Sign Builder Illustrated December 2015

The new late show A Venue to Talk Signs

wayfind materials Getting a Sense of Direction

www.signshop.com

Num ber 246 | d ec em ber 2 0 1 5

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December 2015

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29

20

34 2015 USSC Sign Design Recap

BY NANCY MAREN

Announcing this year’s USSC’s Sign Design contest winners.

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25

SPECIAL SECTION SBi: Trendsetters An advertorial section featuring the latest innovators and visionairies of signage.

Dental Work

BY MARK K. ROBERTS

Smile for a dentist’s brand-new HDU dimensional sign.

Sign Builder Illustrated (Print ISSN 895-0555, Digital ISSN 2161-4709) (USPS#0015-805) (Canada Post Cust. #7204564) (Bluechip Int’l, Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Agreement # 41094515) is published monthly

by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 55 Broad Street, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices.

Pricing, Qualified individual working in the sign industry may request a free subscription. 12 issues per year. Non-qualified subscriptions Print version, Digital version, Both Print & Digital version: 1 year US/ Mexico/Canada $50.00; foreign $99.00. Agency subscriptions: 1 year US/Mexico/Canada $45.00; foreign $89.10. Single copies are $15.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid in full in U.S. funds only. Prices are subject to change.

Copyright © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2015. All rights reserved. Contents may not be

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29 34

Talk Show Signage

BY ASHLEY BRAY

A sign shop helps to usher in a new era of late night television

Everywhere You Look

BY LORI SHRIDHARE

Drawing viewers with engaging digital signage.

39

A Sense of Direction

BY LORI SHRIDHARE

New materials and technologies transform the directional landscape.

reproduced without permission. For reprint information contact: Arthur Sutley, Publisher (212) 620-7247 or asutley@sbpub.com.

For Subscriptions & Address Changes, please call (800) 895-4389, (847) 763-9686, Fax (847) 763-9544, e-mail signbuilder@halldata.com, or write to: Sign Builder Illustrated, Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, PO Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sign Builder Illustrated, PO Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172.

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.

December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

1

Agenda

How-To Columns

FEBRUARY 2016

17

14

Don’t Get So Restrictive

Stop Losing Business on Price

14 Stop Losing Business on Price

BY SARAH WILSON

How to make your customers less price-sensitive.

17 Don’t Get So Restrictive

BY DAVID HICKEY

Restrictive sign codes can lead to limited income potential.

February 25-26: The Midwest Sign Association will conduct its winter meeting at the Grand Plaza Hotel in Toledo, Ohio. www.massn.org

Departments 4

UpFront

6

Dispatches

Editor Jeff Wooten takes notice of some of the trends that developed at last month’s SGIA Expo in Atlanta.

Wrap installers celebrate Back to the Future day, results of the new ISA Wage & Benefits survey, and underwaterthemed wall and floor graphics add cheer to a pediatric treatment room.

10

Sign Show

46

SBI Marketplace

The newest products and services from sign manufacturers.

The new laTe show A Venue to Talk Signs

Advertisements and announcements from the sign trade.

wayfind maTerials Getting a Sense of Direction

www.signshop.com

N u mbe r 246 | d ec e mbe r 2015

How-To

48 Shop Talk

Ashley Bray checks out how a horizontal coating system solved workflow issues.

On the Cover

USSC

DeSign Winners

2

February 18-20: Graphics of the Americas Expo & Conference (GOA), the largest event in the U.S. attracting key industry professionals in graphic communications from throughout North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean, will be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, Florida. www.goaexpo.com

This monument sign took Best in Show honors in the 2015 USSC Sign Design Competition.

Photo: Creative Sign Designs, Tampa, FL.

Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

MARCH 2016 MARCH 10-12: The Southern States Sign Association’s annual conference takes place at the Holiday Inn in Charlotte, North Carolina. www. southernstatessigns.org

April 2016 April 20-23: The ISA International Sign Expo returns to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. www.signs.org April 26-28: LIGHTFAIR International, the world’s largest annual architectural and commercial lighting tradeshow and conference, will take place at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. www.lightfair.com signshop.com

Shaped by our history.

Defined by our future.

Bayer MaterialScience is now Covestro.

Even visionaries have hindsight. And with it, we see the pioneering spirit of our first 150 years driving the bold vision and organizational agility of our next 150. To develop the industry’s most innovative materials solutions. With past achievements powering future ones. And tomorrow’s successes defining today’s. Covestro is here.

covestro.com

Up FRONT

by jeff wooten

December 2015, Vol. 29, No. 246 Sign Builder Illustrated (ISSN 0895-0555) print, (ISSN 2161-0709) digital is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation executive offices

President and Chairman Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. Publisher arthur j. sutley 55 Broad Street, 26th Floor New York, NY 10004 212/620-7247; fax: 212/633-1863 editorial editor

Jeff Wooten

323 Clifton Street, Suite #7 Greenville, NC 27858 212/620-7244; fax: 212/633-1863 jwooten@sbpub.com

Trends: SGIA Expo Recap

T

he host city of Atlanta, Georgia may not have lived up to its reputation of “Hotlanta” during last month’s SGIA Expo (thanks to a consistent cool, gray, foggy drizzle that lingered almost all four days), but the same can’t be said for the exhibit floor inside Hall B of the Georgia World Congress Center.

A record 543 exhibitors were set up within 241,500 square feet of space. (Honestly I still don’t think my feet have recovered.)

Traffic on the massive floor appeared quite steady (if not absolutely packed, at times) with people looking for hardware, materials, and/or information that would help their shops. The final estimated number of attendees was over 23,000 (a new East Coast record!), the majority of these being print providers with the rest installers, suppliers, and educators.

Although figures showed that the sign and graphics market appeared flat/even in terms of attention, SGIA did pinpoint two rising markets they’d found that have attracted the interest of digital printers and media suppliers.

The first upward trend involved textile printing. Fabrics absolutely appeared to be a big selling point at this year’s show, maybe even more so than its evident increase over the past few years. These materials were heavily instrumental not only in output being demonstrated but also in actual booth décor, as well.

The push is really on regarding this medium, judging from the many soft signage applications on display: indoor and outdoor advertising, fine art reprints, tradeshow displays, event

4

and entertainment signage, just to name a few.

The other market cited as rising by SGIA at this year’s Expo was industrial printing (where the printing process is deployed directly on the production line for purposes like decoration, packaging, prototyping, etc.). There was definitely a more intense focus on this market throughout the show floor than I’ve seen in years past, and this trend bears watching.

On the traditional sign and graphics front, wide format printing continued to make an impression, while advancements in UV printing proved even more interesting this year as hardware manufacturers were excitedly demonstrating how they were now able to achieve super-sharp clarity and resolution (something that had eluded this technology for awhile) through super-extreme small printing.

One trend I’ve noticed through speaking with sign shop owners and trade association executives over the past year is an increased effort to attract new, fresh blood to our industry. With this in mind, the Expo floor hosted an Educator Row, featuring different schools providing information on how to attract younger workers to the print industry (design, production, marketing, etc.).

Finally on the announcement front, Ford Bowers, vice president of operations for large format print provider Miller Zell Inc. (and an expert in G7 printing methodologies), was officially named as the successor to Michael Robertson as SGIA president and CEO. His succession will start on February 1, 2016.

Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

managing editor

Ashley Bray

55 Broad Street, 26th Floor New York, NY 10004 212/620-7220; fax: 212/633-1863 abray@sbpub.com contributing writers

Butch “Superfrog” Anton, Mike Antoniak, David Hickey, Mark Roberts, Lori Shridhare, Sarah Wilson, Randy Wright art

Corporate Art Director Wendy Williams Designer Nicole Cassano production

Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers circulation

Circulation Director Maureen Cooney advertising sales national sales director

Jeff Sutley 212/620-7233; fax: 212/633-1863 jeffsutley@sbpub.com west & midwest regional sales manager

Ian Littauer

212/620-7225; fax: 212/633-1863 ilittauer@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 Arthur Sutley at 212/620-7247 or e-mail asutley@sbpub.com.

Circulation Dept. 800/895-4389

signshop.com

Dispatches

Great Scott!

A Time Traveling Wrap

to use a vinyl color change film, 3M™ Wrap Film 1080 – BR241, Brushed Gold.

The vehicle color choice is significant as the DeLorean Motor Company built fewer than 10,000 cars. As the result of a special factory project, only three were gold.

Knowing this, 3M wanted to turn a fourth DeLorean gold using removable 3M products.

3M secured a DeLorean through a pri-

vate owner for this project, and then 3M staff got to work on the wrap.

The installers started with the hood of the car then moved on to the doors and the roof. Next they applied the vinyl to the front sides of the car and then to the back.

The final touches were then added to the front and back bumpers.

In addition to the vinyl wrap, 3M

Saint Paul, Minnesota—October 21, 2015, the day Marty McFly and Doc Brown went to the future in the movie Back to the Future Part II, was widely celebrated as "Back to the Future" Day. In honor of this day and to pay tribute to the Back to the Future movie’s thirtieth anniversary, 3M Commercial Solutions Division put down their Grays Sports Almanac and wrapped a DeLorean.

This car became widely known for its iconic appearance in the film, and 3M chose 6

Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

signshop.com

Growth in Wages, Job Openings

installers also applied 3M™ Crystalline Automotive Window Films to the DeLorean’s windows, which darkens them and provides UV protection—keeping the car’s interior cooler as well as providing protection from fading.

Finally 3M installers also added the lead-free 3M™ Wheel Weight System to the car to provide a smoother ride.

Balancing a vehicle’s wheels is important

signshop.com

for a smoother ride, better gas mileage, and more even tire wear. This has traditionally been achieved using lead wheel weights, but the 3M Wheel Weight System has no lead and is designed to have less impact on the environment than standard lead wheel weights.

To view a “back in time”-lapse video of the DeLorean wrap, get your flux capacitor ready and visit: http://bit.ly/1iasiEU.

Alexandria, Virginia—The newly released ISA Wage & Benefits survey shows the average salaries, increases, and benefits for employees at nearly sixty salaried and hourly positions throughout a typical sign and visual communication operation.

The report, conducted by Association Research, Inc. (ARI), used confidential data from 475 sign and visual communications companies.

