ARCHIVE: Category Archive for: Design/Build

MSA End of Summer 2023

We’re very excited to bring you a glimpse into the vibrant world of Metro Sign and Awning! As your trusted source for top-notch signage solutions, we’re committed to keeping you in the loop with industry trends, our latest projects, and insider tips on making your brand shine. Thank you for choosing Metro Sign and Awning as your signage partner. We’re dedicated to helping you make a lasting impression, and this newsletter is just one way we’re delivering on that promise. Elevate Your Brand with Metro Sign & Awning Looking for a way to elevate your brand and make a lasting impression on your customers? Look no further than Metro Sign & Awning. Our team of experienced designers and fabricators will

Wall Graphics: The Center at Innovation Drive Wall graphics do more than display your brand – they significantly enhance your employees’ mood and productivity. By incorporating your brand elements into the workspace, you create a visual reminder of the company’s values and mission, fostering a sense of unity and pride among the team. Moreover, well-designed wall graphics have a direct impact on the work environment. Strategic placement of calming nature scenes or motivational quotes can uplift employees’ spirits, reduce stress, and create a more positive atmosphere. This, combined with the visual appeal, translates into a happier and more engaged workforce. Additionally, creative and inspiring graphics can stimulate innovative thinking and problem-solving, further boosting overall productivity. In essence, investing in impactful

Featured Article MSA Featured in Signs of the Times Magazine! Metro Sign & Awning’s work at Arcadian Hotel was recently featured in this edition of Sign of the Times Magazine article by Debora Toth! This project included both exterior and interior signage. To check out more of MSA’s noteworthy signage, click here. Project Highlight Wall Graphics Package Another beautiful graphics package was recently installed, in collaboration with Selbert Perkins Design, at Mass General Brigham in Salem, NH. This project included 3 separate interior wall graphics that tell a story – all visible from the street outside. To view the full project wrap-up, click here. Project Highlight Interstate Electric We recently had the privilege of creating and installing various types of

While the U.S. is seeing a definite increase in mixed-use developments, they’re actually not a new concept. In fact, according to Deloitte, mixed-use properties were strategies used about 50 years ago to rejuvenate urban areas. And as population density increases, real estate prices remain high and office occupancy remains low, mixed-use developments offer an attractive option for developers, companies, tenants, and residents. Live, Work, Shop, Play A trend that had been growing in popularity even prior to COVID-19, the pandemic accelerated the planning, design, and construction of mixed-use developments. In fact, in Boston alone, there are at least seven major mixed-use projects under construction right now. These properties empower residents and visitors to have more control in their choices and

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Strategic business partnerships empower companies, giving them the opportunity to grow their customer bases via referrals—a very potent strategy—and more importantly, improve their business by leveraging other’s capabilities to produce better products and services than they could on their own. Metro often works on projects involving large corporations, financial and educational institutions, retailers, mixed-use developments, and more. It’s often on projects like these that general contractors, property developers, architects, or property managers—experts in their fields but not in signage—bring Metro in to assist. When we’re involved early in the planning stages by partners, we can anticipate and address potential issues that those not in the signage industry might not realize

While we don’t have a handy Magic 8 ball able to reliably predict the future, it hasn’t stopped us from making some educated guesses about next year’s signage industry trends. They include: Minimalism in design. We’ll continue to see signs focused on clean, crisp images that evoke elegance. Improved sustainability. As more companies embrace ESG (environmental, social, and governance) policies, they’re incorporating eco-friendly initiatives into their buildings, including signage construction, materials, and power. One of Metro’s recent clients, TÜV SÜD—a Germany-based company offering safety, security, and sustainability solutions—opted to use an innovative wall sign for its U.S. headquarters, for example. Metro’s partner, CityScapes, recommended the preserved moss material featured in the sign. Initially, the clients asked to use real wood

With vaccines readily available and the post-COVID landscape evolving, businesses will continue examining and creating policies to ensure the safety of their employees returning to in-person work — and the safety of customers and visitors, too. In many cases, companies have also recognized the value of offering their employees a hybrid approach: working part-time virtually and part-time in person. This strategy makes sense for companies who’ve incorporated virtual meetings as a complement to in-person meetings with clients and visitors. More than a year of remote work is challenging the way we view traditional work models. A Microsoft 2021 report found 73% respondents desiring flexible, hybrid work options after the pandemic ended, and 66% of businesses indicating a plan to redesign physical

One of the easiest ways to get recognition is to put up a sign. We’ve all seen those iconic signs that garner instant attention: The Citgo Sign in Kenmore Square, Cask ‘n Flagon next to Fenway, McDonalds’ golden arches. Target’s bullseye. A quick glance at these signs tells us immediately what store we’ve found. But these globally recognized icons—like any sign, really—needed serious planning and strategy to work effectively. Most people—even smart businesses who hire a company like Metro—don’t realize all the steps involved with designing, building, and installing signage. Adding signs requires more than simply hanging a sign on an interior wall or erecting a sign on a pole outside. Developing a signage strategy, from conceptualization through installation, often

Since the beginning of hunting and gathering, people have relied on signs for information. Very early sign markers, often just a pile of stones, helped guide people traveling through the wilderness to find game or communities. The Scots used rock cairns—Gaelic for “heap of stones”—as signposts to mark trails across the grassy moors. People living in Mongolia and the Andes Mountains used similar rock cairns to mark routes between villages and food supplies. Gradually, signs expanded to include marks left by hunters and wayfarers on rocks and trees. It’s why hikers today still rely on blazes along the Appalachian and other trails. As populations have increased, communities have grown, and technology has evolved, signage has similarly transformed. Signs have evolved