Statues related to a business: name for this kind of sign?

[Dan]

Another common sight in Austin: statues of some object related to the business, with no words on the object, that acts as a sign or a supplement to a sign. One example:



A couple close to where I work ...





The second business is named "Dragonfly ..."

An example that might be common elsewhere: the chili pepper on a Chili's restaurant.

Do any of you have a special name for this kind of sign? Do you regulate them any differently than more traditional signs? I want to find a way to allow such displays to some extent, beyond permitted wall or ground sign area.

[Tide]

It's all lumped in my past sign code. This would be permitted but within the total square footage of the "sign area" which was basically the smallest box that could be drawn around the sign and any other projections. Also, anything extending from the building more than 6 inches would be a projecting sign and would have it's own set of regulations to limit the size. Wall signs and projecting signs weren't allowed on the same structure, I never figured that one out.

[Streck]

Our Sign Ordinance defines a "sign" as any device used to attract attention for commercial purposes. That way the figures in your pictures would be allowed but would also be counted against the maximum area allowed.

Our Sign Ordinance also prohibits the use of the human figure to be used as part of a sign. This helps us eliminate the sexy and potentially offensive "girly" ads at sex shops.

Wendy's really objected, because they had that cute little freckle-faced pig-tailed little red haired girl as part of their corporate logo, but we had to be consistent. They understood and complied.

We haven't figured out how to control "tacky" yet.