It's not a stretch to say Pittsburgh's skyline, the stuff of postcards, is starting to look a bit like the Vegas strip. Neon everywhere.

From UPMC to K&L Gates, just about every company, it seems, wants to strut its identity in red, white, blue or green across the iconic skyline.

To some, the names blazing across some of the city's tallest skyscrapers -- and some not so tall ones, as well -- are a sign of corporate heft, a blessing in a deep recession.

But to others, the rush to neon is akin to hanging dice from the rearview mirror of a Mercedes.

"There is a delicate balance between an urban area that appears vibrant and a city that looks like it's for sale -- and we are tipping to the latter," city Councilman William Peduto said.

"It's skyline graffiti. It will only worsen, believe me," added state Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park, a former city councilman who lost a battle to ban such signs after Mellon Bank became the first company to hoist one in 1994.

For a while, Mellon had the skyline to itself before being joined by Federated and FreeMarkets. Then came 2001, the opening of PNC Park and Heinz Field, with their grand vistas of Downtown, and things started to get crowded.

Since then, the city planning commission has approved 18 so-called high-wall signs -- those more than 40 feet above the ground -- for Downtown and the Strip District.

Of those, all but two have involved new signs or changes to existing ones on skyscrapers or hotels. They have included Citizens Bank, Highmark, Ariba (formerly Free Markets), Duquesne Light, UPMC and K&L Gates, which was just installed and took Ariba's spot.

There are more on the way. Reed Smith will be putting its name on the new Three PNC Plaza building. BNY Mellon will replace Mellon on One Mellon Center. And Equitable Resources has applied to put its logo on the former Dominion Tower building Downtown, its new corporate headquarters.

Mr. Peduto believes it's time to stop. He is thinking about proposing a moratorium to prevent other companies from adding their signatures to the skyline while the city considers new legislation regulating the signs.

"We shouldn't wait until the day every single building has lit advertising on it, which is what we're going to get to if we don't address this issue immediately," he said. "It gets to the point where the clutter destroys the skyline, and we are there."

Mr. Peduto's proposal got the backing of former planning commission chairman Tom Armstrong, who had called for a freeze several years ago only to see it go nowhere.

"I love well-designed neon as an element in the urban fabric. I simply think we erred in slathering it across the skyline," he said.

He argued that signs have diminished the architectural beauty of buildings like One Fifth Avenue Place, One Mellon Center and the USX Tower.

"I think the skyline was more elegant prior to this epidemic," he said.

Perhaps no sign has created a greater stir than the one UPMC festooned in 20-foot-high letters to the top of the USX Tower, Pittsburgh's tallest building.

One wag dubbed it the Eye of Mordor from the "Lord of the Rings" series, so ever present it is on the skyline. It can be seen from a jet flying over the city and a trail in the North Hills.

"I dare say you could see that from Chestnut Ridge [in the Laurel Highlands]," city council President Doug Shields said. "Not too many people are happy with it. It's brighter, bigger, more dominating in the skyline than any other identification sign."

Mr. Shields is among those who believe the UPMC lettering exposes a flaw in the current ordinance, which allows signs up to 2 percent of the building face.

The UPMC sign, at 1,900 square feet, is actually about half of the size allowed under the ordinance. But because the building face is larger than any other in the city, the sign could have been larger as well. At the minimum, Mr. Shields believes that should be addressed.

"Two percent of the Titanic is certainly different than 2 percent of the Good Ship Lollipop," he said.

But UPMC spokesman Paul Wood noted that the sign not only is half of what is allowed, but also is only about 60 percent as bright as it could be.

The health care giant, he said, decided to erect the logo as an "affirmation of UPMC's commitment to Pittsburgh and to the revitalization of Downtown."

He noted the move of UPMC headquarters to the USX Tower from Oakland not only filled vacant office space but brought 2,200 people into the Golden Triangle.

Together, the signs and logos dotting the city's skyscrapers are symbolic of a re-emerging Downtown and "an indicator that there's a promising future for the region," he said.

Other supporters see many of the same themes in the signs, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"When a corporation wants to put its name on a building, it's saying this is its home market and it's proud to be here. I think it's great," said Walnut Capital President Todd Reidbord, a planning commission member.

Mr. Reidbord said he sees "absolutely no reason" for a moratorium, adding that all of the signs that have been approved meet the requirements of the ordinance. The planning commission reviews all high-wall signs to ensure they meet the requirements of the law before they are approved.

"I personally think when they're well done and in good taste and go through the proper procedure, they're appropriate. I personally think they show a sense of vibrancy in Pittsburgh," Mr. Reidbord said.

Jeff Letwin, a former planning commission member, agrees.

"I think that tastefully done, well designed high-wall signs can bring some excitement to the city," he said.

Mr. Letwin said he likes some signs more than others, adding the key to consistency is design review through the planning process. He believes there may be room to tighten that a bit.

"You want to create a nice-looking skyline with some excitement but not just put any old sign up," he said.

Nonetheless, he, too, is opposed to a moratorium, as is Clifford Levine, a former planning commission member who was instrumental in crafting the current ordinance.

Mr. Levine, an attorney with expertise in zoning law, believes "the process has worked very well. There's a predictable and controlled way to address the sign requests. I think on the whole the signs tend to be understated because of the limitation of size."

He added, "I don't know it's good to say the first 40 signs [are OK] and that's it. I think if you decided it's good for one, then it's good for all."

On the whole, Mr. Levine likes what he sees on the skyline.

"I actually don't think the number of signs has negatively impacted the drama of the Downtown view and I think it has allowed a reasonable vehicle to highlight the number of significant businesses and firms that conduct business Downtown," he said.

"I think the signs frankly are presented in a classy manner. We don't have garish, loud, flashing neon signs for the companies."

While Mr. Ferlo would like an all-out ban, he said he's willing to compromise by prohibiting signs on the south side of buildings facing Mount Washington, a favorite vista for tourists to take in and photograph the skyline.

"You either have this appreciation of the ultimate view or you don't," he said.

The most recent company to make its imprint on the skyline is the law firm K&L Gates, which added its name to One Oliver Plaza.

Chairman Peter Kalis said the decision to erect the sign was part of a "global branding strategy." The Pittsburgh-based firm also has its name on buildings in Washington, D.C., and London, but not at the top of them.

In Pittsburgh, the sign "reinforces the firm's strong and historical relationship with the city of Pittsburgh," he said. While K&L Gates has offices throughout the world, Pittsburgh "is the epicenter of the firm," Mr. Kalis said.

"Every time you see K&L Gates portrayed on the Pittsburgh skyline, it's profoundly reinforcing of the values we cherish at the law firm because they are historical Pittsburgh values," he said.

In fashioning the sign, the law firm was looking for a "nice, clear and modern image that people will associate with our law firm." As you'd expect, Mr. Kalis likes the many corporate names stamped on the skyline.

It is a sign of "muscularity," he said, to be able to "project a number of successful corporate brands that identify their own futures with the city of Pittsburgh."

"I think it's a very positive reinforcing relationship," he said.

Although a few signs, such as Mellon and Federated, predated the opening of PNC Park, some see the North Shore ballpark as a prime culprit in the explosion of the neon, as corporations see an opportunity to get some face time with ticket holders and television audiences.

Mr. Kalis said the views of the skyline from PNC Park certainly didn't hurt in the decision making.

"Of course, we appreciate the Pirates putting as many fans in the stands as possible so they can enjoy the sign for two to three hours for 81 games a year," he said.

"I wish them a lot of extra-inning victories.