We partnered with Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s (MCDOT) Ride On to create their first-ever Pride Bus to help celebrate Pride Month 2023! The objective was to design a creative, eye-catching, and inclusive bus wrap that would remain on one of the Ride On vehicles all month long.
Our design team developed several design options for MCDOT to choose from – including plans for lights and a “Ride with Pride” message complete with an illuminated LED neon sign. Using the latest version of the well-known Pride flag was also important.
The selected design was a ribbon-like look with flowing colors of the Pride flag.
We thought our project was going according to plan but upon discussing the neon sign with our planned sign fabricators, it was determined that our proposed sign would be too heavy and fragile to attach to the outside of the bus.
Good thing Clark Communications specializes in pivoting!
After an intensive search, our team located a Baltimore-area company who was able to work within our budget and our now-compressed timeline. They were able to fabricate a custom, flexible, LED neon signs that could be bent into any shape needed; additionally, they were lightweight and able to be weatherproofed–exactly what we needed including compatibility with the low-voltage power available on the bus.
Now for the installation
Over the years, we’ve worked closely with the Ride On team to install campaign-themed embellishments and holiday decorations and were excited to work with their team again to see our vision come to life! We created a lighting plan to show where the neon signs were to be attached, and our project manager worked closely with our clients installation team to ensure the installation was achievable.
The Pride bus was ready on time and on budget due to our creative team’s ability to implement ideas quickly, our managers’ quick pivoting when our sign plan fell through, and our close relationship with our client’s installation team at Ride On!
Morgan Carter, Lead Designer
“Designing graphics in honor of Pride Month is more than just crafting visual art; for me, it is an act of celebration and inclusion. This bus wrap represents a portrait of acceptance, reminding the world that diversity is our strength and that everyone deserves to shine in their authentic colors.”