Cadence at Crown, Gaithersburg, MD

My Role: Art Direction, Design & Specification

Duration: 3 weeks

Deliverables: Branded Environment

Overview

Cadence at Crown is an apartment community in Gaithersburg, Maryland— situated in a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood rich with retail, restaurants, and fun.

Challenge

The client wanted signage that didn’t “just sit on top of the canopy.” They wanted to “Wow” prospective tenants right from the entrance and tie together the building exterior to the existing web and print branding.

How can we transform the entrance while keeping in with the branding theme of vibrancy and sophistication?

canopy Exploration

I wanted to emulate the change in dot color from the logo icon, and play with transparency. I designed a canopy surround with translucent panels, circles that echo the logo, and illuminated letters on the front. The blue architectural light behind the panels would illuminate the circles at night and add more interest.

Coming up with a concept that the client would love turned out to be the easy part! In order to build it, we had to ensure the weight of the new surround (and any snow) would be safely supported by the existing canopy structure, and take into account how water would drain into the existing built-in system. I consulted with engineering for the best way to build and specify the surround, and then with estimating to find the most suitable products for lighting, tubing, and the translucent overhang.