Some highlights: + T h e ave ra g e p e rc e nt p ay increase in 2015 was 5.4 percent for hourly employees, 5.1 percent for salaried administrative/operational employees, and 5.5 percent for salaried-management employees. + For 2016, the expected average percent pay increase is 4.8 percent for hourly, 4.6 percent for salaried administrative/operational, and 5.0 percent for salaried-management. + A little over one-half (55.8 percent) of all respondents plan to hire additional staff in the second half (July through December) of 2015. + More sales teams work on salary plus commission (42.7 percent) than on salary alone (30.1 percent).

To learn more and to access/purchase the report, visit www.signs. org/salary.

December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

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Dispatches + Creating an Underwater World with Wall & Floor Graphics Los Angeles, California—HP collaborated with CR&A Custom, Inc. (CR&A), a grand format digital printing company, to transform a pediatric treatment room at California-based White Memorial Medical Center (WMMC) into an ocean adventure using HP Latex printing technology.

“The WMMC team wanted to create an interior design project that would help foster a sense of safety for patients, but we face strict rules and regulations that make projects of this scope very difficult,” said Sara Rubalcava-Beck, marketing and communications, WMMC. “Fortunately with innovative HP Latex printing technology and inks that are certified for sensitive environments, the mural we envisioned for young patients in our emergency pediatric treatment room has become a reality.”

CR&A transformed three white walls and a floor of a treatment room at WMMC using the HP Latex 3000 Printer, HP 881 Latex Inks, and HP PVC-free Durable Smooth Wall Paper donated by HP. CR&A selected HP 881 Latex Inks for the WMMC project because they provide a scratch resistance comparable to hardsolvent inks on certain substrates, outdoor durability across all common media types, as well as high-quality odorless prints that meet environmental standards.

This collaboration also served as the platform for the first worldwide introduction of the HP PVC-free Durable Smooth Wall Paper that is Type II-compliant for durability, making it the ideal choice in an environment where wear and tear is more prevalent. It is also mildew- and moldresistant, scrub- and scratch-resistant, easy to install and remove, and has obtained multiple environmental certifications.

“Prior to installing the HP Latex 3000 Printer, finding authorized materials and solutions to support a project of this scope in this type of environment would have

been a challenge,” said Shannon Del Rio, vice president of global marketing, CR&A. Get an inside look at the special installation process and HP and CR&A’s collaboration at WMMC by viewing this video: http://bit.ly/1RCPesr.

An Education in Post-&-Panel Signs Millersville, Pennsylvania—Modular Curved Frame Technology provider Vista System International (www.vistasystem. com) recently supplied its Vista Expand Po s t & Pa n e l s i g n s o l u t i o n s fo r Signarama of Lancaster, who installed them at Millersville University.

The customer needed signs that were visually appealing, could match the University colors, would be all black, and would be easily changeable, since campus maps vary depending on the level of construction at a given time.

8

Changeability and look were huge selling points to the client.

This project had a total of eight double-sided post-and-panel signs, which were placed in various high-traffic locations around the campus of Millersville University.

From start to finish, the project took just over two months.

Supplying the right solutions for this project brought high satisfaction from the customer.

Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

signshop.com

SignSHOW ACRYLICS/PLASTICS The Moment Many Have Been Waiting for: Rowmark Launches Color Snap Match App for Android!

Developed to aid users in finding the perfect color-matched plastic sheet for their laser, rotary, or printable application or design, the Android version of Rowmark’s new Color Snap Match mobile app is now available for free download in the Google Play store. This app is already a big hit and is also perfect for providing quick Rowmark product recommendations. An easy-to-use filtering tool provides a complete list of suggested Rowmark sheet products that closely match your required color. The Apple and Android versions of the mobile app feature the same easy-to-use functionality and design—including the ability to quickly get suggested color matches with use of the camera phone or photo gallery, as well as to request Rowmark samples of color matches. To download Rowmark’s Color Snap Match app, visit the Apple iTunes app store via your iOS 8+ version Apple iPhone® or iPad® or the Google Play store via your Android 4.4 “KitKat” version for mobile phone or tablet and search “color snap match.” www.rowmark.com

D I G I TA L P R I N T I N G E Q U I PM E N T/ S U P P L I E S Mimaki USA Announces UJF-7151 Plus Multi-purpose UV LED Flatbed Printer The design and technologies of the next-generation UJF-7151 plus UV-LED flatbed printer from Mimaki USA enable sign, specialty graphics, and award and personalization companies to realize the benefits of digital printing with higher margins and lower production costs without compromising quality. Unlike conventional models, the print table moves the substrate under the staggered print heads, using Mimaki’s exclusive ball screw technology to reduce vibration and increase ink drop accuracy. Mimaki Advance Pass System 4 (MAPS4) technology reduces banding and produces smoother images, while Mimaki Fine Diffusion 1 (MFD1) patented dithering technique in RasterLink6 RIP software enhances image quality. A new UV-LED curing system controls lamp power and curing time for higher quality results. When using clear ink for a topcoat, the additional control delivers near-flawless glossy results by preventing dust adhesion and air bubble formation. Variable dot printing produces smoother gradients and quartertones. Waveform control jets each ink droplet at an optimum angle to maintain formation and shape. www.mimakiusa.com

ULTRA Raises the Bar in Digital Flatbed Printing Novus Imaging, Inc., is proud to introduce ULTRA, a state-of-the-art, industrial-grade flatbed printer designed and made in the USA. ULTRA’s steel frame and high-quality components coupled with groundbreaking features (outstanding gray-scale print quality and auto masking to save hours of set up time) combine to deliver a solid, dependable, built-to-last printer. A class above its competition in every way but price, ULTRA is available in three models to fit any budget and is field-upgradeable to allow for more capacity as your business grows. Advanced UV LED curing and ink technology delivers low temperature curing and reliability without sacrificing print speed, color gamut, ink adhesion, or media versatility. 603/250-1516; novusimaging.com

New Large Format Roland Printer Optimizes Productivity, Minimizes Operating Costs The sixty-four-inch EJ-640 eco-solvent inkjet printer from Roland DGA incorporates dual staggered printheads, an integrated tri-heater system, a rigid industrial design, and high-capacity 1-liter ink cartridges available in four- or sevencolor configurations for unsurpassed performance and production capability. The EJ-640 uses new EJ INK, with an ink cost up to 35 percent lower than comparable printers’ inks. In a mirrored CMYK ink configuration, the EJ-640 achieves speeds of up to 1,098 square feet per hour (102m2/h). In addition to dual CMYK, a seven-color ink configuration consisting of CMYK plus Light Cyan (Lc), Light Magenta (Lm), and Light Black (Lk) is available for a wider color gamut and finer details. A rigid shaft holds long and heavy rolls securely, and a newly developed Feed Adjuster ensures the smooth progression of media through the printer and onto the take-up system. A reinforced rail and frame structure enables precise ink droplet placement for detailed, vibrant prints, even at higher speeds. The EJ-640’s powerful heater and blower prevent ink from bleeding during take-up. www.rolanddga.com

FAB R ICS Fisher Textiles Introduces Mesh Apparel Fabric Made from Recycled Yarns Fisher Textiles is adding ETP 2319 Athletic Mesh to its Digital Apparel fabric line for dye sublimation printing. ETP 2319 is made with REPREVE recycled yarns produced from recycled plastic PET bottles. ETP 2319 is ideal for fitness or active wear applications and contains wicking. It is 4.8 oz./linear yards and is comprised of 100 percent REPREVE Recycled Polyester and 100 percent Post Consumer Waste. It is stocked at sixty inches wide. REPREVE hangtags (pictured) for finished garments are available. Free sample rolls are available for testing. 800-554-8886; www.fishertextiles.com

10

Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

signshop.com

TD3 FINALLY,

The Most Cost-Efficient Solution for new and retrofit cabinet applications.

US LED is Always the Right Choice!

3” - 18” Depth 8” - 24” Stroke 12 or 24V

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info@usled.com 713.972.9191 Pictures provided by: TekSign

SignSHOW LED MODULES/TUBES/STRIPS New Shatterproof LED Tubes from Keystone Technologies Keystone Technologies has announced the availability of Shatterproof Glass LED tubes, which are ideal for food service operations, educational settings, and any facility that requires safety-coated tubes. Keystone’s LED tubes carry agency approval ratings for Food Safety, while offering exceptional lumen levels and energy efficiency. The Shatterproof tubes are available in both Smart Drive (Plug & Play with existing ballast) and Direct Drive (line voltage) technologies. Keystone’s Shatterproof tubes replace T8, U-Bend, and T5HO fluorescent lamps. 800/464-2680; www.keystoneballast.com

High-Power LED T5 Appliance Bulbs for Tight Spaces from LEDtronics LEDtronics®, Inc., announces a new series of High-Power LED T5 Appliance Bulbs with a compact design that makes them ideal for tight spaces. The LED bulbs consume only 3.4 watts, replacing incandescent and halogen bulbs up to 30 watts. The LED T5 tube-style bulbs come in two white color temperatures: Pure White (6000K) and Warm White (3000K), which is perfect for decorative and accent lighting. The solid-state, rugged design of the LEDtronics LED20T5 Series bulbs renders them impervious to electrical/mechanical shock and vibration. Additionally the LED bulbs are environmentally friendly—they have no glass or toxic metals, contain neither mercury nor lead, and are RoHS-compliant.

