Sign Builder Illustrated September 2018

The How-To Magazine

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Contents september 2018

Vol. 32

No. 279

How-To Columns

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36

SOCIAL MESSAGING

By Jim Hingst What social media platforms should your shop use?

CENTER OF ATTENTION 20 By Jeff Wooten Service trucks aid in outdoor signage projects.

departments

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12 46 48

EDITOR’S COLUMN

This issue reaches dizzying new heights, and editor Jeff Wooten keeps you from being left up in the air.

IN THE INDUSTRY

Notre Dame’s history expressed through signage and design, a new USSCF legal fund, sign franchise gets in the game, and 3D printing uses the Force.

Sign Show

The newest products and services from sign manufacturers.

SBI Marketplace

Advertisements and announcements from the sign trade.

Shop Talk

Code red! David Hickey discusses the biggest regulatory issues facing shops.

Features

22 28 32 36

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September 2018

42

SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

By Ashley Bray A sign shop and LED design house work together to restore an Atlantic City icon.

CNC’S ANATOMY

By Maryann Valentine Router creates a hybrid of old and new art and anatomy.

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

By Ashley Bray A look at four applications primed for digital signage sales.

CIVIC DUTY

By Mike Antoniak Highest sign installed in Western Canada announces a new landmark.

WELCOME TO CUSTOM SIGNAGE

By Jeff Wooten New welcome monuments are reflective of a community. signshop.com

Cover Photo: Vantage LED USA.

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Project: VM MedicalPark Hospitals - Turkey Preferred Fabricator: Doganer Architectural Signage Systems, Ankara, Turkey

BRING YOUR ACCESSIBLE SIGN SOLUTIONS IN-HOUSE INCREASE PROFITABILITY www.novapolymers.com/ROI

September 2018, Vol. 32, No. 279 Sign Builder Illustrated (ISSN 0895-0555) print, (ISSN 2161-0709) digital is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation

Subscriptions: 800-895-4389

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 jwooten@sbpub.com Managing Editor Ashley Bray 55 Broad Street, 26th Floor New York, NY 10004 212-620-7220 abray@sbpub.com Contributing Writers Mike Antoniak, John Hackley, David Hickey, Jim Hingst, Maryann Valentine

art Art Director Nicole Cassano Graphic Designer Aleza Leinwand

production Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers

circulation Circulation Director Maureen Cooney mcooney@sbpub.com

advertising sales Associate Publisher/East Coast Sales Jeff Sutley 212-620-7233 jsutley@sbpub.com Mid-West & West Coast Sales Monica Boutros 212-620-7225 mboutros@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.

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Sign Builder Illustrated

September 2018

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Editor’s Column

AGENDA

By Jeff Wooten

September 2018 SEPTEMBER 13-15:

The Southern States Sign Association Tradeshow takes place at the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, North Carolina. (southernstatessigns.org)

SEPTEMBER 20-21:

2018 NSSA Northeast Sign Expo will occur at the Hartford Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, Connecticut. (nssasign.org)

SEPTEMBER 30OCTOBER 2:

The PRINT 18 exhibition and conference returns to McCormick Place South in Chicago, Illinois. (graphexpo.org)

Up-Ended Conversation Don’t get hung up about safety.

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Sign Builder Illustrated

ing OSHA crane operator certification deadline finally goes into effect (that is, barring yet another delay). I guess “willit-or-won’t-it” has eclipsed “rent-orown” as the number-one question here.

Speaking of questions, in last month’s column, I addressed how you shouldn’t be afraid to ask your customers more questions. Now I want to turn the tables: What’s the biggest question you ask inside your shop?

Is service truck safety and certification number one? Or is it how the 25 percent tariff on many incoming Chinese goods, 25 percent tariff on foreign aluminum, and 10 percent tariff on foreign steel are affecting your supplies?

Or are you more inward, thinking more about employee relations, budget, or technology investments?

Another thing you’ll notice in this month’s issue (and upcoming issues) are our “Coach’s Corners” sidebars. You’ll find two this issue (pages 16 and 43).

These are written by John Hackley, CEO of Oculus Coaching and are intended to serve as building blocks for operating a successful sign shop. His initial series will cover the “foundation” aspects— purpose, management, leadership, etc.

We hope these pointers will help you run an even more successful shop!

Jeff Wooten Editor, jwooten@sbpub.com

September 2018

October 2018 OCTOBER 18:

The Arizona Sign Association Tabletop Trade Show will be conducted at TopGolf in Scottsdale, Arizona. (arizonasign.org)

OCTOBER 18-20:

SGIA Expo is being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (sgiaexpo.org)

OCTOBER 30NOVEMBER 2:

The automotive SEMA Show rolls into the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (semashow.com)

November 2018 NOVEMBER 29-30:

Join the USSC Foundation at Harrah’s Resort and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey for The Sign Exchange, the first-ofits-kind convention where the tradeshow serves the industry. (usscfoundation.org) Photo: Altec.

