Sign Builder Illustrated June 2015

restoring Redwood Maintaining that Natural Look

window graphics Enhancing the Environment

www.signshop.com

Number 240 | June 2015

How-To

we just changed the sign industry...

Drive Thru:

Diner Signage LED DRIV

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June 2015

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32 24

Hot Dogs

BY JEFF WOOTEN

Today’s ingredients that allowed a sign shop to go back to the past.

32 38

A Winning Team

BY ASHLEY BRAY

Four companies cover the bases on a baseball museum project.

In Tune with Branding

BY MIKE ANTONIAK

A sign shop sings the praises of graphics and branding work.

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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Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

24 44

From Flat to Dynamic

BY LORI SHRIDHARE

The art of wall and window graphics.

50

The Winds of Change

BY ASHLEY BRAY

Shaking up signage through the addition of wind turbines.

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.

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F ROM A X YZ I NT E RN AT I O N A L

Agenda

How-To Columns

16

Restoring Redwood

JUNE 2015 June 13-19: InfoComm 2015, a conference and tradeshow produced by the audio-visual communications association, uploads at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. (www.infocommshow.org)

JULY 2015 July 23-25: The Mid South Sign Association’s Annual Meeting & Tradeshow happens at the Embassy Suites Nashville SE in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. (www.midsouthsign.org)

20

Designing an Effective Safety Sign

Departments

16 Restoring Redwood

BY MARK K. ROBERTS

Breathing new life into a twenty-fiveyear-old sandblasted redwood sign.

20

Designing an Effective Safety Sign

BY PAUL MERLYN THOMAS

Shape, color, size, and placement all play a role in safety signs.

6

UpFront

8

Dispatches

10

Sign Show

54

SBI Marketplace

Thanks to a transportation bill, some streets could be highways, and Editor Jeff Wooten travels its hazardous roads.

The latest news from around the industry.

The newest products and services from sign manufacturers.

Advertisements and announcements from the sign trade.

HOW-TO

RESTORING REDWOOD

56 Shop Talk

WINDOW GRAPHICS Enhancing the Environment

www.signshop.com

NUMBER 240 | JUNE 2015

Maintaining that Natural Look

David Hickey shows why the fight for electronic message center regulations has changed course.

Drive Thru:

DINER SIGNAGE

On the Cover The recreation of the back end of a ’57 Chevy Bel Air is just one custom sign decorating the interior of Callahan’s Hot Dogs. Photo: KDF of Rockleigh, New Jersey.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

SEPTEMBER 2015 September 13-16: Graph Expo ’15, an event covering the graphics communication industry, is taking place at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. (www.graphexpo.com) September 24-25: NSSA’s New England Sign Expo 2015 will be held at the Twin River Casino Event Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island. (www.nssasign.org)

NOVEMBER 2015 November 4-6: SGIA Expo, home to the widest range of specialty imaging technology and equipment, heads to the Georgia Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. (www.sgiaexpo.org) signshop.com

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June 2015, Vol. 29, No. 240 Sign Builder Illustrated (ISSN 0895-0555) print, (ISSN 2161-0709) digital is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation

Eye of the Federal Beholder

Photo: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com

C

an you imagine the iconic Times Square district without its gargantuan billboards or its shiny electronic digital signage gone dark, no longer capturing the imagination of the millions of tourists who frequent this portion of New York City every year?

The above scenario might sound like a scene straight from a post-apocalyptic zombie movie, but thanks to a “little-noticed” transportation bill that was passed three years ago, this concept might actually be a frightening reality sooner than you’d think.

The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (“MAP-21”; P.L. 112-141) was adopted back in 2012 as a way to help the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) “reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.”

Back then, this Act was probably treated as an afterthought by the industry-at-large when it was passed; but it recently generated much more notice (and accompanying opinion) when the federal government used it to reclassify certain urban streets (such as Seventh Avenue and Broadway in Times Square) as federal highways. And because of this questionable redesignation, these now-highway streets suddenly find themselves subject to the federal requirements of the long-standing Highway Beautification Act. This means that these big-time, multimillion-dollars-revenue-generating billboards and signage located in the heart of the Big Apple are going to need to be either reduced in size or removed completely (as Ladybird Johnson’s gift-that-keeps-on-giving-to-society states that any billboards or signage over 1,200 square feet can’t be displayed within 660 feet of a highway). Failure to comply with these requirements results in a 10 percent reduction in a state’s federal highway funds.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

When busy streets become aesthetic highways.

The discussion behind this reclassification presented big-time discussions in publications like the NewYork Times and Wall Street Journal.

Yet this isn’t an easy law to dismiss. According to published reports, it provided $561 million in fiscal year 2013 and $572 million in 2014 for the FMCSA’s administrative expenses and grant programs.

So why are these city streets, thanks to this Act, being reclassified as something akin to rural highways? One could put two-and-two together to come up with a possible moneygrab, but nothing could be proven. Maybe the government truly is concerned about roadside distractions in one of the most congested streets in America? Or maybe someone is bored and needs to stir something up?

Right now, as it currently stands at press time, the state must remove Times Square’s violating billboards or lose (at least) $200 million. The Federal Highway Administration is closely working with the New York Department of Transportation to “fix” what’s being referred to as an “unintentional consequence.”

And while no one is really truly expecting Times Square to remove all its oversized billboards and digital signage or reduce them to mere pipsqueaks before the imposed deadline, there are still some scary ramifications floating around even with this scenario bypassed. For instance, what happens if society’s “aesthetic police” use this Act to turn its attention to urban signage in other parts of the country?

How will you and your customers react? New York has deep pockets; does your area?

Not all sign regulations are bad, but then, not all are good either. But who needs the Federal government or anti-sign activists having extra incentive to influence ideals that will be less friendly to sign users?

You might not have heard about MAP-21 before now, but it shouldn’t be ignored.

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 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, Jim Hingst, Mark Roberts, Lori Shridhare, Paul Merlyn Thomas, Randy Wright art

Corporate Art Director Wendy Williams Designer Emily Cocheo 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 Art Sutley at 212/620-7247 or e-mail asutley@sbpub.com.

Circulation Dept. 800/895-4389

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Dispatches

Dimensional Project

Provides a Sugar rush

The four-foot-tall, EPS foam PEEP is a sight to see out on the ice.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania— What do a PEEP, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms minor league hockey team, and a Zamboni have in common? A whole lot it turns out.

Just Born Quality Confections, the makers of PEEPS®, is located in Lehigh Valley and sponsors the Phantoms. One of PPL Arena’s Zambonis is wrapped in PEEP vinyl graphics, and Just Born hatched a plan to make the Zamboni even more unique through the addition of a four-foot-tall, yellow PEEPS chick.

To make the vision a reality, Just Born brought in Sign Design Associates, who also sponsors the Phantoms and has provided a variety of signage for the stadium.

After working up a design and some concept drawings, Sign Design Associates brought Peachtree City Foamcraft on board to handle the fabrication.

The major challenge in mounting a PEEP to the Zamboni was making sure the driver could still perform his job. signshop.com

The biggest challenge was finding a way to mount the PEEP high enough so that the driver could see.

Weight was a concern since the driver needed to be able to lift the PEEP, and the Zamboni’s front end is fiberglass with no structural integrity. “[The Zamboni] required the ability to quickly remove the icon and dump its ice loads and reattach the icon for the next use,” says Michael Fetter, sales manager at Peachtree City Foamcraft.

Sight was an even bigger issue. “The main challenge was the ability for the driver to be able to see when conditioning the ice. For that, we reviewed with all parties involved (including the driver),” says Dennis Wirth, president of Sign Design Associates. “We came up with the concept of an old-style muscle car hood pin for the quick attachment.”

The team built an aluminum structure designed to accept a quick disconnect pin system for easy detachment signshop.com

American Sign Museum Online Auction

and reattachment and to hold the PEEP high enough off the Zamboni’s hood that the driver could see the sidewalls of the ice rink.

The next hurdle was actually designing the 3D PEEP to resemble the real-life sugary treat. “Image reputation had to be maintained, [so] colors had to be exactly matched,” says Fetter. “This product needed to be seamlessly integrated into their marketing campaign.”

Fetter visited the Just Born plant and took digital photos of the PEEPS to ensure an accurate representation.

