On a recent trip to the Parkdale area in Toronto I found myself captivated by the simple and effective use of a bus shelter advertisement promoting businesses on the main street in Roncesvalles Village, an old Polish neighbourhood. The design concept was well thought out and beautifully executed. Along the left hand side, a simple rendering of the 17-block stretch of street is divided by colour. The colours alone are beautiful but the simple touch of making each section a different size and shape makes the image really eye catching. The shops are divided into three easy to understand categories: Living, Being, and Shopping. The colour of each item corresponds to the colours on the map.
So, if you are in the orange section and you’re looking for a pet shop, you would be able to find where to go in just a few seconds. My favourite part of this ad is the soft background image of the young girl and her mother, connecting the business area with people who make up the community. What this ad shows is how simple promoting the local economy can be as well as the importance of high quality design. When I look at this picture I wonder if something like this could work on Dundas and where the best spot would be. Thoughts?
Comments
This is so incredibly simple that itwould be crazy not to try it somewhere on Dundas, Richmond, or East Village.
This is a great idea. I like the idea of using bus shelter ads (or other ad spaces) for alternative purposes. For example LOLA using these spaces for public art.
You could have maps like this located near Victoria Park, or at Dundas/Richmond, or near the Central library, etc.
Making these areas easier for people to use/navigate* would be a great benefit to the spaces and the people.
*not that they're currently difficult, but if you're not super familiar with the area a map directing you to Grooves or Cafe One (etc) could mean more traffic to that area, which could mean happier shoppers/businesses
I agree with both of you, I think one of the constraints is limited sidewalk space. We don't really have bus shelters on Dundas and their "new" historic design doesn't include ad space (unfortunetly?) Still, something similarly simple could for sure work all over the downtown and in other urban neighbourhoods like Wortely, Old East, and Hamilton Rd.
Just realized that there is a fourth category: Eating... very important (opps).