I

t dawned on me, while reviewing the line-up of features and how-to columns we have for you this month, that we must’ve been subconsciously channeling our inner Philippe Petit in the planning stages.

Let’s just say I hope you’re not afraid of heights this issue. Over the following pages, you’ll find feature articles covering high-rise signage found on both sides of the North American continent—the highest installed sign in Western Canada and an LED-illuminated spherical structure atop a multi-story resort casino in Atlantic City (as shown on our cover).

We also have a how-to column detailing boom trucks and cranes in pylon structure set-ups.

(Note: If you’d like to see this month’s installations in action—via videos and additional photos—be sure to visit our “Installation” channel on signshop.com.)

The big kahuna of service truck operation remains safety. Yet I still see several projects out in the general public or even submitted to our issue where hard hats and fall harnesses are not being used.

Although it’s important to keep in mind that OSHA doesn’t have a cross-country blanket statement about this (it’s determined on a county-by-county basis), it feels that all shop owners and personnel would want to make certain they are protected to the fullest.

Anyway the chatter about service equipment appears to be ramping up yet again, as we now are t-minus two months away until the years-in-the-mak-

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In The Industry

Signage & Design C annon Falls, Minnesota— Founded in 1842, The University of Notre Dame is one of the world’s most iconic educational institutions. This recognition extends to its football program. The Fighting Irish make their home in “the house that Rockne built,” an on-campus stadium initiated by legendary coach Knute Rockne, in 1930.

In 2014, the $400 million Campus Crossroads addition and stadium renovation represented the largest single project Notre Dame had undertaken in 175 years. The stadium was re-imagined with a fan experience designed to transport visitors back to the 1930s Rockne era.

This included numerous architectural 8

Sign Builder Illustrated

details, stadium graphics, and signage that recaptured history.

Chicago-based Cardosi Kiper Design Group has worked with the University for fourteen years and was selected to lead a $1.6-million stadium placemaking and wayfinding signage design and build phase.

They partnered with twelve different fabrication firms and Gemini Sign Products to implement over 4,000 signs and 750 thematic graphic elements throughout the stadium and Crossroads buildings.

The Cardosi Kiper team sought to capture the essence of this historical era in its design elements. A modernized version of the typeface Statendam was selected for its retro appearance. Materials and finishes reflected the heritage across

September 2018

a wide array of Gemini products used in a number of stadium applications (fabricated and flat cut metal letters and logos, cast bronze and aluminum letters, and precision-tooled bronze plaques).

The Celebration Entrance is twentyfour feet high, and designers wanted dynamic letters that could be mounted on the wall at a height of eleven feet. Cardosi Kiper specified unique, five-inchtall Gemini dimensional letters based upon the Statendam typeface, custom cast in a thirty-degree angled face design that projects from the elevated mounting point to the viewer below.

The precision cast letters were painted black and stud-mounted to the brick entrance walls. Overhead lighting is disignshop.com

Photos (l-r): Cardosi Kiper; Shutterstock.com.

Notre Dame History Expressed Through

New USSCF Legal Fund

B

designers chose Gemini for its consistency and repeatability as new honorees are enshrined. rected down on each pillar creating a dramatic look.

At the North Tunnel Team Entrance (above, left), Gemini’s precision-fabricated stainless steel letters and the Notre Dame monogram provide the inspiration for the Irish throughout the locker room, player facilities, and as they take the field. Stud-mounted to the brick walls, the dimensional letters feature the contemporary athletic program typestyle and graphic standards.

In the Accolades Area (above, right), Notre Dame highlights the program’s All-Americans, College Football Hall of Fame members, Heisman Trophy® winners, and eleven National Championships. Each player and team is recsignshop.com

ognized with a Gemini precision-tooled brass plaque, and a second plaque was provided to each honoree’s family.

Detailed photos are part of the team and Heisman plaques, using Gemini’s Giclée process that prints a UV-cured image onto the metal, creating a durable and resilient solution. Gemini’s leatherette finish was chosen for the plaque background, which was painted in the program’s blue color and contrasted by the raised brass letters and the Notre Dame monogram.

The design required tight tolerances, so Gemini’s precision-tooled plaques were specified, which reproduce crisp detail and the thin strokes of letters as small as 1/4-inch high.