Once the images were acquired, a vector art design was created that could be fed to Peachtree City Foamcraft’s contour cutters.

After cutting the EPS foam into an isometric shape, the PEEP was brought to the stadium for fitting. “The raw cut Peep was brought to the site, we set it on the Zamboni, then tested for sightline, clearance on and off the ice, and the ability for it to be removed when dumping the ice,” says Wirth.

Once this testing was complete, Peachtree finalized the sculpting of the 3D PEEP. They next encapsulated it in their proprietary hard coat system, Poly-Armor™ finish, to meet the high-impact needs of the project and then painted it yellow.

When the PEEP was finally mounted, it had taken several weeks to complete the job. But the Phantoms now have a permanent display to bring out whenever they’re in the mood for a treat!

—Ashley Bray

Cincinnati, Ohio— The American Sign Museum’s fifth annual Online Auction opens on June 1 at midnight EST and will close on June 24 at midnight EDT. The fundraising event includes the sign products, materials, equipment, and services that sign shops use every day, as well as a selection of consumer goods—all at discount prices!

A sampling of some of the auction items includes: + Business, estimating, and design software; + Printers and cutters/plotters; + Vinyl and printing media; + Banners and banner components; + L ED and lighting products/systems; and + Consumer goods such as cameras, wine, and electronics.

Also up for grabs is booth space at the 2016 ISA Sign Expo in Orlando, Florida as well as regional shows like Mid South Sign Association, Midwest Sign Association, and Texas Sign Association.

Visit www.biddingforgood.com/ americansignmuseum to start bidding and be sure to check back as new items will be added throughout the auction timeframe.

June 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

9

SignSHOW CUTTERS/PLOTTERS Colex Has Made Significant Improvements to its Sharpcut Flatbed Cutter Colex Finishing has dedicated itself to making its Sharpcut flatbed cutter faster. For starters, the software has been upgraded and now endorses a higher level of efficiency for the Sharpcut. When cutting multiple images, the software automatically will compute which image is closest to the last image it cut, cutting down on unnecessary movement by the gantry. Alterations were also made to the W- axis; as a result, there is now less friction and, more importantly, faster acceleration. Colex estimates that the W-axis can now rotate 40 percent faster than what it was capable of in the past. The changes made to the W-axis also positively affected the Z-axis because they are directly correlated. The Z-axis can now accelerate approximately 30 percent faster than its past capabilities. 201/265-5670; www.colex.com

Mimaki USA Introduces the CFL-605RT Compact Flatbed Cutting Plotter Mimaki USA's CFL-605RT compact flatbed cutting plotter is a 24-by-24-inch multifunction plotter that supports on-demand production with multiple functions—including reciprocating, tangential, and eccentric cutting, plus creasing for immediate finishing of packaging and prototypes. As part of an overall workflow, the CFL-605RT cutting plotter provides a rapidresponse solution for production of items such as short-run or custom original goods, samples, and package prototyping.

The combination of a CFL-605RT cutting plotter, a UJF-6042 UV-LED tabletop flatbed printer, and packaging design software (such as ArtiosCAD Designer Solution) provides the ability to easily and economically produce package prototypes that reflect the designer’s intent. With this system, designers and brand managers can achieve packaging design actualization in shorter timeframes. A double-insulated vacuum unit operates quietly. www.mimakiusa.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 New Dual Shuttle 39-by-67-inch Heat Press is “Big” News Metalnox has “big” news with the launch of its latest and largest heat press ever. With dual shuttles each measuring 39-by-67 inches, the new PTS 17000 air-operated unit is the fourth new heat press launched by Metalnox during 2015.

This larger size allows users to do all-over transfers on two to four T-shirts (depending upon the size of the garment).

With the heat press having pneumatic air-controlled pressing and easy-glide drawers, the unit was designed to be a breeze to work with. Additionally users have been requesting larger-sized heat presses as a complement to many of the large format dye sublimation printers from EPSON, Mimaki, Mutoh, and Roland DGA. Metalnox have certainly met the requirements of user’s demands with the launch of the PTS 17000. www.graphicsone.com

D I G I TA L S I G N S / E M C / V I D E O D I S P L AY S Trans-Lux Adds New Pixel Pitches to its TL Vision LED Displays Trans-Lux continues to bring LED innovation to market with an expanded line of TL Vision LED displays with pitches ranging from 1.9mm to 20mm. The new TL Vision 1.9mm LED Display delivers HD-quality video with brightness, color reproduction, and viewing angles that rival HD flat panel televisions. The new 1.9mm LED display is ideal for myriad applications including retail/fashion, corporate lobbies, restaurants and lounges, nightclubs, concert/touring venues, museums, and all other viewing locations where large format HD resolution imagery will best engage viewers. www.trans-lux.com

LED MODULES/TUBES/STRIPS Fluorescent Retrofits are Made Easy with SloanLED’s SignBOX RapidStick SloanLED has launched SignBOX™ RapidStick™ for retrofitting fluorescent sign cabinets. SignBOX RapidStick can be used with single- or double-sided cabinets, as fast installation into existing sockets is easily achieved. Providing bright, even 360-degree illumination, this LED lighting technology greatly increases the typical cabinet light efficiency to an average of 130 lm/W and extends the life of the lighting product as well. SignBOX RapidStick works with the SloanLED 24 VDC 100 Watt power supply and is currently available in three lengths: 48, 72, and 96 inches (with additional lengths available in the near future). SignBOX RapidStick is UL and cUL recognized and ROHS and WEEE compliant. www.sloanLED.com

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Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

signshop.com

GO BEYOND expectations.

The new Mimaki CJV150 Series cut and print devices go beyond extraordinary to deliver a wide range of applications. Eco-solvent inks in a variety of colors – including Silver – and advanced printing technologies means you can produce nearly anything in a single unit that fits your workflow. Precision cutting capability gives you the ability to deliver custom and short-run items such as labels, T-shirt transfers or package prototypes.

With the Mimaki CJV150 Series printers’ 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”.

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© 2015 Mimaki USA, Inc.

info@mimakiusa.com

888-530-4021

SignSHOW SIGN ACCESSORIES It’s Easy to Picture the Measurements with Spike Spike from ikeGPS Limited is the world’s first laser-accurate Smartphone measurement solution. The Spike device, Spike mobile app, and your Smartphone work together to capture the location, height, width, and area of a building or its features simply by capturing a photo with a Smartphone or Tablet from up to 650 feet away. The Spike device mounts to the back of a Smartphone or Tablet case with strong adhesive tape. Signage professionals are deploying Spike to dramatically speed up the capture of measurements for the placement of a new sign or to replace an existing sign (especially in locations that can traditionally only be accessed by ladders, scaffolding, or aerial lift trucks). More than one hundred franchise and independent sign companies are already finding Spike particularly beneficial during the initial site survey for creating estimates, designing proofs, submitting permits, and assigning installation work orders. www.ikegps.com

sign b l an k s / p ane l s / s u b s t ra t es Oriam Green’s Versatile Re-board Provides Plenty of Options Oriam Green Ltd. brings Re-board® and its accessories to North America. Re-board is a lightweight, patented paper-based board with a unique engineered fluted core. It is the world’s strongest paperboard manufactured with 1/6-inch holes; compared to 1/2-inch, you can drive a car over it! It has a special liner that makes it form stable, and its unique, engineered fluted core allows it to bend and fold perfectly if cut with a Zünd or similar machine. Re-board can be digitally printed or finished with decorative laminates to achieve stunning results. Designs and cutting files are shared for free to help shops get going easily, and the company also has a design service for awkward designs that are difficult to manage. Because Re-board utilizes water-based adhesives, it can be recycled as paper in normal waste paper streams. A flame-retardant version is available upon request. www.oriamgreen.com

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• Many profiles include a Frosted Acrylic or Styrene Lens

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• Offered in Cool White, Pure White, Warm White, Red, Green and Blue • Offered in 12V, 24V and 120V

• Provides even illumination without hot spots

• Luminescence output from ambient to ultra bright – A range for every application

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Go to Web: Catalog 42, Pages 647-656

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Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

