What Do You Think of the New Banners?

It’s a banner year for Old Town.

New lamppost banners paid for the city and designed by the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association were installed along King Street in late August.

The newer banners replace tattered ones that were installed from 2004 to about 2007. The Old Town Business and Professionals Association sponsored the original banners as a pilot project in 2004 thanks largely to the efforts of David Martin, small business owner of Goldworks on King Street.

After City Council and others considered them a success, banners were unfurled from the waterfront to King Street Metro.

"The banners serve as an important visual welcome to visitors as they encourage economic activity,” said ACVA Communications Manager Claire Mouledoux. “In collaboration with the city and the Office of Historic Alexandria, ACVA developed a design that effectively supports our visitor brand of historic ambience and contemporary flair.”

The new design still includes the old ship, but uses a red-brown color scheme in lieu of the former's yellow and blue.

Mouledoux added that the design “communicates historic authenticity” with a ship that is also used in the city’s way-finding system. The Shop, Dine and Celebrate call to action is supported by the VisitAlexVA.com mobile site URL and social media Twitter and Facebook icons "which are a means to orient and disperse visitors to spend money in the city," she said.

The new banners were installed on Aug. 30 and 31. The total cost for printing, design, hardware and installation was $21,600.

What do you think of the new banners?