Businesses of Guanxi adopt ‘Small Signs’ for neat streets, with coherent color palate

Businesses of Guanxi adopt ‘Small Signs’ for neat streets, with coherent color palate

2023-01-18

The streets of a town in Hsinchu County have gotten a very neat and tidy makeover. The businesses of Guanxi Township have adopted a "Small Signs" campaign. Here, commercial signs are smaller, neater, and fit a standard color scheme, unlike in other Taiwanese cities. The Hakka Affairs Council minister is excited about bringing elements of Hakka aesthetics to Guanxi and other towns in the future.

The street signs are all a uniform size and match a shared color palette, but each one displays its store’s unique flavor. This neat and tidy street aims to be the picture of a simple small town. The Hakka Affairs Council pushed through their “Small Signs” campaign here in Hsinchu’s Guanxi Township.

Guanxi store owner
The great concept they gave us is: signs don’t need to be big to get noticed. Apart from the natural scenery, the scenery of the street is our advertising sign.

Guanxi store owner
They are classier and business is better.

But these “Small Signs” were a big project. The council worked hard to connect with local businesses and come to a consensus.

Yiong Con-ziin
Hakka Affairs Council minister
Across the whole of Taiwan, the issue of advertising signs is a “Large-scale Small Problem.” We went step by step to talk to all the businesses on the streets of Guanxi, and now we’ve got 80-90% onboard.

The council began promoting the campaign in Guanxi in 2018. Four hundred and sixty businesses are now involved, and 740 signs have been changed. And now a next stage is in the works.

Yiong Con-ziin
Hakka Affairs Council minister
Next, we are carrying out a Guanxi Color Tones Survey Plan. We want to continue to cooperate with local people to choose distinctive colors for local streets.

The Hakka Affairs Council wants to bring traditional elements of Hakka spirit into the aesthetics of Hakka towns. Starting with Guanxi, they hope to create a new landscape full of unique Hakka-inspired destinations.

街區招牌成風景新竹關西"小招牌"凸顯純樸風情

2023-01-18

2018年起，客委會在新竹關西推動"小招牌"運動，和街區的店家一一溝通後，統一招牌的色調和大小，並又各自融入店家特色。經過努力，街道變得更整齊，有店家表示生意更好了，還有人說街區招牌成了另一道風景。

街上招牌，不大不小，統一的色調，卻融入店家各自的特色，街道變得整齊，也凸顯出純樸的小鎮風情，這是客委會在新竹關西推動小招牌運動的成果。

[[關西店家]]
“給我們一個很棒的觀念就是，其實招牌不需要大才看得到，除了風景之外，還有一道風景就是我們的招牌”

[[關西店家]]
“變得質感都提升了，生意更好”

小小的招牌改造，背後卻是個龐大的工程。得一步一步和在地居民溝通、與店家達成共識。

[[客委會主委楊長鎮]]
“招牌這樣的問題在全台灣的市鎮，都是一個大規模的小問題，我們一步一步地跟全部關西街頭的鄉親溝通，現在已經完成80~90%”

客委會2018年開始在關西推動小招牌運動，到現在，已經有460間店參與，超過740面招牌經過改造。客委會主委楊長鎮也特別說明，改造計畫的下一個階段。

[[客委會主委楊長鎮]]
“接下來我們也已經進行關西色彩調查計畫，希望繼續跟地方合作，來實施地方街區能夠採取地方特色”

從關西開始，客委會在外觀建築注入客家文化精神，希望推動客庄美學，展現客家本色。

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