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SignSHOW STA N D - O F F S /M O U N T I N G E Q U I PM E N T LED Standoffs with Red, Green, Blue, and White Illumination Outwater now offers its extremely popular LED Standoffs for Signage and Displays with red, green, and blue lighting options in conjunction with the original white-lit format in which they were introduced. Simple in design, yet ingenious in application, Outwater’s LED Standoffs use the acrylic or Plexiglas® sign holders to which they have been affixed as the medium to diffuse backlit illumination, ensuring that promotional pieces are always uniformly lit without any undesirable shadows or scalloping. Outwater’s 12V LED Standoffs allow for an infinite number of interior display mounting options for a variety of different media including permanent and freestanding displays, signage, and directories. Available in polished and matte chrome, Outwater’s aluminum LED Standoffs have a diameter and height of one inch and can accommodate panel materials up to 1/2-inch-thick. 800/631-8375; www.outwater.com

VINYL/VINYL FILMS/SUPPLIES New Free Instructional Video Series on Mounting Digital Prints and Photographs to Acrylic Drytac® has a new educational resource available for those seeking information on how to adhere the printed side of a digital graphic to acrylic—a process known as face mounting, second surface mounting, acrylic mounting, or Plexiglas® mounting. In its newly introduced Facemount® video series, Drytac walks viewers through the process with step-by-step instructions from start to finish. Divided into four videos, the series covers the following topics: Chapter 1: Materials Required for Face Mounting; Chapter 2: Preparing Acrylic for Face Mounting; Chapter 3: Applying Facemount to Images; and Chapter 4: Adhering Facemount Images to Acrylic. The benefits of Facemount, Drytac’s optically clear, pressuresensitive mounting adhesive used in the face mounting process, are also highlighted, so that viewers take note of how effective the material is when mounting to any clear substrate. www.drytac.com

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Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

signshop.com

Welcome to the

Reel World

INTRODUCING THE RCS

The RCS is designed for cutting reel stock. Fully portable with locking casters and a 50’ power cable, the RCS can be brought into position in front of large, heavy reels of polycarbonate material for cross cutting the material to length.

The RCS eliminates the need to move reels to existing fixed position sawing machines or having operators use less safe cutting methods, such as hand saws on or near the floor. In addition, the RCS is an ideal back-up saw for other cutting applications. Your valuable floor space is never compromised, as the saw is easily stowed out of the way when not in use.

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HOW-TO

By Mark K. Roberts

Service/Maintenance

Restoring Redwood Breathing new life into a twentyfive-year-old sandblasted redwood sign.

16

T

here are many ways you can describe sandblasted redwood signs: beautiful, stunning, impressive, etc. Unfortunately one adjective you cannot use is maintenance-free!

As with any wood product that is used in sign making, this material is in a state of slow decay.

In order to preserve the longevity of our beautiful sandblasted signs, we must have these signs on a preventative maintenance schedule.

This month’s featured project, a sandblasted redwood sign for a nearby park’s hike-and-bike

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

trail, is actually the fourth restoration I have performed in this sign’s lifetime.

The sign is fairly large and consists of two sandblasted redwood faces. The sign measures 5-1/2 feet tall-by-9 feet wide-by-12 inches thick, due to the aluminum “filler” wrap between the two faces (Photo 1).

The first order of business involved removing this aluminum filler. After removing it, I visually inspected the edges of the redwood for any decay or rotting (Photo 2).

Be sure to check thoroughly! Any discoloration seen on the edges of the redwood must be ground away with your Dremel™ tool, debris blown or vacuumed away, and the area filled with your favorite patch material. After ample drying of your patch, sand lightly to a smooth finish and wipe all the dust from the surface with a damp cloth.

Next I looked at every square inch of the back of the signs, checking for discoloration or degradation of the redwood.

This particular sign features two rather large, heavy sign faces, so I laid these two faces down on four sawhorses, with the back of each sign facing upward.

I noticed dark streaks and weakness in the wood, so I needed to repair it before proceeding.

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is epoxy glue and fine redwood dust. I removed the redwood dust from the canister vaccuum cleaner and stored it in a coffee can.

I took a small amount of redwood dust (a pile measuring 2-by-4-by-0.5 inches) and placed it in a shallow aluminum pan. I then took the epoxy cement and mixed it thoroughly with the redwood dust.

Wearing protective gloves, I took the pan of epoxy mix and applied a generous amount of patch to the redwood panels.

After about one hour, the epoxy mixture was rock hard and ready for sanding.

I sanded carefully using my Dremel tool with a conical rock bit. I proceeded at a slow pace and mimicked the wood grain to keep the project as authentic as possible.

Once I had created the “patch grain” in the repaired areas, I returned to the edges of the sign.

The edges were suffering from damage caused by nailing the aluminum filler that enclosed the sign. I mixed another epoxy cement-redwood dust solution and applied it along the edges of the sign to fill the existing holes.

Straight to Your Inbox SBI Update, Sign Builder Illustrated’s monthly e-newsletter, delivers the latest hot topics and news from around the sign industry right to your email

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Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

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5

After thirty minutes, I lightly sanded the edges of the two sign faces once again, wiped them clean, and applied two brand new coats of paint—one at a time, of course.

After drying, I installed our new aluminum filler. After a light sanding of the aluminum, I wiped it clean with a damp cloth.

Next I applied a base coat of latex green paint (Photo 3). The following day I applied the second and final coat to the aluminum filler.

It was then time to repaint the raised graphics on the sign faces. I applied the latex lettering enamel paint to each letter using a one-inch-wide brush (although a

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6 two-inch-wide brush can also be used) in two passes—the first a base coat and the second the final coat (Photo 4).

In addition, I fabricated and installed some additional sandblasted park rules signs (Photo 5), just to maintain a safe and happy environment.

This renewal project will add about five more years of life to this revitalized

sign structure (Photo 6). And when it is time to do it again, I will be ready!

Mark Roberts is a thirty-eight-year sign veteran living and working in Houston, Texas. If you have any questions or comments about this article, email markrobertsigns@ gmail.com.

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June 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

19

HOW-TO

By Paul Merlyn Thomas

Safety

Designing an Effective Safety Sign

Shape, color, size, and placement all play a role in

employees in the area and that different situations will call for different types of signs.

Luckily when it comes to designing a safety sign, there are simple guidelines, regardless of business or industry, that can help ensure a safe workplace for both employer and employee.

Shape Different shapes of safety signs are almost universally used to describe different situations and risks about the workplace.

A triangle shape is primarily used as a warning to workers to remain alert due to the risks associated with a specific area.

A round sign is meant to convey an area that is prohibited (such as a “do not enter� sign on a highway exit or entrance).

Lastly a rectangular sign is employed to convey safety requirements for a certain area (such as hard hat areas on construction sites).

Photo: emedco.

safety signs.

W

orkplace safety education has become a necessity for just about any industry doing business today. From fast food to deep sea welding, workplace hazards and injuries have the potential to leave employers legally and fďťżinancially vulnerable.

Due to the prevalence of these potential safety issues, it is of the utmost importance that employers post clear and apparent signage detailing and warning against any possible safety risks around the workplace. These hazards can range from the very common (wet floor, live electrical current, etc.) to the most obscure (wild koala attack risk).

Thankfully there exist outlets where businesses can order both commonly displayed and custom-made safety signs.

But when using a sign or label of your own design, it is important to remember that, first and foremost, the sign must get the attention of all

20

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

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When preparing to design your own safety sign, first identify what message the sign will be conveying to choose the appropriate shape for the specific situation.

Color

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Like shape, color is also used to universally convey certain messages regardless of the language that the sign is actually printed in.

The color yellow is employed primarily as a warning message. Yellow is one of the colors that the human eye notices more immediately than other shades, so it is ideal to inform of a potential hazard.

The color red is used in safety signs to convey prohibition of a certain activity (such as “Do Not Enter” or “No Smoking”). Red is used because receptors in the human eye are more sensitive to this hue than other colors in the spectrum.

The color also travels the farthest and weakens least over distance.

Finally blue signs are employed to convey a mandatory message. This is why you will often see “Hard Hat Area” signs colored blue. Blue is employed in these situations primarily due to the few negative connotations associated with the color.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

Paul Merlyn Thomas grew up with a long lineage of construction workers. Working as a construction manager for several years, Paul later was able to utilize his experience on the work site as a consultant for companies concerning safety issues in the workplace throughout the Midwest. Paul spends most of his days blogging on safety-related issues at www.emedco.com. signshop.com

Photo: shutterstock.com.