To see more photos, visit signshop.com.

ristol, Pennsylvania—The USSC Foundation has announced the reformation of the USSCF Sign Defense Fund (formerly the LDF Legal Defense Fund). The Sign Defense Fund is designed to help sign companies and sign owners combat defective and unconstitutional local sign zoning ordinances.

Sign applicants and/or sign companies can apply to the USSCF for a grant to be used in requesting special zoning relief or challenging a local sign code. Applicants don’t have to be a sign company, but they must be a USSC Foundation Supporting Member. It’s easy to join and very affordable.

Grants will range from $1,000 to $5,000. An application for a grant does not guarantee acceptance; USSCF reserves the right to participate in any application or appeal in the form of advice and consultation from the USSCF. Although the Foundation will seriously entertain all requests for a grant, they are especially interested in hearing about sign codes, cases, and applications that involve content control and content discrimination.

For a copy of the Sign Defense Fund application, visit the blog at usscfoundation.org.

September 2018

Sign Builder Illustrated

9

In The Industry massivit 3d uses the force

L

in the Game

C

arrollton, Texas—Playing games on the job is usually frowned upon, but FASTSIGNS International Inc., is now encouraging its employees to do just that through its workforce training platform: 1HUDDLE. The platform converts training content into science-backed, quick-burst training games that are proven to accelerate workforce productivity.

“Its helps our franchisees onboard, upskill, and retain their employees while turning managers into more effective leaders,” says Catherine Monson, CEO of FASTSIGNS International Inc. “We currently have about thirty games in our system that each last for two to three minutes, from understanding FASTSIGNS brand positioning to sales tactics and products.”

FASTSIGNS partnered with 1HUDDLE after looking for a way to equip franchisees with focused and advanced training techniques. The traditional forms of training like pre-recorded videos and PowerPoint presentations weren’t producing the desired increase in performance.

“A majority of our franchisees are younger. Finding a way to get information and training to them in a faster, more efficient way is critical for us and gamification is an effective way to achieve that. It helps reinforce traditional online

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Sign Builder Illustrated

or video training, with the added benefit of making it fun, competitive, and more digestible, without taking up too much time during the workday,” says Monson.

“1HUDDLE’s unique mobile gamification platform will help our franchisees’ employees get stronger which, in turn, will lead to even better customer service and value for clients.”

1HUDDLE allows franchisees to train their employees faster and keep them current with products, services, and systems. “Our goal for franchisees is that they start to create internal contests among their teams,” says Monson.

FASTSIGNS rolled out the platform in June and already has received positive feedback. “1HUDDLE has made learning fun and fast for franchisees and franchisees’ employees,” says Monson.

“One of our franchisees in the midwest said she was able to better recall statistics on the effectiveness of certain types of signage, which helped generate more business because she was able to back up claims with numbers and facts that she had learned from our 1HUDDLE games. The platform is translating into tangible business results.

“I’m confident we’re going to set a new bar for customer service and the types of comprehensive solutions our industry can and should provide,” says Monson.

September 2018

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

FASTSIGNS gets

o d, i s r a e l— M a ss i v i t 3 D unveiled the “world’s first” 3D-printed Poe Dameron X-Wing Fighter charity wheelchair costume at July’s Comic-Con International in San Diego.

The costume was the vision of non-profit organization Magic Wheelchair and created for Star Wars fanatic thirteen-year-old Vedant Singhania.

Magic Wheelchair provides bespoke costumes to kids with wheelchairs at no cost. As part of Comic-Con’s special “Star Wars experience” this year and its partnership with Pixologic (the supplier of ZBrush digital sculpting software), Magic Wheelchair selected Vedant to receive the 3D-printed costume.

Pixologic handled the design and modelling, Dangling Carrot Creative 3D printed the costume with Massivit 3D donating the printing materials, and Monster City Studios completed the assembly and finish.

Utilizing the high print speeds and dual printheads of its Massivit 1800 3D Printer, Dangling Carrot Creative produced fifty individual costume pieces in just over two weeks. The 8-by-10-foot spaceship was crafted by some of the original Lucasfilm prop fabricators. “ T h i s p roj e c t h a s b e e n a n extraordinary opportunity to test the true value of our technology and to put young Vedant in the spotlight for the right reasons,” said Avner Israeli, CEO at Massivit 3D.

