Venture Richmond launches new A to Z pole banners celebrating the city’s creativity

Venture Richmond launched a new street pole banner campaign this week which celebrates Downtown Richmond’s arts, culture and creativity.

Like an “A to Z alphabet game,” the one-of-a-kind banner designs feature examples of things that are created or are happening in Downtown, such as “A” for architecture or “R” for research.

When working on a banner theme to represent creativity in Downtown, Venture Richmond turned to Scout Design, who landed on the “RVA Creates A to Z” alphabet idea as a way to showcase Downtown’s vibrant creative community and to encourage the community’s participation. Each banner depicts a letter and illustration referencing one of the many creative efforts happening downtown – some of which are not traditionally thought of in the sense of creativity.

“We hope to engage all ages in guessing the concept behind each letter as they move about the city,” said Charley Foley, co-founder Scout Design. “For our alphabet, we looked to the people, things and ideas that inspired and connected us most to each other.”

Lucy Meade, with Venture Richmond, explained the thought behind the creativity theme. “Downtown is RVA’s creative epicenter and this will expand even more when VCU opens the ICA (Institute for Contemporary Art) at the Markel Center next year. Downtown has an eclectic Arts District with progressive art galleries, unique shops, delicious restaurants and top-rated hotels. Throughout all of Downtown you can find artists, innovators and entrepreneurs living, working, playing, investing and creating. Venture Richmond wanted new street pole banners to celebrate this vitality.”

Venture Richmond’s A-Z Downtown Alphabet banners begin with “A” for architecture, “B” for bikes, “C” for chefs and cooks, “D” for dancers, “E” for explorers, and so on.

“There are so many possibilities that for some letters, we could not pick just one example and have two designs. For example, “F” is for fashion and film, and “G” is for gardens, as well as for graduates,” said Meade.

During the campaign launch, Mayor Stoney was elevated via a bucket truck to install one of the new banners, an “R” for research and robotics, on E. Leigh Street behind the Coliseum and Altria’s Center for Research and Technology in the VA BioTech Park.

“Richmond is the cultural, arts and history capital of the Commonwealth, and these banners provide a unique way to display all that is RVA,” said Mayor Stoney. “Venture Richmond has found a fun and creative way to engage the community and launch conversation on Richmond’s growing success story.

The banners have been installed around Downtown and, after the holidays, will extend to Broad Street and replace the holiday banners there currently. More than 200 banners have been installed downtown.