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The last decision an employer must make relating to a sign for a specific situation is the actual size of the sign and where to post it.

The most important thing to remember here is that the sign and its language should be visible to any employee in the area regardless of quality of vision (or in some cases, quality of attention span).

Make sure a sign is large enough that the print can be easily read from anywhere in the area.

The sign should also be posted at eye level and near the entrance to the area to ensure it is seen and its message heeded by anyone present.

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Hot Dogs 24

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

New Callahan’s owner, Daniel DeMiglio, uses the ‘57 Chevy Bel Air bottle cap opener.

signshop.com

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

Today’s ingredients that allowed a sign shop to go back to the past.

C

However the food truck concept ended up being so successful (long customer lines, frequent sell-outs, etc.) that DeMiglio knew the time was right to finally bring Callahan’s back as a storefront restaurant. So he leased vacant space in Norwood, New Jersey.

The Callahan’s catchphrase is “So Big! So Good!” Because of this, DeMiglio knew he was going to need the remodeled interior environment to reflect this motto as well.

Enter KDF Custom Graphics (www.kdf-comp.com) of Rockleigh, New Jersey.This highly creative sign shop is proud to dream up and build projects that other sign shops aren’t able to do.

DeMiglio met with KDF President Stephen Hoey about his interior signage needs and told him that he wanted to incorporate a feeling for the old Callahan’s while also reflecting that this was a brand-new Callahan’s.

KDF was already familiar with Callahan’s, since they had also created and installed DeMiglio’s food truck wrap. For signshop.com

June 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

25

all photos: kdf custom graphics.

allahan’s was a family-owned hot dog restaurant in Fort Lee, New Jersey that started up back in 1950 and was, for the following decades, a primo destination that seemingly everyone in the surrounding Tri-State area had to visit. Thanks to their success, they even expanded to multiple locations over the years.

But eventually (and unfortunately), the family decided to shut down the last of its restaurants back in 2006, and that was that. Or was it?

Last year, the founder’s grandson, Daniel DeMiglio, realized a life-long dream to reopen Callahan’s—this time as a traveling food truck.

Stephen Hoey handled the overall concepts (as well as some fabrication and install), while his wife, Nanette, designed the timeline murals. Mark Pilcher printed graphics, and Rad Horak and Greg Gardula installed.

Other KDF employees involved with this project: Brian Hamilton built the Bel Air back end, Pedro Alves managed the CNC router, Holin Viray painted all the signage, and Eddie Cheung oversaw project logistics. it, Hoey’s wife, Nanette, designed a super-bright, super-fun wrap featuring historic photographs, the Callahan’s hot dog logo and tagline, and loud colors that reflected the original restaurant’s style.

DeMiglio’s initial thought was to just incorporate the same graphics that had been used on the truck inside the restaurant. But Hoey had bigger thoughts. “We wanted to do things that would blow people away when they walked in through his door,” he says.

So KDF ended up designing, building, and installing several types of cool, new retro signage: Timeline wall murals, 3-D lampposts and bottle caps, and the highlight—the recreation of the back end of a 1957 Chevy Bel Air.

Timeless Wall Murals The design of the food truck wrap inspired the mural that’s found on all four walls of the new Callahan’s. This mix of vinyl 26

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

and 3D signs and panels tells the story of Callahan’s in a timeline style from 1950 to today.

DeMiglio supplied Hoey with lots of old photographs of the original hot dog restaurant, as well as shots of his grandfather.

“We scanned the old pictures and enlarged them in our design program,” says Hoey. “We also made certain to highlight a few key years that were important to the Callahan’s history (its opening in 1950, its closing in 2006, its reopening as a food truck last year, etc.).”

KDF printed the images onto 3M™ Scotchcal™ Graphic Films with Comply™ Adhesive IJ35C-10 vinyl material via its Mutoh printer. They used a matte laminate throughout to prevent any glare.

Some elements of the mural are actually a half-inch off the wall. “We printed those graphics onto the face of black PVC using a flatbed printer and then cut them out and attached them to the wall,” says Hoey. signshop.com

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Also featured on the wall that patrons see as they enter (and as part of the mural) is a 3D version of the restaurant’s hot dog logo and lettering, as well as a miniature version of the wrapped food truck bursting off the sign panel.

The hot dog piece and sign panel were cut out of fifteenpound Precision Board™ HDU using its MultiCam 3000 CNC router and then painted with bright colors. KDF crafted the miniature food truck out of Precision Board by creating a relief for it using the 3D model program and router-cutting it.

They printed the original wrap design at a smaller scale and attached it. The letters, hot dog, and food truck were then glued to the painted sign blank.

Nostalgic Street Sign During the initial site-survey discussions at the then-empty storefront location, DeMiglio mentioned to Hoey how important Palisades Avenue was to the original Callahan’s. (Note: This was the address for the first restaurant.) He wanted a section of the mural to feature this street name.

However DeMiglio was only thinking 2D. “I knew it would look cooler coming out of the wall,” says Hoey, “so we came up with the idea of fabricating a full-scale lamp post and attaching it to the wall instead.”

KDF router-cut the Palisades Avenue sign out of fifteenpound Precision Board and its sign frame and the lamp post out of Dibond®.

They employed the flatbed printer to direct-print the “distressed” look onto the panel. To further enhance the distressed appearance, they used steel wool to scratch up the sign frame and lamp post and painted them using Modern Masters Steel Metallic (and Modern Masters Silver on top of this for highlights).

28

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

Other interior décor inspired by the food truck wrap (top) includes murals, lamp posts, and 3D logo signs.

Retro Bottle Caps Hoey also notes that DeMiglio was fixated on the soft drink bottle caps that were a mainstay at the original Callahan’s. So he suggested creating larger-sized versions for the wall as well.

The two drinks most associated with Callahan’s were YooHoo® and Pepsi®, so the KDF team researched the logos featured on these bottle caps during the late ’50s/early ’60s time period and recreated them using design software.

On their MultiCam 3000, KDF cut the bottle cap shapes out of 1-1/2-inch Precision Board. They then painted these modified blanks with Modern Masters Silver paint and finished by flatbedprinting the retro logos onto these painted bottle caps.

They populated white LED modules along the inside perimeter of the back of the bottle caps. They poked a wire through the wall to attach the LEDs to the power supply on the other side.

Next KDF added a Dibond plate with a keyhole cut into it to the back of the caps. This helped them easily hang these caps to the screws on the wall (and make them easy to move around later, if desired). The bottle caps stand about an inch off the wall, which creates a nice highlight effect with the LEDs. signshop.com

Classic Chevy Bel Air Speaking of bottle caps, the crème de la crème of the new Callahan’s has to be the recreation of the back end of a ’57 Chevy Bel Air positioned over a drink cooler. Its bumper houses a bottle cap opener.

DeMiglio’s original vision consisted of just a bumper mounted to the wall alongside some other chrome components and brake lights he had purchased.

But to make this prop really stand out, Hoey knew he was going to have to put the pedal to the metal.

KDF decided to create an entire back body to match the bumper and the lights.

Designers downloaded a 3D model of this car and sized it to try to get it to fit as perfectly as possible within the bumper.

But the model wasn’t exact. “The bumper fit but the lighting parts that come up the back of the fin weren’t even close to fitting properly,” laughs Hoey. “So either the 3D model was off or some of the aftermarket parts were.”

KDF Business Development Manager Brian Hamilton ended up sanding and Bondo®-ing the parts, reshaping them until everything fit properly.

In order to disperse the weight between the car and its components, KDF built the car body as two separate metal pieces.

Hamilton welded a frame inside the car, while KDF mounted a separate frame to the wall for the top of the car and a steel beam at the bottom to mount the welds coming out of the bumper.

KDF painted the car body using Modern Masters Candy Apple Red Metallic. “We experimented,” says Hoey.

“While the Metallic looks a little darker than Bright Red, it more resembles an automotive paint job,” explains Hoey.

KDF swapped out the real bulbs in the brake lights with red LED modules. They also used LEDs to highlight the custommade HDU license plate. “And we placed a string of LEDs along the bottom of the car,” says Hoey, “so as you’re removing the bottle cap, you’re looking down at a nice glow of blue on the top of the cooler.”

