ARCHIVE: Category Archive for: Sign Design

7 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Logo Design

Your logo is an essential part of your business identity. Properly designed, it provides an instant – and memorable – point of recognition for who you are and what you do. Having been around the track a few times, we have first-hand experience with both the difficulties and the opportunities inherent in any logo design or redesign project. We’d like to share with you some of what we have learned. Whether you are developing a new logo from scratch or updating one that has outlived its effectiveness, there are at least six things to bear in mind: 1. Before you consider any logo design, be sure you understand your prospective customer or clients as deeply as you can. An effective

Re-Branding An International Chain: Lake Region Medical

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

What To Tell Us In Your Request For a Price Quote

One of the most frequently asked questions from prospects and clients alike is fairly basic: “What information do you need in order to work up a reliable price quote on my next project?” Casting about for new blog topics, it occurred to us that answering that question in this open forum would make for a valuable blog post. It would not only educate avid readers about how to speed and simplify the process of obtaining a meaningful price quote, but it would also serve as reference material to which we could point newly interested people who need to know this answer. So let’s start at the very beginning: Step 1: You realize you want some kind of signage. Step 2:

Fascinating Details You May Not Know About Blade Signage

Drive or walk along a commercial thoroughfare and you’ll notice that most of the signs – mounted flush on the fronts of the buildings – are extremely difficult to see from anywhere but directly in front of each shop. That’s not good for business. To improve visibility in these situations, one of the best technologies the signage industry has developed is the so-called “blade” sign. The name describes any sign that extends directly out from the surface of a structure – usually perpendicular to a building’s wall – and thereby presents its full face to all the traffic moving along the side of the building (see accompanying photo). Under most conditions, blade signs can be two-sided, effectively attracting attention from

Interesting Developments in Signage

OK. We admit it: we love signs and signage. It’s fascinating. We can’t get enough. And we love to learn more about technology, industry developments, and basically anything that has anything to do with signs. That’s why we’re fascinated by the following stories (and we hope you are too): “Judge Rules … Signage Rules … Unconstitutional” It’s far away, but Saugutuck, MI, is the location where a county judge recently decided that restrictions on signage are unconstitutional! Basically, a couple of homeowners posted signs declaring their opinions on a very large number of matters (see accompanying photo). Neighbors objected, and the case found its way to court. The result? Now there’s a new precedent that gives property owners virtually unlimited

Lightweight Monument Signs

Monument signs have a great look: solid, substantial, historic, even permanent. Such three-dimension constructions have a long history, having been made for generations from stone, earth, and other long-lasting materials, and more recently from semi-permanent materials such as concrete, stucco, and brick. But you’d be surprised to learn how easily we can achieve that look with lightweight, low-cost materials and processes. Today, monument signs can be fabricated “to order” from man-made materials that give that permanent look while being lighter, easier, and cheaper to fabricate, transport, and install. Modern Materials; Venerable Look These modern monuments often begin with a solid core of molded expanded polystyrene or something similar, bonded onto one or more vertical PVC pipes that will later provide

How Many Kinds of Signs Can You Name?

How Many Kinds of Signs Can You Name? There are more than 206 bones in the human body, each one with its own name, from cranial bones to vertebrae, and from the vomer to the clavicle. That’s more bones than types of signage, but our industry nevertheless can marshal quite a line-up of different ways to convey messages to people. How many different types of signs can you name? Below are some photos, with a link that lets you see what that type of sign is called.       Sign Type 1: This high-profile sign is the kind you’ll see outside many developments, such as shopping centers, highway service establishments, or multi-tenant commercial parks. Depending on circumstances and visual

New “Blade” Sign at Charles Playhouse

New “Blade” Sign at Charles Playhouse “Hysterically funny.” “Visually stunning.” “Wildly inventive.” Those are some of the salutatory words used to describe the Blue Man Group‘s show, Tubes/Rewired/NowMoreWow, currently in residence at Boston’s historic Charles Playhouse, 74 Warrenton Street. Since the Blue Man Group began performing at the Charles Playhouse, back in 1995, its three members have felt extremely comfortable there in the heart of Boston’s theater district. The venue, which first opened its doors in 1958 in a building that dates from 1839, easily lent itself to the group’s “multi-sensory” show, which combines elements of theater, percussion, and visual arts, in an unlikely mix with both science and vaudeville. Audiences have responded enthusiastically, making the Blue Man Group‘s show

Inside Metro Signs – Jamie Potvin, Designer

For Jamie Potvin, the process starts when information about a new project begins to trickle in through one of the sales team members. Over the next days and weeks, she steeps herself in the client’s history and strategy, various signage suggestions, client and team requests, and specific requirements, as well as any graphic elements such as client logos that are already available. She also likes to look at comparable signage of the same size and classifications that’s already “out there” in the community. Then she dives into the design process. With more than fifteen years of experience, Jamie likes to start a project by working on some “looks”: rough sketches and simplified renderings of the new sign’s essentials. She’s usually

That’s a Refreshing Sign! New Balance Leaves Footprint on Parks

That’s a Refreshing Sign! New Balance Leaves Footprint on Parks Now we can say we left our footprint along the Charles River! Well, not our footprint, exactly – it’s actually the mark of Brighton’s favorite shoe manufacturer. We were absolutely tickled when New Balance asked us to create a few “footprints” for some of the water fountains they’ve provided to various Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation park sites. While New Balance wasn’t angling for extra outdoor advertising when the company donated the fountains, it was important that the signs look good and hold up extremely well in the environment. Even though the footprints weren’t designed to advertise the company, they had to represent the company and its brand in the

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