University of Oregon

An iconic collegiate brand needs to stand out
in the city.

U of O Lundquist College of Business was moving its satellite campus and needed to bring prominence to its new location in a brand-new building in Old Town Portland. Due to its location, the building signage was subject to all the restrictions and regulations of the historic district, but needed to present a modern aesthetic.

The project had inherent challenges being a mixed-use project with competing priorities as well as being subject to Type III DAR and LUR reviews. After navigating months of reviews with the City, along with our partners at Gerding Edlen and Security Signs, we were awarded approval for fabrication.

The Blade Sign

For the primary blade sign, dividing the sign into two sections and designing in elements of neon made nod to the historic district and added sophistication.  

The end result is a fabricated aluminum cabinet with internally illuminated yellow LEDS and a white neon accent lighting the face of the “O”.

The Marquee Sign

For the marquee sign we designed an internally illuminated reverse halo lit sign to light up and have prominence from afar – but not compete with surrounding area signage.

Interior Signage

The interior signage had to serve a dual purpose of providing code level wayfinding and be flexible to include donor naming opportunities. Many of the rooms were named, while several were still available. This meant our design had to be installed in various stages of completion but still serve as numeral room designations. The result is a flexible system of elegant metal and acrylic that can grow as rooms are named.