Street Banner Design Program

This program offers artists and designers an opportunity to submit proposals for original banner artwork that will be hung in Nanaimo’s downtown area. Banners will be on display in the Arts District downtown, along Bowen Road, Third Street and other major routes, creating a vibrant visual presence.

The 2024 Call for Street Banner Designs has now CLOSED

Thank you very much for your interest!

Applications must be received by 4:00PM PST on Monday, October 23, 2023

 

Terms and Remuneration

The City of Nanaimo is seeking designs for its 2024 street banner program. 

The selected applicant will receive an honorarium of $2,500 for their banner design. Fabrication and installation costs are covered by the City and are not included in this fee.

Eligibility

This program is open to artists and designers at all levels of experience, currently living in British Columbia. 

Theme: 150 Years

In 1874, the City of Nanaimo was the sixth municipality to be incorporated in British Columbia. The year 2024 marks 150 years since incorporation. To recognize this occasion, we are seeking submissions to the 2024 Street Banner Design Program that includes a ‘150’ design within a larger artistic framework, considering the thematic guidelines outlined below.

When considering the artistic direction and theme of your overall banner design, we ask you to consider what meaning Nanaimo holds for you as a City and as home. You might contemplate what makes Nanaimo unique, what makes it a destination of choice, and what artistic choices might capture and/or reflect positive associations and memories of our community.

150 Street Banner designs are encouraged to illustrate creative responses to this theme using a palette limited to five colours (suggested). Highly graphic elements are suggested, and artists must be prepared to adapt their proposed design to accommodate specifications for best print quality.

Note: The City may approach the artist at a future date to discuss potential inclusion of the artist’s ‘150’ design in the development of City 150 branding and logo creation. We encourage you to keep this in mind when formulating a design. 

Design Specifications 

Please see the 2024 Street Banner Design Application.

How to Apply

The applicant is responsible for offering a design that illustrates their own interpretation of the theme. The City of Nanaimo will be responsible for the fabrication and installation of the banners.

Applicants must supply:

  • A completed application form
  • A written statement about your proposed design, and how it supports the banner theme (one page).
  • A biography (up to 350 words)
  • Your CV / resume
  • A colour rendering of your design. The banners are printed using digital files, so while you may submit an original sketch, computer-generated images must be rendered of your design idea. Please follow the format outlined in the design specifications below. For submissions, we accept digital images in JPG, PDF or TIFF format. For production, we will need vector files in a scalable vector format, usually PDF or EPS.

Note: You can propose up to three (3) different banner designs (left and right) in your submission. Only one design will be selected.

Selection and Award

A selection panel formed by the City will review all proposals. Designs are reviewed based on the following criteria (order listed does not indicate the order of importance):

  • Originality and creativity
  • Quality / Effectiveness of Design
  • Uniqueness of style
  • Degree to which the design reflects the theme   

Questions?  Contact cultureandevents@nanaimo.ca 

The specified form no longer exists or is currently unpublished.

2023 Banners 

Artist: Sebastian AbboudCoN-banner-small

Commissioned for the theme ‘Gratitude’, this banner is a bold graphic representation of gratitude for love and growth. The design, by Sebastian Abboud was commissioned through the Urban Design Roster program. In the design on the left is a rendering of stylized hands symbolically depicting love for community, one another, and an appreciation for life. Below the hands is an equal sign, representing balance and equality. In the design on the right a stylized flower below a rain cloud represents growth and resiliency. A smile within both heart shapes reinforces the intended positive tone of the piece, as well as optimism the artist felt we all need at this moment in time.

“This design started with a small pencil sketch of the heart/flower and grew from there.  I was inspired by community, my family, and Nanaimo, and set out to create a bold, iconic and clear, playful graphic representation of gratitude for love and growth. It’s about being grateful for all that we have in both sunshine and rain. It was important to me that the piece feel optimistic and representative of change, so a gradient blend background was a suitable choice to communicate that idea” says Abboud. 

Sebastian Abboud is a Nanaimo, BC based freelance designer and illustrator, artist, and an educator in the Graphic Design department at VIU. Sebastian specializes in hand-drawn doodle style illustrations and geometric vector icon-based work. His work has been described as whimsical, lighthearted, playful and loose. Originally from Calgary via Vancouver, Sebastian has a BFA in New Media from the University of Lethbridge and an MA in Graphic Design from the University of Hertfordshire. He works from his home studio in South Nanaimo that he shares with his wife Maxine and their twin boys.

 

2022 Banners 

Artist: Roz MacLean

In 2022, visual artist Roz MacLean was commissioned to create a banner reflecting the theme 'Growing and Thriving in Nanaimo' .

This banner design considers the plant life of this region. With this year’s theme inspired by a garden, I wanted to think about systems of growth and life that consider wellness, from root to flower and earth to sky. I enjoyed learning the names and characteristics of the plants you can see in the design, such as Kinnikinnick, Fireweed, Blue Camas, White Avalanche Lily and Iris Tenax. Roots nourish plants, and everything below the soil is just as vital to flourish as what appears above. This is true for plants and for human beings!” says MacLean.  

  

2021 Banners 

Artist: Becky Thiessen

In 2021, the chosen banner design reflected the thematic call call was Nanaimo 2121: One Hundred Years Forward

When I think 100 years forward, I can’t help but think 100 years back. Industry and increased settlement have made a significant impact on the natural environment in this region. People have lived in this area for thousands of years, in balance with the ecology. My banner imagery represents this idea. When I imagine Nanaimo in 100 years, I hope that the reverence for the cedar tree remains and I hope the estuary can still claim to be one of the greatest natural resources in the region.

 2021 Street Banner Design by Becky Thiessen

Want to stay in the know about future artist opportunities?

Stay updated on the work of the Culture & Events team, and see how the City is amplifying and championing local creativity!  Subscribe to receive Love Arts Nanaimo Updates and follow us on Instagram at @prc_nanaimo to learn about current and upcoming artist opportunities.

Contact us at directly at 250-755-4483 or cultureandevents@nanaimo.ca

Last updated: October 23, 2023

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