The How-To Magazine
Au g u s t 2022 | s i g n s h o p.co m
EXPERIENTIAL
DESIGN: SIGN BUILDER
Transforming Interiors
illustrated
WAYFIND SYSTEM: Form and Functionality
DIGITAL SIGNAGE:
ARCHWAY TO LED
CONTENTS AUGUST 2022
HOW-TO COLUMNS
10
NO. 325
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GET MORE JOBS DONE FASTER!
By John Hackley Lean 5S is a proven method for dependable results.
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VOL. 36
THE DARKEST TIMELINE
By David Hickey Pondering the “worst case” could-havebeen scenario for Austin v. Reagan.
DEPARTMENTS
4 6
Cover Photo: Image360 South Orlando.
8 34 36
EDITOR’S COLUMN
Editor Jeff Wooten previews how next month’s SBI/NSSA Northeast Conference & Expo can improve your business skills.
IN THE INDUSTRY
A spectacular digital video wall backdrop is installed at one school’s performing arts center, and a shop creates eye-catching wall graphics for a real estate company.
SIGN SHOW
The newest products and services from sign manufacturers.
SBI MARKETPLACE
Advertisements and announcements from the sign trade.
SBI OPERATIONS
Joe Arenella provides three project management tips to increase productivity and profits.
FEATURES
18 26
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WATERSIDE WAYFINDING
By Ashley Bray A Florida development gets a completely custom wayfinding system.
PLAYING IMMERSIVE GAMES
By Jeff Wooten An Avatar-inspired game room makeover is awarded the Alliance Franchise Brands Project of the Year.
ARCHWAY TO LED
By SBI Staff Library incorporates a digital portal as part of its renovation. August 2022
Sign Builder Illustrated
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August 2022, Vol. 36, No. 325 Sign Builder Illustrated (ISSN 0895-0555) print, (ISSN 2161-0709) digital is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation
Subscriptions: 402-346-4740
executive offices
President and Chairman Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. Group Publisher Gary Lynch 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005 Office: 212-620-7247; Cell 646-637-5206
editorial
Editor Jeff Wooten 323 Clifton Street, Suite #7, Greenville, NC 27858 212-620-7244 jwooten@sbpub.com Managing Editor Ashley Bray 212-620-7220 abray@sbpub.com Contributing Writers Joe Arenella, John Hackley, David Hickey
art
Art Director Nicole D’Antona Graphic Designer Hillary Coleman
production
Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers
circulation
Circulation Director Jo Ann Binz joann@qcs1989.com
advertising sales Sales Manager David Harkey 212-620-7223 dharkey@sbpub.com
Sign Builder Illustrated is published monthly. All rights reserved. Nothing herein may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher. To purchase PDF files of cover and layouts or hard copy reprints, please call Gary Lynch at 212-620-7247 or e-mail glynch@sbpub.com.
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signshop.com
MUTOH XPJ-1641SR Pro 64” Eco Solvent Printer
“The Wrapper’s Choice”
FLOOR GRAPHICS
WALL WRAPS
EXTERIOR SIGNAGE
ice The Wrapper’s Cho
XPJ-1641SR Pro 64” Eco Solvent Printer
CUSTOM VEHICLE WRAPS
VC2 1300 Multi-Purpose 62” Cutting Plotter
Custom vehicle wrap image provded by: Wrapsesh
MUTOH’s XpertJet 1641SR Pro 64” Eco-Solvent Printer is the ideal printer interior and exterior signage, vehicle wraps, wall wraps, floor graphics and more. Paired with MUTOH’s GREENGUARD Gold certified MS41 Eco-Solvent Ink and MUTOH’s New Award-Winning Genuine VerteLith™ RIP Software, bundled with FlexiDESIGNER MUTOH Edition 21, a $2,199.00 value. it is clear why the MUTOH XPJ-1641SR Pro printer is considered “The Wrapper’s Choice”.
Visit MUTOH in Booth C10124 at PRINTING United Expo, October 19-21, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Request a free print sample: www.MUTOH.com | 1.800.99.MUTOH
EDITOR’S COLUMN
AGENDA
BY JEFF WOOTEN
Note: All events listed below are subject to change. Please check show sites for the most up-todate information.
SEPTEMBER 2022 SEPTEMBER 19-21:
SBI/NSSA Northeast Conference & Expo will take place at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island. (signshop.com/nssa)
SEPTEMBER 23-24:
Sign and graphics companies all across Canada can’t wait to get together in-person at the Sign Association of Canada (SAC)’s Sign Expo Canada in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. (sac-ace.ca/sign-expo-canada)
Show-ing the Details
Previewing next month’s Conference & Expo.
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of these examples include: • A look at the various methods of identifying sign and graphic opportunities that can help grow your business, as well as advice for setting up and managing your equipment and inventory; • A conversation about how to bring onboard, in today’s labor climate, employees who can help your sign or graphics shop excel at fulfilling projects, as well as the advantages of hiring based on experience or potential; • Advice for putting together the best team of installers at your shop that can rise to the task at hand in a safe and effective manner; and • Tips on helping you find the right balance between work and home, whether as an employee or an owner. And there are plenty of other topics we’ll be addressing. Check out signshop. com/nssa for a more detailed description of all these sessions. Of course, no sign shop is complete without the right equipment and services, and there will be a large show hall filled with exhibitors, hands-on product demonstrations, and valuable networking opportunities (September 20-21). I look forward to seeing you there as you find ways to improve your shop.
JEFF WOOTEN Editor, jwooten@sbpub.com
OCTOBER 2022 OCTOBER 13:
SEGD Branded Environments 2022 in New York City is the in-person event focused purely on brand experiences that transform engagement within public spaces. (segd.org)
OCTOBER 19-21:
PRINTING United Expo, the most dynamic and comprehensive printing event in the world, returns as an in-person event to the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (printingunited.com)
NOVEMBER 2022 NOVEMBER 1-4:
Photo: Shutterstock.com/ ESB Professional.