Featuring a 360-degree, no-shadow beam pattern, these omnidirectional LED bulbs provide sharper, higher-intensity illumination; better visibility; and uniform lighting compared to incandescents and halogens. www.LEDtronics.com

Manufacturers of Precision Board Plus

Professional sign makers start with Precision Board Plus Made in the USA n 15 densities up to 24" thick n 8 standard sheet sizes n Custom Blocks and Sheet Sizes available n Certified Green / Non-Toxic n

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Life of the Sign Warranty

(800) 845-0745 Visit us at our dynamic website: www.precisionboard.com 12

Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

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POI NT-OF-PU RC HASE New HP Premium Poster Paper is Optimized for Third-generation HP Latex Inks HP Premium Poster Paper was engineered to eliminate heater marks, head strikes, and inaccurate color. Fully compatible with all HP Latex Inks (as well as some eco-solvent and UV-curable inks), this next-generation paper is suitable for indoor and outdoor applications such as photorealistic posters and presentations, point-of-purchase and retail displays, signage, and bus shelters. With an opacity of greater than 99 percent, HP Premium Poster Paper produces a wide color gamut, high-contrast blacks, and bright whites. More economical than traditional resin-coated photo papers, this indoor/ outdoor poster paper is easy to handle, easy to install, and high quality. HP Premium Poster Paper is recyclable and FSC®-certified, satisfying an ever-growing market of environmentally conscious consumers. This 200 g/m 2/9-mil paper is available in standard roll sizes with custom sizes possible (including jumbo rolls). www.hp.com

VEHICLE GRAPHICS Arlon Debuts Ultimate PremiumPlus Chrome & Chrome Effects Colors Arlon is thrilled to add Chrome and Chrome Effects to its Ultimate PremiumPlus™ color change line. Chrome and Chrome Effects are premium, quality specialty automotive films designed to enhance the look of any vehicle and constructed to take on the toughest areas of vehicle wrap applications. With a precise mirror-like finish, Arlon’s best in class Silver Chrome product will maintain both color and finish consistency on the vehicle during and after application. The Chrome Effects line consists of various finishes and six exciting colors (including Bloodbath Chrome and Terminator Chrome) that are newly original to the market, with the anticipation of several other creative concepts launching throughout 2016. This new generation of Chrome is noticeably more flexible and allows for enhanced repositionability during application, keeping the original color and finish of the unique effects consistent. 800/232-7161; www.arlon.com

MIMAKI CJV150 Series The Mimaki CJV150 Series cut and print devices go beyond extraordinary to deliver a wide range of applications. Utilizing eco-solvent inks – including Silver, advanced printing technologies, superb quality, color fidelity, and flexibility – plus cutting capability – you’ll go beyond the expected to increase your business and deliver more than your customers can imagine. The CJV150 is available in four versatile media widths – 32”, 43”, 54”, 63”.

mimakiusa.com

info@mimakiusa.com

888-530-4021 © 2015 Mimaki USA

signshop.com

Mimaki_CJV150_H_SB1015.indd

1

December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated 13 9/8/15 11:11 AM

HOW-TO

By Sarah Wilson

Business Management

Stop Losing Business on Price

How to make your customers less price-

price reductions.

And yes, there is such a thing as the point of no return—meaning if you drop your prices to rock bottom (excluding special sales), then you can’t expect customers to stay loyal to you when you bring them all the way back up.

Unfortunately this results in customers perceiving you mainly as a price point rather than a brand. Not good!

But it’s not all doom and gloom! It is possible to bring customers back into the mindset of making meaningful decisions that are based

Photo: Shutterstock.com.

sensitive.

H

igh-price sensitivity definition: The degree to which the price of a product affects consumers’ purchasing behaviors.

All too often, sign shops will feed into their price-sensitive customers and scramble to reduce their prices a smidge lower than their competition. And hence, the price war begins.

While there are no casualties in this war, there are customers who will expect low prices from you while still getting the high-quality products and services that you offered pre-dating the

14

Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

signshop.com

Photo: Shutterstock.com.

To encourage customers to see you as you wish to be perceived, you must represent your key business values via your emails, social media, Web site—every interaction with customers. off the value of your offering rather than solely on price.

Here’s how to stop losing business based on price.

Build Your Brand “If someone likes you, they’ll buy what you’re selling, whether or not they need it,” says KISS guitarist and long-time business opportunist Gene Simmons.

In today’s market, buyers are faced with a myriad of options. The more op-

tions they have, the tougher it is for them to make a decision. When this happens, they’ll revert to a brand that they recognize versus one that they don’t know at a cheaper price.

Don’t believe me? Ask yourself if, given the choice between a tasty burger from your local friendly drive-thru or a slightly cheaper burger from an unknown, unpainted food truck, which you’d go for.

Most people will opt for what they know.

So while your competitors are focusing on price, you should be focusing on

CUT

building your brand.

But what is your brand?

Simply put, your brand is how your customers perceive you. Microsoft might wish to be seen as innovators, but instead they’re viewed as the establishment. Google might keep saying that they’re the good guys, but to many people they’re a “Big Brother”-type organization who spy on their users.

To encourage your customers to perceive you as you wish to be perceived, you must represent your key business

WAY

THE RIGHT WAY

Why manually cross-cut or require your operator to walk with the saw carriage when rip-cutting? The PRO V’s fully automatic cutting cycle is actuated by the simple press of a button, and cutting speeds are quickly controlled with the turn of a dial; thereby eliminating strenuous manual operation and operator fatigue. We took the proven concept of horizontal beam saw panel processing and stood it vertically to save valuable floor space. The PRO V features a unique full-length pneumatic pressure beam designed to firmly clamp stacked

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978.741.3600 signshop.com

panels, ensuring a superior cut quality & dust collection while providing enhanced safety since the saw blade is “behind” the machine. Day after day, thousands of Hendrick PRO V users reliably produce superior product.

hendrickmanufacturing.com

December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

15

values via your emails, meetings, social media, Web site—every and any interaction with customers. Even something as simple as your logo can make an impact.

For example, if you stand for honesty, hard work, straight-talking, shoulderto-the-grindstone-type sentiments, your Web site text and images should get these messages across.

Key takeaway: Is your brand credible? Valuable? Easily identifiable? Work on building your brand and differenti-

ate your key business qualities from your competition.

Once you’ve defined your brand, make sure that your Web site and social media reflect those values.

A clearly defined and communicated brand is memorable, demonstrates integrity, and will help you win and keep customers.

Change the Argument While it may be tempting to give into the

The Bar Has Been Raised. traditional & Trimless ® letters faster production greater precision smaller footprint less waste

ChannelBender Series ®

automated channel letter bending systems

Save time and money with the fastest, most reliable, most precise systems available to sign makers. Bend returns faster than with our nearest competitors’ machines. Cut hand finishing time. Fabricate face-lit and reverse letters, or Trimless letters with our LetterBox™ return material. Finish the stroke of a letter with a serif as small as ¼".

From Starbucks® to Saks Fifth Avenue®, ChannelBenders can bend any sign. For more information, call AdamsTech at 303-798-7110 or email us at info@channelbender.com.

AdamsTech

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U.S. Patent Nos. 5589090; 5787750; 5870919; 5966974; 5992485; 6128940; 6405574; 8327679; 7694543; 7441434; and 7878039.

Other U.S. and international patents pending. Starbucks and Saks Fifth Avenue trademarks are the property of their respective rights owners and no endorsements are implied.

16

Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

notorious price-cutting war, it’s time for you to take a stance on where you stand as a business owner.

As a sign shop (or indeed as any small business owner), you have a choice about how you position yourself: + The cheapest price + The best product + The best service It’s not possible to be all three. If you’re not going to be the cheapest priced option, then you need to up your game in another area.

If your products are not unique in some way, then you need to offer customer service that far exceeds what the customer would receive from your competitor.

Once you have your key area of differentiation, don’t hide it—if you’re the first to market (in your area) with a revolutionary new sign material, make sure everyone knows about it!

Equally if you take the time to correct (or at least question!) typos in artwork, give advice to customers, make on-site visits, etc., your customers will love you.

And if they love you, they’ll happily write testimonials for you.

Get those testimonials on your site and make customer service the center of your pitch.

Key takeaway: Emphasize your strengths and build value. You may be surprised to find that a higher price point may actually increase how valuable your business is perceived.

Start by building a targeted email campaign that can help bring back old customers and turn them into loyal ones.

Also work on your marketing messages to hook new customers. (Remember: Your focus is on brand, not price).

The bottom line is you are in competition with other sellers and with your customer’s expectations for what they can get for their money. Start building a brand that is known for its quality, service, and expertise, and you’ll reduce price sensitivity and bring sales back up.

Sarah Wilson is the Digital Marketing Executive at Customer Focus Software and has over five years of experience writing as a journalist for online publications, blogs, and newspaper editorials. This article originally appeared on the Customer Focus Blog, blog.customerfocus.com. signshop.com

HOW-TO

By David Hickey

Regulations

Don’t Get So Restrictive Restrictive sign codes can lead to limited income

the country.

The International Sign Association’s research on the cost of restrictive sign codes offers three clear lessons:

1. Restrictive sign codes have a negative impact on a sign company’s bottom line.

Previous research has shown the effect of sign code restrictions on end-users. When the type, size, location, and number of signs are limited, business sales suffer.

It only makes sense that this same loss would affect a sign company, which would not be able to sell the sign. The survey results put a dollar amount on restrictive sign codes as felt in the pocket by sign companies.

Size restrictions are the most common issue leading to lost sales. They were mentioned by 93 percent of those surveyed, followed by restric-

Photo: Shutterstock.com.

potential.

W

hat could your sign and visual communications company do with up to $159,000 more per year in sales?

You might choose to invest in new equipment. Or maybe add a new employee. You might be able to increase charitable works to the community. Or the extra cash may be best set aside and invested in case things got tougher down the road.

That significant figure is what some sign company owners feel they lose annually due to restrictive sign codes, according to research by the International Sign Association.

The research was conducted by Villanova University, and Dr. Ray Taylor, the lead researcher, certainly knows our industry. He completed research for the Signage Foundation Inc., earlier this year showing the economic value of illuminated signs. This research was based on the responses of hundreds of sign companies across

signshop.com

December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

17

tions on the type, height, or number of signs—all of which are encountered by 83 to 84 percent of those responding. Illumination restrictions were mentioned 65 percent of the time.

The average amount lost ranges from $67,968 (denoted by Arizona Sign Association members) to $159,723 (cited by members in Wisconsin). Members of the Southern States Sign Association were nearly as high, at $155,834. The survey also explored the loss of potential revenue based on annual sales.

While those with a larger revenue base obviously had a greater loss, those in the smaller revenue categories saw a greater proportion of lost revenue.

For instance, companies with up to $250,000 in annual revenue reported losses of more than $29,545—more than 10 percent of their revenues. This inability to do business can mean the difference in survival for many smaller custom sign companies.

2. The cost of getting permits approved or obtaining a variance is extremely high.

Southern States Sign Association members and Colorado Sign Association members each put that figure at more than $39,000 annually. Illinois Sign Association members were at the lower end, at $7,500.

The average for all surveyed was $25,627. Most companies would probably prefer to put those dollars into additional ways to build or improve their business.

3. It could be worse.

Participants were asked how much more they would spend if ISA and their regional Affiliated Associations were not at work on this issue. The average was $17,993.

These figures paint an expensive picture for local and national sign companies. And it trickles down the supply chain to suppliers and manufacturers.

Margins are increasingly thin these days, and the standard costs of doing business—something as simple as getting a permit approved—can eat away at profits. And then there’s the inability to do business, which is significant.

