Briscoe Western Art Museum Signage Update
In 2016, I assisted preservation architects Fisher Heck to update exterior banner systems and wayfinding signage for the Briscoe, downtown San Antonio. Located in one of San Antonio’s most loved buildings, the Briscoe houses an impressive collection of Western art, sculpture, and artifacts in a garden setting right off the River Walk. Its outdoor courtyard, McNutt Sculpture Garden, is open to the public – a shady respite populated with handsome bronze pieces by well-known artists.
Existing signage had out of date information, and did little to convey a sense of brand identity for the dynamic Museum organization. A simple solution of re-skinning (and re-orienting) existing pylons set up the opportunity for bolder brand expression. The banner system moved away from banner brackets to a system of anchors placed with care to preserve the stone façade. Available space for banners is maximized to fit within City guidelines for temporary display in the historic city center.
Original cast stone decoration at building exterior, referencing its history as an early San Antonio Central Library.
One of two blade pylons at Market Street main entrance. New faces are direct-printed aluminum panels attached by clips, which can be swapped out with a new panel (saves removing the entire sign cabinet for maintenance or the expense of on-site work).
Set of wayfinding pylons, Market Street. Exisiting pylons were rotated 90 degrees to face pedestrian traffic in both directions, repainted, and re-skinned with direct printed aluminum panels.
New wayfinding faces convey brand colors, set off by a border element referencing Western culture. A representational arrowhead, rather than default symbol/sign, extends personality.
Panel re-faced at River Walk entry. This is the entry to the San Antonio Library "Portal," a small study that is free and open to the public whenever the Museum is open, set aside to memorialize the building's origins as a City library.
Example of "Before" pylon style. New sign faces used bolder directionals and cleaner organization of information to lighten the text load. Our system added website and social media icons.
River Walk entry near McNutt sculpture garden entry. The garden is free and open to the public during regular museum hours, a little-known downtown gem.