ARCHIVE: Category Archive for: Architectural Signage

The Importance of Signage in Branding Multi-Family Buildings

Believe it or not, when it comes to choosing where to live, attractive branding can make the difference between signing a tenant and having vacancies. Think about other brands with logos that trigger instant recognition: Coca~Cola’s white lettering on a red can; the Nike swoosh; Adidas’ black and white trefoil. Looking to fill a brand new apartment building? Start by establishing brand recognition within the community. Want to keep residents from leaving? Associate that brand with trust, reliability, and value. Still not sure if an apartment community really needs its own brand identity? Check out these statistics: 66% of consumers indicate that shared values influence the brands they choose 75+% of consumers make purchases based on brand/company name 90% of

2021 Signage Trends

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

Signage for Financial Institutions

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

Hanging Signs Isn’t Always a Straightforward Task

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

Behind the Scenes at the Majestic 7 Cinema

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

Where is my car? Examining wayfinding behavior in a parking lot

Shopping malls are one of the most ubiquitous spaces of modern capitalist cities. It is calculated that in the United States alone, more than 2,000 shopping malls exist, accounting for nearly 75% of all non-automotive sales in this country. You’d think that navigating a parking lot doesn’t require an advanced degree, right? And yet many parking areas — whether lots, decks, or garages — lack clearly legible signs, have few entrances to help people orient, and generally complicate a driver’s ability to navigate. A study of a parking lot owned by one of the latest shopping malls in Santiago, Chile, mapped and analyzed the trajectories of about 500 people. The study concluded that despite their apparent simplicity, parking lots aren’t

A Solar Solution for Manzo Freeman

In early spring of 2020, Manzo Freeman Development (MFD) — a privately-owned commercial real estate firm — reached out to Metro Sign and Awning with an idea for a new signage project. Metro had previously designed and installed a curved canopy for The Landing at Hudson Mills. Pleased with that design, creativity, and quality fabrication of the canopy at the Hudson Mills’ entrance, MFD had a new project in mind: a free-standing sign at the parking lot entrance. A Cost-Effective Solar Solution MFD wanted its new sign to reflect the company’s updated branding. The project, however, faced a pretty significant challenge: powering the LED lights in the new parking lot sign. This sign stood quite a distance from the Hudson Mills

The Challenges of Creating & Installing Signage in Historic Districts

Facing a signage project that requires designing a sign package for an existing historic building presents its own unique challenges. You can fit sign programs to the building while still maintaining the business owner’s aesthetic.

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 New Look for Worcester Cultural Coalition’s JMAC Popup and BrickBox Theater

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