The finished car piece weighs about 175 pounds. Surprisingly this back end is actually pinned to the wall instead of screwed.

“There’s a pin that goes right through from the top steel frame to the bottom steel frame, pinning the two together,” explains Hoey. “If they’d ever want to take it off the wall (for whatever reason), they pull one pin and the entire piece comes off.”

More on the Menu The new Callahan’s storefront reopened this past April, and patrons are relishing the great food, the great memories, and the great signage. Other cool pieces that KDF created and installed include: • Weathered “Callahan’s” channel letters. These appear as if they’ve been pulled off the original building. KDF painted them with Modern Masters Metallic and stud-mounted them to the main timeline wall mural.

• A 106-by-20-inch menu board. This was made from an MDF piece and black chalkboard paint. KDF flatbed-printed the graphics on top of it with a “vintage” gas station-style menu board made from PVC. •A seven-by-seven-foot cut-vinyl sign. This graphic featuring the Callahan’s name and a hot dog and was applied to the inside wall of the kitchen.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

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winning a winning

team Four companies cover the bases on a baseball museum project.

T

he St. Louis Cardinals’ Hall of Fame Museum in downtown St. Louis, Missouri is an 8,000-square foot museum that honors the baseball team, but it took another team entirely to play ball and put together the museum’s exhibits, displays, vinyl graphics, and 3D architectural elements.

Four companies came together to knock this project out of the park: PGAV Architects (design), The Mozaic Group (prepress requirements and color management), Craftsmen Industries (printing and fabrication), and Clayco (installation).

First Base: Project Management With so many companies involved, project management was of the utmost importance on this job—especially since the team had to work around the construction going on at the same time in the Ballpark Village (which the Hall of Fame is housed in).

“Project management was very critical,” says Bryan Ackerman, executive vice president of Operations for Mozaic (www. mozaicltd.com), “as far as managing the schedule as well as the timing of the installation.”

John Salozzo, director of Marketing for Craftsmen Industries (www.craftsmenind.com), emphasizes the importance of having a good relationship with those you partner with. “On a project like this, you really need to be familiar with your vendors,” he says. “There’s a lot of back and forth.

“In every project, there’s a panic or friction point. If you’re working with the right vendors, they’ve been there before and know how to navigate the challenge and communicate the solution to the end-client.”

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Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

The museum includes a 3D architectural piece, made from fiberglass with embedded metal, that was built to mimic the Bottle Cap element from the old Busch Stadium.

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all photos: craftsmen industries & the mozaic group.

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

(Left) Brick archways built from aluminum and urethane.

(Right) Routed letters were added to many of the signs. signshop.com

June 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

33

Color management and pre-press work was critical since many old photos and vinyl graphics were involved.

Second Base: Pre-Press With only a few months to complete this project, Mozaic got to work as soon as they received the design files from PGAV. “We had to take the files, organize them, and sort them out,” says Ackerman. “Within two days, we had to take off with this project.”

Mozaic worked with Craftsmen and the Cardinals’ museum curator to get the files ready for production. These files included a number of old photographs, and Mozaic was tasked with manipulating them for color correction and other enhancements.

“A lot of it was supplied to us already scanned, but then we had to enhance it,” says Ackerman. “Sometimes they were old-time photos, and they wanted us to make it a duotone or black-and-white or maybe just the Cardinals logo and the numbers in red.”

In addition to photo manipulation, Mozaic was responsible for sizing photos and design files to fit into exhibits, cabinets, doorways, and other locations in the museum. Resizing was often necessary, depending on construction modifications, so Mozaic worked close34

ly with Clayco.

Color management of the design files was also critical, since printing was done across multiple printers and multiple media types.

“We had to make sure everything looked exact across the board,” says Ackerman.

“You need a solid workflow and RIP to drive all printers for color consistency from one printer to the other, even if they’re in different locations.”

Mozaic used GMG’s color management software to create print profiles and ensure consistent color.

“You can’t skip out on this part and go

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

cheap on this,” says Ackerman. “This step will save you time, ink, and paper—which equates to dollars saved in the long run.”

Craftsmen further tested the prints in a controlled viewing area with 5000K light (which mimics daylight) to review the color against G7 standards. Craftsmen also used a spectrophotometer to measure the color.

“We use numbers, and we use the correct light source to judge things, so we

Craftsmen used an HP FB700 UV Printer and Seiko eco-solvent printer to output all of the graphics.

signshop.com

know we’ve got the right PMS color,” says Salozzo. “But once it gets into the museum or any venue, their color light source can change what that color is really supposed to look like.

“That’s why working with Mozaic was very helpful. They could tweak the color and then come back to us.”

(Note: Craftsmen has its own prepress department, but on such a big project, it was more efficient to have another company like Mozaic dedicated solely to prepress and color management.)

Even if the files are just right, the printing process itself can affect the color output. Things like heat and humidity in the room, and even the speed of printing, can cause prints not to match. This is especially true with certain colors like gray, which Craftsmen dealt with while printing a wall mural.

“The key was everything had to match,” says Salozzo. “If you have a really busy background, it’s much easier.

“But when you’re dealing with gray, it’s really difficult. It only takes a tiny bit of impurity, or a little yellow or a little blue, to make the panels not match.

So we had to be very careful.”

Third Base: Graphics Fabrication When the design files were ready, Craftsmen stepped in the batter’s box and got to work on printing and fabricating.

A good portion of the project called for various types of vinyl graphics, including wall murals and window graphics.

Craftsmen printed these graphics on its Seiko eco-solvent printer on 3M ™ Controltac™ Graphic Film with Comply™ v3 adhesive with the 3M™ Scotchcal™ Matte Overlaminate 8520.

In addition to vinyl graphics, Craftsmen also printed banners and finished them in its in-house sewing department.

A number of computer-cut graphics were also required. The graphics are made of 1/4-inch-thick white or black Sintra® and printed direct-to-board on the shop’s HP FB700 UV Printer.

The pieces were then cut on a Zünd i-cut machine. They add a dimensionality to the exhibit cabinets, along with some digital sign elements.

Routed signage was also featured in the museum. Craftsmen cut the signage out of Plexiglas® and aluminum signshop.com

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June 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

35

The museum project included everything from vinyl graphics to cut and routed signs to 3D architectural elements. using its Gerber CNC routers and Precix router.

The signage was then painted or a decal was applied.

Home Plate: Architectural Two of the elements that presented some of the biggest challenges were the 3D architectural pieces.

The Bottle Cap section, for example, was built to mimic an element from the old Busch Stadium. Size was a big consideration for this piece.

“These elements have to go in a trailer, so they have to be able to fit in a trailer, and they also have to be of a certain weight that can be lifted,” says Salozzo.

With this in mind, Craftsmen fabricated the Bottle Cap pieces out of fiberglass with metal embedded inside and out of view (for installation purposes).

The fiberglass was painted, and RGB LED lighting around the perimeter illuminates the structure.

A series of brick archways also tested the talents of the fabricators.

Craftsmen created the structure from aluminum sheet metal. For the brickwork, a sculptor made a mold that was used to shape urethane into a brick pattern. The urethane was adhered to the aluminum surface.

When crafting the brickwork, Craftsmen purposely chose a material that was durable (to avoid any future curveballs).

“When you’re doing work for museums, you always have to be concerned with what’s at pedestrian level, because you have a lot of people touching,” says Salozzo. “You don’t want to put anything on there that’s too delicate, because some little kid with bubblegum is going to stick it on there—it’s inevitable.

But this [the brick] is very cleanable.”

The brick was spray-painted using a hold-back to keep the paint out of unwanted areas. “They take that hold back and put it in all of the creases, so that when they airbrush it, those areas stay the same color,” explains Salozzo.

When the project finally rounded the bases, it included 15,000 artifacts, 80,000 photographs, and the stamp of expertise of all the companies involved.

36

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

signshop.com

A Cut-out Type of Coach

P

hotoWorksGroup, Inc., of Charlottesville, Virginia, was approached to create thirty life-sized standees of University of Virginia Basketball Coach Tony Bennett to be installed as point-ofpurchase displays for three to six months to support a supermarket chain’s soft-drink promotion.

