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Structural Signage for an Arctic Adventure

Signage plays a pretty important role in Museums. Bright bold colors, interesting graphics, and eye-catching fonts help command visitor attention. But museums offer additional challenges with architectural signage, which must align with their high aesthetics and design standards. Strong, effective signs should reinforce the buildings’ styles and standards, too, while also conveying easily-read messages. Since cultural attractions like museums, science centers, and aquariums exist to entertain and inform, every part of their planning—including signage—factors in how they can enhance visitor experiences. Details Make the Design While function remains the first goal of creating museum signage, exceptional designers think about the “fun” in function, too. Signage that reflects an exhibit’s theme brings the museum brand personality to life. Whether it’s a

An explosion of technology innovation has fueled and supported creativity across many industries — and the signage industry is no exception. Companies — retailers, business owners, healthcare facilities, and other entire industries — have been forced to strategize ways to remain relevant and profitable during the COVID-19 pandemic. The signage industry has been right there offering unique solutions to help companies achieve their goals in part by upgrading, rebranding, or revamping their images. But what does that look like in 2021? A return to minimalism A focus on sustainability Increased use of digital signage Diverse innovations Greater personalization Expanded faux finishes More Interaction Refreshed Wayfinding Celebrating Minimalism Constantly bombarded by messages and tens of thousands of images daily, we crave a

Now that it’s behind us, we can look back on 2020 and say, with no irony, that it was certainly a different kind of year. The COVID-19 pandemic brought much of the country to a screeching halt for a time, and many companies had to pause, reset, and rethink their processes. Like many businesses, the pandemic affected our work, too. But clients still needed signs. Companies continued to rebrand. And through it all, we continued to reach out, build relationships with new clients, and create and install signage that we — and our customers — take great pride in. Here are a few of our favorite projects. Cadence Design Systems of Burlington We collaborated with Haynes Group to design several

You need new signage for your business and made room in your budget for the project. Great! But… now what? It’s easy enough to type up and tape a sign on a door, or order a stopgap banner to hang, but that’s hardly professional or durable. The Design Phase So what now? Well, you’ve probably got an idea of the design — incorporating your company’s colors and logo, for example. But then what? Easy! You talk to our experienced sales professionals. They’ll prepare budgetary pricing guidelines and then collaborate with you to create a sign that: Maximizes its advertising ROI and aesthetic potential Focuses attention on your business Supports your company’s goals and brand Choosing the Best Material Once you’ve

Banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions reap many benefits from effective signage. Well-designed and placed signs can: Grow outreach Promote financial products, services, and branch events Share news and other updates with customers and employees Improve customer experiences Enhance inside and outside wayfinding Visual elements echoed in each branch create a cohesive journey for customers. From bold, eye-catching monument, blade, and pylon signs to window graphics, posters, and electronic signs, we’ve got you covered. Invest in Your Brand Our Metro teams help you communicate brand messages through different graphic opportunities — wall graphics, channel letter sets, monument signs — to communicate stability, reliability, and great service. Wrentham Cooperative Bank When Wrentham Cooperative Bank rebranded, Metro teamed up with NES Group

Who doesn’t love a new toy? Granted, when we get older, our definition of “toy” changes. As adults, we might geek out over a new drone. That new DSLR camera evokes the same excited reaction as a once-coveted Lego set. This year, we celebrated the holidays early with the addition of some new equipment. While it’s not something we can take home to play with, these tools will help us to offer some pretty cool signage designs for our customers. Our New Laser – A Cut Above the Rest We work with clients who have a lot of different ideas and design requests. When we decided to add a larger laser cutter to our production equipment, we wanted a workhorse.

You’d think a parking garage would be a fairly cut and dry project, with color-coded signs for each level, arrows to direct traffic flow, ADA signage, elevator occupancy signs, and indications pointing out stairwells, right? Well, like the posted 5 mph speed limit, not so fast. A lot more planning and coordination goes into designing, manufacturing, and installing signs for a parking deck than it first appears. Metro began work on the Hamilton Canal Innovation District Parking Structure in collaboration with general contractor Shawmut Design and Construction of Boston, MA. In addition to providing signage for the brand new parking structure, future plans for this project include creating and installing signs for the office building yet to come. Collaboration and

Whenever a client requests a sign that’s a little different from the norm, the Metro Sign team gets excited. We love a good challenge! Workers Credit Union, in Littleton, MA, needed interior and exterior signs for its new headquarters and office. We partnered with general contractor Nauset Construction Corporation to create the signage package, which included a unique canopy sign. The first challenge: The canopy sign had to sit on top of a custom steel and glass canopy, which certainly limited how we could safely attach it. The second challenge: It had to look great not just from the front, but from the back, too, because it was clearly visible from a second floor conference room whose windows overlooked the

Lights! Camera! Action! In 2019, the family-owned and operated Majestic Cinemas began a major build-out at the Arsenal Yards shopping center. It included an exciting signage package to draw the attention of prospective visitors to the new movie theater. The signs complement this eclectic collection of retail, restaurant, and entertainment spaces in Watertown, MA’s historic Arsenal Yards. Metro incorporated color-changing LEDs into the canopy and blade signs. This approach allows the theater to adjust the colors to highlight seasons, events, holidays, and featured new releases. Edits on the Cutting Room Floor The space that houses the theater was once an old tank armory and factory. Boylston Properties and The Wilder Companies collaborated to convert this old brick building into an upscale

Well-designed signage allows companies — including financial institutions like banks and credit unions — to increase brand awareness and build trust among their customers. Static and dynamic signage can become powerful communications tools that help to: Build your brand and create a presence on the street Promote competitive differentiators including rates and unique services Highlight a bank’s mission and driving ideals Present information in more easily understandable chunks Offer wayfinding for people navigating by car or foot People expect to see wayfinding signs on college and business campuses, in museums and hospitals, or in retail shopping centers. Financial institutions also benefit from wayfinding, however, including exterior directional signage, parking signs, or property protection signs and interior signs that help control foot