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Sign Materials Matter: When Plastic is Greener than Wood, and other Environmental Impact Issues

Plastics often get a bad rap, but many are environmentally friendly. High-density urethane (HDU) and expanded polystyrene (EPS) are prime examples. In fact, over a sign’s life cycle, some plastics are greener than wood. Because HDU and EPS suppliers know having minimal environmental impact is a competitive advantage, they manage their manufacturing processes to reduce waste. Also, many manufacturers use a high percentage of post-consumer recycled materials in their products. Financial and Environmental Benefits of HDU and other Plastic Signage Materials In addition, from a construction, financial, and environmental viewpoint, the new materials offer tremendous advantages. For example, HDU weighs less than wood, yet is longer-lasting and requires virtually no maintenance. Unlike wood, the new plastics are impervious to water and insects.

Working on and around Boston’s infrastructure and services is always exciting, and participating in the South Boston Waterfront Transportation Center has been very rewarding. Recently, we completed the fabrication and installation of about 600+ wayfinding and ADA signs there. South Boston Waterfront Wayfinding and ADA Signage Project Completed Designing, fabricating and installing 600+ wayfinding and ADA signs on a tight schedule is much easier when your partners are as professional as those at Skanska Group. We salute Metro Project Manager John Durant, who did an outstanding job overseeing the work, and we can honestly say that everyone on our team went above and beyond. In the end, we were delighted to hear from Skanska Project Manager Mike Pugh that his team also

So it’s summer, and your customers want to sit in the shade. Remember January? We were excited to install a vestibule at the South Boston (Berkely Street) Area4 restaurant. The smart and energy-efficient enclosure was welcome, as it protected patrons from the Arctic blast that blew in each time the main door was open. Awnings and enclosures may not be top-of-mind when you think about exterior signage, but few investments in your business have such an obvious pay-back period. Particularly in the New England climate, exterior structures can pay off quickly, thanks to extending your hours into the evening, adding additional seating, and keeping your customers happy and comfortable, protected from the elements. Custom-designed, high-quality awnings provide additional patio seating for restaurants and encourage

We’re very excited about YOTEL Boston’s Grand Opening! The forward-thinking micro hotel offers a “smart, flexible space that suites individual needs.” It’s a business model we love: providing smart and flexible designs that are tailored to meet individual needs is what we strive to do every day. Signage must meet the needs of a business, while being flexible and innovative in order to shine and celebrate the uniqueness of each commercial enterprise. Members of the Metro Sign & Awning team have been working closely with the city of Boston and YOTEL developer Boston Global Investors (BGI) for more than a year to make sure the signage – inside and out – would be as smart, bold, and bright as the

New owner of full-service salon sees vibrant results with new logo, new sign When Infinity Hair, a full-service salon and barbershop, was purchased, the new owner needed a new logo and sign. Metro Sign and Awning helped create a bold new look for the business. The owner had several ideas. Metro’s Keene designer took those ideas and developed several concepts as a guide to steer the general direction of the sign. “Once we had picked a basic concept, (designer Kris Arnold) dove in deeper and created a more detailed rendition,” explained Patrick Grizzard, Sales Manager. ‘The result was a stunning vinyl sign using the colors of the rainbow in an intertwined infinity sign.” The Advantages of Vinyl Graphics Grizzard is

Glass House in Cambridge was working with a visibility issue with respect to its new Kendall Square location. Since the business is set back from the main road, it is not easily seen by prospective diners. The restaurant’s owner and design firm (Hacin + Associates) had some great ideas for encouraging traffic, and they weren’t about to put mediocre signage on the menu. Shortly after calling Metro Sign & Awning, our creative designers and fabricators were able to turn those great sign ideas into reality. The result: compliant signage that’s attractive, highly effective, and – as a bonus – is also mobile. When Signage Restrictions Are Tough, the Tough Get Creative After investigating several options for internal illumination, it was clear the

When the owner of One-Stop Country Pet Supply planned to move to one of Keene, NH’s biggest retail centers, she knew she needed a big, bold sign to help her reach more shoppers. Patrick Grizzard, Sales Manager at Metro’s Keene location, was delighted to help her bring her vision to life. Big Sign, Big Impression “The overall height of this one came in at just under 8 feet, and the overall width came in at 25 feet,” Grizzard said. “And the custom shapes that we made for this sign really gives it that extra something.” Owner owner Saskia Whallon had a clear idea of what she wanted the sign to look like – and Grizzard and the Metro design and fabrication team enjoyed

When it comes to business signage, size matters. While it’s not always accurate to say, “the bigger the better,” well, sometimes, it is. When your building project needs bold thinking, big ideas, and even bigger signs, you need to work with a professional signage company that has the training and experience to ensure your best signage visions become reality. Large and Oversized Exterior Signs = More Attention for Your Brand When you’ve got the permits and the plan to “go big,” we say, GO BIG! Experienced sign designers can take a concept from inception to installation-ready, making sure your brand gets the attention it deserves. Below, we shine the spotlight on some of the larger signs that we’ve designed and installed in

From Concept to Design to Fabrication – GSEM Signage Enhances Organization’s Brand Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts (GSEM) came to Metro Sign & Awning with a challenge. GSEM’s five camps, with locations in Andover, Brewster, Plymouth, Waltham, and Pelham, NH, needed signage that would be highly visible, beautiful, and durable. The signs needed to reflect the organization’s mission as well as its brand, stand out night and day, and complement the camps’ beautiful natural settings. As a non-profit organization, the budget was non-negotiable. And then there was the timeframe: concepts for exterior signage that needed to be designed and fabricated into reality – and installed – before the upcoming camp season and a popular annual event. Challenge accepted. Sign Concept

Metro Sign and Awning graphic designers and fabricators love bringing signs to life. But would our jobs make a good movie? Well, probably not. Carefully fabricating any sign requires extensive knowledge and experience with a host of tools, techniques and materials. And painting the finished sign is another highly specialized part of the process. While we know that watching paint dry isn’t exactly the stuff that wins Oscars or Academy Awards, we had to share this video of one of our great painters at work. (Thanks, Pete!) The video offers a quick overview of our sign painting techniques and various stages, including: Pre-treat and base layer Full second and third pass Masking/border mask, stencil mask Potter cut vinyl Light first pass Full