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Ventex Technology Announces Its Releases of New LED Enclosure Boxes Originally there was only one size of LED Enclosure Box (12.25 inches high-by-8 inches wide-by-4.75 inches deep) being offered, but Ventex Technology, LLC saw the need for feature updates and new sizing. The new Single Box is 11.1 inches high-by-5.2 inches wide-by-3.7 inches deep, while the new Double Box is 11.1 inches high-by-8.6 inches wide-by-4.7 inches deep. The Single Box can protect something as small as a single 60-watt/12-volt LED power supply, while the Double Box can fit up to two 120-watt/12-volt power supplies. Labeled as the Ultimate ® LED Box for one or two power supplies, it accommodates most LED drivers on the market. The boxes are also compatible with the Ventex toggle switch. ventextech.com

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LMT Onsrud Expands Offerings on Two of Its Most Popular Compression Tooling Lines LMT Onsrud has expanded its product offering on its popular Polaris (pictured) and Marathon compression tooling lines. They are designed for cutting laminated materials and provide clean cutting edges on top and bottom layers, while maintaining increased tool life and profitability over other compression tools. LMT Onsrud has also expanded its line of AR end mills designed to provide exceptional performance and tool life within aluminum and non-ferrous roughing applications. Available in two- and three-flute configurations, coolantor non-coolant-through, these tools provide high material removal rates and are optimized to slot 30 percent faster than the standard AF Series tooling. The coolant-through design directs coolant directly at the cutting edge, aiding in removing chips and heat (even during the deepest pocketing applications). onsrud.com

VINYL/VINYL FILMS/SUPPLIES Stahls’ Now Offers CAD-CUT Patterns In New Sign Vinyl Now you can take advantage of the ease and pizazz provided by patterned cut graphics in your hard goods offerings by ordering Stahls’ CAD-CUT® Patterns in ORAJET® 3164 Sign Vinyl. Choose from dozens of digitally printed patterns and full-color options to add appeal and expand your design possibilities quickly without your own print/cut machine. With CAD-CUT Patterns also available in glitter and Express Print material, you can even coordinate decorated apparel, signs, and hard goods to create new opportunities for upselling. Patterns have a semi-matte finish and come in twenty-inch-wide rolls with inches of printed surface. (800) 4-STAHLS; stahls.com

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Sign Builder Illustrated

September 2018

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How To

Marketing By JIM HINGST

Social Messaging Which social media platforms should you use?

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Sign Builder Illustrated

direction regarding business objectives, as well as what is and is not appropriate.

Never cross the line between personal use of social media and professional use

In business, the whole purpose of social media is to develop a dialog that builds relationships and leads to sales. for your business. We all have opinions regarding politics, religion, and our society. If you don’t keep your opinions to yourself, you will likely alienate a seg-

September 2018

LinkedIn If you think that LinkedIn is just for people to post their resume or to find a new job, you are wrong.

In fact, whether you’re a new employee or a seasoned top company executive, about 20 percent of the people on LinkedIn use it to network with others in their industry. About 15 percent of middle and upper level managers also use the channel to promote their business.

Today many business people argue that LinkedIn is the most important social media channel for B2B marketsignshop.com

Photo: Shutterstock/13_Phunkod.

D

eciding which social media channel is best for your business will depend on which channels your customers use.

The best way to discover that is to ask them. You should also monitor the social media channels that your competitors are using.

Of course, no one has time to be on every social media channel. For that reason, you should limit yourself to those that you can do well.

For a small shop, you may consider enlisting the support of your employees.

Chances are that most of them will have something to contribute and will relish the opportunity to express themselves.

By recognizing their input, you help build their self-esteem and confidence.

What’s more, their engagement in your social media venture may transform into a team-building activity.

Engaging your employees in the social media process does not mean that you should abdicate control of the messaging.

If you assign your company’s messaging to an employee, you still should provide

ment of your audience.

Never lie in a post or put up claims that are misleading or inaccurate. When you get caught in a lie—and you will get caught—you only damage your reputation and your company’s brand.

Never spam your followers with messages, which are strictly sales promotional. Your audience is looking for content that provides value in the form of useful information. Merely posting advertising is at best annoying.

Never ignore the comments or messages of your followers. In business, the whole purpose of social media is to develop a dialog that builds relationships and leads to sales. When you ignore a response, you let an opportunity slip between the cracks.

Never post derogatory messages about a competitor or someone in the industry. Whenever you start an online fight, your reputation might end up bloodied.

What’s more, you often will look like a bully or the other party may post something damaging about you. (Note: Never use vulgar, inappropriate, or potentially insensitive language in a post.)

Never post a photo that does not belong to you. What can I say other than, “Thou shalt not steal.”

Now let’s take a look at the different social media platforms that are out there.

How To

Marketing By JIM HINGST

Coach’s Corner 1.0: Organizing Strategy Your organizational strategy is key for achieving your strategic objective. But it will only work if you keep in mind “the present must be made to serve the future!”

No single system you create in your business will more powerfully represent your strategic objective than your company’s organizational chart. An organizational chart is a graphic representation of your firm’s people hierarchy and how systems and work need to be structured now and in the future.

