Aesthetic Douchebaggery: When an individual designs, creates and displays an object or artifact without concern to the aesthetic of that object's surroundingsLike many older downtown areas across Florida, a renaissance is happening on our main street. A bike ride down Harrison Avenue in Panama City just 10 years ago was dismal. Since the 1999 Streetscape project where all the sidewalks, landscaping and lighting was replaced, the downtown improvement board has done an awesome job overseeing and governing the aesthetic of downtown. But no system is perfect; things slip between the cracks - like a design review of temporary banners in the DIB jurisdiction.

I saw an example of this on my way into the studio this morning. I noticed that the new Dado's Cafe & Pub across the street had erected a banner on the front of their building stating that they Now Open. We're Open "That's interesting" I thought to myself, "they have been open for a few months now". The ALL CAPS red arial bold letters on the white vinyl background just screamed "Stay Away!". Seemed like a cry of desperation

This is actually a two part infraction:

1- Lack of consideration to the surroundings and poor design. The use of color that works with their brand and possibly designed to accent the Spanish influenced architecture of the building would have helped.

2- They are not broadcasting a clear message. Why not say "Lunch Specials Starting At $6.99". This would at least hint to the fact that they serve food. Granted, this is a minor infraction of Aesthetic Douchebaggery, Dado could have gained a new loyal customer by sending a useful message with their sign rather than screaming a cry of desperation.

Here is a good example of how a temporary sign can be designed and used effectively. A law firm just around the corner is advertising some of their areas of practice using a banner. From a distance, the banner looks like a permanent sign. As you can see in photo on the left, their banner is consistent with their brand and delivers a clear message.

The current review process for temporary banner signs is handled by the City of Panama City Division of Planning & Land Use and not the DIB. To be compliant, anyone can download this application, print it out, pay a $10 fee then hang their ugly banner for a period of 30 days.

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