When coupled with the revenue loss to end-users, the costs associated with overly restrictive sign codes are monumental.

While ISA had been unable to put a dollar figure on this issue before, it has been clear that overly restrictive sign codes prevent sign companies from doing what they do best. That’s one of the reasons ISA has been collaborating with planners to help them understand how signs benefit their communities.

Planning for Sign Code Success™ events, held around the country and providing continuing education credits through the American Planning Association, have been extremely beneficial.

Since 2011, ISA and regional affiliates— along with resources from the Signage Foundation Inc.—have trained more than 2,000 planners. The efforts have intensified, too, with seven events held throughout the United States in September and October.

This is just one aspect of a multipronged approach to show the importance of signs and to help local officials understand more about our industry.

Sometimes ISA’s government relations team will visit a local community to work with them as they develop sign codes. We’ve had major successes in the past year, working in major metropolitan areas like Dallas, to influence illumination standards for EMCs, and in small towns like Stayton, Oregon, where we were able to help make sweeping—positive—changes to sign codes.

We’re starting to make a difference.

Each year, as part of ISA’s State of the Industry survey, we ask if the state and local regulatory environment is improving, worsening, or staying the same. In 2013, 39 percent felt it was worsening.

That dropped to 28 percent in 2014 and 23 percent in 2015.

Still overly restrictive sign codes and the cost of permitting are issues that affect every sign company large and small, as well as suppliers and manufacturers.

This issue costs you money every single day, either in lost sales or hard figures.

We can work on this together, and you can start putting more of that hardearned money back into growing your sign company.

David Hickey is vice president, Government Affairs, at ISA. He can be reached via email at signcodehelp@signs.org.

18

Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

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Best in Show: Traditions Center for Innovation by Creative Sign Designs in Tampa, Florida and designer John Cash.

Announcing this year’s USSC Sign Design contest winners.

T

he judging is in, and once again, the 2015 USSC Sign Design Competition demonstrates that the members of the United States Sign Council (USSC) are highly creative designers—coming up with some of the most innovative ideas in sign design throughout the country.

The thirteen First Place winners are featured in the organization’s 2016 USSC Sign Design Calendar, which has been mailed to all USSC members (and is also available at the USSC Sign World International event being held December 3-5 in Atlantic City, New Jersey).

The USSC Sign Design Contest is one that judges real signs—signs that have been ordered by a customer and built to specification and signs that are being viewed by the general public day after day.

Judges this year were Curtis Arbaugh from Gable Companies in Baltimore, Maryland and Richard Crawford of Mercer Sign Consultants in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. It is very difficult, 20

Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

Building Sign, External or NonIlluminated.

signshop.com

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

sdjfhjhfsjdhf sdfjh Freestanding Sign, Internal Illumination.

Building Sign, Internal Illumination.

The USSC Sign Design Contest is one that judges real signs—signs ordered by customers and viewed by the general public every day. when looking at so many quality entries, to choose just one winner in each category, and USSC appreciates the efforts of this year’s judges.

This year’s “Best in Show” was awarded to John Cash, designer at Creative Sign Designs in Tampa, Florida, for Traditions Center for Innovation (an entry that also claimed First Place for the “Monument Sign, Internal Illumination” category).

“One of the things that is very dramatic is that the sculpture and sign are elevated eight feet on the concrete surface,” says Cash. “Standing next to it is very imposing and provides additional visibility from the roadway.”

Cash finds that making a significant design statement for his company gave him a great deal of pride and appreciation. “I owe a debt of gratitude to everyone that played a role in this project,” he says, “especially the fabricators. Without them, the ideas and concepts would have never taken form.”

Other First Place winners of this year’s Sign Design Competiton are: signshop.com

Monument Sign, External or Non-illuminated.

December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

21

Freestanding Sign, External or Non-illuminated.

“Banners, Murals, or Supergraphics” Project: American Legion Post #10 Company: Sign Here of Hagerstown, MD Designer: Jason Summers “Building Sign, External/Non-Illuminated” Project: Go Fish Restaurant Company: L&H Companies of Reading, PA Designer: Michelle Kienle “Building Sign, Internal Illumination” Project: Capitol Theatre (project) Company: Creative Sign Designs of Tampa, FL Designer: Doug Foster

Carved/Dimensional, Affixed to a Building.

“Carved/Dimensional, Affixed to a Building” Project: Motherlode Provisions Company: House of Signs of Frisco, CO Designers: Roger Cox and Periandros Damoulis “Carved/Dimensional, Monument ofFreestanding” Project: Jasper Gift Basket & Popcorn Co. Company: Peachtree City Foamcraft of Schnecksville, PA Designers: Peachtree City Foamcraft and Custom Sign & Engineering

“Electronic Message Center Sign” Project: Oxford Casino Company: Neokraft Signs of Lewiston, ME Designer: Bruce Kimball “Freestanding Sign, External or Nonilluminated” Project: Bow Creek Farm & Cattle Co. Company: Stoner Graphix, Inc., of Hummelstown, PA Designer: Kurt Stoner

Banners, Murals, or Supergraphics.

22

Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

signshop.com

Electronic Message Center Sign.

“Freestanding Sign, Internal Illumination” Project: Main Street USA – Farmer Boys Company: Riverside Neon Sign Co., of Riverside, CA Designers: Gary D. Konrell and Phil Rudy “Monument Sign, External or Non-illuminated” Project: Grand Elk Company: Lunsford Signs, Inc., of Hot Sulphur Springs, CO Designer: Joel Lunsford

Carved/Dimensional, Monument or Freestanding. signshop.com

Multimedia.

“Multimedia” Project: Joseph Banks Secondary College Company: Danthonia Designs of New South Wales, Australia Designer: Nancy Kaiser “Sign Systems” Project: Allina Health Company: Visual Communications of St. Paul, MN Designers: Constance Carlson and Cheryl Long O’Donnell

“Vehicles” Project: Grand County Landscaping Company: Lunsford Signs, Inc. Designer: Joel Lunsford United States Sign Council membership is open to any person or firm concerned with the advancement of the sign industry, particularly as such advancement impacts professional growth, positive public perception, and ongoing educational and training programs.

Sign Systems.

December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

23

Misplaced your favorite issue of WE CAN HELP. Back issues are available.

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“We speak sign language….”

At Principal LED (P-LED), we focus exclusively on solutions directed at sign fabricators and installers.

P-LED believes innovation is central to our business strategy, going back to the inception of the company over five years ago.

Most recently, we released the patent-pending Powerline and Powerstik series. These modules are the first “True AC” LED systems for the sign industry that operate directly from 120VAC input without the need for power supplies.

“I believe AC LED technology represents the future of LEDs in the sign industry,” says J. Bryan Vincent, partner at Principal LED. “Power supplies are the Achilles heel for LED systems and removing the primary point of failure creates a compelling ROI for signs in remote and difficult-to-service locations.

At P-LED, we don’t just innovate in a vacuum. Our team understands signs and the needs of sign makers and installers. “We are a market-first technology company,” says Bryan. “Our solutions and innovations center around signs.

The principal is the simple fact that signshop.com

we exist to help our customers and respond to their needs. This is a subtle, but important distinction.”

One of the trends we are seeing is consolidation in manufacturing due to increased operating and regulatory costs. More and more customers are focusing on either just manufacturing or just installation—meaning less and less “full-service” sign companies.

In either case, labor costs are rapidly increasing. We recognized this trend several years back and developed a two-fold strategy.

First we made an investment in a new 10,000-square-foot facility with assembly space. This allowed us to provide a full range of T-12 LED replacement products, giving the installation-only customer access to ready-to-install retrofit products.

The assembly operation has also allowed us to provide value-added sub-assemblies to wholesalers and full-service sign shops.

“One of the things we noticed was sign shops peeling and sticking hundreds of modules into the backs of not only channel letters but sign cabinets,” says Blake Vincent,

partner at P-LED. “Whether it be a pre-assembled ‘Stik’ product or one of our Street Fighter modules with a batwing optic that reduces module count, we have focused on reducing labor and simplifying installation with our systems.”

Second we invested in customer support and delivery. We made a major technology investment in CRM tools that allows our personnel to review any customer’s entire history with us at the click of a button.

We also have invested in warehouse management software that allows us to get materials efficiently to our distributor partners.

One thing that automation and technology advances lead to is consolidation. Through attrition or acquisition, I believe we will see fewer and fewer sign fabricators. I also believe the same holds true for electrical component manufacturers.

Last year, we acquired the assets of Transco 2 Go and Ventex. We’re forming a consolidated company called Ventex Technology, LLC with an office in Columbia, South Carolina.

“We are committed to supporting the entire electric sign industry,” says Bryan. “This means access to centralized sources of LEDs, as well as neon and LED drivers and other value-added electrical components and sub-assemblies.

“Our support and growth strategy will be a combination of innovation, geographic expansion, and strategic acquisitions.”

To view the new information-rich Web site, visit www.p-led.com.

December 2015 // SBI Trendsetters

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“Change is the only constant….”

The built environment has changed.

Material usage, design aesthetics, and technology continually shape the spaces we occupy.

Often the architectural and design (A&D) community waits until the last minute to think about signage; ironic because, without the proper signage, it is impossible for a new building to get its Certificate of Occupancy.

It’s also a lost opportunity to maintain the design intent throughout the space. All permanent rooms and spaces in facilities that allow access to the public are required by law to be identified by ADA-compliant Braille signage. Thus mandatory Braille signs, when done correctly, give the designers an opportunity to enhance the overall environment.

Another opportunity is in healthcare, as it continues to dominate new construction and renovations. Studies have shown that the look and feel of a space impacts a patient’s overall well being. Imagery, color, and text used in signage play a significant role. Wayfinding and room identification signage must evolve with the needs of these facilities.

As we continue to develop

signshop.com

new products in conjunction with educating architects and designers about signage and accessibility codes, we see a shift in the way the community is looking at signage.

The days of boring-blue, onepiece restroom signs are over.

Today we have photopolymer ADA solutions that incorporate recycled materials, natural bamboo, fabrics, wood grains patterns, and more.

Photopolymer and the ADA As times continue to change, so too do the materials used for signage.

Today Nova has six different types of photopolymer material in the NovAcryl Designer Series—NovAcryl ECR, NovAcryl PT, NovAcryl LP, NovAcryl EX, NovAcryl YA, and NovAcryl Permaglow.