C
ouple current-day worries like inflation, increased competition, and supply chain woes with traditional industry hurdles like permitting processes, managing customer expectations, and protecting one’s design work can make it feel a lot more challenging to operate or work at a sign or visual communications shop these days. And it’s these concerns that provide the impetus behind our SBI/NSSA Northeast Sign Expo & Conference taking place next month at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. The conference program (September 19-20) will feature a day-and-a-half of informative sessions, panels, and workshops that offer actionable, “how-to” lessons to sign shops of all sizes and levels of experience. With a focus on how sign and graphics shops can increase profits through strong business management and operational efficiency, our conference will better equip you with the tools needed to become a better owner and employee. The roster of speakers we have lined up for this event consists of a healthy combination of professional speakers geared to help you improve your business (see page 10 for a preview) and actual sign shop owners and employees who will be sharing their in-shop solutions to the various challenges you face each and every day. We’ve developed a fifteen-session program that tackles the wide range of subjects that are at the forefront of many sign shop owner and employee concerns. Some
Experience the latest product and custom vehicle trends at the trade-only SEMA Show taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (semashow.com)
NOVEMBER 17-19:
Digital Signage Experience 2022, connecting the digital signage community with buyers and sellers, will be co-located at the Las Vegas Convention Center with Live Design International and XLIVE. (digitalsignageexperience.com)
signshop.com
In The Industry
Spectacular Digital Video Wall Backdrop at
Performing Arts Center
D
anville, Illinois—Sometimes it pays to get schooled in the art and effectiveness of digital signage! For example, Pioneer Central School District in rural Yorkshire, New York, recently unveiled an upgraded performing arts center, which features a spectacular 18-by-49-foot digital video wall backdrop manufactured by Watchfire Signs. The 2.4mm high-resolution video wall is the first of its kind outside of the Broadway theater district in New York City. Pioneer Central’s 1,200-seat performing arts center is used by both the school district and community organizations to provide a variety of enrich6
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ment opportunities throughout the year. The district serves 2,500 students from a 250-square-mile area about 45 minutes southeast of Buffalo. “A lot of our facilities are considered among the best in the region,” said Benjamin Halsey, superintendent of Pioneer Central School District. “Families in the region don’t have easy access to other enrichment activities, so we felt it was important to provide the best facility for dance, music, and theatrical performances.” The original performing arts program stage was designed without “fly space,” an area above the stage where stage crews raise and lower curtains, scenery, and
other effects, which limited what crews could do with moveable props. To solve the problem, the school looked into raising the roof above the auditorium as well as installing a video board backdrop. “From a cost perspective, the video board was more advantageous,” said Halsey. “We also felt that this was the future of performing arts, and it gave us another avenue to teach students a new skill.” According to Halsey, the district’s music department is planning to design a curriculum for students that teaches scene design using the new video board. Students will have the opportunity to design signshop.com
Eye-catching Wall Graphics
R
ichmond, Virginia— Torontobased sign-maker Minoh Inc., used Drytac ReTac Textures embossed film to create a series of striking wall graphics that were integrated as part of a wider interior video wall display. Marlin Spring, an integrated real estate company that acquires, develops, constructs, and repositions assets throughout North America, tasked Minoh with producing graphics featuring inspirational wording that portrayed its core principles and aims as a business. The project included an innovative set of graphics to be placed in and around three video screens installed on an interior wall at Marlin Spring, with the screens overlapping the wording without completely blocking the oversized text. O t h e r a s p e c ts o f t h e j o b included a graphic that listed all the key amenities in the area local to Marlin Spring’s latest real estate project in Toronto, with the aim of capturing the attention of consumers and showcasing the benefits of living in the region. The graphics were printed by Minoh on an HP Latex 365 printer and installed on-site by Minoh’s expert and knowledgeable team.
scenes for school performances. Convergent Technologies Design Group, an engineering firm involved in the project that specializes in audiovisual, telecommunications, and acoustic services, specified Watchfire for the project because of its quality and reliability. (Note: Watchfire has manufactured electric signs for ninety years and LED signs since 1998, using meticulously sourced components from around the world.) The new digital backdrop surpasses 4k resolution, giving it a higher resolution than television screens. “It was important to specify technology that students would encounter in a studio environment after graduation,” said Paul signshop.com
Corraine, principal at Convergent Technologies Design Group. “The district is very progressive in teaching students how to generate the content for the video wall, putting them on a career path after high school.” Jill Szpylman, marketing communications manager Stark Tech, a leader in facility optimization and the project’s integrator, noted that the video board will pay for itself over time by “eliminating the costs associated with building physical sets.” The video wall is fully funded through school capital reserves and state school construction funds. Other companies involved in this project include M&E Engineering and Jones Architects. August 2022
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Sign Show HDU/FOAM
heat transfer FILMS
The Gilman Brothers Company Releases a Resilient Foam
Roland DGA Introduces New HeatSoft Premium Heat Transfer Material
Responding to the “fastest growing segment” in their company’s history, The Gilman Brothers Company is excited to announce the launch of Resilient® Soft Touch Foam. Resilient is a velvety soft, fine-cell foam board that recovers quickly after compression and features a unique, true-black edge that is visually pleasing with no need for edge banding. Application possibilities range from block letters and custom packaging to retail displays, graphic signage, and wall décor. The Resilient product line is available with a consistent white surface that provides a smooth, glass-like surface for direct digital printing applications and with one-side pressuresensitive adhesive for mounting applications. Resilient is fabrciated with “spring-back technology” (which enables it to recover quickly after compression) and dent-resistant corners that eliminate any damage in shipping. Resilient is very lightweight, making it a versatile option for wall décor applications like dimensional block letters and photo tiles. New Resilient is made in the USA and is available in 50-by87-inch sheets and gauges ranging from 1/2-, 3/4-, and 1-inch thicknesses. gilmanbrothers.com/resilient
New HeatSoft™ Premium heat transfer material (ESM-HTMP) from Roland DGA is a flexible, 3.5-mil matte polyurethane film with a waterbase coating. HeatSoft Premium is smooth, boasts a soft hand, and yields vibrant prints resembling screen-printed graphics. Supplied on a recyclable clear polyester liner, HeatSoft Premium is simple to weed and transfer, allowing for optimum ease of use and productivity. It’s also extremely lightweight and extremely durable, and because it can be applied at temperatures as low as 72°F (120°C), HeatSoft Premium is ideal for heat-sensitive garments. The imaging quality and ease of use HeatSoft Premium is matched only by its outstanding durability—it can withstand up to fifty wash cycles. Plus it’s compatible with Roland D G’s eco -so lvent inks as well as all Roland DG eco-solvent printers and printer/cutters. rolanddga.com
LED MODULES/TUBES/STRIPS Major Upgrade to 12V LED Channel Letter Lighting Solution Light technology leader SloanLED has announced the global launch of SloanLED Prism12, an improved version of the acclaimed premium 12V LED channel letter lighting solution, SloanLED Prism. Prism12 exceeds expectations in channel letter and sign box applications three to eight inches (75 to 200 mm) deep with a new, patented, asymmetrical gradient micro-prism (ASGM) lens design for the widest, most even spread of light and up to 25 percent wider stroke spacing. Top-tier LEDs deliver incredible efficacy up to 135 lm/W and increased loading capacity up 20 percent over the previous generation. Prism12 also features double-sided perforated tape with SloanLED’s CRL one-piece release liner, which reduces installation time by up to 30 percent. Meanwhile Prism12 also includes an advanced Constant Current circuit design that eliminates light loss over longer runs, MacAdam Ellipse 3-Step white binning for superior color consistency, and SloanLED’s 10-year parts and labor assistance warranty. Prism12 will see a staggered release with White (6500 K and 3000 K) and Orange now available; Red, Green, and Blue arriving in September 2022; and remaining White color temperatures (7100 K, 5000 K, and 4000 K) coming in December 2022. sloanled.com
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signshop.com
STAND APART FROM YOUR COMPETITION...WE DO.
