InstallatIon Aside from material choice, some installation considerations should be studied as well. The key is to understand the location, especially if water may be an issue on the job site. “Any nearby retention ponds or drains typically complicate installations,” says Cavalani. “Another challenge is how far above sea level the monument will be resting. “I have run into situations where if you’re close to a body of water (a river, for example), then when you dig the footer, water will tend to pour in. Then you’re going to need to use a casing or change to a spread footer.” Since monument signs can take up a great deal of space on the landscape, Cavalani says that it’s also important to first clear away any flower beds so that the sign installation doesn’t disturb delicate flora. She also advises that any finishing touches on landscaping should be completed after the sign has been installed. In general, Harden’s advice on installation is to “expect the unexpected” and to “prepare for unforeseen challenges.”
cased its capabilities with monument signage—only this time, it was for an audience that would be far, far away from its home base. The company was tasked with custom-fabricating twenty-foot-long, threedimensional guitars in the shape of the concert series logo. These monument signs would be placed at the entryways of the amphitheater property. These Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach guitar-shaped monuments were
completelly built out of CNC-routed EPS, textured, and painted at Creative’s headquarters in Tampa. Because of the overall scale of this sign, Creative Sign Designs had to direct-ship it in several pieces. Thanks to long-distance project management from Creative, the Virginia-licensed installers were able to put the sign together and put it up. The end-result was so impressive that Creative also built similar twenty-foot-tall guitars for the amphitheater stage.
Project examPles Monument signs can completely change the look of a business or provide a range of options when incorporated into a sign program. On a recent project in northern St. Petersburg, Creative Sign Designs focused on refurbishing an existing monument sign. Lincoln Shores Apartments called upon the sign company to update its signage, in addition to providing outdoor wayfinding and directional signage, exterior unit numbering, and post-andpanel signs for the entire complex. “The use of aluminum, PVC, and stucco on the existing brick structure surpassed the client’s expectations for a new, updated look for the complex,” says Cavalani. “Our creative department designed the radius top-cap with three different levels along with the bottom feature. “Meanwhile all of the copy featured on this monument sign is 3/4-inch PVC that was stud-mounted to a stucco finish on existing brick.” On another “fun and challenging” project for an outdoor venue in Virginia Beach, Virginia that was hosting the Farm Bureau Live concert series, Creative Sign Designs further showsignshop.com
November 2012 // Sign Builder Illustrated
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