With a few simple well-placed boxes and lines, your plan is revealed: a collection of processes in synchrony, and a clear picture of what needs to be done and who is accountable for doing it.

For the leader, an organizational strategy is a plan for clear communication of accountabilities, uncompromised by individual personalities, and a reliable guide for growing your staff and developing your systems.

For your employees, it’s the reassurance that comes from clarity, stability, and an honest view of where they stand and what’s to come, plus a way to see possible opportunities for their own personal development.

–John Hackley, Chief Efficiency Officer, Oculus Business Coaching (oculuscoaching.net).

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Sign Builder Illustrated

ing because most visitors are looking for content and making and maintaining business connections, as well as doing research on competitors and prospects.

Because two-thirds of those on this channel are college graduates (with half of those earning more than $100,000 per year), the quality of the leads that LinkedIn generates is much higher than those from other channels. What’s more, if you are a prospective supplier, companies are most likely looking at your profile and checking on your credentials.

Because and your company are on display on LinkedIn, you should use your business profile to describe what you do and, more importantly, what makes your company different from others in your field. Above all, focus on benefits and the value that you deliver to your clients.

In presenting your qualifications, you might describe how your shop is uniquely qualified to solve the problems for those in your target market. While your shop may produce a wide range of graphics and signage, zero in on what may be your specialty—your product differential.

For example, your company might be described as specialists in window and wall graphics design, which transforms the corporate identity of retailers and builds greater store traffic and sales.

In your profile, the keywords matter.

To ensure that you rank higher in search results, the headline of your profile should be keyword rich.

In other words, use keywords that your prospects will likely use in searching for your services (“vinyl graphics,” “banners,” “car wraps,” “corporate identity,” “store signs,” etc.).

LinkedIn also provides you with a venue to share articles, which can link readers to your blog or Web site. These articles are shared with your connections in their news feeds.

Posting useful articles allows you to provide viewers with value so you can create awareness. It also provides you with an opportunity to position your company as an authority in the graphics market. By sharing relevant information to your target market, you will grow

September 2018

an audience, which you can potentially connect with.

In building your network within a market, you may want to proactively reach out to prospects within a specific geography by tailoring a message explaining who you are and what you do and asking them if they would be open to connecting with you.

By growing the number of your firstlevel network connections, you’ll increase the probability that you or your company’s profile will show up in a keyword search. This opens the door to engaging with a prospect.

Facebook With more than 1.5 billion users, Facebook is impossible to ignore.

More than 70 percent of adult Internet users are using it, and over two-thirds of these users log on to it at least once a day.

It’s not just to connect with friends and family either; nearly three-quarters of the adults claim to use it for business.

What’s can make Facebook significant in a social media strategy is that 80 percent of the Facebook posts link to other articles. That’s a good reason for you to post any photograph of noteworthy projects or links to articles. By doing that, you can drive your Facebook traffic to your Web site or blog, which can ultimately pay dividends as sales leads.

In developing a Facebook page, most companies use their logo for their profile picture. For your cover picture, use a photograph that projects a positive company image and can be easily associated with your business.

When writing your company profile, direct your message at your target market, highlighting the benefits that you provide. Explain the relevant information about your business, describing your range of products and services and what differentiates your business from your competitors.

Make sure that your profile provides the important contact information, including address, phone numbers, email address, and Web site.

In publishing Facebook posts, you can signshop.com

SHOP

ALL THINGS

SIGNAGE Head to our Marketplace Section in the back of the book Need materials, equipment, or to outsource a process? The SBI Marketplace Section offers product and service solutions for all types of sign shops. Start your search for new signage solutions with Sign Builder Illustrated.

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SIGN BUILDER

ILLUSTRATED

How To

Marketing By JIM HINGST

pany logo, brand name, location, a link to your Web site, and keywords in your description. Include links in your tweets to your Web site and your blog posts. To shorten long URLs, use Bitly (bitly.com) or some other URL shortener.

Tweet on a consistent schedule. Include keyword hashtags to increase the odds that your tweets appear in searches.

For example, if you are tweeting about vehicle graphics, you might include the following hashtags: #carwraps #vinylwrap, and #truckwrap.

Don’t be afraid to request shares by asking, “please retweet” or “please RT.” Even though Twitter has increased the length of tweets to 280 characters, keep your tweets short and sweet, preferably 100 characters or fewer.

For advice in properly using YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram, visit signshop.com.

Photo: Shutterstock/Twin Design.

link to stories on your company blog and post pictures of your work.

While posting frequently is important, don’t inundate your followers with too many postings. Many companies doing Facebook marketing report that the best times for posting is in the afternoon during business hours.