ChannelBender® Series Automated Channel Letter Solutions
The equipment of choice for nearly every major sign manufacturer in America. sign.sdsautomation.com 303-710-8125
How To SHOP LAYOUT By JOHN HACKLEY
Get More Jobs Done Faster!
R
ecently I spoke at a sign industry forum where the topic was how shops achieve higher levels of throughput and improve on-time performance. I touched upon value stream mapping, wait times and scheduling, batch manufacturing, functional cross-training, and lean principles. At the end of my presentation, I collected the audience satisfaction surveys and went through them to see where I could improve my presentation. I was intrigued by one comment in the form of a question that asked, “Why did you skim over 5S?” At first, I thought to myself, “That’s odd. Isn’t 5S common knowledge? Why should I spend so much time on it?” I assumed wrong—what I learned is most people have heard the term “5S,” but very few really know what it’s all about and even fewer implement it successfully. It turned out to be a great question. What’s interesting is that the person who asked the question was Steve Watts, presi-
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dent of Image National Sign Co., in Boise Idaho. Myself and twenty-plus other professionals were about to tour his facility that same afternoon. I did not realize it at the time, but I was in for an experience that was delightful and inspiring because Image National hit a home run with their 5S implementation. The factory floor was immaculate in its cleanliness. It was bustling with activity. There was no chaos, and the staff was happy, relaxed [no stress], and all working together as a cohesive team producing at the highest level and setting the bar way above any of the competition. So I thought this would be a fantastic opportunity to share what can be gained when a successful Lean 5S program is implemented. It’s not rocket science folks— just a common-sense proven practice. One of the core elements of the lean philosophy is eliminating waste to maximize flow. There are eight forms of time-consuming activities labeled by 5S as “wastes”
that do not bring value to our people, our products, or our customers: (1.) Defects, (2.) Overproduction, (3.) Waiting, (4.) Non-used Skills, (5.) Transport, (6.) Inventory, (7.) Motion, and (8.) Excess Processing. An easy way to remember what they are is the acronym DOWNTIME. Graph #1 illustrates what one of my clients accomplished over a twentyfour-week period of time utilizing this strategy—a 34 percent reduction in production turn-around time from an average of fifty-nine days to less than twenty days. (Note: This was for custom designbuild projects. If you manufacture a predefined product line, you should be able to achieve even greater results.) What is 5S? 5S is one of the many tools in the Lean methodology toolbox. It is a workplace organization process designed to make work environments more efficient and effective—in other words, faster! signshop.com
Photos: Oculus Business Solutions.
Lean 5S is a proven method for dependable results.
How To SHOP LAYOUT
By JOHN HACKLEY
Graph #1.
The name 5S is derived from the five stages of this lean methodology originating from Japanese automakers during their post-WWII economic rebuild. Each of the five stages starts with the letter S, hence the term “5S,” as discussed below. How Does 5S Work? To implement 5S, you will have to follow the five stages in sequence, as described shortly, that make up the process. It really is that simple. However, be informed; simple does not necessarily mean easy! You must be committed to following through to completion, even though you are never really done. You should be constantly cycling through the process as part of an ongoing process improvement culture. Stage 1: Separate [and Sort] Many shops are filled with “stuff” that is rarely, if ever, used. Workers simply tend to collect things that are non-value add. Within this first stage, you will begin with what is called a Gemba walk (waste walk) to determining which tools/materials are actually necessary. Select an area to start and begin placing signshop.com
tags or stickers (commonly known as red tags) on every item that is not required for the operation, is not in the right place, or is not present in the right quantities. All these items are then transferred to a central staging area known as the “red tag zone.” They can only leave this zone when a person can and will actually use them. This way, items are redistributed to an area or workstation in which they are needed.
Items that are not required after a certain amount of time, say sixty days, should be sold, removed, recycled, or disposed of. Stage 2: Set [Arrange and Organize] In this stage, you give tools, supplies, and materials a permanent place in your shop. First remove every single remaining item (left over from Stage 1) and place it a short distance away. Then categorize the items
National Shadow Board.
August 2022
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How To SHOP LAYOUT
By JOHN HACKLEY
Maintaining the previous four stages and making a habit out of them is the goal of Sustain. People are hesitant to change and altering set behavior can be difficult. So be ready to reinforce the new “good” behavior. To make it easier, there are many things you can do. Try documenting routines and standard operating procedures or creating newsletters or guidebooks. Have team and management audits and schedule stand up meetings to ensure you and your team will hold on to the changes made!
