Saratoga Springs Culture Compass

Worst Logo Ever – Made Me Write A Post After Five Months Off

Saratoga Springs Culture Compass — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:09:24 +0000

Saratoga Restaurant Week Logo

Saratoga Restaurant Week has had some really nice logos in the past, but not this year. I have nothing more to say.

Stand up and Cheer for the Zanettis

Saratoga Springs Culture Compass — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:19:41 +0000

The New Mahogany Doors at Saratoga Springs City Hall

John and Tom Zanetti built and installed new entrance doors to the Saratoga Springs City Hall. This is a longtime Saratoga millwork and cabinetry company. Please stand up and give them the credit they deserve, these doors will be around longer than those of us reading this article.
Other individuals and companies that helped out are Tom Frost, Rich Martin, and Allerdice Building Supply.

Front View of Doors

Victorians Make A Comback

Saratoga Springs Culture Compass — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:39:44 +0000

The Adelphi Hotel is one of the few Broadway businesses that recreates traditional Victorian design and makes it work. This is not a popular style these days, and most places either do a dreadful hokey version, or avoid it with modern sleak design. No matter how you feel about it, Saratoga Springs is a Victorian city, and the Adelphi seems to be the sole flag bearer working within the tradition.

From the Moment You Get Out of Your Car It's Perfect

From a distance, across the street, or right in front of the door, there are no bad views. The small gardens between the sidewalk and the entrance are in harmony with the building design and the surrounding landscaping. The walkway from the street is a grand entrance under a vine covered trellis.

Small Victorian Gardens

Whether you love the old world style or not, this is what people come to Saratoga Springs to experience. They have done a great job with all the details – the type treatment of their logo, the colors of the building, flowers in the pots in front of the doors, even the gold leaf on the entrance door signs, all look as if they have come from Saratoga’s past.

The Grand Entrance

The design consistent even when you look up, with traditional banners, and flowers giving a festive victorian view.

Looking up at the Adelphi Balcony

The old Saratoga may be fading away, but the Adelphi is letting visitors step back in time and see what originally made this city famous.

A Slow Road To A Park View

Saratoga Springs Culture Compass — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:16:48 +0000

The Park View Condominiums have been rising for almost two years now. I have been watching the construction as it seems to move ever so slow. Even at this point getting a perspective of what it is going to look like is difficult. It still isn’t at a point where I can decide if it is a good looking building or a giant monstrosity that should never have been allowed to be next to Congress Park.

Park View's West Side Facing Broadway

Sonny Bonacio has an incredible but sometimes spotty record for his building design. I’m not really sure who the architect is, but he often uses Olsen Architects for such large projects.

On this day I couldn’t get close enough to look at the details of material, but it seems they are using soap stone on the front facade, but that is just a guess.

Soapstone Facade or Slate?

The North side of the building, which will look out over Congress Park and also have a birds eye view of Broadway. If these are the most valuable living spaces, why does it seem they are the last to be finished. Are sales slow? Are the most valuable apartments still available?

North View Side Of Building

I’m waiting for the day I can write how much I like the final product.

Signs of SPAC on Broadway

Saratoga Springs Culture Compass — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:04:50 +0000

The Posters for SPAC have been posted on Broadway in Saratoga Springs for the new season. They look cool and delver a new green theme – along with everyone else in the world. I like how they look, but generally ferns don’t come to mind when thinking of SPAC.

SPAC Jazz Fest Banner

The Lake George Opera Banners are a big disappointment. The are hard to read, boring and look quite amateurish. Last year I thought they had the best banners of the season.

Saratoga Opera, I Can't Read These.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center usually has several banners throughout its season. Hopefully I’ll get some photos of them.

Broadway Windows On Fire

Saratoga Springs Culture Compass — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:49:03 +0000

Without a doubt, the best storefront window design is located at G. Willikers toy store. At night they are mesmerizing, and seem as if they are a giant aquarium in a dimly lit room.

One of G. Willikers Front Windows

Taking a Closer Look

Check Out the Monkey Holding the Book

One of the reasons this store outshines all others, may be because it is privately owned, and they are not putting up franchised corporate posters. Granted, a toy store has a lot of product to work with, but I have never seen the *Toys R Us* windows look like this.

Secondary Entrance

True, there are a lot of local stores that are half heartedly designed, but all it takes is time. The G. Williker windows are not rocket science, a little tape and reflective paper are a major reason the windows look so incredible, along with a lot of time spent positioning their products in front of it.

I’m not really sure who decorates their windows – whether it is done by a professional, staff or local person would be interesting to know. Could you imagine if all the retail windows had this quality of display? Walking down Broadway at night would be an amazing stroll.

Exchange the Curtain

Saratoga Springs Culture Compass — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:47:05 +0000

The Curtain Exchange on Broadway in Saratoga Springs is an interesting. I love the fact that we still have specialty stores that do one thing well. Unfortunately they didn’t do a very good job with their logo, but a lot of little things could have been done to make this logo work. The overall look and feel is ok but at least get rid of the big space between the E and Xchange, or tuck the “C” into the cavity in the curtain illustration.

The Curtain Exchange logo and window sign

But They Are Located In A Great Storefront

They work within the interior design industry! I would love to see these small stores really take things up a notch.

What do you think?

Economy Brings Bikes To a Head

Saratoga Springs Culture Compass — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:02:23 +0000

A Call To All Cyclists

The bicycle racks are unique to Saratoga, but maybe they should be identified as bike racks. They really don’t look like they have any purpose other than holding a horse head. Signs should be placed on them stating they are for locking your bike.

Where Do I Stick the Wheel?

The Incredible Lightness of Green

Saratoga Springs Culture Compass — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:59:52 +0000

Green Conscience

A new store in Adirondack Trust’s Mabee Buildings retail incubator has nice products, and a really bad name.

Green Conscience Home & Garden Logo

This logo must have been developed by the signage company, unreadable type, meaningless illustration, and not one, but two starbursts. And to top it all off, it always looks crooked for some reason.

Like many stores opened up on a budget, it seems to be missing an overall brand. A lot of parts that don’t really go together. Hopefull the products will drive customers throught the door.

The First Flags of Broadway

Saratoga Springs Culture Compass — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:11:20 +0000

Springs brings the flags out on Broadway. This year the trend is to not be able to read them.

I can't read this banner

Please when you design a banner, make them colorful and realize that people are driving by in their car. No one can read this.