Bell Atlantic came calling with over 300 sites
that needed the new logo in just the right place.

The Situation:
The eastern Baby Bells consolidate into the Bell Atlantic organization. Hundreds of properties in the region
carry building signage of the old companies, with little
standardization of the size and methodology
of identifying buildings to the public.
Initially looking to standardize the basic sizes
and materials of the Bell of Pennsylvania
and Bell of New Jersey name plates,
Bell Atlantic undertook an effort, in 1996,
to bring the signage under the first phase of
standardization. The problem was complicated by the
adopting, in 1997, of a redesigned Bell Atlantic logo
as the identifier for the corporate standard.

The Process:
Initially, MGZA worked in association with
a Virginia graphics company, to bring the sign
standard unification process into reality.
With responsibility for 105 buildings in
New Jersey and Pennsylvania, MGZA conducted
site surveys, catalogued existing building
information, documented replacement strategies
and provided permit packages for the multiple project
buildings. With the changes in 1997,
MGZA was contacted directly, to participate in 205 more
building conversions, all in New Jersey.
At this point, the Bell Atlantic Corporation
directed that all building signage should reflect
the new Bell Atlantic name and new logo,
replacing all existing building signage,
that improperly identified facilities
with old Bell Telephone signs, signs identifying
the old Baby Bells, Bell of Pennsylvania
and Bell of New Jersey.

The Solutions:
With differing sign replacement priorities
being considered by Bell Atlantic,
MGZA developed a process to survey, catalogue,
document and provide permit packages for the
multiple project buildings.
The project was broken into three phases,
which would determine scheduling priorities.
First, a team was sent to the building site
to survey existing signage location,
as well as site placement and replacement
considerations. Photos and sketch drawings
were a part of each building survey package.
Replacement signage would be scheduled based
upon corporate standards criteria, as well
as restrictions imposed by the specific municipality.
MGZA conducted detailed code
research for each site, documenting results
and contacts within the specific site package.
MGZA’s survey and documentation system
made it possible for Bell Atlantic to replace all
signs within a reasonable time frame,
with minimal call back after packages
were delivered. Over the two year time frame,
MGZA provided Bell Atlantic with over 350
individual packages of documents,
enabling Bell Atlantic to implement corporate
signage conversions by mid-1999.