Selden Innovation Corridor Sign
An initiative by Midtown Detroit, Inc., a major nonprofit developer in the neighborhood, is transforming a block of Selden Street in Midtown Detroit into a corridor that promotes innovation, offers low-cost space for entrepreneurs, and includes new residential and retail spaces. Since it’s inception many restaurants and a theater have opened here and stimulates further development and especially housing in the neighborhood.
VolumeOne has been commissioned to give the “Selden Innovation Corridor” is a distinct identity which communicates the network of businesses and public spaces in the entrepreneurial community. The simple logotype/wordmark logo design expresses the idea of a connected corridor of innovation.
The double sided and illuminated display stele is to promote the “Selden Innovation Corridor” and to announce festivities and public events in the Selden courtyard. A funders sign acknowledges those companies who supported the initiative financially and creatively.
The design of the stele derived from a simple menu stand commonly seen on sidewalks in front of restaurants or display cabinets for advertisements. A simple strategic manipulation of the form of a such a stand transformed it into a complex geometry of angled surfaces and thus appears three-dimensional and dynamic from any view angle.
The form and function of the stele is complimented by the haptic and industrial character of weathered steel, also found in the courtyard and various other applications in the neighborhood.
Type: Identity Design, Logo Design and Display Stele
Location: Midtown Detroit, Michigan, USA
Client: Midtown Detroit, Inc. (MDI)
Completion: Spring 2021
Includes: Selden Corridor Redevelopment, Smith & Co., and Nain Rouge Brewing School
Team: Lars Gräbner, Ignacio Moreno-Elst