Muñecas Sin Rostro Signage
The Park
Muñeca Sin Rostro (trans. Faceless Dolls) is a sculptural placemaking project launched by North Shore Community Development Coalition (NSCDC) in Salem, MA. Located in the El Punto neighborhood of Salem, NSCDC commissioned artist Luis Rivas to create seven 12-foot-tall faceless doll sculptures as a permanent extension of his traveling 'Urbe Iconica' project. Regional artists were then commissioned to paint individual sculptures based on local community stories developed through educational doll-making events.
The Project
PUAM hired Creative Blocks to design information panels for each of the seven sculptures, incorporating their respective artist statements and community-inspired story; 14 unique panels in total. Additionally three way finding and welcome panels would be installed at entry points of the sculpture park. Installation, budgets, and municipal approval timelines would all have to be considered in the final design.
Responsibilities
- worked closely with project coordinators to curate written and visual content
- balanced key information with inclusive design principles
- researched and prices fabrication vendors
- worked with vendor for final fabrication
- hired and managed a student intern to assist in final production design work
- worked iteratively with client and city on design and installation approval
The Solution
A double-panel system was created using 3mm aluminum composite material panels mounted to 6x6 wooden posts. The visual design extended the established organizational branding of PUAM into feature-rich information panels that balanced key information with narrative. QR codes keep visual complexity at a minimum and connect visitors to multi-media content.
the results
At the time of this writing, installation of the signs is in progress. The panel designs received a 2025 Signs and Environmental Graphics award in the 62nd GDUSA Design Awards.