When you receive a comment to a posting, regardless of whether it’s positive or negative, make sure you take the time to respond.

Twitter Growing an audience on Twitter requires consistent effort in terms of providing content on a regular schedule and attracting followers that would be interested in your content. The key is to tweet useful information so you don’t become an annoyance.

First follow those in your target market. You might find people to follow by searching the followers of industry associations, magazines, and the followers of your competitors or those following you.

Make sure that you’re using the right bait in your headline to lure your audience to reading the article. Creating that alluring headline takes time and thought. But if you don’t put the effort into writing your headline, you won’t hook the reader.

In optimizing your profile on Twitter, make sure to include your com-

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September 2018

signshop.com

go where to

to be in the

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How To INSTALLATION

By JEFF WOOTEN

Center of Attention

A

major goal of outdoor signage for end-users is something that will grab attention, and on-the-job-site service equipment (cranes, boom trucks, aerial platforms, etc.) is one of the key pieces of the sign-making arsenal that makes these types of installations run clean and smooth.

Speaking of “grabbing attention,” ever since opening its doors back in 1992, St. Clair Signs of Greenville, South Carolina has always ventured forth to make its clients the “center of attention.” This is the tagline for this do-it-all, familyowned sign business. They give their customers “personal attention” as they can handle any-size project brought to them. Their team features a combined 140 years’ worth of experience as they personally handle design, fabrication, and install work.

St. Clair Signs is able to install or remove any interior and exterior sign, and they are able to do so by having the “most modern fleet of service trucks in the southeast” on-hand. “We have the 20

Sign Builder Illustrated

equipment to complete everything from the smallest two-foot-diameter sign to the largest 210-foot staged pylon sign,” says General Manager/Sales Manager Bryan Hooper.

Reviewing the fleet of Altec trucks they own, the company’s line-up is impressive, to say the least.

They have four forty-foot boom trucks, six sixty-five-foot crane trucks, one eighty-five-foot bucket truck, and one 210-foot high-rise crane. “We also have digging equipment that handles all our sign footing needs,” says Hooper.

They use their equipment every day for sign and lighting installations and maintenance. Cranes and boom trucks have made many jobs easier for them to accomplish. For instance, they don’t have to use as much manpower to lift heavier signage into place.

On some larger projects, they may even use two cranes at the same time— one for the lifting work and placing the sign higher than its intended overall height with the other one featuring a fixed-man basket guiding the sign above

September 2018

them into place.

And having outright ownership of their service equipment means that they also cut out the middle party by not having to pay and schedule times to rent them out.

At the job site, St. Clair Signs’ installers will first survey the area and its surrounding signage to help them determine the correct-size truck they will need to perform an installation. “It’s important to walk around the entire site to ensure there are no obstructions,” says Hooper.

Rarely are they able to set up directly under the sign itself. So instead of choosing the truck size based off the overall height of the sign from grade, the field surveyor will sometimes stand in the area where the crane would assumedly set up and shoot a range finder to the top of the sign pole. “This is done with consideration of the additional reach needed at an angle,” says Hooper.

Some jurisdictions require a road blocking permit prior to setting up a date for work to be performed, which can factor into scheduling. “This takes about a week to finalize and obtain approval for the permit,” says Hooper. “Then we have to coordinate that both the crane and road blocking company are able to perform the work on the same day,” says Hooper. “And it doesn’t end there. We also have to make certain our customer is okay with the date as well.”

St. Clair Signs also uses traffic cones on-site to securely block off the work area. “This keeps all pedestrian and cars from coming close to our working area,” says Hooper.

If a sign is in an area where there are parking spaces nearby, they will often have to block off spots one to two days in advance. “This way, we are guaranteed to have the room required to set up the crane with its outriggers,” says Hooper.

Safety also plays a huge factor when signshop.com

Photo: St. Clair Signs.

Service trucks aid in outdoor signage projects.

How To

INSTALLATION

setting up the installation equipment to lift a sign into place. “We always first check our surroundings to make sure nothing is in the way of the boom or crane,” says Hooper. “We doubleand triple-check to make sure the sign is secured properly before being lifted into place.

“And our techs have to make sure they are securely hooked into their harness attached to the crane basket when going up to install signage.”

St. Clair Signs provides comprehensive, turnkey solutions for local, regional, and national companies, and they recently used their service equipment to install a brand-new pylon sign for Burger King on behalf of one of their national sign vendors, Allen Industries.

Before the footer for this pylon sign was dug, they performed a soil test report. “We did this in the event that there were any waterbeds that we could hit while digging a caisson footing,” explains Hooper. “If so, we would have to change to a spread footing.”

