
Believe it or not, it looks worse in person than in the photos. I doubt that will improve next spring when the big trees around the building bloom; in fact, it will probably be a more dreadful clash.
A nice, smallish carved wooden lawn sign would have been appropriate and classy here -- certainly not a reflective sharp metal one along the walkway that's almost twice the height of a person.
You can see what the building looked like pre-visual assault here.
The only positive we can see is for giving directions to visiting family or delivery trucks.
They're pretty hideous, all right. But they do make it really, really easy to find your building! And I don't mean "look for the one with the ugly blue sign poles" -- I mean "I'm at 64 Wellesley Street East". And that's the point of having wayfinding mechanisms in the first place.
For the purpose, the blue wayfinding sign is an order of magnitude better than the nice building on Charles Street, with those weird decorations on either side of the-- oh, wait, that's the house numbering? In this case "subtle and charming" is another word for "nearly invisible", and I'd rather find the damn building than wander around lost but charmed.
There are lots of things they could do better (the typeface probably sucks for people with vision impairments, the corporate logo is too big and robs space from the rest of the sign, does anyone actually care what the building is called, five signs!?), but at least when it comes to wayfinding, if we have to choose between the photo on the right and the one on the left, I gotta go with the one on the right. At least I'll know how to get there.
I went to translator.com and typed in "classy", "aesthetics", and "community" trying to find a corporate translation. Every word I typed in kept coming back translated as "profit". So then I typed in "profit" and it came back with, "ahhhh, verah niiicccce"
As a resident of a building bought out by Transglobe, I can assure you that their focus on customer service doesn't penetrate the company any deeper than middle management. They do a poor job maintaining their buildings, make it difficult to get a hold of anyone in an emergency that happens outside of 'business hours' and have little respect for the privacy and day to day lives of their residents. The ugly signage was just the icing on the cake - even on my ugly building, it's a travesty.
I wonder if they were supposed to have gotten variances for each of those signs. Probably.
Anticorium: As a resident of a condo that is very clearly named, I also wonder if people really care what it's called (I don't). However, I'm on the Board of another condo building without a name, and we often get residents asking if we can call it something, usually some cheesy faux-aristocratic name.
I also respectfully suggest that if anyone can't see the "61" and "63" on the Charles Street building, they probably shouldn't be driving! That being said, trying to find places with no clear number sucks royally, especially when one side of the street is totally different than its opposite.
Marc, the reason I talk about it is that I've experienced this problem, even though I haven't actually driven for about ten years now! If the numbers on the Charles Street building are clear from, say, the sidewalk across the street, or from a few doors down on the same side of the street, it really didn't come across in the picture.
Also, you are a much, much better person than me. I know exactly what I'd do with an open invitation to suggest names for a condominium, and it ain't pretty.
The blue aside, the signs clash with the style of ediface. It's a building from the 1920s (or whenever) not the IBM campus.
And someone needs to tell TransGlobe that the globe is even more tired than the swoosh.
hmmm, i'm torn. i give people directions to my place and i don't bother with the address any more - you can't see the signage from the street. it's more useful to describe what my building looks like and the streetscape directly in front of it; i tell cab drivers and delivery folk to come to the "2nd speed bump" and that solves most of the problem. so, my building is pretty, but hard to find without a descriptive set of directions [which also must be tailored to the individuals' ability to decipher directions...some people just ain't good at staying unlost].
Arial, are you sure? Maybe it's the angle but the the 'S' and 'a' don't look right. Maybe you could check with Joe Clark?
Someone already mentioned variances. ...I'm sure the city of Toronto has a number of sign bylaws, laying out maximum sizes and numbers of signs on any given property. I can't believe you can erect those poles without some kind of permit. Who to call and complain?
Bob, when the question is "Would this bunch of design-illiterate unaesthetic monkeys use Arial?", the answer is always "Oh man, you betcha."
Except when it's "No, that's too cold and impersonal. They'll use Comic Sans instead."
The funniest part is:
"Bachelor & [piece of cardboard stuck on with packing tape] bedroom suites."
What the hell?
They have suites with bedrooms? Is this some freakish condo of the future?
(Also, Anticorum, we use Arial...but we're cool, and...so, uh...shit.)
