New sign marks University from Highway 50

WHAT’S YOUR SIGN—Bold new signage casts a green and gold glow over the south end of campus. The sign tells drivers on Highway 50 that they are in Sacramento State territory and gives them a chance to check out the University’s new logo.

If you are driving along U.S. Highway 50 looking for Sacramento State, now there is no mistaking where the campus is located.

Just look for what officials expect to become a landmark for the University.

Along two sides of the four-story Modoc Hall on the south end of campus now stand three-foot tall black letters spelling out Sacramento State along with a six-foot tall image of the University’s new logo.

“The signs now give the University a sense of place and they are a great marketing tool as well,” said Matthew Altier, vice president for capital planning and resource development, and executive director of University Enterprises, Inc. “The University has never had signage like this. Now everyone knows where we are.”

And a lot of people will get to see it. According to a traffic count last year by the state Department of Transportation, more than 200,000 motorists use Highway 50 at the 65th Street exit each day.

Soon after the 85,000-square-foot Modoc Hall opened last year, Altier said he saw the potential for signs on the south and east sides of the building, each clearly visible to traffic on Highway 50.

After receiving board approval, University Enterprises then funded the project from construction money designated for use on Modoc Hall.

Pacific Neon, the Sacramento-based firm that designed the signage at the Alex Spanos Sports Complex at Hornet Stadium, was chosen as the contractor. Altier said one of the toughest challenges in the project was keeping the logo design a secret while actually building a sign of the new mark, a torch with intertwined S’s burning above a river to symbolize Sacramento State’s role in the Capital Region as a place of leadership and opportunity. “We were able to keep everything under wraps until the logo was unveiled,” he said.

The sign and logo were put into place several days after the unveiling of the logo. They were lit for the first time on a later evening, bathing the area in light. “We went out to Highway 50 and took a look at the signs at night and everybody just loved it. The signage is very professional and I’ve received dozens of very positive comments,” said Altier.

He said that new employees used to find their way to the campus from Highway 50 by looking for the SMUD building off 65th Street. That won’t be the case anymore for anyone looking for the campus. They can just follow the sign.

— Ted DeAdwyler