St. Clair Signs installers dug the footing, which was a 6-foot-radius-by18-foot-6-inch-deep hole and hauled off all the dirt from the site. “Once the hole was dug and the inspection had passed on the footer, we were ready to set the first stage of the steel pole inside the hole,” says Hooper.

They poured sixteen yards of concrete inside the hole to secure the steel pole.

“After the concrete had cured, we began to install the second stage and the third stages of the steel pole, securing each stage with over twenty certified plug welds and three passes on each weld ring,” says Hooper.

After all the stages of the pole were set, they used their 210-foot-reach Altec crane and boom to lift and weld the internally illuminated, polycarbonateface, steel-frame Burger King cabinet to the top of the pylon. “Without our crane trucks, this install wouldn’t have been possible,” says Hooper. “Our crane trucks allowed us to work in the air as we lifted and successfully constructed this entire structure from below grade all the signshop.com

way up to 100 feet in the air from grade.”

They have also been able to use their fleet of service equipment to expand and work on projects outside the sign industry. For example, they find themselves using their cranes and boom trucks as

By JEFF WOOTEN

lifting machines to help set A/C units and trusses for houses.

“Without these trucks, we wouldn’t be able to get our jobs done nor be able to do them as efficiently as we do every day,” says Hooper.

September 2018

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LED LIGHTING

SPHER EO

By ASHLEY BRAY

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N C E U E L F IN F

February 2017

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A sign shop and LED design house work together to restore an Atlantic City icon.

Photo:

All Photos: Vantage LED USA.

U

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ntil recently, a faulty digital display in the shape of a sphere represented an Atlantic City casino property with a long and troubled history. When new owners took over and renovated the property into the all-new Ocean Resort Casino, they also sought to convert the narrative on this rooftop digital sphere by bringing it back to working order.

“Ocean Resort wanted to make sure people saw this as a revival of a failed project,” says Deacon Wardlow, in-house project lead and consultant for Vantage LED. “They wanted to show people that if the sphere could be revitalized, the casino could be revived, that it could rise up and be a success.”

To achieve this goal, Ocean Resort’s new owners called on New Jersey-based Eastern Sign Tech to work on the project, and the sign company brought in its partner, Vantage LED USA. “We’re known as an engineering firm first and foremost,” explains Wardlow.

“In this particular instance, the partner and the casino felt that we’d be the best company to take on the project because it required a lot of customization.”

The original digital sphere hadn’t been built to withstand the harsh sea air, it constantly failed, and it was hard to program. Ocean Resort wanted a more reliable sphere that addressed all of these issues. “They wanted to simplify the program and have a solid system they could rely upon that they wouldn’t have to go and service every few months,” says Wardlow.

Vantage got to work by first doing a site survey of the original sphere. “Our engineering teams took a look at the existing system in place to make sure we got the right specs,” says Scott Hofheins, specialist at Vantage LED USA. “When doing a project like this, you have to get it right the first time so the new system fits correctly.”

The new digital system needed to fit around the original sphere’s interior structure. “Because of the existing struc-

ture, we had to work with the placement as it had already been built because otherwise it would have required way too much reengineering,” says Wardlow. “On top of that, we had to run all the measurements on the panels, and then calibrate the system manually to ensure that it was matching what was there but also exceeded in brightness and overall performance.

“We added higher intensity LEDs over what the prior manufacturer was using to give it a little more brightness and a little boost in graphics quality as well.”

The brighter LEDs also helped to counteract the white background of the sphere. “With a display, you need black to show off colors better and contrast the image. But because it was an all-white system, basically you’re now overcoming the white background so you lose some brightness because of that,” says Wardlow. “We had to design an RGB LED chip specifically for the project to basically overcome the white background and to make sure the display shines regardless of the environment.”

To make things even more challenging, Vantage had to design for content that would wrap around a sphere in a

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shape called an icosahedron. Basically, content is displayed across the 20 sections or faces of the icosahedron sphere. Each of those sections is made up of three subsections. Each subsection is broken up further into seventeen triangles. In each triangle, there are twenty-one LED pucks. In total, almost 22,000 LED pucks make up the digital sphere.

(Note: For a visual breakdown of the sphere, see the diagram above.)

Inside the sphere, the sub-sections are wired to multiple field boxes that carry a piece of the video signal. These boxes are then connected to a central unit inside the sphere, with fiber running down to the operation room inside the building where the control unit is housed. This stores and plays the content on the display.

“It worked out to be a fairly complicated set of control sets and instructions to make sure what’s programmed results in an image where you can read the text and see the pictures on the sphere,” says Wardlow. “So doing that on a sphere that was already existing, that already had all the holes cut, that we had to then work with and calibrate, that was a challenge definitely. Doing it from scratch would have been much easier.”

