Neighborhood Crime Watch Signage

The city of Temple City recently updated their "Neighborhood Crime Watch" logo and street signs. Previously, the image was something like a shadowy figure with a wide-brimmed hat and trench coat not unlike Carmen Sandiego's, looking sinisterly over the shoulder at the viewer. The overall tone was somewhat negative and creepy, as it brought to mind not the concept of a vigilant community, but of the shadowy perpetrators themselves.

This new concept is bold and simple, but effective. Though obvious, the decision to depict an eye reflects the signage's approach in emphasizing "watch" instead of "crime," which was arguably previous design's approach. In this way, the new sign reflects a more constructive take on a difficult subject. The pink shading was probably chosen to blend with Temple City's updated logo of pink and white camellias, seen in the lower right-hand corner of the sign. While a lighter pink would have been too soft for the subject matter, the current shade and intensity is strong and eye-catching enough for it to feel appropriate.

The type is pretty utilitarian and is mainly just there to be easily read from the street. Not much to say about that. The only major criticism is that the bottom nail goes right through the word "CALL"; nails were clearly not something the designer accounted for. Whoops!

Whatever the crime level in Temple City, a sign alone probably won't reduce it, but at least this sign better communicates the intent of the signage than the previous one.