Each material type has been developed to meet a specific need in the market. A few years ago, the commercial building market put a huge emphasis on green materials. Nova Polymers answered by converting to a 40 percent recycled PETG for the Novacryl PT Series. Later we developed the ECR product line that offers encapsulated materials in the sign base. Likewise the Novacryl LP Series followed next, as the need for wood grains entered the market.

After a new law was passed in NJC for all high-rise buildings to have photoluminescent egress, Nova partnered with American Permalight and introduced Novacryl Permaglow.

For hospitals, a continuing struggle is HAIs (hospital acquired

infections). How can signage help to prevent HAIs? Signage is a part of the patient’s environment and not only is Nova looking at materials to enhance the design elements of healthcare, but we’re also looking at antimicrobial options for signage to help make our hospitals safer.

Accessibility and Education Nova has been an AIA Continuing Education provider for a decade now, and we continue to push accessibility education to signs companies, architects, and designers in the U.S. We also offer educational programs in other countries with emerging accessibility codes.

Nova has developed three educational Webinars that are open to the public. The first is held monthly and explains the advantages of photopolymer and the different types of photopolymers. The second is held quarterly and focuses on ADA and Accessibility codes. The third is on our Workflow Manager and helps sign companies and designers understand how to create ADA-compliant signage.

We’re developing a new white paper series focusing on the main areas of the ADA related to accessible signs. The first deals with Typography and was launched in November. The others will be released over the next few months.

—Mike Santos, director of Sales & Marketing For more information about Webinars, visit www.novapolymers. com/webinars.

December 2015 // SBI Trendsetters

TS3

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Benders trendsetter 2016

AdamsTech

“We’ve been here for nearly twenty years, and we are here to stay….”

AdamsTech has been a leading innovator in several manufacturing and fabrication industries since its founding nearly twenty years ago. We were the first company to introduce highly precise, automated bending of flat metal coil to America in 1996.

Since our founding, we have continued to work with our global manufacturing partners and suppliers to continuously refine and improve automated metal fabrication processes and technologies. Our dedication to the improvement of existing technology, combined with our development of revolutionary materials and techniques, enables our customers to increase their productivity, efficiency, and most importantly, their profitability.

We provide the cutting-edge design, engineering, materials, and processes that give our customers the advantage in this highly competitive, imageconscious sign industry.

There are three primary challenges facing our manufacturing customers in the sign industry: increased price competition, the need for greater efficiency, and the ability to create impact.

Traditional channel letters have remained relatively unchanged for decades, which poses two problems. First, more manufacturers have the ability to produce these common channel letters, which has drastically increased competition and squeezed margins. Tighter margins require fabrication efficiency at levels never seen before, and signshop.com

sign builders were desperate for equipment that is faster, more accurate, and less wasteful than the antiquated equipment they had been using for years.

We responded to their demands with the introduction of the Super ChannelBender, which increases

profile channel letters. Our patented, proprietary LetterBox and brand new LetterForm coil materials— which can only be processed on our Super ChannelBender and Eco ChannelBender—have brought trimless letter fabrication into the twenty-first century. Our

productivity up to 26 percent, reduces waste by as much as 97 percent, and decreases labor by about 40 percent.

Second, people are becoming desensitized to traditional signage, and it takes innovative solutions for businesses to differentiate themselves and grab consumers’ attention. We have delivered several revolutionary solutions— LetterBox, LetterForm, and LiquiLetter—to better enable our customers to create high-impact signage.

We have noticed two growing trends in the sign industry affecting channel letter manufacturing in particular. More projects specify trimless channel letters or low-

UL-approved proprietary LiquiLetter resin process allows for the fabrication of low-profile channel letters as shallow as 3/4-inch yet still delivers outstanding illumination characteristics.

AdamsTech is strategically positioned to meet the needs of the huge international manufacturers and wholesalers as well as those of the smaller, high-end, custom fabricators. We continue to answer the calls of customers, which have gone unanswered by our competition.

—James Cross, ChannelBender Product Manager To learn more about AdamsTech, visit www.channelbender.com.

December 2015 // SBI Trendsetters

TS5

Experience the new ColorPainter™ H3-104s

ColorPainter Printers from OKI: The new print revolution A leader in the print technology industry, OKI is dedicated to furthering the innovative line of ColorPainter wide-format printers.

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commercial print solutions.

Learn more about ColorPainter printers: www.okidata.com/wide-format ColorPainterInfo@okidata.com

800-264-1272

The wide-format printing group of Seiko Instruments (SII) joined OKI on October 1, 2015. © 2015 OKI Data Americas, Inc. OKI, Reg. T.M. Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., Reg. T.M. Oki Data Corporation. ColorPainter is a trademark of OKI Data Infotech.

roll to roll trendsetter 2016

“Commitment to growth through an expanding line of printers….”

OKI Data Corporation’s recent acquisition of the wide format printer business from Seiko Instruments represents a key investment by the company within the professional printing market.

“We are dedicated to the success of the wide format line and the collaborative development of other new and innovative printing solutions for the commercial printing and sign markets,” says Masahiko Morioka, president and CEO of OKI Data Americas.

Since its inception in 1972, OKI Data Americas has sold and shipped more than 16 million printers, including single function and multifunction printers, serial impact dot matrix printers, label and point-of-sale printers, and the proColor™ series of professional-grade digital production printers.

“Bringing ColorPainter™ into the OKI family is another step forward in the evolution of the brand,” says Fabrizio Soto, general manager of Wide Format Division at OKI Data Americas. “OKI will continue to offer a comprehensive line of premium printing solutions to help improve both productivity and profitability.”

Invest in Growth Investments in premium printing equipment that produces the highest quality print with the fastest productivity and at the lowest cost can provide a platform to help gain more margin or to compete with other market segments like signshop.com

commercial offset or grand format PSPs. Premium printing equipment allows print shops to have fewer pieces of equipment and less production labor. It also allows shops to turn jobs faster than competition and to be more flexible in their workflow.

For example, if you are producing jobs at 120 square feet per hour, but an upgrade allowed you to produce quality work at a minimum of 350 square feet per hour, you could take on larger jobs and be profitable in more ways.

Equipment with high or even average running costs do not produce work with enough margin for growth and future investment.

When considering a wide format printer upgrade, one of the best starting points is to calculate monthly ink costs. In many cases, an upgrade is justified on the basis of a larger volume of printing at a lower cost per square foot. It is not uncommon for sign shops to save between eight and ten cents per square foot of ink

coverage, running as few as three rolls of media per week, and realizing savings of $700 to $800 per month.

You don’t have to be a big shop to afford new technology but aligning with the right vendor and product is critical to your success.

ColorPainter printers from OKI deliver the richest, glossiest colors at fast speeds and on the widest range of substrates. With inks that last longer outdoors without fading, cost less per square foot, and provide excellent color density and image quality, ColorPainter printers provide an excellent ROI. The precision engineering, quality manufacturing, and advanced print technologies are what make ColorPainter printers the preferred solution for print shops that require a durable industrial printer.

To learn more about ColorPainter printers from OKI, call 800/2641272 or email colorpainterinfo@okidata.com.

December 2015 // SBI Trendsetters

TS7

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software trendsetter 2016

“Not all ERP software is created equally….”

The term Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has become so generic in manufacturing; it’s no wonder people find themselves lost in the sea of software providers. In fact, if you search Google for “sign manufacturing software,” you’ll get 146 million results!

There aren’t 146 million software providers, but there are more than enough options to confuse anyone looking at ERP for the first time.

Here’s some advice to help you narrow down options that apply to you no matter where you are in a software evaluation process—even if you have never considered ERP. Find a Business Partner When you purchase Cloud ERP, you’re entering into a marriage of sorts with your software provider.

You rely on this provider to carry the lion’s share of software responsibility, and you must do your homework to find out how committed your proverbial “spouse” is going to be.

ERP is a significant investment for any sign company. You should be confident that your software provider will be responsive, supportive, and aligned with your business goals. In fact, your software provider demonstrates this best by offering technical support, including user groups that give you and your team members an opportunity to help shape the product’s ongoing development.

Identify what you want in a business partner and keep that in mind throughout your decisionmaking process.

signshop.com

Make Sure It’s Cloud The Cloud is not a buzzword; it’s the software delivery method that is changing the way companies do business. You know that the Cloud gives you anytime, anywhere, and any device access to your business information. This means your salesperson can reference a quote on his phone in a client’s office, or your installer can view project plans on a tablet at a job site.

But it’s also so much more than that. Your team is more likely to use software they find easy to navigate.

And the software your team is willing to use gives you better information that you need to run your business.

But if you’re still not comfortable with the idea of Cloud software, consider this: When you bank online or use Netflix or Gmail, you’re already using the Cloud!

Gain Actionable Business Insights According to the ISA State of the Industry Report 2014, the biggest pain point that sign companies identified, after sign code regulations, is maximizing profit margins. However companies who use ERP software can access real-

time margin reports, comparing actuals with estimated costs.

Imagine what this visibility will do for your profitability!

ERP built for your industry—sign manufacturing—comes pre-loaded with the processes, reports, and insights that are unique to your business. In other words, you should choose an ERP provider that helps you confidently make business decisions based on the maximum profitability for your company.

In summary, it’s no surprise you may be confused in what seems to be innumerable ERP software choices.

However my twenty-plus years’ experience in ERP software tells me that you need to find a Cloud-based solution capable of giving you the reporting and analytical insights you need to grow and one that is delivered by a provider who will be your strategic business partner.

Visit keyedin.com to see how sign manufacturers just like you have benefited from Cloud ERP. —Lauri Klaus, Founder and CEO To claim your free personalized software demonstration, visit solutions.keyedin.com/SBI.

December 2015 // SBI Trendsetters

TS9

Sign news on the go?

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Dimensional / By mark K. Roberts ////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Carving the grain into the high-density urethane.

Dental Work Smile for a dentist’s brand-new HDU dimensional sign.

B

eing able to work with high-density urethane (HDU) is always a thrill for me, especially since these opportunities mean that I will be working on one of my favorite type of projects here in the shop—dimensional signage (usually of the architectural and/or identity variety).

Sometimes a dimensional sign sale just happens to fall in one’s lap, which recently happened here when my wife, Sherry, visited a new dentist thanks to the one we had been using having retired a few months back.

When Sherry was getting ready to signshop.com

Mark Roberts stands next to the finished sign.

December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

25

Planning

Rounding the letters with an emery board.