Geoff Kilmer, president of PhotoWorksGroup (www. photoworksgroup.com), estimates that three out of every four of the company’s projects are produced with rigid substrates. To meet the individual needs of each project, Kilmer turns to substrates offered by 3A Composites (www.GraphicDisplay. com) and distributed by Sudlersville, Maryland-based Harbor Sales Company (www.harborsales.net).

PhotoWorksGroup used a SCREEN Truepress Jet 1600 UV-F flatbed with a vacuum bed to direct-print Bennett’s image with a bleed onto 3/16-inch-thick white Fome-Cor® board.

The printed images featured vector-generated contour cutting lines that were cut out with a CNC router. Scrap Fome-Cor board was used to create easel backs for the life-sized cutouts.

(Note: Fome-Cor board consists of extruded polystyrene foam bonded between various high-quality papers that feature a smooth surface for decorating.)

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37

B r a n d i n g / By m i k e a nto n i A k / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Branding

L

ocal sports fans and spectators around Gainesville, Georgia, have all worn or seen the handiwork of Cotton Eyed Joe’s (www.cejoes.com).

Since 1998, the family-owned business has been the area’s leading provider of shirts, hats, and whatever a team, club, company, or church might require to get its name and logo out there.

“Our main business is still as an apparel company,” notes Jody Spain, coowner and co-founder of the company with his father David and brother Joey.

38

with A sign shop sings the praises of graphics and branding work.

“But the fastest part of our growth has been in sign and digital graphics.”

Digital’s impact—and the opportunities with large format printing—has been a pleasant surprise. “It’s a bigger percentage of our work now,” says Jody, “more than we could’ve imagined.”

“Where Did You Come From?”

The business started in their garage, literally, with David and Joey silk-screening Jody’s designs. They chose the name Cotton Eyed Joe’s from the old folk song

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

as a reference to the cotton they still print on every day.

Demand for their services eventually forced them to relocate. Cotton Eyed Joe’s landed in its own home in 2000.

As the business grew, so too did their capabilities.They first added custom embroidery, followed by automated and increased production and expanded operations.

Today Cotton Eyed Joe’s has evolved into a full-service graphics solution center that fills 12,000 square feet and employs a staff of twelve (including two full-time designers). signshop.com

all Photos: cotton eyed Joe’s.

In Tune

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

Cotton Eyed Joe’s does work for a lot of school sports programs, and in the final phase of these projects, recommendations include environmental graphics for floors and walls.

“We buy our textiles from [distributor] Nazdar, and in 2010, our rep suggested we take a look at Roland’s SOLJET PRO III XC-540 wide format printer/cutter,” recalls Jody. (Note: It was initially recommended as a way to print multi-colored graphics on heat transfer paper.)

The company—which had been providing shirts for sports teams, organizations, and business races—could now provide the banners, signs, and decals their venues and events also require.

“We were pretty shocked at first at the signshop.com

demand,” admits Jody. “And now that we could offer more services, we didn’t have to refer our customers elsewhere.

“People here no longer had to go out of town for these products.”

“Where Did You Go?” The Spains capitalized on their capabilities with a new emphasis on branding solutions. By promoting the value of branding and a consistent look in graphics, color, and style, they’ve found another lucrative niche.

It’s a marketing strategy they’ve taught their customer base to understand and embrace to varying degrees.

“I see no reason why a high school can’t have a branding program just as effective as a professional team,” says Jody. “The same approach—a total branding package— works for churches and businesses too.”

To offer that total package, Cotton Eyed Joe’s has evolved into a full-line supplier of graphics solutions.

The shop next upgraded to Roland’s VersaCAMM 640i and then purchased

June 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

39

EFI’s H1675 LED flatbed and a Colex Sharpcut cutter in 2013. “Once EFI explained the technology behind the flatbed, we knew so many ways we could use it,” remarks Jody. “It saves us work and time, as we no longer have to print, mount, and laminate our sign media.”

Early on, the company made a strategic decision to keep their business local and focus on selling these services to the companies and organizations that had nurtured their success in apparel printing.

“When we work with schools, churches, and businesses here, we’re dealing with people who work on a budget,” says Jody. “They only have so much they can spend each year, so we approach their projects as something we can grow and add to each year.”

Whatever the client, each branding project begins with a site evaluation.

“Whether it’s a school, church, or business we start with a needs assessment,” states Jody. “We take a look at their road signage and then work our way in from the road to the lobby.

“Hopefully everything will be branded by the time we’re through.”

Depending on budget, these projects are implemented in phases, but nearly all begin with developing a branding package of a logo and graphics, color, and fonts. It can be entirely new or based on elements already in use. “We just want to make sure what we do in phase four matches what we do in phase one,” explains Jody.

According to Jody, Cotton Eyed Joe’s treats the artwork and branding as part of their services. “We’d rather they have good art, which makes them want to use our printing services again and again,” he says.

40

Cotton Eyed Joe’s treats the artwork and branding as part of their services.

By promoting the value of branding and a consistent look in graphics, color, and style, the shop has found another lucrative niche.

“If It Hadn’t Been for Cotton Eyed Joe’s” Area schools have been very receptive to their services. The company has done the branding for several sports programs and is in the early phases of a branding

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

program that will involve all thirty-two Hall County, Georgia schools. Cotton Eyed Joe’s will be doing each “entire school with an emphasis on athletic branding,” reports Jody.

A former high school teacher and coach, Jody offers a high school sports makeover as an example of how projects evolve.

Inside the facility, recommendations begin at eye level (those things spectators are most likely to look at). signshop.com

©3M 2015. All rights reserved.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

®

“In a high school stadium, we may recommend they start with the letters under the press box or the graphics on the scoreboard, as these are things people are most likely to see,” he says. “Then in the next phase, we may hit the signage that guides people around the place.”

As a final phase, the recommendations entail environmental graphics. “We look at floor and wall graphics as the cherry on the sundae,” he jokes. “If we get that far, we’ve already done everything else.” (Note: The company can update the look as needed, with additional graphics highlighting seasonal tournaments and sponsors.)

In the course of these projects, the company employs the full capabilities of its digital printing equipment and a range of media.

Jody relies on Roland’s VersaWorks™ RIP and EFI’s Fiery® RIP and OEM inks for peace of mind and reliable results.

The company’s preferred roll-fed media for the Roland includes Ultraflex banner material, MACtac four-mil film for decals, and Arlon laminates when needed.

Interiors typically involve MACtac RoughRAP™ vinyl for wall wraps on concrete and MACtac wallNOODLE™ over sheetrock.

For floor graphics, it’s MACtac IMAGIN® B-free® Gruv™ bubble-free, airegress vinyl, with a protective layer of slip-resistant laminate.

The EFI flatbed is employed for direct printing on everything else and the Colex Sharpcut digital flatbed cutter for contour cutting, as needed.

“If it’s going to be installed up high, we’ll usually print on a styrene or Ultra® Board,” notes Jody. “If it’s down low, where people can touch it, we may print directly to expanded PVC.” The versatility of the flatbed has also enabled Cotton Eyed Joe’s to take on some unique projects beyond branding—prototypes, to print on textured plastic for children’s play tables, to recreate the cabinets of vintage arcade games on MDX board, and on VYCOM’s Celtec Expanded PVC for parts cut and assembled into a downhill racer.

“We never quit learning, we’re always looking at new ways we can do things,” says Jody. “Since we got into digital printing, we’re not the same company any more.

“If it can be printed, we can handle it.” signshop.com

V i n y l / B y Lo r i S h r i d h a r e / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

From Flat to Dynamic

W

all and window graphics can be a strategic addition to an advertiser’s marketing plan—either as a stand-alone element in displaying brand and

identity graphics or as a medium that can augment more aggressive advertising.

One simple use—as well as one way to experiment with wall graphics, if not familiar with the medium—is to create a backdrop or mural to an office, waiting room, or conference room.

44

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

In this example, the graphics are used, in lieu of wallpaper, as part of the décor.

As part of a branding experience, wall graphics can dominate a space—taking over a retail store, a restaurant, a newly built shopping mall space, or other public spaces such as train and bus stations.

One company that has a foothold in these types of graphics is Lucent Wraps (www.LucentWraps.com) in Costa Mesa, California. Founded in March 2006, the company focuses about half of its busisignshop.com

all Photos: lucent wraps.

