If there were more signs for the local winery, stores and outdoor recreation areas, would Anson County have more visitors?
During the Rotary meeting last Thursday, Buzz Bizzell of Bizzell Design painted the picture of Anson County as an easily-navigable, welcoming tourist stop. Showing examples of projects his company has completed, Bizzell showed off pictures of artistic wayfaring designs, appealing parking signs and murals celebrating the example areas’ history and assets.
Bizzell used several cities his company has worked with as examples, including Brevard, Davidson and Salisbury, all located in North Carolina. Wayfaring signs installed in the towns showed tourists where the local stores, restaurants, and attractions were located.
Some of the examples divided the towns into districts for easy navigation: a civic district, a shopping district, etc. Bizzell also stressed the importance of welcoming parking signs, saying that “No Parking” signs stress and discourage visitors who are afraid of getting a ticket, while attractive signs showing visitors where to park achieve a more positive message.
Bizzell also showed the Rotary members examples of murals that he said could be added to exterior walls to help create the districts and promote local businesses and attractions, such as using images of the outdoors to promote Anson’s recreational opportunities or using a mural to advertise the local farmer’s markets.
Jeff Boothby, chair of the Anson County Tourism Development Authority, introduced the club to Bizzell and followed his presentation by informing the club that the TDA is committed to paying for the consulting and design fees.
If there is enough interest, the local government and tourism-related businesses would be responsible for coming up with the money for the actual signs and murals. The TDA has asked these groups for financial commitments, even if they are spread over a few years, to continue the project past the initial design phase.
To learn more about Bizzell Design, visit www.bizzelldesign.com.