Post-It Red Tags.
based on their frequency of use (whether it be hourly, weekly, monthly, and yearly), but feel free to create categories that suit your own needs. After this categorization process, you place the most frequently used tools, supplies, items, etc., the closest to the place where they are consumed or processed. The other items are placed further away. Now that you’re items are in the right spots, you’ll need to make sure they stay there and will be put back, in the same place, after they are used. The use of a Visual Management aide such as a shadow board (painted board with each tool clearly labeled with lines drawn around them) is an effective way of organizing. The goal of marking the location for each and every tool on the board is to make it really obvious when a tool is missing, which in turn should decrease the possibility of productivity loss because something is missing that is necessary for the operation. Within seconds (no more than three), anyone passing by should become aware as to whether something is out of place. This is referred to as the three-second rule.
comes from having operators regularly cleaning their assigned machines and/or workstations is that the operators are more likely to discover small abnormalities that happen to emerge in use, before they result in producing defects. This means that the goal of the Shine [Clean] stage is not just cleaning a machine but setting the stage for the practice of operators responding to deviations from the standard, which is the most important practice within lean thinking and behaving.
Stage 3: Shine [Clean] This third stage is an activity that employees would be either partly or completely responsible for, depending on the nature and scale of your operation. One of the biggest advantages that
Stage 5: Sustain [Hold on to Changes] The last stage is the most difficult one of the 5S methodology. Holding on to the changes made is not very straightforward because learned behavior is competing with new behavior.
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Stage 4: Standardize In the standardize step, you will work on creating a consistent approach to the way tasks work and procedures are executed. The first goal is to set ground rules for how work is to be performed at the work center in which 5S tasks are integrated in the regular process flow. The second goal is all about prevention. Set up clear rules to prevent accumulation of unnecessary items, breakdown of procedures, and prevention of contamination of machines or materials. Build infrastructure and set up rules that make sure you meet these two goals.
Conclusion The 5S process will only be successful if there is 100 percent commitment from upper management and a complete buyin from all employees. Everyone needs to know why it’s important to eliminate the time wasters that limit flow and cause so many problems, as well as how to implement the process. Companies fail 5S because they don’t understand the goal, thus sustainability is sacrificed. They find reasons to stop doing all the things I’ve outlined in this article. Soon the benefits are mostly gone, people forget what it all means, and throughput drops, lead times rise, and so does cost. Worse they start losing skilled people because the culture suffers. Lean 5S is one of the most powerful management strategies that typically yield the biggest return on your investment, especially at the onset of a Lean transformation initiative. The benefits you can expect to achieve will be greater on-time performance, less stress, and improved employee satisfaction; less firefighting for managers; an improved customer experience; and, best of all, more money in the bank! John Hackley ASBC has thirty-five years of management and manufacturing experience and is Chief Efficiency Officer for Oculus Business Solutions, Inc. Reach him at jhackley@oculuscoaching.net. John will be talking more about this month’s subject on September 20 at the SBI/NSSA Northeast Conference & Expo in Providence, RI (see sidebar, opposite page). signshop.com
How To SHOP LAYOUT
By JOHN HACKLEY
SBI/NSSA Conference & Expo Preview T h e S B I / N S S A N o r t h e ast Conference & Expo is taking p lace Se pte m be r 19-21 at th e Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island..
M o n d a y , S e p t e mb e r 1 9 9:00 a.m. Keyn ote: Make Your Business Plan a Living Document – Lawre n c e G i ro u a rd, C EO, Th e Business Avionix Company
A highlight of the event is going to be our educational Conference (September 19-20) that will offer actionable “how-to” lessons to sign shops of all sizes and levels of experience. (Note: An exhibitorfilled tradeshow will occur September 20-21.)
9:45 a.m. How to Get Noticed and In c re ase Yo ur Custom e r B ase – Bruce Walker, Central Paper
A day-and-a-half of conference sessions are going to be focused on how sign shops can increase their sales and profits through strong business management and operational efficiency.
11:00 a.m. Sign Shop Panel: The Best Solutions for Your Shop’s Biggest Challenges 11:45 a.m. Best Job Pricing Practices – Yaron Lew, Lauretano Signs 1:15 p.m. Hiring the Right Employees for Your Shop – Stephanie Poyant Moran & Kyle Furtado, Poyant Signs
This conference portion is designed to provide you with all the tools and information you need to become either a better business owner or a more productive employee.
1:45 p.m. Rules of Engagement/ Reta i n i n g Em p l oye es – D avid Fellman, Sign Sales DNA Project
Here is the schedule of the informative sessions that will be held at this year’s conference.
3:00 p.m. Five Principles for Sales Success – David Fellman, Sign Sales DNA Project
signshop.com
2:30 p.m. Building an Installation Team – Rob Kennedy, Lauretano Signs
4:00 p.m. Resources to Help Your Small Business Start, Grow, and Succeed – Matthew Spoehr, U.S. Small Business Administration T u e s d a y , S e p t e mb e r 2 0 8:45 a.m. Sign Shop Panel: Maximize Your Shop Layout 9:15 a.m. Valuing Your Sign Design – Wayn e G a l l i g a n, Wayfi n d e r Collaborative, SEGD Boston 9:45 a.m. Finishing Projects on Time and on Budget – John Hackley, Oculus Business Solutions 10:45 a.m. Pricing Workshop: Bring Your P&L – Paul Tripp, Classic Signs 11:30 a.m. Finding Work/Life Balance – Erika Cannon, Thrive Behavorial Health 12:15 p.m. Closing Comments: Putting It All Together – Jeff Wooten, Sign Builder Illustrated For a full, detailed description of each of these sessions, please check out the “Conference” tab at www.signshop.com/nssa.