The art of wall and window graphics.

ness on vehicle wraps, a quarter on wall and floor graphics, and the remaining quarter on window graphics.

“We don’t outsource any part of the manufacturing,” says Edmund Karam, founder and president of Lucent Wraps.

“We create only custom graphics; there’s nothing pre-fabricated.”

Applications One of the reasons clients choose wall wraps is that they offer flexibility.

For example, a space that needs temporary graphics can have a wrap installed and then easily removed when the permanent décor is established. Or a retail space may want to rotate their brand displays every so often.

“Fortunately wall wraps offer much more design flexibility at a fraction of the cost in comparison to other types of displays,” says Karam.

Window graphics have a similar aesthetic and functional purpose as wall graphics do, although there’s an element of surprise to find graphics on what is typically a translucent medium. These can display a preview of the future tenants or brighten up a street or a shopping plaza.

Getting Started Working with clients large and small, the process for taking on a new wall or window graphics project begins with a series of questions to ask the client, addressing size, location (interior or exterior), the duration the graphics will be displayed (short-term or long-term), and the type of surface it will be applied (painted wall, concrete, brick, etc.).

The design process is also discussed, mainly addressing whether the client will be providing the graphics or will need

signshop.com

Window graphics can preview a future tenant or brighten up a street.

June 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

45

Work with manufacturers to determine the best products to use.

Lucent’s assistance with the design.

A site visit is scheduled to examine the type and finish of the surface to ensure the appropriate products will be used on the job.

For materials, the company options range from gloss vinyl to wallpaper. Lucent works with 3M at times, but they also use Arlon and Avery Dennison media.

Lessons Learned Recently Lucent Wraps installed over 3,000 square feet of window graphics for a client that was looking to promote a series of developing retail spaces located beneath residential apartments.

Lucent received the design files provided by the client’s agency and got to work.

They were asked to incorporate a sub-

strate made of vinyl and laminate that would be both cost-effective and last for the time period (nine to twelve months) that the client required.

Unfortunately this substrate didn’t work out. In their first run, the backing paper on the vinyl separated from it, causing severe lines on the vinyl. And the vinyl wouldn’t lay flat, even with heat applied.

“From this experience, we learned an expensive lesson: Stick with a product that we had used before, rather than try to save a little money and go with an untested media,” says Karam.

Ultimately Lucent reprinted the job using Arlon 4560 GTX and 3420 GTX for the laminate. “An expensive lesson but one that will never be repeated,” says Karam.

Tips & Tricks As Lucent Wraps continues to see an increase in requests for wall and window graphics, they have learned a few tricks of the trade. An important one relates to understanding the wall or window surface the wrap will be adhered to.

“If you’re wrapping a wall in a supermarket and the location is right above a freezer, you need to take that into consideration. With the extreme cold air rising every time the freezer doors are opened, there will certainly be an impact on the wrap,” says Karam.

His advice: Stay in touch with the manufacturer.

“Be sure to give them the specs on the surface, paint (gloss, flat, eggshell, etc.) used on the surface and let them suggest the best products to use,” he says.

Since every project is unique, Karam 46

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

signshop.com

likes to make a recommendation based on best practice, regardless of cost.

“In some cases, you’ll need to use more expensive cast vinyl and laminates for the job,” he says. “Make sure you educate your client on why that’s necessary, so you don’t lose the project to a competitor offering a cheaper media that won’t last as long.”

For those who have experience mainly with vehicle graphics, know that window and wall graphics can be simpler than vehicle graphics as the surface is flat.

The only concern, Karam points out, would be when applying the graphics around corners.

“For this, we suggest transitioning the image into a solid color when going from one corner to the next,” he says. “This allows for a more efficient installation.”

Another important factor is that the wall, and sometimes the windows, may not always be straight.

“Make sure you measure the height every few feet to ensure the numbers stay consistent throughout,” he says. “We have done wall wraps where measurements on one end were different by as much as three inches on the other end.

“If we hadn’t caught this discrepancy during the measurement, the image would’ve been short by three inches and a reprint would’ve been required.”

Beyond considerations regarding the media and the installation, the printer is an important key element in the process. The biggest challenge in printing large format images, according Karam, is “banding” (when extraneous lines are printed on a substrate).

“A well maintained and newer printer will do a much better job avoiding this issue, instead of equipment that is neglected or old,” he says. “A clean and well organized shop usually translates into better quality work overall.”

Looking Ahead As Lucent Wraps continues their work with commercial clients, they’re also seeing increased demand for interior wall wraps used for decorative purposes, especially in residential areas. The available media for wall wraps allows for unique use on practically any type of surface—interior or exterior.

“Consumer education is key to expanding this particular niche to ensure healthy future growth,” says Karam. signshop.com

June 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

47

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!

InfoDirect #

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 48

Company

Page

3M Commercial Graphics . . . . . . . . 41 3M Commercial Graphics . . . . . . . 55 AB Installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 AB Installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Ability Plastics, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . 14 AdamsTech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Allwood SignBlanks Ltd.. . . . . . . . . 18 Alpina Manufacturing. . . . . . . . . . . 54 Alpina Manufacturing. . . . . . . . . . . 54 Arris Sign Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 AXYZ International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Brinks Mfg. (Van Ladder) . . . . . . . . 42 Brooklyn Hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Central States Signs. . . . . . . . . . . . 55 CLN of South Florida. . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Coastal Enterprises/Precision Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Duxbury Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Echod Graphics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Epson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C2-1 FASTENation, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Gemini, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Gravotech Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Hartlauer Bits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Hendrick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 J. Freeman, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Keystone Technologies. . . . . . . . . . 17 Lind SignSpring Group. . . . . . . . . . . 55 Mimaki USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 ORAFOL Americas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Orbus Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Orbus Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Oriam Green Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Ornamental Post, Panel & Traffic. . 55 Outwater Plastics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Rapid Tac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Rowmark, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 SGIA Expo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Sherwin-Williams Company. . . . . . 35

InfoDirect #

Company

Page

InfoDirect #

and Lattice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Sign-Mart Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Sign-Mart Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Signs365.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4 SloanLED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Southern Stud Weld . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Stamm Mfg.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Stouse, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 TRC Electronics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Trotec Laser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 US LED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 VKF Renzel USA Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Wilkie Mfg., LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3

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41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

Page

Companies in Sign Show

39 Sign Bracket Store By Hooks 40

Company

53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64

Colex Finishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Drytac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Epson America. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Esko. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Graphics One. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 ikeGPS Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Mimaki USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Mutoh America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Oriam Green Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Outwater Plastics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Roland DGA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 SloanLED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Trans-Lux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

signshop.com

I n n o v a t i o n / B y A s h l e y B r ay / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

The Winds of Change Shaking up signage through the addition of wind turbines.

T

he sign industry is full of innovation and new ideas, and the limits of what is considered signage are always being stretched.

Keith Tully, owner of Power Wall Systems, LLC (www.powerwallsystems.net) in Fishers, Indiana, has stretched those boundaries just a little further with his combined pylon signs and wind turbines.

“The hardest aspect of what I do is to convince people that they can work with my products,” he says.

Tully, who worked for nine years in accounting sales for Federal Heath Sign Company, came up with the idea for his combination signs when he was looking for a wind turbine to power his electric mower.

50

“One client used two different colors of turbines to spell out their initials,” says Tully. “I thought, ‘Wow, it’s a wind turbine and a sign. If you could combine an illuminated sign and wind turbine, you would really have a great product.’”

Through further research, Tully found a vertical axis wind turbine, which spins in a vertical plane. While this type of turbine has advantages in low winds and crowded areas, it also has a disadvantage in that half of the turbine spins with the wind, and the other half spins against it.

“My idea was to then insert the wind turbine halfway into the sign cabinet so that the sign itself would shield the portion of the rotor that spins against the wind,”

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

explains Tully. “I made small models and tested the concept. The shielding increased the speed of the rotors by as much 270 percent.

“At that point, I decided to apply for a patent and go into business.”

Tully’s previous career in the sign industry gave him a network to reach out to, which provided his first customer, Speedco in Dallas, Texas. Bridgestone/ Firestone had purchased Speedco and was implementing a corporate-wide program to lower CO2 emissions. Speedco was very interested in the green aspects of Tully’s wind turbine sign.