Bob, when the question is "Would this bunch of design-illiterate unaesthetic monkeys use Arial?", the answer is always "Oh man, you betcha."
Except when it's "No, that's too cold and impersonal. They'll use Comic Sans instead."
AHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is my favourite comment of the day. It's so perfectly true.
Comic Sans should be banned forever and always.
But why go to the expense of putting up ugly new signs that need to be corrected by sticking on an even uglier piece of cardboard to correct them? It does not make sense.
One of the first rules of good design: if the font comes with your computer, don't use it.
There's a certain irony in the slogan on their banners -- A World Apart -- since it's exactly how I feel about the context of these signs.
Gross. This reminds me of hospital signage.
obviosly those of you complaining need to find something to take up your time like maybe a JOB! anyone who has WORKED and is in the "business world" knows that branding is a very important part in attracting customers and getting yourself known. There are far far worse signs out there. Tt least these one's all match and look GOOD! PROGRESS is unavoidable. Transglobe has poured and will be pouring a lot of money into these types of properties to correct or repair neglect from previous owners who didnt give a rats ass about their properties. Had they been maintained properly the owner wouldn't have sold their crap to Transglobe to fix! I live in a Transglobe RENOVATED property and they have brought it back from the dead. If you want something that's not touched with "subtle signage" then Toronto Housing can put you on their waiting list. The fact that you unemployed idiots are even talking or writing about this PROVES that the signs work! Way to go Transglobe!
working for a living: Chill pills are available over the counter now.
There has been a distorted view within the North American business world and the stock market that companies have an absolute right in a capitalistic society to make as much money as possible, by any means, and that anyone who tries to counter that view is a pinko hippie liberal welfare case. Wrong.
A company's right to operate and make money is contingent on many things, including the general public's right to be free of corporate domination. Of course, this is sadly only valid in theory since money talks and lawmakers listen to that first. Another right that people reserve in this city is to have reasonable protection of their standard of living, which actually does technically include aesthetics (too often the cause of NIMBYism, but applicable in this case).
Just because you're a member of the TransGlobe fan club and they genuinely improved your property doesn't mean that the signs they erected aren't completely ugly and inapproriate. Nobody's stopping TransGlobe from putting up signs, but the signs they did erect show a lack of judgment on matters of both urban design and neighbourhood suitability.
But why all the hate, kiddo? Your vitriol makes it sound like you should be out kicking the homeless or something.
^ Someone's clearly on Transglobe's payroll. That was a little too intense.
Working for a living - I doubt that anyone with such extensive knowledge of fonts and their application to design would be unemployed...I commend their contribution to civic discourse in Toronto.
PROGRESS is unavoidable.
Dun dun DUNNNNNN. This line makes it sound like the end of the world is coming or something. Like giant steamrollers are coming to crush everything and put concrete and steel and ugly signs absolutely everywhere.
My job is retail/marketing writing. And I think the signs are hideous. You can brand yourself without being awful about it.
Here, here, Marc!!
Another, "Hey, it's Business" excuse. Didn't the Mafia use that one? I'm sick of this attitude that if you're not into rampant capitalism and consumerism, that you're some kind of pinko. It's funny, becasue dickheads like "Working for a Living" are the same people who will call a piece of art-work or statue "ugly" and demand that it be taken down, but ugly signs are ok, because, "Hey, I'm makin' money over here". As for progress, as e.e. cummings once said, "progress is a comfortable disease".
So, Mr. "Working for a Living", who talks a good game now, there may come a time when you are NOT working for a living. I'd be careful of how much faith you place in the judgement of your' corporate gods. Transglobe may even sell YOUR' building, kick your' ass out and tell you, "Hey, it's business". The signs are ugly, out of place and ruin what looks like a very nice neighborhood. If that's progress, count me out. Also, dickhead, it doesn't just stop with a company putting up ugly signs, it's them doing whatever they want, in the name of profit and Eminent Domain. Someday, you're gonna be on the receiving end of it. Try not to "whine" too much. I'm sure the fine folks at Transglobe appreciates your' loyalty. Now, don't you have a little old lady to kick out on the street, somehwere?