August 2022
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How To LEGISLATION REGULATIONS| BY | BYDAVID DAVIDHICKEY HICKEY
The Darkest Timeline
L
ast issue, we told you about the collective sigh of relief after the positive U.S. Supreme Court ruling on City of Austin, Texas v. Reagan National Advertising (“Making Decisions”). What I didn’t tell you though is an example of how bad this ruling might have been. As this case made its way through the courts, the city of Houston began to anticipate the SCOTUS ruling and enacted a pre-emptive moratorium on all-new sign permits. It’s important to keep in mind that the city of Houston has a long history of working to reduce the number of billboards there. The city assumed that the U.S. Supreme Court would require billboards to be treated the same as on-premise signs—so it was going to crack down on on-premise signs rather than allow new billboards. The Houston moratorium was in-
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tended to take effect once the Supreme Court issued its ruling and would last sixty days (or even longer, if needed). Imagine if this attitude adopted there had taken hold throughout the rest of the country, with communities effectively stopping any new sign permits while it dissected and understood the Supreme Court’s ruling. The result: Our industry would have ground to a halt. So too would the important work that we do on behalf of businesses and communities. The trickledown effect would have been enormous. Blanket moratoriums are almost always a bad idea, and it’s not unusual that we encounter them. For example, businesses that have spent years working to open may be delayed because of this arbitrary issue. In some cases, a sixty-day delay can be fatal to a new business, which relies on signage to tell people that it’s there and it’s open, as well as something
If not for the positive Supreme Court ruling on City of Austin, Texas v. Reagan National Advertising, things might have been very bad for the sign industry.
signshop.com
Photo: Shutterstock.com/ Chokniti-Studio.
Pondering the “worst case” scenario.
How To more about it. The International Sign Association (ISA) and the Texas Sign Association jumped into action together, contacting Houston’s city attorney with our insight. We offered resources that could help the community to reduce the moratorium time and to offer content-neutral ways to regulate billboards and on-premise signs. As it happens, on the morning we were schedule to meet with the Houston City Attorney’s office, the Austin v. Reagan decision came out, and it fortunately was a positive outcome. The Supreme Court had affirmed the distinctions between on- and offpremise signs. But this ruling did not mean that Houston cancelled its moratorium. In fact, it began enforcing the moratorium that day. The city said that it wanted time to review the court’s ruling, to ensure that there were no loopholes that would allow more billboards. We didn’t quit, either. We contacted the city attorney multiple times— all the way up until they were satisfied that no new billboards would be sprouting up in Houston. The moratorium officially ended on Day 14, so it ended up being shortened by forty-six days. While the best outcome would have been “no moratorium,” cutting it down to just two weeks was an acceptable scenario. It also helped us establish a working relationship with representatives of the nation’s fourthlargest city. There were positive outcomes from what happened in Houston, and it further showcases the ability to work with communities rather than against them. In fact, this result is a tremendous example of what can happen when we all work together.
MANAGEMENT | BY DAVID M. FELLMAN
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO MANAGE A SUCCESSFUL SIGN BUSINESS To run a successful sign shop, you need to run a successful business. Sign Builder Illustrated can help. Not only do we focus on the work you do on the shop floor, but we also focus on the work you do to improve the success and wellbeing of you and your team.
www.signshop.com
David Hickey is the vice-president of Government Affairs at the International Sign Association. If you hear of a sign code issue in your community, please reach out to him at David.Hickey@signs.org.
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September 19-21, 2022
Rhode Island Convention Center Providence, RI
Prepare Your Sign Shop for Success Learn how to increase your sign shop’s sales and profits through strong business management, improving operational efficiency, and expanding product offerings. SBI and NSSA have collaborated to create a program designed to help both sign shop owners and employees navigate a rapidly changing industry landscape, an unstable economic outlook, and the influx of non-sign companies offering signage services. PLUS: A large exhibit hall will showcase digital and flatbed printers, laminators, CNC routers, engravers, LED Displays, channel letter benders, service trucks and many more—everything you need to serve existing clients and attract new clients.
Learn More www.signshop.com/nssa
EXHIBIT SALES: David Harkey T: 973.563.0109 E: dharkey@sbpub.com EVENT INQUIRIES: conferences@sbpub.com ASSOCIATION INQUIRIES: Tricia Smack • tricia.smack@nssasign.org
Top 5 Reasons to Attend:
1.•
Spend time building your business instead of just working in it.
2.•
Streamline your workflow by maximizing your shop layout and production methods.
3.•
Learn how to combat the labor shortage with better hiring and employee retention practices.
4.• Expand your profits with proven sales strategies and methods to break into new markets. 5.•
Walk away armed with all the tools you need to become a better business owner.
Speakers include: Building a Better Installation Team
Rob Kennedy Chief Operating Officer Lauretano Sign Group
Hiring the Right Employees for Your Shop
Stephanie Poyant Director of Sales Operations Poyant Signs
Best Job Pricing Practices
Yaron Lew
Executive Vice President Lauretano Sign Group
VIEW OUR EXHIBITORS AT www.signshop.com/nssa
Feature Name WAYFINDING By ASHLEY AuthorBRAY
WATERSIDE WAYFINDING A Florida development gets a completely custom wayfinding system.
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All Photos: Harbinger Sign.
