Travel eastbound along I-794 in downtown Milwaukee and you’re sure to notice a mix of branding sprinkled among the city’s skyline. U.S. Bank, Quarles and Chase stand out atop the tallest office buildings just north of the elevated highway. Closer to eye level, the Milwaukee Public Market’s neon sign is hard to miss, especially at night.
Over the past couple years, there have been several new signs added to the corridor with a wave of companies relocating or expanding downtown.
Milwaukee Tool’s new office has become a landmark in the Westown neighborhood with its giant red wall and iconic logo facing I-794. Just a couple blocks east, fintech firm Fiserv installed multiple signs on the HUB640 building upon moving its corporate headquarters there early this year. Menomonee Falls-based Kohl’s Corp. opened a store location on the ground floor of the same building late last year, and its rooftop signage was ultimately affixed to a neighboring apartment building. Baird recently added its logo to the north and south sides of the U.S. Bank Center – and to Milwaukee’s convention hall, now known as the Baird Center. Other names now visible along I-794 include Regal Rexnord, Husch Blackwell, Old National Bank and Central Standard Craft Distillery.
Signage marking a company’s physical presence is usually just one piece of a larger strategy to market to both consumers and potential new employees – but it’s an increasingly important piece in today’s digital age.
Physical branding has the power to evoke a “very visceral, immediate reaction” from people, said Jim Merriman, senior vice president of custom venues at De Pere-based Jones Sign, a full-service signage company that has branded venues across the country, including pro sports stadiums, like Fiserv Forum and Lambeau Field, and corporate headquarters, like Intel.
“It’s not like seeing it on your (social media) feed or on your television or in print, it’s physical. You have all different kinds of emotions and connections because it goes into the living space where people are working, playing and experiencing life,” said Merriman.
It also reinforces the message that the company is reliable and metaphorically stands on stable ground.
“When you have a physical presence, people feel more comfortable,” said Merriman. “It’s comforting, like, ‘man, that brand’s not going anywhere, they’ve made it, they’ve arrived.’”
When Associated Bank purchased the former Milwaukee Center office tower in 2016 – renaming it the Associated Bank River Center – the company saw an opportunity to expand its local presence and raise its profile as “Milwaukee’s hometown bank,” said Marilka Velez, senior vice president, senior director of marketing at Associated Bank. Beyond moving hundreds of employees to the building, Associated invested heavily in improving its infrastructure – and curb appeal.
Following a multi-year planning process and several visibility studies, the company affixed its logo to three sides of the 28-story tower – ensuring the brand would be visible from downtown, the freeway and beyond – and installed programmable LED lighting around the building and on the rooftop to enhance its architectural features.
“We have received so many compliments on the result,” said Velez, “with people noticing the building in the Milwaukee skyline for the first time.” That’s been further evidenced by photos and videos of the illuminated building circulating social media in the months following the installation. And that’s a level of organic brand exposure money can’t buy.
For GRAEF, which moved its headquarters to The Avenue in 2019, placing its logo in a prominent spot – hoisted above the intersection of West Wisconsin Avenue and North King Drive – was crucial in strengthening its presence in the Milwaukee area. Its previous office location at the Honey Creek Corporate Center complex on the city’s far west side did not offer nearly that level of visibility.
“Our sign was on a placard that, unless you looked for it, you weren’t going to find it,” said Pat Kressin, vice president of GRAEF. “Here, it’s meant to be bright, it’s meant to be interesting, and I know it’s improved our branding within the business community in downtown Milwaukee.”
Like Associated Bank’s LED lights, GRAEF’s sign can be programmed to display various colors to mark certain events or occasions, such as a Milwaukee Bucks playoff run or the recent Republican National Convention. Employees are encouraged to submit ideas for color themes based on causes they care about.
As a design-engineering firm with commercial clients across the nation, GRAEF has been involved in the installation of numerous signs, including, locally, Milwaukee Tool’s and the Bradley Symphony Center’s. In some instances, like the Milwaukee Art Museum, the building itself serves as the sign and name branding isn’t necessary.
“Signage can take a lot of different forms, and it’s really meant to be what is your brand and how does your sign go together,” said Kressin. “Ours is meant to be changing and part of the community because so much of the work we do is community based, that’s why we wanted ours to have the ability to change colors and support different types of groups.”
