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It just got easier for visitors to find their way around Luverne, thanks to a series of new signs going up around town.
Coordinated signage helps cities capitalize on local attractions, according to consultant Roger Brooks who recommended more sophisticated signs for Luverne in his 2017 assessment.
Since then, Luverne EDA Director Holly Sammons has been working on a signage plan, and the Luverne City Council budgeted $293,000 for the project.
She and a subcommittee of Luverne Initiatives For Tomorrow contracted with Axia Creative, a Minneapolis firm that specializes in developing wayfinding systems.
“The object of wayfinding is to create a unique, helpful, efficient system that focuses on new visitors, creates efficient routes, points visitors to destinations and pulls visitors north from the freeway,” Sammons told the EDA shortly after work began last year.
“Wayfinding increases economic activity by highlighting our local destinations and creating a positive visitor experience.”
Axia developed a design plan, location pattern and messaging schedule for Luverne’s wayfinding signs.
“There’s definitely a science to this,” Sammons said. “Four destinations per sign is the max, but it’s also an art. You want it to be visually attractive and representative of your brand.”
The larger signs use 5-inch letters and the smaller ones use 4-inch letters.
They’re constructed of reflective vinyl over aluminum panels mounted to double square steel posts with break-away bases. The design was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie style of architecture.
Each sign accommodates three to four messages on no more than five lines, excluding the header.
Archetype, Bloomington, custom-fabricated the 28 blue-and-red signs currently displayed on the major zones of Highway 75 and Main Street.
Primary signage destinations include the History Center, Main Street, Museums (Brandenburg Gallery, Herreid Military Museum), Events Center, Blue Mounds State Park Main Entrance, Eagle Rock Vista, Cliffline Area, Courthouse Square, Luverne Area Chamber, City Offices, Palace Theatre, Luverne Public School, The Lake, Blue Mound Ice Arena, Pool & Fitness Center, City Park, Riverside Park and Joe Roberts Field.
Future phases of wayfinding signs in the school zone will direct visitors to the main entrance, gymnasiums, Cardinal Field, ball diamonds and the Preforming Arts Center.
Additional signage in the community will point visitors to the bike trails, Verne Drive-In, airport, Schoneman Park, and Redbird Field.
Future phases are planned following the completion of the school project and the Luverne Loop.