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he Lakewood Ranch Development in the Sarasota/Tampa region of Florida is a collection of villages, neighborhoods, parks, and town centers spanning 150 miles near the Gulf coast. Waterside Place is the newest addition to Lakewood Ranch, and it’s the only waterfront retail and lifestyle destination in Sarasota. In addition to its homes, Waterside Place offers restaurants, shops, and a variety of arts and entertainment options. Given all the development has to offer, a comprehensive wayfinding and identity package was a must. And this is where Harbinger Sign comes in. Located in Jacksonville, the sign company has been in business for over fifty years. The full-service shop handles everything from code checks and site surveys all the way through to installation and shipping. “We have a segmentation of the business that is proficient and excellent at brand or program signage. And we’ve always been a steadfast participant in the custom architectural signage community as well,” explains Ed Busey, vice president of Business Development for Harbinger Sign, who says the company is capable of turning out both on-spec brand signage as well as custom architectural one-off projects in the wayfinding and high-end signage segments. Waterside Place combines aspects of both branding and custom wayfinding signage, so Harbinger was especially suited to the job. The sign company was brought on by ArchitecturePlus International (api(+)), a design firm that Harbinger has collaborated with on four other projects. “api(+) interviewed us based on our experience, past relationships, and vetted us,” says Busey. “We went through a formal RFP process with pricing, interviews, and samples, and we were fortunate enough to be awarded that work directly from the owner of Lakewood Ranch.” Harbinger provided a total of 200 signs for the project. The project consisted of the design, fabrication, and installation of multiple sign types, including monuments, banners, kiosks, vehicular and
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pedestrian directionals, and interior and exterior room and building identification. Getting From Here to There Busey says careful and thorough project management is key on a job as large as this. “You have to start off with a skilled, experienced project manager,” he says. “This is a unique scenario. The product is unique, the setting is unique, and there’s a lot of quantity and a lot of nuances to it. “So we paired up with a very seasoned project manager who had a lot of experience in this realm.” Busey also says Harbinger’s internal tracking system of using project charts was important. These charts were shared with Harbinger’s internal teams but also
with the general contractor of Waterside Place so that the sign installation properly aligned with other trades on site. “While we’re building all these signs, you’ve got buildings going up, retail going up, amenity spaces, landscape, hardscape pavers,” he says. “Depending on our sign types, those have to go in at precisely the right moment when these other trades are doing their work. Otherwise you’re too early or you’re too late and that causes problems.” Busey says the final piece of the puzzle is regular meetings, “We had weekly meetings with the general contracting side and the owner’s project manager to ensure that we remained in lockstep with their process and schedule.”
Digital signage also played a role in the wayfinding system thanks to a number of kiosks with touchscreen digital displays.
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Both placement and direction orientation are paramount with wayfinding systems.
Design Directions Harbinger Sign worked closely with api(+) to bring the design to life. “A keyword in the custom signage industry, as well as at api(+), is ‘design intent,’” says Busey. “[Designers] rely heavily on entities like Harbinger Sign and our team to understand and digest their design intent and then supplement that with our intimate knowledge of the sign industry and the products, materials, colors, installation challenges, or nuances.” Busey has worked to foster the relationship between sign fabricators and the design community for his entire career. 20
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“It’s an extremely intimate level of trust,” he says. “The designers are the visionaries of the aesthetic, and we as fabricators are the facilitators and executors of that vision. There’s a lot of respect that goes both ways.” For this project, it was important to api(+) and the owners of Lakewood Ranch that the sign program was cohesive and matched the architectural style of the development as well as its vision for premium and quality. To achieve this, the design includes a layered wave element created by api(+) as well as custom bronze and blue colors.
“Those colors are actually very complex. It’s a model antique bronze finish that’s made up of about four different paint colors,” says Busey, who explains the multi-stage process was completed using Matthews Paint. “That’s one of the very key earmarks of this whole development— all these signs have this very complex, multi-stage, antique bronze finish on the signs and/or the poles.” When designing a wayfinding system, Busey says it should be a blend of form and function. “Wayfinding is intended to guide and inform pedestrians and/or vehicles through a site, city, or campus. If it signshop.com
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doesn’t fulfill the function, it doesn’t hold any water,” he says, noting that the design api(+) created does that and more. Putting the Pieces Together Once the design was finalized, Harbinger got to work on the fabrication process. On the interior, there is a mix of aluminum signs and polymer material signs. The exterior signs are all made from aluminum, which has an advantage over steel in terms of rusting and corrosion in the sometimes harsh Florida climate. “Our home base is in Jacksonville, Florida, so we’re very familiar with the climate and the harshness of it, as is the designer,” says Busey. “The designer automatically understands those important conditions and typically starts off from a position of appropriate selection of materials right away.” The use of Matthews Paint also provided durability to the signs. Apart from developing the very complex bronze finish, oainting the signs had its own challenges.
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“Not every single sign came through our facility at the same phase. So even though we knew how to create this custom antique finish, we still had stops and starts,” explains Busey. “To have that consistency over the course of this many signs is challenging and takes a lot of skill to replicate such a unique finish throughout.” Many of the signs were also illuminated, depending on their branding importance or position in the signage hierarchy. Digital signage also played a role thanks to a number of kiosks with touchscreen digital displays. “It’s a very engaging and active community, and they use [the digital kiosks] as a vehicle to communicate events and programs,” says Busey. Busey has seen an increased use of digital signage in wayfinding systems thanks to a decrease in the cost as well as an increase in available products with better functionality and connectivity. “If they can spring for that budget, that contemporary functionality is just a tremendous advantage,” he says.
Information Installation Placement is also paramount when it comes to wayfinding systems. “Not only the placement, but the orientation,” says Busey. “It’s one thing to get the sign in the correct, let’s say X andY, position on a site. And then it’s another to orient these multifaceted signs in the correct directions so that they face either a road, a path, or a sidewalk appropriately.” When placing the Waterside Place signs, Busey says he started off with locating the sign types on the architectural site plan. “You place it literally in a two-dimensional setting,” he says. As the content and messaging of the signs were clarified, he got more detailed about the positioning. From there, Harbinger conducted multiple site walks to be sure the conceptual placements matched up with the real world placements. Harbinger then moved to the “staking process,” where they stake out the actual locations on the site. The biggest challenge in installing
the signs was working around the other trades on a very active construction site. “There’s a lot of construction equipment, people, debris, and dirt and grime moving around, and you’re trying to install a very pretty object,” says Busey. “There’s a lot of precautions and planning that have to be taken to ensure that the product arrives, gets installed, and you walk away without it looking dinged up or scratched.” To install the signage, Harbinger used standard bucket trucks and smaller powered, front-end loader machines. Arriving at the Destination The entire wayfinding project took sixteen to eighteen months, with Harbinger finishing up in February. Lakewood Ranch Development ended up very satisfied with the final product. “They were appreciative to us that we executed on deploying the finished sign product that matched that high level of finish that the owner was looking for,” says Busey.
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Feature NameDEsign EXPERIENTIAL By JEFF Author WOOTEN
Creating a custom Avatar themed game room.
