New Office Signage for a Community Hub

After 20 years in their former location, McKnight, a Minnesota-based family foundation, moved to a new 50,000-square-foot campus in downtown Minneapolis that combined historic preservation, deep energy efficiency, green materials, and sustainable transportation.

As a long-time McKnight partner, 5 by 5 Design was tasked with creating a functional, tastefully executed, adaptable signage system for the new office space which also reflected McKnight’s brand mission of helping people and the planet thrive.

Our immediate priority was to ensure the signage was in alignment with the Foundation’s goal for the building: blending historic preservation, energy efficiency, and green materials to make an accessible, welcoming, and functional space for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.

We began with a design process that involved the client and its stakeholders and evolved as new needs were discovered. From that process, our team created a variety of signage options at different price points and design aesthetics from which the client could choose.

Next, we managed the vendor selection and the production of sustainable signage that supports the new building’s LEED certification and used reclaimed, recycled, and repurposed materials where possible. By staying agile, responsive, and creative, we were able to provide high-quality, flexible solutions, enabling McKnight to focus on the bigger details of their move.

5 by 5 Design co-owner Wendy Ruyle said of the project, “The building’s history sparked our imagination. It’s evolved over generations to meet the needs of its community—and now supports the greater good through McKnight Foundation’s work. Being asked to use people- and planet-friendly materials gave us creative freedom to explore, unique and sometimes more affordable solutions.”