"Working for a Living" also seems to be under the impression that his property management company bought-out these decrepit old tenements out of the goodness of their hearts in a valiant fight against absentee slumlords. That may be the case somewhere deep inside their corporate mission statement, but business comes first.
I'm generalizing, but those who shout loudest against art are sometimes the first people to sit down in front of their TV at night to be entertained by artists. They also probably download MP3s for their iPod because "the record companies make too much money", and would be kicking and screaming if they weren't getting prompt medical care in the hospital or exceptional treatment from the service industry. Just sayin'...
As for having jobs, you'd think that simply writing for Torontoist would constitute employment, but the staff all otherwise work for a living, many of them (including myself) for big corporations. That doesn't excuse steamrolling public space or dumping poo into the lake for the sake of maintaining stock prices.
Nobody's anti-business in this discussion. Nobody's trying to take your job away. Poor people aren't social service vampires. Artists aren't in any danger of toppling city council. Design critics aren't going to eat your babies. Someone just put up some really fugly signs, so relax.
The style used for this building reminds me of signs, mostly directional, I remember from childhood in shopping malls and institutional settings.
Even though I work for a large US Corporation (MY inner-conflict, that I have to live with, but my dog and I also have to eat) I would say in their defense, some actually do put some thought into landscape and how they look in relation to their surroundings. It certainly behooves them to NOT offend people with garrish, nightmare signs (like Transglobe). I guess the signs must bring in more people than they offend (which I find hard to believe).In a town here (Rochester, NY), a McDonald's was painted an uber-bright white...you could see it from space. Martians were hittin' up the drive-thru. Anyway, the locals did manage to get them to knock it down a couple of F-Stops (photo talk) and paint it an off-white. So, it can be done if enough people speak up.
Re: "Dumping Poo into the lake"...Is that a sequel Final Fantasy CD? ; - )
working for a living - I'm a fulltime graphic designer (mostly print production). Let me guess your job... TransGlobe public relations?
Being a good corporate citizen involves not being offensive or unfair to the general public, whether or not they're your customers. A company may want to solidify their branding, but they also want to avoid any backlash or negative association with their brand. This is sometimes a fine line to tread.
In a case like this, the possible negativity toward TransGlobe might be a perception of the company as a faceless corporate entity that operates without context to the surrounding area or the needs of its residential clients. True or not, these little perception factors have a lot of weight.
Some people may be indifferent about these signs, but you'd probably be hard-pressed to find people that wouldn't agree they'd look more appropriate in some suburban shopping mall's parking lot instead of on a 1920s brownstone.
I live in this building and when my friend sent me the article, I laughed incredibly hard. I had no idea new management were placing the signs up, in fact, I remember walking out the front of the building and thinking, "WTF happened!?" Now, I'm embarassed to walk out the front door, so I always take the side door.
It's true about the postage-stamp lawn. So the fact that there's SIX signs is very disturbing.
I have taken advertising and design and I realize TransGlobe is just letting everyone out there know that THEY own the building and they are a HUGE company and I'm sure they have plans of completely knocking the building over and erecting and HUGE condo in this buildings place, however, while it's still a building of the pre-war era, they should respect that. Even ONE blue sign, I could have tolerated. I, personally have not enjoyed this building since new management has taken over, and it started with the signs. One sign would have been sufficient.
For those of you who are concerned that BEFORE the signs were placed that 64 Wellesley may have been impossible to find without the hideous blue signs, I guarantee you would have been able to find it. Like the article says, the previous awning had the address on it, as well as the stain glass underneathe had a large "64" that was easy enough to see. Also, previously on the opposite of the door, from where the dentist sign is, was a similar black sign on the building stating bachelors and one bedrooms available, and what number to contact. You could easily see it from the sidewalk as well, it wasn't crude or tasteless it was professionally done, and just a little more subtle.