PLAYING IMMERSIVE
The Alliance Franchise Brands Project of the Year.
hanks to theme parks and attractions, Orlando, Florida is one of the biggest tourist cities in the world. Today short-term rental vacation homes are proving just as popular as hotels in the area. This means property managers employing creativity to attract potential guests. One such solution is custom-themed rooms. In fact, Image360 South Orlando took home this year’s Alliance Franchise Brands Project of the Year with a transformative experiential makeover incorporating elements from the sci-fi movie Avatar for one Orlando Airbnb homeowner. Image360 South Orlando is owned and operated by Ana and Marco Milliotti. Before getting involved in the sign and graphics industry, they had more than fifteen years’ experience working in project management and business administration for corporate company offices. In 2018, they wanted a fresh change to their careers. The couple desired to do
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something “dynamic” and “fun” while still making money. “While researching different markets, we learned Image360 and the sign industry would allow us to provide cool services and state-of-the-art solutions to help any clients stand out,” says Marco. Today Ana and Marco have four employees and specialize in visual communication—vehicle wraps, wall graphics, banners, dimensional letters and logos, etc. On this award-winning project, the homeowner followed the local trend of locking garages and turning them into game rooms—this one complete with a pool table, foosball, arcade games, and more. She also took inspiration from a ride based off the Avatar movie at the nearby Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. The property manager contacted Image360 South Orlando after the shop wrapped one of this home’s bedrooms with a medieval theme. “She wanted to create a really immersive experience in the game room,” says Ana, “so guests
would feel like they were in the movie.” Image360 South Orlando handled the entire project in-house. They fabricated three eight-foot-tall Na’vi characters from the Avatar movie out of PVC and combined them with wall murals featuring movie-inspired scenery and LED lighting to create the necessary atmosphere. The shop used CorelDRAW and Illustrator to come up with concept and shop drawings for the graphics and Photoshop for the lighting elements. Fully wrapped walls measure 20-by-9 feet, 12-by-9 feet, and 10-by-9 feet. Image360 South Orlando used 3M™ IJ35 Graphic Film with matte laminate because of its high tack. Plans originally called for the ceiling to also be wrapped, but this was nixed. “How far we go with customization is really up to how far the customer has budgeted for a project,” says Marco. A big piece of this experiential design is a glowing, liquid-filled tube featuring a Na’vi character that plays a notable role signshop.com
All Photos: Image350 South Orlando.
T
GAMES
in the movie and at the park ride. The client had already gone to three other sign shops in the area with this request, with each one telling her it would be “impossible” to illuminate painted tubes. “She was very happy because she thought, ‘You’re the first one that said this could be done,’” says Ana, noting they later figured out how to do it after committing to the job. One reason they could do this is because Marco loves to experiment with engineering, as well as have lots of fun when doing so. “Nobody told me it was impossible,” laughs Marco. “I just went out and did it!” The Avatar characters were made from routed 1/2-inch black PVC with printed vinyl graphics applied to it and backed with LED Neon stripes. The visual communications shop designed all the parts and brackets and, since they don’t have a flatbed printer at the moment, routed out every piece in order to make it 3D. Two of the Na’vi characters are attached to the walls while one appears inside the tube. For the character inside signshop.com
the tube, the visual communications shop routed some arches for the clear structure on the same black PVC material. They used 1/8-inch polycarbonate and bended around the shape to create the tube. Image360 South Orlando used LED Neon strip lighting to create the shimmering water effect. All of the wiring was hidden on the back of the PVC substrate and routed to make it flat. Marco figured out that if he used a diffusing type of LED and put a band of acrylic over it, this would give the tube a watery look. “I’m an electrical engineer and a geek with materials, LEDs, and lights,” says Marco. “I call up manufacturers or buy stuff off Amazon to test and try it out on Saturdays. Fortunately I’d played with these materials before.” The whole structure was hung up using Z clips and bolted directly to the wall. Hanging the main tube piece proved the biggest challenge of the project for the Milliottis. “First we had to route the back of the PVC. The PVC was all routed
to hide the wiring and make it flat,” says Marco. “We had to transport the piece completely assembled because it was too delicate to hold the brackets together. But to install it to the wall, we had to take it apart and then reassemble it again. “Of course, doing that with the acrylic liner was more complicated because you could not see what was inside and we didn’t want to remove the liner before installing so as to not scratch the acrylic.” The transformed garage has increased rentals and rates for the property manager. Image360 South Orlando wants to increase their experiential work for clients—even undergoing graphics certification this August. Their work for this Orlando homeowner is attracting attention. Ana laughs that, while at the AFB Convention, another attendee told her that they were going to be vacationing at this Avatar house soon. “When she saw the game room during the award ceremony, she learned we had made it!” says Ana. August 2022
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Alliance Franchise Brands Project of the Year Finalists Image360 Wallingford, Massachusetts Owners: Tim and Sue Keogh Produced and installed graphics, signs, and experiential art at Mastercard’s 12-story $200 million new Tech Center on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York. Image360 Traverse City, MI Owners: Andrew and Amy Kohlmann Brought experiential graphic design via new storefront
—
signs and architectural updates (faux-wood paneling, custom LED light bar, second-surface color, clear acrylic letters, etc.) to Miner’s North Jewelers expanded storefront. Signs By Tomorrow Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Owner: Kevin Moore (Pictured) Created custom wall mural installations featuring paintings by local artist Maria DeSemone Prascak for the parking garage at Guardian Storage Solutions’ headquarters.
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ARCHWAY TO LED V
All Photos: Electrosonic, Inc.
