ARCHIVE: Category Archive for: Design/Build

Hidden Messages In Signage

Most communication is simple, with a single layer of meaning. But once you get into the world of graphics – where the best signage lives and thrives – you begin to find opportunities to communicate more than one message at a time. Here are a few examples of public, possibly familiar graphics that exemplify the potential for signage to be a powerful tool of communication. Wendy’s has a new logo, but it contains a hidden message that’s very old. Can you spot it? … It’s the word “mom” woven into the red-headed girl’s collar. I guess the idea is to evoke home-cooked foods, family dinners, and perhaps even a dose of unconditional love. None of that is guaranteed when you’re

Business signage plays an important role in the life of any city, not only because it supports commerce and the livelihood of individual businesses, but also because the overall appearance of a city’s signage helps communicate and even define its character. Think about the differences in signage between Boston and Las Vegas, for example, and what that signage says about each of those cities. Generally, governments do not heavily regulate the content of any signs (although the Americans with Disabilities Act does set forth some standards for signage content). Rather, each city government tends to develop its own set of signage regulations, in an effort to control the appearance of the city’s built infrastructure and also to tame the impulses

When the Boston Public Library wanted dramatic new exterior environmental graphics – including interpretive panels and engraved pavers – at its newest branch, in East Boston, they turned to the noted architectural firm, William Rawn Associates. Rawn, in turn, asked for consultative help from Arrowstreet. And when the time came to fabricate the designs, Rawn and Arrowstreet came to us. The East Boston Library is the newest branch library in the Boston Public Library system. Located in the middle of Bremen Street Park, the building features three entirely glass walls and soaring roof that allows in filtered light, helping to connect the new Library’s indoor resources with the Park’s natural outdoor elements. A new series of interpretive panels are located

In a typical building, the glass entry doors and any adjacent windows create more opportunity for unwanted energy loss (in winter) and gain (in summer) than any other structural element. During the summer, for example, a single square foot of unshaded glass can allow more energy into a building than an 8′ x 10′ insulated wall. That’s a big reason why, as we’ve noted here, designers and business- or building-owners are looking more frequently toward adding new entry awnings at key traffic and visibility locations. Once installed, high-quality awnings help limit the location’s energy gain and loss every day and night, and do this during their considerable service lifetime. As a result, their benefits work out to be extremely cost-effective.

You’ve seen our vehicles and team members at various schools, colleges, municipalities and libraries over the past years. North Reading High School, East Boston Public Library, Suffolk University, City of Holyoke Park Program, Museum of Fine Arts, City of Lowell Façade Revitalization Program…. just to name a few. We work with fabulous architects and designers including Arrowstreet and Roll Barresi, and some of our fabrication designs are created by our own Metro Sign and Awning design team. We’re thrilled to announce that Metro Sign and Awning is now an approved member and provider of the Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (MHEC). This means that as an MHEC member, is that your organization can now benefit from our expertise in signage design and installation,

There’s a lot of talk about “green” these days because many firms are jockeying to position themselves as environmentally conscious and more “green” than their competitors. The signage industry can be a major partner in this effort. To help bring you up to speed, here are 5 things you probably don’t know about “green” signage: 1. Signage can help a facility gain LEED (the US Green Building Council’s “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design”) certification. For example, interior signs crafted from certain materials can provide credits toward LEED certification. 2. Upgrades to signage can provide big environmental benefits at major savings, compared with total replacement. Refurbishing old signage saves money and eliminates the use of new material (that doesn’t have

While Metro Sign & Awning has long been happy to call Boston our home, we nevertheless get excited when we’re asked to design and/or fabricate signage for natives of other parts of the U.S. Whether we’re working with a West Coast architectural firm, or designing custom signs for a national partner based in Texas or Tennessee, we love what we do, wherever we’re asked to do it. In fact, we’re just as proud to point some pylon signs we’ve installed in South Carolina or to show off photos of a giant banner in Chicago as we are wayfinding signs or a public park here in the Boston area. We’ve even developed our ROI calculator than any business around the country

The term “ADA Signs” is now in widespread use among architects, general contractors, developers, and signage experts. “ADA” stands, of course, for the Americans with Disabilities Act. But the term “ADA Signs” is misunderstood almost as often as it is interpreted correctly. For example: 1. A great many people believe that “ADA Signs” refers to those containing Braille symbols for the benefit of people who are visually impaired. That’s like saying elevators are installed in buildings for the benefit of people who are unable to climb stairs. The claim is true, as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go nearly far enough. While signs containing Braille and other raised characters are a highly visible expression of the ADA requirements,

We are pleased and proud to announce that we have completed the acquisition of the premiere sign company in the Southern New Hampshire and Vermont region. Custom Designs Signs (CDS), located in Keene, NH, has been a leading provider of signage design, fabrication, installation, and service since 1969. The company has built its enviable reputation by crafting high quality and eye catching signs and displays for a large number of local businesses, architects, and developers in the greater Monadnock and Brattleboro regions of New Hampshire and Vermont. Recent projects include the Keene State “Wall of Donor Recognition,” Nanotech, Brattleboro Ford, TGI Friday’s, and The Center at Keene. Key people at CDS, including Jim Vitous and sign maker Kris Arnold, will

One of our most demanding projects in recent memory has been taking part in the rebranding of a chain of medical centers that crossed not only state but national borders! It began in March of 2014 when one of our long-time customers, Winbrook Associates, asked us for help. Their customer, Lake Region Medical, had purchased all 18 locations of a company called Accellent, and now the facilities had to be re-branded. We began with a design review and offered some initial signage concepts. But to support the rebranding while the design and build process took place, we installed temporary banners at every location: Just the name “Lake Region Medical” in black text on white material. Our crews surveyed the local