The City of Baltimore and the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) in collaboration with the Baltimore City Department of Transportation (DOT) are seeking a qualified artist or team to create a new design and style guide for the City’s gateway signage. The deadline is August 21st, 2015. Click through for full information and the link to the application form.
The selected artist or team will develop new “welcome to” signs, color schemes, and design specs that will be applied on gateway signage throughout the City. The new designs should be eye catching, contemporary and exhibit Baltimore’s characteristics of creativity and diversity.
The selected artist will be required to work closely with Department of Transportation throughout the project. DOT will provide any necessary traffic, safety and maintenance regulations. The success of this project should provide the City with an implementable, sustainable plan to replace or refurbish the signage at the City’s major gateways. The signs may vary in their design, but ability to conduct regular maintenance must be prioritized.
PROCESS:
- Request for Qualification issued, calling on designers, artists and firms to submit qualifications to be a finalist on the City Signs and Gateways design project.
- Following this call at least 5 finalists will be selected to move forward.
- Finalists will each be provided a $1,500 stipend to develop concept design proposals and a make a plan for how they would address the full design project.
- Concept design proposals should describe the solution or new design styles proposed for each type of sign/location and the number of signs that will be completed within the provided budget
- Because of the prominent location and purpose of gateway signage, the winning artist or team will be asked to make presentations to the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, Department of Transportation and other City staff at various points in their design process.
GUIDELINES:
- Final designs and sign solutions must meet any material and design requirements set forward by Federal, State or local transportation authority regulations.
- Any physical changes to existing signs or installation of new signs will be conducted by a licensed and insured contractor meeting the requirements put forward by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts and working under the Right of Entry provided by the Baltimore City Department of Transpiration.
- Upon completion, artists will be asked to provide DOT and the City with an easy to follow design/style guide that can inform any future maintenance or new sign construction.
SELECTION CRITERIA:
Artistic quality and strong design skills: Applicants should be able to produce a creative and functional plan that meets the goals and the specifications set forward for this project.
Strong verbal, written and graphic communication skills: Applicants should exhibit good people and communication skills and be able to effectively collaborate with multiple project stakeholders and agencies as they develop, present, and receive feedback on their designs.
Previous experience: Applicants should have professional experience working on public art or design projects that include project development, planning, fabrication, public integration or way finding design.
Accessibility and Availability: This project requires collaboration and a familiarity with Baltimore City. Applicants should maintain reasonable availability to perform this work and complete the project
The Design for City Signs and Gateways call is a project of Baltimore City, managed by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts
For questions or more information on this Request for Qualifications, please contact the Project Manager:
Ryan Patterson
Public Art Administrator
Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts
10 E. Baltimore Street, 10th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202
443-263-4338
rpatterson@promotionandarts.org
The submission form can be found at Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts’ Submittable website: https://promotionandarts.submittable.com/submit/43563