Client, Year

Foulger-Pratt, 2021

Services

Wayfinding
Architectural Signage
ADA Signage
Murals & Supergraphics
Criteria Guide

Photography

Press House

Building and branding a new imprint

Press House is a sleek, mixed-use community complex in  D.C.’s Union Market neighborhood. Taking our cues from the historic printing warehouse that inspired the project, Ashton created all interior and exterior signage to celebrate the building’s textural, typographic roots.

The Press House is named after The National Capital Press Co., a historic printing warehouse that was incorporated into the project’s northwest corner. Now 12-stories tall and occupying an entire city block, the new building demanded a monumental address treatment.

We created a four-story blade sign and 14-foot entry sign to match the scale of the moment. The large open channel letters were designed to match the building's architectural cladding.

Signage throughout the project was designed with deep relief lettering. The slightly distressed letterforms appear as if they’ve been “inked,” emulating letterpress printing blocks.

High-contrast, black-and-white signage functions like broadsheets, allowing for maximum readability and impact. 

The Press House prides itself on its “retrofuturistic” spirit. Our signage and graphics add to this idea by layering modern interpretations of historical references on top of the architectural design.

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PO Box 50337, Balt., MD 21211

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