goal: bring old billboard ads back to life.

In the 1900s, Milwaukee’s Third Ward was a manufacturing powerhouse. Today, it’s an arts and entertainment district with only fading building advertisements or “ghost signs” to show for it. The ghost signs, protected by the National Historic Register, must remain in their natural form until they completely disappear. How could we preserve them in a non-invasive way to prevent them from fading away forever?

Full story in the video below, but in short, it took finding 100-year-old black and white photos, coloring and designing them. We then create a scale accurate 3D Third Ward, placing the billboard ads on the buildings (which was not without its challenges). Then, in a pioneering walking tour of that area of Milwaukee, consumers can view the faded and deteriorating billboards as colorful as when they were first painted. It also provides a compelling reason for tourists (and locals) to spend time and money exploring Milwaukee’s Third Ward.