After agreeing to peform this sign upgrade for our dentist, I took the opportunity to think ahead—especially taking durability into consideration. I wanted to make sure that he was going to have a sign that would last for many years to come.

So the first decision we made was to use HDU as the substrate of choice for this sign.

We selected two sheets of fifteenpound, one-and-a-half-inch-thick Precision Board™ purchased from our friend, Kellie Miller at Coastal Enterprises, and loaded them into the back of our truck.

Now it was time for the fun to begin, as we started crafting a new sign that would stand the test of time for our dentist!

Applying the FSC-88 primer.

leave after her exam, the dentist asked her what type of business we were in.

She explained to him that we had a sign shop that specialized in sandblasted and carved signs.

A few weeks passed, and our phone rang. Said-dentist called up our office, asking us to give him a estimate on a new hand-carved sign. It seems that the sandblasted redwood one he’d been using had been damaged by graffiti earlier that week.

The first thing that popped into my mind was that this particular sign had definitely seen its better days. The sign was already weather-beaten, so even before the vandals had gotten hold of it, one could plainly see that it was ready for a replacement.

(Note: The other thing that I had noticed about this sign when driving past it was that it was probably already at least fifteen years old, which meant that it was probably time to do something about it anyway.)

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The author applied the color to the high-density urethane lettering with sponge brushes by patting the paint gently onto each letter surface.

Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

Fabrication Unloading our beautiful Precision Board blanks back at our shop, we discovered yet another perfect shipment. There were no dings, no breaks—just two flawless surfaces to create our magic.

We decided on a nice radial top for the street address.

Below this address, we created our patterns for each of the dentists working at this location Using our router and Dremel tool, we cut the background down by one-halfsignshop.com

inch, leaving the letters at their full oneand-a-half-inch height.

After routing around the letters, we then used emery boards to gently add rounded edges to each raised letter. This process gives a greater custom appearance and a greater perceived value of the overall project.

However it became apparent that a smooth background for this sign would not work at all.

Using my carving gouges, I quickly created some faux grain into the Precision Board.

This step was actually the longest part of the project; however, if we want the beauty of the faux wood grain effect, we must put in the time to make it appear as real as possible.

I always enjoy this step, as I create my backgrounds with great care.

I always make sure that I never rush this process.

When I was satisfied with my wood grain effect, I took the two Precision Board sign faces and gave them a thorough rinsing with water. This was done to remove any extraneous dust and contaminants.

After drying the two faces, we applied Precision Board FSC-88 primer in two thin coats to the faces and allowed them to dry.

After a thorough drying, I applied the latex semi-gloss brown paint, again in two thin coats with ample drying time.

Applying latex enamel to the raised letters.

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Sanding the top of the sign.

Cutting the sonotubes for the concrete fill.

The new sign not only will last for many years to come, but it also does a better job identifying the dentist’s office.

December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

27

I then applied the lettering color, a muted beige, with sponge brushes, patting the paint gently onto each letter surface.

Installation

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To anchor this beautiful sign, we dug two twelve-inch diameter holes, thirty inches deep, and lined the holes with individual Sonotube concrete forms.

Next we added concrete, one bag at a time, adding water and agitating the concrete to pack it tight into each hole.

The concrete was smoothed at the top of each Sonotube; this resulted in a really nice appearance.

Finally we replaced the grass around the Sonotubes and leveled the ground to the previous conditions.

Reaction The difference between the “old” and the “new” sign is like night and day—or pre-cleaning and post-cleaning, dentally speaking. In fact, the dentist was extremely pleased with his new sign, as it does a better job of identifying his location and will last for years to come.

Of all the signs I have made over the last thirty-nine years of owning and operating my sign company, I would have to say those dimensional ones fabricated out of HDU are my favorite to work on, this one being another high point.

Mark K. Roberts is a thirty-nine year sign designer, fabricator, and installer living in the beautiful city of Houston, Texas and is the owner of The InterSign Group.

Installing the bolts to attach the legs of the sign.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

signshop.com 4/16/13 11:32 AM

I d e n t i t y / B y A s h l e y B r ay / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Talk Show Signage Photo (top) bitro group, inc.; all other photos (unless marked): going sign & servicing company, inc.

A sign shop helps to usher in a new era of late night television.

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hen Stephen Colbert took over the helm of The Late Show from David Letterman this past Fall, he needed signage as star-studded as his line-up of guests.

Enter Going Sign & Servicing Company, Inc. (www.goingsign.org) of Plainview, New York.

Going Sign was started in 1903 in Brooklyn by Vice President Kevin Going’s grandfather. In its one hundredplus-year history, the sign company has gone from specializing in painted letters on horse-drawn carriages to a full-service shop with the latest equipment and machinery to handle all types of signs.

The sign shop has a continuous relationship with CBS (which airs The Late Show), and the shop fabricated the original marquee for Letterman back in 1993. They’ve maintained the marquee

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since then (even dismantling it after Letterman’s retirement in May), in addition to doing other sign work for CBS. So the sign company was the natural choice for the new Colbert signage, which includes an all-new marquee and

a double-sided upright sign mounted to a building façade.

Going Sign sat down with everyone involved on the project—CBS, the architect, the engineer, the general contractor, and Colbert’s show staff—and

In addition to new signage, Going Sign also did work on the ceiling of the marquee.

December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

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The new signage includes an upright sign with seven channel letters lit by LED bulbs spelling out “Colbert.”

The marquee’s sign faces are made of 1/8-inch-thick aluminum. A Cybermation router was used to stencil-cut the faces for the acrylic push-thru letters.

discussed the designs. “We added our thoughts and input on how to make things a little bit easier, how to do it the right way,” says Going.

With the design set, Going Sign had a very tight deadline of eight weeks to complete a project that would normally take ten to twelve.The sign company got all hands on deck and went to work.

First Guest: Upright Sign The double-sided, upright sign includes seven panels, each with a channel letter that spells out the name “Colbert.” Each sign panel is made up of two wall steel C-channel kickers.

Four pieces of 1-1/2-inch-by-1-1/2-inch-by-3/16-inchthick aluminum mounting angle are attached to the steel— two pieces on each side—with non-corrosive A325 mounting bolts. An 1/8-inch polycarbonate spacer was used between the angle and the steel to prevent dissimilar metal corrosion.

(Note: North Shore Neon Company in Maspeth, New York handled the steel work.)

Next 1/8-inch-thick aluminum faces in duranodic bronze were mounted to SignComp series 7 frameless bodies #1575 in finished duranodic bronze.

On one side, they were mounted using #8 countersunk screws every twelve inches on center; on the other side, the aluminum faces were welded to the SignComp extrusions.

One side was screwed in rather than welded, to allow for access in the future.

The letters were made from .063 aluminum returns finished with white Matthews Paint and bent in-house using the shop’s hand finger brakes. The returns were mounted to the aluminum faces with 1/4-inch-diameter non-corrosive mounting bolts.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

A 1-3/4-inch-thick white Dibond® composite aluminum backing was used in the return.

A .080 aluminum white sign face is attached via an aluminum mounting clip riveted to the tone coat return with a 1/4-inch countersunk screw in white.

Attached to the sign face are SATCO porcelain lampholders #80/1097 with Bitro LED bulbs used to illuminate the sign. All holes for sockets for the LED bulbs were created using Sign Wizard software from Aries Graphics International.

(Note: These Bitro LED bulbs served as an alternative to using traditional incandescent bulbs.)

The letters are all 7 feet, 6 inches tall and range in width from 2 feet, 2-3/4 inches to 3 feet, 3-1/2 inches.

To attach this upright sign to the building, Going Sign attached the steel C-channels to two existing steel stubs.

All installation for the upright sign and the new marquee had to be done on off hours, and it took about two days to install the upright sign.

Going Sign used its 85-foot Elliott Equipment truck, 110foot Skylift Boom, and various other bucket trucks and pickup trucks to complete the installation work.

Second Guest: Marquee The new marquee on the Ed Sullivan Theater required three new sign cabinets.

The cabinets were fabricated with a combination of aluminum tubing and angle attached to a SignComp series 4 frameless body #1355 finished in textured white with Matthews Paint.

The aluminum angle was attached with mounting clips and #8 countersunk screws. Going Sign used #8 pan head screws to connect whole sections of aluminum together. signshop.com

Going Sign had only eight weeks to complete a project that would normally take at least ten to twelve.

The aluminum tubes were attached with 1/4-inch-diameter, non-corrosive, self-tapping screws.

The two sign faces on the side cabinets are rectangles, while the main cabinet face has a curve at the top. This was framed with custom-curved aluminum tubing.

The sign faces are made of 1/8-inch-thick aluminum finished in PMS 286c blue paint from Matthews Paint. A Cybermation router was used to stencil-cut the faces for the acrylic push-thru letters.

For the “Late Show” letters, Going Sign used one-inchthick clear acrylic push-through graphics with 3M™ Diffuser Film 3635-70 White as an underlaminate on the first surface and 3M™ Scotchcal™ Translucent Graphic Film 3630-143 Poppy Red on the second surface.

The letters spelling out “Stephen Colbert” featured on the two side cabinets are made of one-inch-thick clear acrylic push-through graphics with 3M Scotchcal Translucent Graphic Film 3630-20 White on the first surface and 3M

Decorative arches also adorn the space above the marquee’s three sign cabinets.

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Diffuser Film 3635-70 White on the second surface.

The words “this” and “with” are made of 1/4-inch-thick clear acrylic flush graphics with 3M Scotchcal Translucent Graphic Film 3630-20 White on the first surface and 3M Diffuser Film 3635-70 White on the second surface.

One of the interesting parts of the sign faces is that Going Sign drilled different-sized holes into the aluminum faces on all three sides in the star pattern that would appear in the sky if you were standing at the theater on September 8, 2015 at 11:35—the date and time of the premiere of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Going Sign placed 1/8-inch-thick clear acrylic back-up with no vinyl behind the sign face and illuminated the star pattern and letters with Bitro’s TheLATTICE LED matrix lighting product.

Above the sign faces on the sides of the marquee is the word “CBS” and the CBS logo. Above the main marquee are the words “Ed Sullivan Theater” and the CBS logos. All of these el-

The CBS letters and logo are made of clear acrylic push-through graphics with 3M black opaque film on the first surface.

