Whelp, it seemed like Detroit had the opportunity to do something quite cool that would establish its image as a triumphant and rejuvenated Detroit after having spent decades dedicated to recapturing the national spotlight that it once had; the ‘Hollywood style’ sign spelling out “DETROIT” along the border of the city on the highway.
What is the story with the “DETROIT” Hollywood sign?
The project, which cost the city of Detroit roughly $425,000 to develop and install, has left Detroiters less than thrilled with its execution now that it’s been installed. While accurate renderings were released by the local government displaying the final design of the “DETROIT” sign weeks ago, the amount of coverage these images had was far less than the AI renderings that Detroit’s local media had made on their own beforehand.
This meant that while everyone was getting excited and talking about looking forward to the new “Hollywood style” sign coming to Detroit, in reality, they imagined an AI rendering of what it could look like that was 100% speculative and had nothing to do with the official plans.
Why are Detroiters upset?
The project, which initially conveyed a potential design of the “DETROIT” sign to the public using AI renderings now feels eerily similar to that failed “Willy Wonka Experience” in Glasgow that went viral weeks ago. While the Detroit Media mostly related those renderings, and not the Detroit government itself, some Detroiters still feel that they were misled and as a result, had high expectations for how the final “DETROIT” sign would look.
Aside from the AI renderings that guided many Detroiters towards unrealistic expectations, there is also a lot of frustration being pointed at the execution of the project. Many Detroiters who seemed to support the project online initially, have now claimed that they cannot justify its costs given its lackluster execution, claiming that other, more prudent projects could have benefitted from the funds used for the new “DETROIT” sign.
What does the new “DETROIT” sign look like?
While the “Hollywood” influence on the new sign’s designs seems limited to the fact that they used big, capital letters, that appears to be where the similarities end. The sign is located along the eastbound side of the I-94 highway between Central Street and Cecil Avenue, it is meant to welcome people entering Detroit on their way into the city from the Detroit Metro Airport. The best place to photograph is the westbound service drive on the other side of Edsel Ford freeway, but we do not encourage anyone to stop traffic as it could put themselves and others in harm’s way.