ARCHIVE: Category Archive for: Design/Build

Signs That Define a Building, and Sometimes a City – The New York Times

Building signs have grown into a $37.5 billion industry. Some have become so iconic they are permanent parts of the landscape, often standing in for their hometowns.

A Signage Transformation: From Average to Elegant

The most effective outdoor signage does more than point out the entrance to your business’s parking lot. Well-designed outdoor signs communicate your company’s brand and image. Monument signs, like the one created for J. Borstell Realty, can also help to cement a business’s presence in the area. When Jeffrey and Kelsey Borstell assumed leadership of the family-owned and operated real estate company, they wanted to update the business image. Established in 1981, the Borstells were ready to evolve and rebrand the business to take it to the next level. They partnered with Metro Sign for the project. The Metro team’s designer, Jamie Potvin, collaborated with designer and brand strategist Jaime Chemaly, of FoxShop, to bring the new design to life.

Three major highways — Interstate 93, U.S. Route 1, and Route 3 — converge at the Braintree Split. Just 10 miles south of Boston’s Logan International Airport, it’s also home to Massport’s Logan Express, a shuttle bus with a commuter parking lot: The Logan Express Park & Fly. Until recently, however, the sign that advertised this commuter lot badly needed replacing. Rusted and broken, with burnt-out bulbs, the old sign did nothing to call attention to this critical business. The refurbishment of this high profile sign was a key objective of Massport’s CEO, Lisa Wieland. The Project Management team from Edward Paige Corp reached out to Metro Sign in early March with a request for proposal (RFP). Within a week, Metro’s

Worcester’s Cultural Coalition Popup’s mission is simple: to support active creative engagement and foster a strong cultural identity for Greater Worcester. The Jean McDonough Arts Center offers space for local and visiting artists, organizations, and creatives to produce art shows, open mics, classes, and much more. In 2019, philanthropist Jean McDonough donated $2 million to support the completion of the BrickBox Theater, one of the Worcester Cultural Coalition programs. To honor her gift, the Coalition teamed with a local graphic designer, Travis Duda of Hunchback Graphics, to create a new logo. Incorporating the colors of the “Worcester Cube,” the JMAC sign embraces bright neon and pop art aesthetics to welcome everyone who visits the permanent popup, part of a public-private

Mixed use developments are designed to incorporate and complement various types of real estate together. Learn more about their benefits.

Revitalizing Historic Hudson Mills

A multi-million dollar renovation is underway in Hudson, Massachusetts. Developers are revitalizing the iconic Landing at Hudson Mills for contemporary use. When Mark Development and Manzo-Freeman Development began upgrading the treasured landmark with modern systems, utilities, and finishes, they knew they had to include signage to attract tenants. They called on Metro to build a welcoming focal point for clients and employees visiting the transformed space. A Sign of the Times We were excited to work with The Landing at Hudson Mills because the project was two-fold. They needed us to design and build an upscale and illuminated sign that had some historical elements. Our team worked closely with the owners to create a piece that could sit on their

In a design-build project, a single team completes the project; from design to fabrication to installation. A completed design-build team has major benefits. With a non-design/build approach, the client first works with a designer or architect, then sends the design to a separate fabricator. This relationship doesn’t always work in the client’s best interest, because neither entity is 100% responsible. This often results in needless delays and can result in errors. Design-build solves this problem, which is why we offer it. Here are the benefits clients see as a result: Lower Total Cost and More Accurate Budgeting With a design-build signage process, your initial estimate tends to be more accurate. That’s because there are fewer unknowns when a single supplier

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has many requirements for bringing current signs into compliance or when you create new ones. How can you bring your brand to ADA signage when creating new signs or bringing your current ones into compliance? While ADA signage requirements are first and foremost intended to improve safety and accessibility for customers and building visitors, many companies are pleasantly surprised at how the required signage can also support branding. We’ve helped large and small companies get a better understanding of ADA signage and to see how they can incorporate it into their interior design and include branding elements. What is ADA Signage? ADA signage is designed in accordance to the regulations of the Americans with

We’ve followed LEED and related architectural and design concepts for years, and always operated with a goal of finding the most efficient operational methods that are effective while having the lowest impact on natural and other resources. Expect to hear more from us on the subject in the coming months. In the meantime, we’d love to hear from our clients and partners, how are you working to make the most efficient use of time and materials?

How Real Signage Plays into a Virtual World

Earlier this year, a report by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America showed that outdoor advertising not only remains tops in terms of cost-effectiveness, it continues to be one of the strongest drivers of online searches. How Outdoor Advertising Fuels Online Searches According to the report, outdoor advertising was as successful in spurring Facebook activity as were TV ads, and results were similar for driving traffic to Twitter and Instagram. If it sounds surprising at first, when considering your routine behavior it’s easy to understand the findings. While commuters are strongly encouraged to ignore their phones while on the road, thanks to mobile devices, we’re accustomed to tuning in to an increasing amount of visual stimuli all the time, even while