I can assure you the signage inside is almost as bad. On the superintendents door they have placed a huge cardboard neon blue sign that takes up 1/3 of the door and when walking in the building, there is a huge floor mat, that does not match the inside, saying TransGlobe. It's as if TransGlobe believes that when someone walks up the stairs and passes the six signs that are screaming TransGlobe, that in the amount of time it will take you to open the door, you may forget where you are, so you look down at the floor mat and say, "Oh yes! Now I remember!...I hate TransGlobe"
This is a heated thread. I am quite conflicted because TransGlobe has another gorgeous between-the-wars building on Broadview Ave (569) across from Riverdale Park. Perhaps some of you have walked by. It also has been plastered with generic blue TransGlobe signs. HOWEVER I was looking for an apartment and the signs caught my attention (of course!). I visited one of the apartments, and lo and behold I decided to take it. Most likely moving in March. So the signs...work. Of course, after I decided that I would live there I reflected that, as a tenant, I wouldn't necessarily like to see the gorgeous building defaced daily by these electric blue signs. All the same, I spoke at length with the superintendent in this building, a man named Cecil who has been caring for the building for 17 years. He told me about the various renovations that will be done -- new thermal pane windows, new appliances, total buffing of the wood floor, repainting-- before I take possession. His feeling is that TransGlobe is a good company doing good work. So... the apartment was absolutely beautiful and affordable and I took it, but if anyone is a current tenant or knows one I would be very interested in learning more about what kind of changes, positive or negative (apart from indiscreet signage) TransGlobe has been making (prior to signing the lease!). A link to the facade of Broadview Mansions: here . Interestingly enough, these photos do NOT have the blue signs in them!
I stumbled onto your article while searching something else; that being ugly lawn art, which was prompted by my seeing the same hideous blue signs at at least 2 properties in Ottawa! Signs, banners, canopies and pennants all within a stones throw of each other. My first thought was a hope that someone would tear them down immediately to remove the eyesore. Congrats, Trans-Globe, you've managed to get my vote for Best Real Estate Uglification in all of Ottawa.
Hey Working For a Living,
get a JOB--you mean like being born into a family with a business and going to work for them---that is not GETTING a job, that is INHERITING a job--that's what you've accomplished.
The only people that the font bothers are the 0.05% of the public that are in graphic design and marketing. Do you think Joe Starbucks gives a whether it's in Comic Sans, Arial, or Wingdings?
Yes, I do. That's why companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on market research and branding.
The signs have been the least of my problems. My husband and I are very patience and grace-filled people, but our experience with Transglobe have been ridiculous. And while now our main problems have been dealt with, we're viewed as being "trouble tenants" --- even though our concerns were VERY valid and we dealt with them with as much kindness as possible. But it was just one thing after another, and while I like the renovations, i can't WAIT to get out of this building!
Julia, I live in the building you are about to move into. Transglobe has made living here a nightmare. I could give you a long list of reasons to stay away and find another apartment but it would be too long. Just trust me when I say you don't want to live in a Transglobe property. I wish someone out there would do a big expose on Transglobe Property Management and the brothers who own it and run around boasting about their excellent customer service and well-maintained buildings. The stories the tenants from the Broadview Avenue and Tennis Avenue buildings alone would shock and disgust you. Transglobe doesn't know the first thing about customer service or building management. They only care about the almight buck which brings us back to all of their signage.
Transglobe is doing it's bit on the West Coast too. Two buildings in my neighbourhood, one of which I live in, have now been transformed into a garish advertisement for Transglobe. My building, which was once a lovely 50's walk-up is now dominated by the blue awning and massive sign on the frontyard. The old adage "blue and green should never be seen" comes to mind everytime I walk by the front of my building. I suppose I should be thankful that the poles with the flags didn't get added like the building down the street.
Aesthetics aside, I, and many in my building, are less than impressed with their customer service.
I noticed when I walked by this morning that the hideous poles with the standards on them have been removed. Yay! The other signs are there still, including the number taped-up on the "Bachelor & [_] bedroom suites" part.
I've asked TransGlobe to comment on the signs, as well as giving them the opportunity to respond to some of the resident comments written here. If they respond, I'll post it.
There are SEVERAL blogs and Facebook sites full of people who are victims of Transglobes disgusting and immoral behavior. The pictures and videos speak for themselves.
Transglobe takes over buildings and makes life living hell for the tennants.
Transglobe does not look after their properties, has absolutely no respect for privacy and are completely dishonest.
As a transghetto victim I am warning everyone to stay away from this "company".