Dallas’s sign code even included wind turbines. “The city was enthusiastic and signshop.com

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// allowed us to grandfather in the existing pylon steel without having to meet the newer and more expensive IBC standard,” says Tully.

(Note: According to Tully, even cities with restrictive sign codes are usually open to the idea of wind turbine signs because of their interest in green energy.)

With the wind turbine sign greenlit, Tully provided Speedco with a concept drawing and a video of what the sign would

“All companies want to be known as innovative as well as environmentally responsible. Our signs allow them to achieve both while saving money.”

unobstructed locations.

“Our smallest system, with only 500 watts per generator, will produce a small fraction of that power and may not produce enough to power just the sign.”

So just how exactly do the wind turbines work?

“The wind spins the rotors,” says Tully, “and the rotors spin generators connected below each rotor. The generator generates electricity in a wide range of voltages and amperages, depending on how fast or slow the generators spin.

“The ‘wild’ electricity is sent through the sign cabinet and down the pipe where it’s brought into a box on the base of the sign. There the electricity is first rectified to direct current, then the power is sent to an inverter that changes the electricity back to alternating current. A dedicated circuit is sent from the panel box to the inverter.”

From there, the grid tied inverter synchronizes the electricity with the grid’s “utility grade” AC electricity. The power is sent back to the panel box to be used as needed to offset the location’s overall electrical consumption.

That is an important distinction—because wind speeds are so unpredictable, the wind turbines aren’t meant to be the The charts below illustrate the parts of the wind turbine sign. The chart on the right shows the safeguards that are in place, including a disconnect switch to allow for maintenance work and a “dumpload” to burn off excess or unwanted power.

all Photos: power wall systems, llc.

look like with the turbines spinning.

“I’ve never had anyone that looked at one and [not] like the way it looked,” says Tully. “The big concern is that it will draw your attention away from the main ID cabinet, but it frames the sign face rather than distracts from it.”

After approval, Tully reached out to another of his previous sign clients—Frank Green, owner of Awning Innovations (www.awninginnovations.com) in Fishers, Indiana—to handle the manufacturing.

In addition, Tully had mechani-

cal and electrical engineers, as well as engineering professors and students from the local college, working on this unique project.

One of the hurdles the team ran into was UL approval. To ensure compliance, the sign was built as a stand-alone illuminated sign with the turbines housed in their own housings that bolted to the main ID cabinet.

(Note: UL approval covers the main illuminated cabinet, and since the wind turbines are non-illuminated and attached to the sides, they aren’t considered part of the main cabinet.)

Rather than buy a costly completd wind turbine, Tully made sure the rotor blades were made from formed polycarbonate and vinyl. By making the rotors in-house, the manufacturer was also able to perfectly match them to the faces of the pylon sign.

The other major hurdle was finding the proper balance between the size of the rotors, inverters, and generators. A bigger generator requires a larger diameter rotor, which creates more resistance and requires a stronger wind force to move.

The team took time to test the size of all three pieces. “We basically have good, better, and best system levels,” says Tully. “Our largest system would require sixty-inch-diameter rotors to drive two 3500-watt generators. This system would be reserved for the largest pylon signs at heights of eighty feet or more in

signshop.com

June 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

51

“I was confident that the signs and wind turbines could be built.

But drawings are one thing, manufacturing is another.” sole power supply for the sign; they’re only meant to generate supplemental energy. Some customers have even worked out a deal with the utility company to sell back the extra power.

The system also features built-in safeguards.

“In the case of a power outage, the inverter will read the drop in power in the line and will divert the power from the turbine to a ‘dumpload,’” explains Tully. “A dumpload is simply a heater coil that is used to burn off excess or unwanted power.

“In addition, a disconnect switch is located on the side of the box to allow

52

the system to be disconnected for maintenance work on the turbines.”

AI Innovations also fabricated the double-sided cabinet the turbines attach to.

The cabinet framing system for attaching the faces couldn’t stick out too far, since the turbines had to be bolted to either side and manufacturers didn’t want the turbines to have to be unbolted to service the faces. The solution was to make the face retention system flush with the cabinet so the turbines didn’t have to be touched.

High-output fluorescents were used to illuminate the cabinet, since LEDs were cost-prohibitive in such a large cabinet.

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

The cabinet is concave, which also proved challenging when figuring out how to populate it so that light dispersed properly. Templates from lighting manufacturers were no help because they assume the cabinet is square. So the lighting was laid out by hand through trial and error.

Before transporting the sign to the install site, the team made sure everything fit together. “[The rotors] actually fit attached to the generator, which is attached to the base of the sign; it’s bolted to the steel inside the sign and then it fits into a bearing up above,” says Tully. “We made sure that it would spin freely.”

The formed faces of the rotor were then removed for transportation so they wouldn’t be spinning at high speeds as the sign was transported down the highway.

National Signs and Service of Fate, Texas handled the installation. Tulley did some work ahead of time to make the install as smooth as possible, like pre-installing the wind turbine equipment in boxes that would be mounted on the pylon steel.

“The wiring from the generators to the equipment boxes were also prewired into the sign cabinet,” he says. “The installer only needed to run the wiring down the pole and into the boxes.

“The wiring was then completed and the circuit was left open until approval from the power company had been received.”

Because of the integrated design, both the pylon sign and the turbines are eligible for a 30 percent immediate federal tax credit.

“This lowers the cost of the sign and turbines to less than the cost of a standard pylon sign of the same size,” says Tully. “The break-even point, when you add that extra 30 percent tax discount, is under $10,000.

“So if a sign is $10,000 or more, it’s either going to be cheaper or the same price to go with a wind turbine sign.” signshop.com

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“

SHOP TALK

B y Dav i d H i c k e y

International Sign Association

I

t might seem natural to check off “electronic message center (EMC) regulations” as done.

Our EMC Night-time Brightness Recommendations have been accepted in over one hundred communities. A Texas A&M study showed that EMCs were not dangerously distracting, and Federal Highway Administration research showed largely the same thing. Around the country, the industry is demonstrating the benefits of EMCs and the impact they have on business growth.

However, in recent months, those opposed to EMCs have stepped up their efforts and revamped their strategy—the first steps in what we believe is a new counteroffensive against EMCs throughout the United States.

In Reno, Nevada, for instance, the planning commission approved a new digital sign for a mall. An environmental advocacy group appealed, bringing dozens of participants to a city council meeting to argue the mall sign did not fit with the city’s master plan. Their group greatly outnumbered pro-sign advocates. They presented old arguments with new twists that sounded good to uneducated ears, and for the purposes of a relatively short meeting

Don’t feel like the fight against EMCs is over.

56

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2015

where responses are extremely limited, their tactics worked. The council agreed and went so far as to place a six-month moratorium on digital signs in the town while it reviewed city policy.

With the success in Reno, we expect it will be attempted elsewhere. The industry needs even more scientifically backed research to combat baseless claims and prove that EMCs benefit communities.

We must also acknowledge that council representatives and appointed commissioners pay attention to the voices in the room. A sign company might understand lighting and visibility better than everyone else present, but that might not be enough. And the retail businessman might contribute more taxes to the municipal treasury, but if the business owner lives in another city, the politicians can be persuaded by the opponents—whether they be civic associations, scenic advocates, or amateur astronomers.

When those opposing our products show up in strong numbers, we must respond with a similar show of strength, combining our efforts with end-users and business advocacy groups.

It’s important that we testify in person and in writing. It’s important that our industry show up at these events, even when they come at the end of a long work day when there are many other issues demanding our attention. Yes, these meetings can go on for hours before the item of interest to the sign industry comes up. Our opponents are willing to wait. We have to be too.

And perhaps most importantly, be visible in your community—even when these issues are not at the forefront. Many of these codes issues pop up quickly and may get moved around on a council or commission agenda. Build relationships with people who can provide advance warning when something like this is being discussed. Participate in the local Chamber of Commerce.

Working together, we can continue to share the reasoned arguments that EMCs are not only safe, but that they also contribute to stronger communities. And we can counteract the argument that the opposition is large while we are small in numbers. signshop.com

Photos: (top) keystone technologies; (bottom) dave forrest.

Arguments Against EMCs Again

The Road Ahead

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Wilkie Mfg., L.L.C. 405‐235‐0920 Phone 405‐236‐3324 Fax www.wilkiemfg.com