ARCHIVE: Category Archive for: Signage Tips

Complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which first became the law of the land in 1991, has made incalculable improvements in the lives of countless people. More recently revised in 2010 and made mandatory as of March 15, 2012 for virtually all new construction and renovations, the ADA has resulted in a system of “best practices” that make it possible for disabled persons to access and enjoy an extremely wide range of public and private built environments. Many people think the ADA just requires Braille on certain signs, but it’s considerably more comprehensive than that. Compliance can impact a great many of your project’s signage (and design/construction) specifications. Unfortunately, the ADA’s requirements are sometimes ambiguous. That’s one reason Metro Sign

It’s hard to drive or walk far in today’s built-up areas without encountering a pylon sign, sometimes called a pole sign or a roadside sign. As the name implies, this is single- or double-sided signage supported above ground level on some kind of slim vertical support. Along highways, pylon signage can tower 200 feet or even higher. In urban areas, they’re likely to top out at 30 feet or so, the better to be visible to foot traffic and to link the sign’s messaging more closely to a particular piece of real estate. The pylon sign itself usually consists of an illuminated sign cabinet supported by one or two unembellished poles, which may be square, round, or of an interesting

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

How much do you really know about signs and signage? Avid readers of this Metro Sign and Awning blog are probably near-experts in signs and signage, with a detailed understanding of signage technology and an encyclopedic knowledge of signage history. To see how much you know, here’s a quick quiz based on previous posts in this blog. How many answers can you get right? All the answers should be known to you, provided you’ve been reading this blog: Question 1: The new “T” Logo and wayfinding signs that our Metro Sign and Awning installation crew fitted at the MBTA’s new Beverly Depot was among the finishing touches on a facility that includes: a) Parking for more than 1,200 vehicles. b) A

Wearing three different hats at work is a great way to insure your days are always busy. But three hats aren’t really enough to cover all the work that Sue Curran does at Metro Sign and Awning. A typical day can involve her in anything and everything from setting up and networking a new computer to invoicing vendors, generating statements for customers, and handling payments, in addition to the never-ending Human Resources work that goes with that part of her title. But her main priority, she says, is “making sure everyone is feeling good about their job, and about working at Metro.” To that end, Sue tries to maintain a schedule of what she calls “extracurricular activities.” These can lead

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

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night….” That’s the legendary inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York City. But lately we’ve been thinking of carving those same words into the wall of our own fabrication facility, because our guys have been warriors when it comes to installing signage under difficult or even adverse conditions for our customers. For example, the photo accompanying this post shows Glenn Stetzler up in the cherry picker in the middle of some exterior installation work at Crossings. It’s a shopping plaza managed by KeyPoint Partners, who asked us to do extensive work, including building signage, main entrance identity signage, and exterior way-finding signage. We have faced a lot of

LEDs have become commonplace in our modern society. We see them on our smartphones. They illuminate many different indicators on our appliances and in our cars. Soon, they’ll be illuminating your home and your workplace. They work so well, in fact, that lately we’ve begun retrofitting all types of exterior and interior signage with them. Aside from their brightness, long life, and power-saving nature, one of the most exciting attributes is their ability to change color. In point of fact, however, no single LED actually does change color. What the human eye perceives as a color changing LED is actually a group of LEDs housed together, and packaged with a tiny computer that controls their operation. In the usual configuration,

In two previous posts (here and here), we introduced the concept of retrofitting older signage with newer, better illumination technology: LEDs, and also showed how fast and easy the conversion can be. This time, let’s detail some of the significant advantages that such a conversion will bring your business: LEDs Deliver Modern Advantages Great Sign Appearance Means Great Results LEDs make any sign shine far brighter in any weather, in any temperature. Steady, bright, consistent illumination with no shadows projects a more modern and successful image than dim, flickering, or burned-out signage. LEDs are Better for the Environment LEDs consume far less power than neon or fluorescent, significantly reducing your carbon footprint. They contain no lead, glass, or mercury, and require no

One of the simplest concepts we try to get across to our clients is that – regardless of what else it may be and what complex purposes it may be designed to fulfill – signage is at bottom a form of advertising. And the twin points of advertising are: 1) to get noticed, and 2) to convey a message. Basically, you want your signage to make a statement. The better the statement, the more effective your signage. Fair enough. Let’s look at some of the many ways you can get your signage to make a powerful, persuasive statement that helps your business succeed with your prospects and customers: Go Visual With Your Signs Aside from the material you choose, a