Watershed Moment Communication designed outdoor interpretive signs for Hillside Centre to showcase development improvements that slow rainwater flows into Bowker Creek and improve water quality.
Hillside Mall, built in 1962, has the one of the largest hardscape parking areas in the watershed. Fourteen acres of surface parking put stormwater directly into Bowker Creek, eroding the creek banks and carrying pollutants into the creek and the ocean.
When planning the renovation of Hillside Centre in 2012, the developers made a commitment to urban watershed renewal for the benefit of the local neighbourhoods and the watershed. The Bowker Creek Initiative was granted placement of two interpretive signs to draw attention to the new low-impact development and underground works. This included the installation of engineered soils that slowly release rainwater captured from Hillside Centre roofs, installation of permeable pavers and rain gardens that allow rainwater to infiltrate into the ground, oil and grit separators in the catch basins to keep pollutants out of Bowker Creek, planting more trees to improve rainwater uptake and to provide parking area shade to reduce the heat island effect on hot sunny days.
The interpretive signs show these low-impact features on the site in the context of the Bowker Creek Blueprint – a 100-year plan to restore the urban watershed.
Design Considerations
Body text is balanced with informative graphic diagrams and descriptive text call-outs. Graphic elements are layered using transparency to span the underlying grid and create visual flow and associative links to the text. High-key green and blue is used to guide the eye and create visual landing points and rhythm in the headings and background colours. Black text on a white background is used for readability and a fresh design. Type and object styles and their placement are consistent with Bowker Creek Initiative branding.
Watershed Moment Communication provided the design for the sign stand, metal fabrication, sign imaging procurement and quality supervision, delivery and assembly. Hillside Centre completed the installation.
