The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine was facing a plague of pooches whose owners wouldn't pick up after them, but instead of banning the beasts, the church elders turned to famed New York design firm Pentagram for a scriptural solution. Photo: Pentagram
Three signs were commissioned with simple messages to convey: Keep your dog on a leash, off the lawn, and for goodness sake, clean up after your pet. Beyond that, the designers at Pentagram just needed to make sure the signs were beautiful, durable, and distinct enough to capture the attention of distracted dog walkers. Photo: Pentagram
The biggest challenge was finding catchphrases that carried Old Testament authority with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor. "Waste Not Wanted" and "Leave Not Behind" were early options before a burning deadline revealed the 11th commandment—"Thou Shall Not Poop." Photo: Pentagram
The notion of using Biblical phrasing, mixed with a little New York snark, came almost immediately. "We only sent one option for each sign," says Reed and the process was seemingly guided by divine intervention since the clients approved the first versions of each. Photo: Pentagram
The early response to the signs has been so positive among visitors that the church elders are considering enshrining the signs in a place of great honor—the gift shop. Photo: Pentagram
This signage project builds on a more extensive rebranding program led by Pentagram partner Michael Beirut in 2009. Photo: Pentagram
The identity system Beirut developed is limited, but flexible and is built largely around a custom font called Divine, drawn by Joe Finocchiaro, which is a modern take on Frederic Goudy's Blackletter typeface. The antique character is preserved while giving it a fresh look and making it easier to print. Photo: Pentagram
Beirut also imbued the church's brand with a cheeky copywriting style that makes use of puns, clever word play, and high-contrast graphics to reach jaded New Yorkers. The park signage carries on this tradition with a slightly more subdued color palette. Photo: Pentagram
The signs are distinct, but fit perfectly within the system crafted by Beirut. Photo: Pentagram
The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine is a New York landmark; the structure is a beacon for tri-state Episcopalians and its grounds are popular with dog owners of all denominations who are looking for a scenic stroll. The Church leaders were thrilled with the traffic — the animal loving clergy hosts a blessing for creatures large and small on St. Francis day — but were frustrated to see their holy space being desecrated by incontinent canines. Instead of banning the beasts, they turned to Pentagram partner Michael Beirut to create signs that would preach the values of respect, fellowship, and proper poop removal etiquette.
The creative brief for this project called for three signs that would encourage visitors to keep their dogs off the lawn, on a leash, and properly curbed, but beyond that project lead Jesse Reed was given little direction. “I vaguely remember them asking to think creatively about this assignment,” he says. “But they didn’t specifically ask for humor or wit.” Many elite creatives would turn up their noses at such a seemingly mundane project, but Reed wasn’t going to let the opportunity go to waste. “It was actually an exciting opportunity for us to design unique signs rather than our client reverting to something off-the-shelf. The Cathedral is very much a place of worship, but it’s also a cultural organization and a community center, and its audience is very broad.”
Pentagram partner Michael Beirut refreshed the church’s identity in 2009, creating a minimal system that leveraged a modernized blackletter font, bright colors, and cheeky copy to help spread the good word to jaded New Yorkers. Photo: Pentagram
The notion of using Old Testament phrasing, mixed with a little New York snark, came almost immediately. Wording was tweaked—”Leash ye Beast” and “Save thy Grass” were crossed out in favor of catchier selections of scripture, a plain English translation was added for humor atheists, and a color palette was carefully selected so that it would blend into the green space, but provide enough contrast to evangelize its environmental message. “We only sent one option for each sign,” says Reed, and the process was seemingly guided by divine intervention, since the clients approved the first version of each.
Fine tuning the balance between sass and sacrilege was the key challenge. Appropriating the fonts and stylistic elements of the church is one thing, but creating a scatologically-themed 11th commandment could have riled some of the more conservative members of the congregation. Ultimately, finding the proper balance comes down to the wisdom and judgement of the designers. “We try to push them as far as we can before they tell us we’re crazy, just as long is it’s not obviously disrespectful or offensive,” says Reed. “Thankfully, that doesn’t happen that often.” The final designs were blessed by the church’s leadership and have become so popular that they’re considering enshrining them in a place of great honor—the gift shop.
Joseph Flaherty writes about design, DIY, and the intersection of physical and digital products. He designs award-winning medical devices and apps for smartphones at AgaMatrix, including the first FDA-cleared medical device that connects to the iPhone.
Follow @josephflaherty on Twitter.
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