NorthYorkEd
Active Member
NPS has never looked better, IMO. The sign should stay, and they should implement some permanent colourful displays to contrast with the dull, lifeless, endless slabs of concrete.
Toronto Toronto City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square | ?m | ?s | City of Toronto | Perkins&Will
I still say the sign should move around. People get bored with anything that is permanent. By moving the sign around, you'll get excitement in some other part of town "where will the sign show up next?!?!?!?!?!?!" and when it gets back to Nathan Phillips Square, everyone who thinks it should always be there will scream for joy again and rush back down to City Hall to scuff the sign up.
See, by moving it around, everybody wins!
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See, by moving it around, everybody wins!
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T.E.C.II
Active Member
1. Uh, no. Successful branding has nothing to do with originality. I'd argue a clear and concise design is more important than anything else. And considering how positive most people I've heard have been about it, it's absolutely a success.
2. It's not tacky. The font is actually quite tasteful. Even when it's not lit up it's tasteful:
And who cares if it's original? I was at Nathan Phillips Square yesterday and saw a gorgeous woman posing while sitting in one of the "O"s. That's the appeal of the sign. People want to interact with it. They want to take photos of it. In the future, it will be the landmark that tourists will take photos of.
Great for Torontonians, not so great for tourists. I think it should stay in one place (I like where it is now) so tourists can find it. They don't want to go on a treasure hunt. When I go to Chicago, I know where to find the Bean. When I go to Philly, I know where to find the LOVE sign. When I visit Toronto, I'd want to know where to find the sign without having to do a bunch of research to find out where it is now.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
I think PinkLucy raised an excellent point of the sign having "landmark" status - and you don't move landmarks around. I say we build a sturdier, permanent version of this sign at NPS and use this one as a prop basis.
AoD
Hmm, so we should keep it at Nathan Phillips Square because tourists who have done just fine up until now could not function without it being in one place? Oh boohoo. This sign has enough strength in it to bring attention to other areas of the city, and I think that Torontonians themselves should be reminded that the city extends far, far beyond Nathan Phillips Square.
Sure, the sign could and should be in the square for most of the year, but careful consideration of other locations could boost attendance at other attractions, could introduce people to parts of the city they don't normally visit (or may have never visited), and might even prompt us to fix up some of the other locales where it ends up.
So, you might not move around a landmark like the CN Tower (reasonably heavy), but you do move around works of art and artifacts and they end up in inside or outside galleries all over the work, like the way you might not move around restaurants but you do move around food trucks (which people will track down with apps and go out of their way for). This sign is far more like the latter examples, not the former. Have this sign at Nathan Phillips Square every summer and maybe over the Christmas holidays every year, but twice a year it should travel to other locations to spread its joy around the 416.
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Sure, the sign could and should be in the square for most of the year, but careful consideration of other locations could boost attendance at other attractions, could introduce people to parts of the city they don't normally visit (or may have never visited), and might even prompt us to fix up some of the other locales where it ends up.
So, you might not move around a landmark like the CN Tower (reasonably heavy), but you do move around works of art and artifacts and they end up in inside or outside galleries all over the work, like the way you might not move around restaurants but you do move around food trucks (which people will track down with apps and go out of their way for). This sign is far more like the latter examples, not the former. Have this sign at Nathan Phillips Square every summer and maybe over the Christmas holidays every year, but twice a year it should travel to other locations to spread its joy around the 416.
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Filip
Senior Member
I thought of putting it at the bottom of Village Court - there's a large, flat grass field and with the sign there, you'd have the Toronto skyline right in the background with the lake in the foreground.
Personally, I wouldn't move the sign, but if we create a more permanent version for NPS, then this one can tour the city.
Personally, I wouldn't move the sign, but if we create a more permanent version for NPS, then this one can tour the city.
P23
Active Member
It's a nice idea, but there should at least be a single permanent one so that tourists can find it. They're probably the demographic that would get the most use and enjoyment out of it once the novelty has worn off for people who actually live here.
edit: I guess other people have said the same thing already
P23
Active Member
Also it seems like the vast majority of people are in favour of leaving it in NPS, if the Twitter hashtag and newspaper polls are anything to go by.
rdaner
Senior Member
I like the idea of occassionally moving it around to highlight other locales. Albert Campbell Square in Scarborough would be an ideal temporary location.
NorthYorkEd
Active Member
While I think the sign should eventually be a permanent fixture at NPS, a tour would probably be good for bringing the city together. Let it show up in Etobicoke, North York, and the far reaches of Scarborough, etc.
I'm not typically nationalistic by any stretch, but this might help to erase the "borders" between the amalgamated cities. It could be a great symbolic tethering of all of us as Torontonians.
I'm not typically nationalistic by any stretch, but this might help to erase the "borders" between the amalgamated cities. It could be a great symbolic tethering of all of us as Torontonians.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
I think it would be a good idea to have one at each pre-amalgamation city hall/public square that matters. I am sure you'd get some local killjoy saying they don't want big bad Toronto giving their hood some colour though.
AoD
AoD
Skeezix
Senior Member
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I think it would fun seeing it at Pride, Caribana, Taste of the Danforth, NXNE, etc.
Torontovibe
Senior Member
Exactly! If you move it around it will just confuse people, including tourists. In this selfie-obsessed world, what better promotion can this city get? Millions of people will be taking selfies in front of the sign and promoting the city for free. Keeping it right where it is, will help to make the sign more iconic. Once you have the perfect location, why screw it up?
If we want to move it around, I think we need to make another Toronto sign for that but keep the original in NPS.
Tewder
Senior Member
Yes, keep it in NPS but add different versions in other locations. Adapt the style/font to the neighbourhood.