It’s not often when one’s work is seen by thousands each day for an extended period of time, but that has been reality for Matt Myles for more than a month.
Myles, president of Chiselbox on Market Street, worked diligently with employees of Wheeling Heritage to design the colorful new signage that now lines the streets of downtown Wheeling. Chiselbox, located in the Professional Building, handles accounts for branding, website development, social media management, and the design and production of marketing materials.
“The messaging behind the signage is supposed to convey the growth the city has seen the past few years,” Myles explained. “There are some of the them that highlight the history of the city, but they also symbolize the fact that the city has a bright future in front of it.
“There are several different colors so they would brighten up the cityscape that’s been reinvented,” he continued. “Some of the patterns on the signs are easier to see than some of the others, and the colors are based on the community image that was developed in 2014. We are now looking to expand beyond those colors to include the future.”
The banners were made possible by a grant received by Wheeling Heritage from the Schenk Foundation, an extension of the family which has been philanthropic in the Wheeling area since the 1800s.
“Chiselbox worked very closely with Wheeling Heritage for the messaging because we didn’t want anything to go away from the branding,” Myles explained. “The city gave us the go-ahead on the project in the beginning, but the bulk of the project was handled by me and the folks at Wheeling Heritage.
“Some examples of what we tried to do involve the green banners because they have a pattern on them that is a tobacco leaf to pay homage to Marsh Wheeling and Mail Pouch, and the goldish ones have a polka dot pattern on them to pay homage to the glass industry. We also have a few that signify the tin ceilings many of the buildings here in Wheeling have had and still have,” he said. “The city then helped us with installing the new brackets and placing the banners in them,” he said. “Once they were up, I knew we accomplished our goals immediately.”
The grant amount, according to Myles, was $30,000, and the bulk of the funds were dedicated to the production of the new, two-sided brackets and the signage.
“There was an extended period of time between when the signs were completed and sent to print and when they were put into place,” Myles said. “But when they were put up, they immediately gave me a sense of pride to be involved with the project. It hit me that it’s my work, and now so many people get to see them, too.
“Since opening Chiselbox in downtown Wheeling, I’ve tried to be as involved as possible,” he continued. “And I have been very lucky to be so involved with many things that Wheeling Heritage has been working on, and it’s rewarding. That’s why I wanted to stay in Wheeling. I wanted to watch it grow, and I wanted to be a part of that growth.”
(Photos by Steve Novotney)