December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

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The marquee’s sign faces were finished with PMS 286c blue paint from Matthews Paint and feature push-through acrylic letters.

ements were made of one-inch-thick clear acrylic push-through graphics with 3M Scotchcal Translucent Graphic Film 3630-22 Black Opaque on the first surface. They were backlit with LEDs. Decorative arches also adorn the space above the three sign faces. A .080 aluminum face finished white with Matthews Paint backs the “Ed Sullivan Theater” and CBS elements, as well as the arches. The 11-inch-wide-by-11-1/2-inch-tall arches are made of white acrylic and uplit by white Bitro LEDs. On either side of each sign face are decorative fiberglass columns. Going Sign had them custom made in Florida to mimic

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Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

the columns inside the theater. These columns are uplit with white Bitro LEDs. To finish off the marquee, flashing bulbs run along the bottom of each side in one row and along the top of each side in two rows. Going Sign used Bitro A19 LED bulbs with a Bitro Alpha Slimline power supply #ASU-100-24u. The bulbs were fastened into Leviton ceramic lampholders #0985 with a decorative .040 aluminum flower roset surrounding the bulbs.

On the marquee installation, Going Sign bolted the cabinets to the steel on the marquee’s roof using A325 mounting bolts.

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photo (bottom right): bitro group, inc.

A 1/4-inch-thick Lexan spacer was used to prevent dissimilar metal corrosion.

Installation on the marquee took longer than the upright sign, and Going Sign was onsite for a few weeks. (Note: The shop also did work on the ceiling of the marquee.)

The final result is some star-studded signage that’s helping to usher in the next era of late night!

Left: Going Sign had decorative fiberglass columns made in Florida to mimic the columns inside the theater.

Top Right: One side of the newly finished, three-sided marquee advertising The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Bottom Right: The previous marquee Going Sign fabricated for The Late Show with David Letterman. The shop dismantled this marquee before beginning work on the new one.

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D i g i t a l S i g n a g e / By Lo r i S h r i d h a r e / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Everywhere You Look Drawing viewers with engaging digital signage.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

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//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“LCD flat panel and LED displays, sophisticated content, interactivity, and customer engagement are among the most significant changes.”

When examining digital signage, one of the first concerns that comes up relates to content: If digital signage is now “everywhere,” the content may be at risk for being repetitive, stale material, especially if clients aren’t informed about content options.

One company tackling this issue is Creative Margin (www.creativemargin. com), a content company specializing in digital signage that provides services to help clients put together a strategy and create new, engaging content.

Founded in January 2014, the company identified a market need for solutions that allow clients to really “get their arms around digital signage,” as Founder and Vice President Matt Krebs puts it.

“We see, over and over again, endusers who have invested a great deal of time and money in purchasing software and hardware and mount these screens around their business,” he says. “These screens hang there, and best case, they play the same content that was created for them when first installed.

“Or worse, maybe someone put a PowerPoint presentation together and slapped it up on the screen and there’s letterboxing, it’s barely readable, and/or it’s outdated. Or maybe the screens are turned off in a corner, which is not out of the ordinary.”

Photos (this page): christie.

T

here was a time when digital signage meant simply a flat screen—much like your desktop version—displayed throughout businesses, in retail environments, and virtually anywhere the viewers required information or direction.

Today digital signage is becoming even more ubiquitous. However its design and content options have benefitted from several upgrades.

“The latest interactive digital signage has to provide more than simple choices from a fixed menu for customers,” says Andy Clipsham, senior product manager at Christie® (www.christiedigital.com), a company specializing in visual, audio, and collaboration solutions. “It has to engage them in a more dynamic, immersive, and intuitive way—to the point where customers can personalize the content to their tastes.

“This includes incorporating social media and other communication tools that allow the customer to ‘talk’ directly to the content.”

He adds that digital signage has now become more acceptable, and perhaps even expected, in locations everywhere.

In addition, over the last ten years, the hardware costs have come down, making owning a system much more affordable to smaller businesses.

“The evolution of digital signage over the past ten years has been nothing short of spectacular,” says Clipsham.

The Collection Wall at the Cleveland Museum of Art uses 150 digital tiles from Christie.

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December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

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With the explosion of smartphone touchscreens, interactivity is requested more often.

For an installation at Cleveland Museum of Art, Christie incorporated its MicroTiles® high-resolution digital “canvas” and its Interactivity Kit to create the Collection Wall. Spanning 40 feet long-by-5 feet high, this interactive digital display wall contains 150 digital tiles. Upon approaching the wall, visitors can locate the art they’d like to see at the museum, and

download personalized tours to their mobile device.

Serving multiple purposes, this digital display is not only a piece of art itself but also becomes a wayfinding device and communications tool.

“Rather than simply a traditional, static exhibition, the museum now has interactivity that helps people see, appreciate,

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Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

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His company’s strategy is to emphasize that digital signage is now affordable (keeping in mind the historically high cost of content)—and can be quite engaging.

“When you lower that barrier to entry for the upfront investment, it’s easier for customers to grasp the inherent value propositions of digital signage—ease of updates, lower cost of update, day parting to cater to different audiences, interactivity, etc.,” he says. “Customers will be helped much more by an embedded partner that demonstrates how each dollar invested can align with their initial vision for the signage and contribute in some way to profits.”

Richard Ventura, vice president of Business Development at provider NEC Display Solutions (www.necdisplay.com), stresses that digital signage content has evolved significantly from its early days of using lots of words, videos, animation, pictures, and information. “It’s all about emphasizing quality and impact now,” he says. “Content needs to truly reflect and enhance one’s brand and message in a simple and efficient way.”

The range of creative options for presenting content makes this media exciting.

Photo: creative margin.

and understand the art that is there,” says Clipsham. “From a distance, the wall has a real ‘wow factor,’ but it becomes a completely different experience when patrons go up and interact with it.”

When working with clients on content, Christie doesn’t advise a DIY approach.

“Unless they possess an exceptional level of artistic and technical expertise, they could severely limit the effectiveness of the signage or fail to take advantage of the technology available to them,” says Clipsham.

There are simple, everyday applications for digital signage that allow for customization, either by the client or a content management process developed in conjunction with the client’s needs.

What is critical is that the client has the budget and resources to manage the content they request.

In other words, animation is ideal, but having a team in place that can fix any bugs or issues that come up in the presentation is critical to the success of the display.

While digital menu boards are proving more common to come across these days, most implementations are static imagery that rotates throughout the day. There’s a

reason for this.

“Restaurants and retailers are adopting a less-is-more aesthetic,” says Ventura. “If there are too many things displayed on the screens, it tends to confuse customers and possibly delay orders.”

Krebs offers some ideas for keeping even the simplest content fresh: “Even if it’s just an image on a menu board, that image should change at particular times of day, or maybe a region of the sign shows a food special until the POS system shows that item as ‘sold out,’” he says.

Krebs emphasizes that, no matter the business scope or the size of the display, sophistication is still expected.

“The reason there are over 600 software [programs] out there is that digital signage does require a more purpose-built toolset for creating and managing content than PowerPoint provides,” he says.

As there continues to be a market appetite for digital signage that serves a diverse range of business needs, Krebs points out that there are specific market tracks where sales seem to be increasing. With the explosion of smartphones, many clients seem to prefer smaller touchscreen devices over the large kiosks

Digital menus are becoming more common.

that were popular several years ago.

“What customers are looking for now is cheaper software options that can run on tablets available in stores or off service providers such as Amazon, Apple, Samsung, Acer, and others,” he says.

And of course, users are interested in connecting their smartphones to external devices and interacting on topics of rel-

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December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

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Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

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Photo: creative margin.

evance to them.

Krebs points out that technologies such as Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth Beacons, and QR Codes are all on the frontier of this changing landscape, allowing the user to tap, activate, or scan their phone to connect with content they are viewing on a digital sign.

“There’s a realization that if a company is going to invest in large format digital signage, there ought to be a way for users to take information with them on their phone” he says. (Note: Touchscreens may lean towards the high end for smaller businesses to incorporate Even if it’s just an image on a menu board, that image should change at particular times of the day. into digital signage.)

And for the technology-savvy out there (we’re talking code), there’s been a discount because it’s Cloud-based and and designing and maintaining the disshift to HTML5 for the code to run the works on any device that has an Internet play network,” says Clipsham. user interface.

In considering a digital sign supplier, browser.”

“This is a departure from the incumWorking on larger projects that have Clipsham advises working with firms bents in the industry, who have propri- many integrated components demands a that have a demonstrated track record, etary applications (and expensive teams robust set of resources and skill sets. especially since there are so many movof developers to support) running on “We understand that every digital sig- ing parts to this process.

Windows®,” says Krebs. “HTML5 al- nage project offers a new set of challeng“From the design and content crealows for a more open-source approach, es, including the physical environment, tion, to the selection of the best technoleasier reuse of previous work, and ulti- budget constraints, learning different ogy for the job, to the physical process technologies; interactive functionality; mately better stability all at a significant Justin 4.56x4.875 Justin Sign_March014:4.56x4.875 Sign_Dec06 3/10/14 12:21 AM Page 1 of integrating and installing the signage, there are many parts,” he says. “Each display wall project varies in size, complexity, and application, requiring different levels of integration.

“Bringing in experts who can offer all the comprehensive services under one roof can save a lot of trial and error, while also offering custom training and service programs.”

When choosing a system, Creative Margin is keen on strategy and planning as a first step.

“More often, customers buy either the wrong tool or too much tool for the kind of digital signage they need,” says Krebs.

“Remember more features often means more difficult to learn and support.”

The question that many professionals ask continues to beckon: Will digital signage replace static, traditional signage?

“I think it depends on the frequency of updates,” says Krebs. “Let’s say a restaurant only updates their menu once a year—that may not pay off to replace with digital signage.

“But if a display is getting updates more than once a quarter, you’ve got a pretty good argument to allow that to be updated at a very low cost from a computer.”

Wa y f i n d i n g / B y l o r i S h r i d h a r e / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

A Sense of Direction

New materials and technologies transform the directional landscape.

all Photos: indiana signworks.

W

hen we think of wayfinding, we often imagine a one-way stream of information: The sign directs the traveler or visitor, and this one-dimensional relationship continues until the journey is complete.

For their wayfinding portfolio, Indiana Signworks of Fort Wayne, Indiana has a strategy to marry the range of their offerings to create viable solutions in this field.

Understanding what a “sense of space” means to the designers and visionaries behind the signage gives them a good sense of the output. This helps especially as the company evolves and works increasingly with highly educated and informed clients.