Library incorporates digital portal as part of its renovation.
isitors to the main branch of the Whittier Public Library in Whittier, California, now pass through a digital archway as they enjoy the Library’s many services. Audiovisual (AV) integrator and experiential technology company Electrosonic, Inc., completed work on bringing this experiential technology solution to the library’s interior space. After be-
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ing awarded this project, they brought onboard SNA Displays, a member of Electrosonic’s “Technology Partner Program,” to manufacture the LED displays and support the installation. The team selected the 2.5-mm BOLD™ Interior LED video technology from SNA Displays. The LED display consists of two dual-sided columns joined overhead at 90-degree angles by
the third section of the LED screen. Each floor-to-ceiling column is twoand-a-half feet wide. The overhead section goes from wall to wall, meaning that visitors are briefly immersed on three sides by LED video technology as they pass through “The Portal” from the main library area to the children’s section. “Digital displays in public areas like this are ideal for sparking the imagination
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Render Impact created four separate pieces of content, including an underwater scene.
or setting the right mood,” said Mikell Senger, senior project manager at SNA Displays. “I’m excited for children and adults alike to experience that wonder.” Electrosonic managed the installation of the dual-faced display system, which
processes more than 2.3 million pixels. Installation required careful coordination with architectural and integrator teams to place the digital portal in the space while considering the surrounding walls and passageway, efficiently landing
power and data cabling, and ensuring proper ventilation. Despite the technical nature of the LED installation, a new display is only as good as the content that goes on it. To deliver the library with high-quality, engaging, and relevant content, Electrosonic turned to Render Impact. When Render Impact received the request to create content for this project, they jumped at the opportunity. Render Impact is no stranger to nontraditional digital displays, as they create high-impact content of all shapes and sizes. Most of their creative content work is for requests outside the usual 16:9 format. Digital ceilings, floors, column wraps, and 90-degree corners are all formats Render Impact is used to dealing with. The company does everything from anamorphic illusions to forced perspectives and CGI nature scenes to 3Danimated graphics. For this project, Render Impact created four separate pieces of content: an
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underwater scene made in the Unreal Engine, creative incorporation of historic images of the city of Whittier, a 3D mid-century modern bookshelf canvas, and a tranquil CG nature scene that highlights the Library’s mascot, Leo the Lion. “The Whittier Library project was an exciting project for several reasons,” said Dan Maher, production manager at Render Impact. “The non-standard screen format of the LED archway always creates a playful canvas, as seen in the bookshelves animation. Creating content for both sides of the archway (public side and children’s side) gave us a great opportunity to craft imagery for a broader range of audiences. “The longer runtime of the 3D-animated underwater scene allowed us to mix in several small moments for patrons to discover.” The project’s success could have only been made possible by the hard work and collaboration between the library team
Creating content for both sides of the archway was an opportunity to craft imagery for a broader range of audiences.
and the partner team. As Electrosonic Project Manager April Ahn points out, “Electrosonic, SNA, and Render Impact achieved something great together. I am proud of the work we created through our incredible partnership.”
This collaboration and the new digital canvas have brought a fresh breath of life to the Whittier Public Library. They will live on to inspire and create lasting impressions on library visitors for years to come.
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Sign Builder’s
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Your Direct Source for Products & Services Get access to vital product and service information from manufacturers and distributors by visiting www.signbuilderdirectory.com.
COMPANY
URL
Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions
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Duxbury Systems Inc.
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EdgeLight LLC/Edgemax LLC
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Stamm Mfg.
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HOW TO NAVIGATE A CHANGING SIGN LANDSCAPE SBI’s new webinar series—On the Floor—is your compass to all the challenges sign shops face. Our series provides actionable steps to help your sign shop thrive amidst the expanding digital signage landscape and everyday operational challenges.
www.signshop.com/resources
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sbi operations Operations: Management By Joe Arenella
“When is this getting installed?” Honestly it was not their fault; other than a white board listing half-erased jobs, they had no idea what to do. Committing to a software system that manages production, design files, due dates, work orders, and job notes will help your employees see the big picture in the shop, feel more successful, and empower them to keep your customers happy.
Three project management tips.
T
o the average consumer, sign and print products may seem straightforward: They need the sign, and you make the sign. Simple, right? But as a sign shop owner, you know the processes to produce these products can be very complex. From design to engineering and code research to permitting, not to mention the skilled workforce and pricey equipment you need to accomplish these tasks, the steps to delivering a quality product are numerous and expensive. One mistake can blow the profit on an entire project. After years of talking with sign shop owners, plus the hard lessons I learned over the past twenty-five years growing two sign shops of my own, I’ve found that most mistakes come down to the lack of quality project management systems to handle incoming jobs and quote requests. #1. Sign shops need more than a paper system. If you don’t know how
many jobs you’ve sold or what stage of production they are in, you are likely feeling overwhelmed. Quoting off the top of your head overloads your shop with unprofitable jobs and leads to desperation and taking every job that comes in the door just to cover expenses, ultimately resulting in lost profits. What you need instead is a system to track all your jobs from start to finish and tools to quote jobs accurately that control mark-ups on material and labor. Finding and implementing an easy-to-use system will help eliminate these headaches and guide the healthy growth you desire. #2. Employees need to see the big picture. I visited a sign shop that was looking for a system to help with the “chaos” (their word, not mine). During the two hours I spent training the owner on our system, employees burst in roughly every five minutes with questions: “What do I charge for this?” “What color red is this?”
Sign Builder Illustrated Magazine (Print ISSN 895-0555, Digital ISSN 21614709) (USPS#0015-805) (Canada Post Cust. #7204564; Agreement #40612608; IMEX Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Canada) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, 88 Pine St. 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices.
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COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2022. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information, contact: Gary Lynch, Publisher (212) 620-7247 or glynch@sbpub.com.
Joe Arenella is the founder of SignTracker.com. You can reach him at joe@sign-tracker.com.
Most mistakes come down to a lack of quality project management systems to handle incoming jobs and quote requests.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sign Builder Illustrated, PO Box 239, Lincolnshire IL 60069-0239 USA. Instructional information provided in this magazine should only be performed by skilled crafts people with the proper equipment. The publisher and authors of information provided herein advise all readers to exercise care when engaging in any of the how-to-activities published in the magazine. Further, the publisher and authors assume no liability for damages or injuries resulting from projects contained herein.
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Photo: Pixabay.com.
Increase Productivity and Profits
#3. Customers need reliability. Approximately 80 percent of your shop’s profit comes from quality clients—customers who value the work you do and are willing to compensate you for it. They have a higher close ratio and spend more because they are often seeking an ongoing relationship with a sign shop to help solve problems, not create new ones. A system that gives you the information you need to communicate accurately builds trust and reliability and is key to growing and keeping a quality customer base. Having the tools in place to ensure their happiness will lead to better jobs, more profits, and a less stressful workload.
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