When design is too good…
Out of context: Reply #18
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- luckyorphan0
I tend to have a problem with Beirut's design, frankly.
He is quoted in the article as saying, "So we thought a big sign would create a kind of ceremonial moment to mark the significance of the building. Public buildings have had inscriptions for years: every New Yorker knows that long passage about "Neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night" that appears on the main post office building on Eighth Avenue. In a way, this sign was meant to be a 21st-century version of that."
The thing is, what he has created is not a sign, but rather, an ad. It's a branding gimmick, and not really a sign. The use of the huge, bold typeface in hazard yellow (seen on the rest of the building as well in a more understandable fashion) suggests more that either the US is either dangerous, is obsessed with consumerism and advertising, or that it is a place that looks for every possible surface to claim as its own. I suppose if the word "CANADA" is on the other side of the building for those leaving the US, then it'd be more understandable.
Last but not least, he cites the NY Post Office building inscription (http://www.pbase.com/rfcd100/im... as one of his inspirations. Frankly, Beirut's solution is more about the designer than it is the concept. He's effectively tagged the building with his design, and hasn't considered that since this is a somewhat municipal building intended to welcome people, perhaps a little more class and a little less advertising would be in order. Travelers don't need giant letters to let them know where they're going.
This design is certainly not too good.