“Our clients are sensitive to creating a sense of place,” says Director of Marketing and Communications Sarah Chesebrough, “so we keep in mind that signs

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Your Direct Source for Sign Information 3 Easy Steps

Receive vital product and service information from manufacturers and distributors by completing the adjacent card or visiting www.signshop.com/infodirect

1. Choose up to 10 categories of interest and check off on card.

2. Select up to 28 suppliers and record InfoDirect # on card.

3. Mail card to start getting info!

Page

InfoDirect #

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33

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3

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35

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43

Fisher Textiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

4

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36

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44

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37

Stamm Manufacturing.. . . . . . . . . . 42

45

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6

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38

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46

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39

US LED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

47

Mimaki USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

8

Clarke Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

40

Vista System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

48

NOVUS Imaging, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . 10

9

CLN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

41

VKF Renzel USA Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . 47

49

Roland DGA Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

10

Coastal Enterprises Co.. . . . . . . . . . 12

50

Rowmark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

11

Covestro LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

12

Duxbury Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

13

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14

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16

Hartlauer Bits, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

17

Hendrick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

18

International Sign Association. . . C3

19

J. Freeman, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

20

Justin, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

21

KeyedIn Solutions. . . . . . . . TS8-TSC3

22

LMT Onsrud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

23

Mimaki USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

24

Nova Polymers . . . . . . . . . . . . . TS2-3

25

OKI Data Americas . . . . . . . . . . TS6-7

26

Orbus, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

27

Orbus, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

28

Ornamental Post, Panel & Traffic. . 46

29

Outwater Plastics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

30

Principal LED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C2

31

Principal LED. . . . . . . . . . . . TSC2-TS1

32

Sign-Mart Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

InfoDirect #

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InfoDirect #

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can be either intrusive or disruptive in that process, or they can be very effective ways to not just communicate information but [also] to create an emotional response to the space.

“Maybe it’s a by-product of the amount of time we all spend in public spaces or maybe it’s because of public discourse on inclusion and inclusivity, but we’re discovering more customers concerned that people who interact with their spaces find them welcoming and are aware of the impact that signage has.”

One trend Indiana Signworks is seeing is an increased emphasis on aesthetics. In the past, says Chesebrough, customers focused simply on function. Now customers do their homework and are even ordering signage by product name.

“Our clients no longer just want a sign or a sign system that helps [visitors] navigate their building or campus,” she says. signshop.com

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ADA & Wayfinding

“They’re aware that signs no longer blend into the background; they’re a conscious part of the overall design of a space.”

In starting a wayfinding project, Indiana Signworks begins both small and large projects in a similar fashion.

“We sit down, get to know the customer’s needs and wants, talk budget and delivery dates,” says Chesebrough, “and then we go back and create the plan on how we’re going to get there.

“Although there are production differences between smaller jobs and large jobs, at the end of the day, it’s about directing people easily through the space.”

Deciding on complexity for the wayfinding system points to the end-user.

Chesebrough says that industries such as travel and entertainment (think convention centers or high-end hotels) would be much more likely to use intelligent, complex wayfinding solutions than those industries where the extra touch is not needed (a strip mall or enclosed industrial complex).

“A small medical center is more of a cut-and-dry project,” she says. “Basically you’re thinking about the users of the space—they’re expecting the signs to direct them to their intended destination.

“You don’t want to mix things up too much—just get them to the right doctor’s office. If you’re doing the interior wayfinding too, make sure they understand how to navigate the lobby, lab, and exits.”

Chesebrough adds that there’s a certain test that can add the “check” to

More customers are concerned that people who interact with their spaces find them welcoming and are aware of the impact of signage. the box that the job was done right. “It might be fair to say you’ve done the job right if people don’t stop and take notice of the sign,” she says.

For a sizeable complex such as a zoo or a large museum, the wayfinding project becomes more intricate.

“You have visitors of different ages and backgrounds interacting with the space, based on a range of interests for being there, multiple destinations to go

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December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

41

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to, and varying abilities to understand and interpret information,” Chesebrough points out. “A zoo or a museum is much more likely to request that the space be designed child-friendly or that it fit into a unique design aesthetic. In this situation, we’d most likely be working with a contractor or design firm, in addition to our client.

“Depending on that relationship, this could add another layer of complexity to the job, although this usually ensures that we get the art we need to produce the signs the customer desires.”

With so many variables to consider in designing a wayfinding project, a choice of materials and technology comes in handy.

Chesebrough says that much of their wayfinding systems are constructed out of aluminum frames and posts. “The faces could feature translucent polycarbonate or aluminum, depending on whether they’re illuminated or not,” she says.

The first concern Indiana Signworks addresses is typically durability, with consideration given to the customer’s budget.

“No one wants to put a lot of money into a sign that won’t stand the test of time,” says Chesebrough. “It’s actually amazing to drive down the street and signshop.com

ADA & Wayfinding

Selling

Always be sure to work closely with the client’s budget in choosing materials and added features or technology for a wayfinding project. realize that people do just that though.

“Hundreds of thousands of dollars on a sign that isn’t using tempered glass doesn’t seem realistic in the face of northern Indiana winter storms and snow plows, but we’ve seen it happen.”

She stresses that, depending on the use or the environment where the signs will be located, Indiana Signworks strives to use the best materials in order to make the longest-lasting signs possible.

According to Chesebrough, each application requires different substrates. “If the signs are indoor, we prefer an engraved plastic material that’s UV-stable,” she says.

“Exterior signage needs to be able to stand up to the elements, so a material like aluminum or Max-Metal® ACM is great.”

Of course, the company works closely

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December 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

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based on the parameters they’ve given us at the beginning of the job and conversations we’ve had along the way.

“We always listen to the customer and do everything in our power to give them exactly what they want. But sometimes we need to provide a stronger opinion on materials and guide them a bit more, especially if they insist on using a material or process that isn’t going to meet their needs.

Other areas that are usually covered in client conversations include recognizing traffic flow (whether vehicular or foot, exterior and/or interior); determining how the building is laid out (especially electrical and access to the sign for updates or

“The complexity of the wayfinding system should be dependent on the industry and the end-user.”

Wayfinding uses many materials & technologies.

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repair); surveying aesthetics (including landscaping and interior design colors/ materials); and deciding on the purpose of the sign (i.e., grabbing attention on a busy street, welcoming guests, directing them clearly and quickly to an exit, etc.).

“We also discuss the client’s likes and dislikes, as we try to find out the corporate culture,” notes Chesebrough. “Are they progressive and cutting-edge or are they conservative and traditional?”

Thanks to the added benefits of technology, the new thinking concerning wayfinding systems goes something like this: How do we receive information back from the traveler? What messages can be tailored to the visitor at specific points in their journey?

Chesebrough has been probing these questions, as her company investigates innovative solutions. “We’re not just seeking to push information out,” she says, “but to also develop new and better ways to gather incoming information, synthesize it, and put it to use.

“What if our signs come to reflect that?

What if different messages could be displayed for the various individuals interacting in a space, depending on their needs?

What if signs talked with our devices?”

These and other promising possibilities offer a glimpse of the new wave of wayfinding—its potential slowly becoming manifest.

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The Power of Project Partnering

ADA & Wayfinding

with the client’s budget in choosing materials and added features or technology.

“We try to decide on the overall look the customer is trying to achieve and then go from there to materials,” says Chesebrough. “The technologies we use to manufacture range from rotary engraving or laser engraving to digital printing or metal fabrication. We also incorporate sublimation where necessary.”

Chesebrough stresses that it’s important to avoid materials that will break down or warp over a few years. “This doesn’t mean that the signs will cost more either,” she says, “but we are definitely looking for the best long-term value for the customer,

Put the resources of Clarke Systems to work for you by partnering with us to win important ADA & wayfinding sign programs in your region. And, teaming up with us means support for: • Meetings & Presentations • Bid Review & Estimating • Design & Planning • Document Creation • Project Management

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“

SHOP TALK

B y a s h l e y b r ay

The Bunting Group of Companies of Verona, PA

Streamlining the Painting Process

T

he Bunting Group of Companies (www. buntinggroup.net) includes Bunting Architectural Metals, which specializes in Kynar® coated aluminum building envelope solutions available in both custom and pre-engineered systems. Its sister company, Bunting Graphics, offers architectural signage and metal fabricated solutions.

Bunting has been batch coating in standalone booths for many years, but during its peak times, the paint process was always a bottleneck for its operations. Plus Bunting had to outsource the Kynar or powder-coated finish to third parties.

To deal with these two problems, Bunting decided to invest in a horizontal coating system.

Bunting partnered with a company that engineered a custom-designed system for its production facility while also manufacturing the technical components. The remaining components were fabricated in-house by Bunting, which then installed the system.

It took about three years from the start of the design process to getting the system up and running.

“One of the many challenges of the process was realigning the existing equipment in our production facility to allow the paint system to fit,” says Ralph Stehle, senior project planner at Bunting.

The system is in a corner of the shop and includes over 300 feet of overhead conveyor, a series of paint booths, and a cure oven at the end. The system can coat parts up to six feet wide-by-nine feet tall-by-thirty feet long with a maximum weight

of 2400 pounds. It’s one of the largest horizontal coating systems of its kind in North America.

How many pieces are coated a day depends on the size and shape of the parts as well as the workload.

“A good example would be four-foot-by-eight-foot sign cabinets of which we can coat 600 per eighthour shift.This example would equate to around 300 gallons of paint and primer per shift,” says Stehle.

“We’re able to get several smaller jobs done in a day.

It wouldn’t be that typical for someone to have 600 sign cabinets to be painted in one day, but between a bunch of jobs, we could hit that kind of capacity.”

For signage jobs, Bunting primarily uses Matthews Paint. The shop turns to Duranar by PPG for architectural metals and powder by PPG for powder coating projects.

“We are also able to coat with other brands of paints or powders when requested,” says Stehle.

The system also makes it easy to switch—enabling the shop to do multiple finishes and colors a day.

Bunting mixes its own paint onsite for small batches, but buys paint premixed from PPG’s distribution facility, which is local, for larger batches.

Thanks to the horizontal coating system, Bunting not only eliminated its workflow bottleneck, it also opened up new profit avenues. “Instead of sending our parts to other people to be painted or powdercoated, other people are now able to send us pieces to be painted or powder-coated,” says Stehle.

48

Sign Builder Illustrated // December 2015

Photos: the bunting group of companies.

A horizontal coating system solves workflow issues.

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