Point Park’s main appeal and iconic slogans typically mention the campus’ unique location: downtown Pittsburgh. With ownership of and affiliation to over 15 properties in the heart of the city, the University dominates downtown Pittsburgh’s footprints.
Point Park’s campus rests disguised amongst the neighboring establishments such as Ritik’s Bank Tower Market and the La Gourmandine Bakery to both create the stereotypical college aesthetic. Green pennants line the buildings to serve as directional aids, which these markings clearly state Point Park University and label campus buildings such as the Student Center or Academic Hall.
Aside from these miniature Point Park flags, pedestrians exploring the streets of Pittsburgh or even locals may be unaware that they are within campus grounds. When classes are not in session, people may find themselves relaxing or enjoying the greenery in Village Park, completely unaware they are in the center of a university campus.
This problem came to a head during the annual Pickle festival, “Picklesburgh,” during summer 2023. The event lines the Boulevard of the Allies, essentially merging into campus. Less and less visitors knew they were within the Point Park domain. According to Point Park’s marketing team, feedback said the only identifiable signs to identify campus are found when looking upwards at the pennants.
So, by Picklesburgh 2024, the marketing department created the large, green and square sidewalk clings found on Wood Street and Boulevard of the Allies.
Initially deployed for use primarily during Picklesburgh, the marketing department received praise from visitors, faculty and summer program attendees. So, the team decided to keep the clings up year-round due to the positive feedback.
Students attending Point Park during this past fall semester have had a variety of reactions to the sidewalk decor. Jared Rolblez, a junior criminal justice major, said that he approves the new addition to the sidewalks on campus.
“They are pretty cool,” Rolbez said. “I actually saw them put [the sidewalk clings] on the ground, I like to pass them,” Rolblez said.
Other students feel as though the clings can be rather frustrating. Hafiz Adamou, a sophomore child psychology major, admits his feelings are conflicted.
“I like them,” Adamou said. “I do wish they were more durable because of the rain and weather, but otherwise pretty cool,”
The creative services group, which is made up of three graphic designers, created the sidewalk vinyls to be clear and distinct. The large print simply has the university logo on it just like you would see it anywhere else on campus – bold, white text on a green background. This is intended to naturally produce more school spirit, as a well decorated campus can implement pride from students.
The placement of the sidewalk clings have no specific rhyme or reason. While some may use it for navigation purposes, the marketing team simply placed them at the largest intersections to be more noticeable. While preparing to place the clings, the team examined the ground in which they will lay. The area must be flat, with no crevices or cracks interrupting the sticker.
There are discussions to expand the locations of the sidewalk vinyls. According to the marketing team, ideas such as stickers leading up to the playhouse or any other areas around campus are currently being worked on.
Pittsburgh’s weather patterns do pose a problem for the clings. With consistently cloudy skies, the windy, rainy and snowy days naturally cause the sidewalk vinyls to deteriorate. Throughout the winter months, piles of snow put the vinyls at a higher risk of ripping or possibly unsticking. The marketing team was prepared for this inevitable challenge. Aside from environmental conditions, they considered that these would be continuously stepped on by passing pedestrians, therefore creating replacements.
So far, the sidewalk clings have been replaced once. There are plans to replace them again this coming April. The future design plans are currently unknown according to Marlin Collingwood, vice president of enrollment management.
“We did some pictures for social media, but the real media aspect to this is that maybe when people see them and take a picture, we might be tagged on social media,” Collingwood said.
The general part, according to Collingwood, is to make people realize that as they walk on the sidewalks they can say, “hey, I’m on campus.”