In the end, Vantage designed a completely custom system that includes new controllers, connections, boards, control panels, and a weather-resistant LED puck system. “It’s a fully encapsu24

Sign Builder Illustrated

September 2018

lated system, including the cabling and the pucks themselves, so there’s nothing exposed to the environment,” says Wardlow. “These pucks are designed to last ten-plus years on the system without any maintenance required.”

The new forty-foot round sphere reduces the main service voltage from 480 volts to a standard 240 volts and uses about 30 percent less power.

Managing the display is now easier thanks to Vantage’s secure, cloud-based SM Infinity software, and Ocean Resort displays everything from text to graphics like a smiley face and beach ball stripes.

“We included our content creation service via SM Infinity that allows them to request custom content from our professional design team,” says Hofheins. “We also provided templates for the sphere so they can create their own content inside of SM Infinity.”

In addition, the new system allows for better service and remote diagnostics, so Vantage’s support teams can isolate components and outages quickly and ensure the correct parts are sent and the sign serviced as quickly as possible.

“We provide a full 7-Year Parts Warranty, 7-Year Onsite Parts Replacement Service, and 7-Year Lighting and Vandalism Protection in order to give the best support possible to our dealers and display owners,” explains Hofheins. “This is a huge benefit for Ocean Resort and anyone who owns a Vantage display.” signshop.com

Reengineering and calibrating the new sphere was only half the battle.

The other half was the time-consuming physical labor put in by Eastern Sign Tech to strip the old components and install the new—including all 22,000 of the LED pucks. “This was a really labor-intensive project because all of those pucks had to be hand-placed and tooled and checked. It was impressive that Eastern Sign Tech did all that in the timeframe we were given,” says Wardlow, who explains that the timeline shrunk from eighteen weeks down to just eight weeks.

There was no time for a fear of heights on this project because once they were on the roof, Eastern Sign Tech’s teams then had to ascend a gated 30-foot ladder into the sphere. Once inside, a system of catwalks allowed installers to move about the levels of the sphere. The teams worked level by level—removing and replacing the components as they went. Installers couldn’t work in bad weather like rain or wind, and it took the sign company about a month to complete the labor.

“It was basically time consuming more than anything,” says Ron Maletich, Senior Sales Executive, Eastern Sign Tech. “Some of the challenges were the weather. The other challenges were cleaning out what was there, getting all the parts in there, and of course having it all synchronize as certain triangle areas went with certain power supplies that signshop.com

September 2018

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were numbered.”

In addition to the sphere, the project included an 8-foot-by-30 foot Flex-V Series 20mm RGB digital display from Vantage at the boardwalk level (pictured on the previous page), which is also controlled by the SM Infinity system. “The boardwalk signage is part of a multi-tier project that they’re going to be doing over the next two years to add more digital elements,” explains Wardlow, who says the sign advertises not only what’s going on in the casino, but also in the community.

Eastern Sign Tech handled the install on this boardwalk-level display, as well. “We had to remove four pieces of glass from the building so we could take our steel stubs into the building steel,” says Maletich. “Then we put back Alucobond in the hole where the steel was coming through and sealed it all up.

“After we had the steel stubs, we had to build a substructure, an angle. And then that angle basically matched up against the angle that was on the Vantage unit, which came in two sections.”

When the project was finished, the feedback from the community was tremendous. “The ownership, the executive team, marketing, everybody is impressed and loves it,” said Maletich.

Hofheins agrees. “Our onsite technicians were able to feel excitement from the local community as the sphere lit up for the first time,” he says. “People on the street were asking questions and telling the technicians how happy they were to see it lit up again as a symbol of the recovery and growth of Atlantic City.”

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SIGNAGE MAGAZINE! Sign Builder Illustrated is the “how-to magazine” of the sign industry. Each issue includes SBI’s signature “how-to” columns and features with detailed, step-by-step instructions covering a wide range of signage. SBI’s website (signshop.com), newsletters, Buyer’s Guide, and digital edition keep you updated with timely news, recent projects, and upcoming industry events.

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SIGN BUILDER

ILLUSTRATED

CNC ROUTER

By MARYANN VALENTINE

CNC’s

Router creates a hybrid of old and new art and anatomy.

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M

arnie Blair is a mother, an artist, a wife, a professor, a cardiac arrest survivor, and more. She is also one of the most fascinating and captivating practicing artists I’ve ever encountered.

At only nineteen years old, Blair became one of the one in one hundred

September 2018

people who survive cardiac arrest. Inspired by her own story, she became fascinated by the human body and began incorporating anatomy into her print making. Her own experience represents the specific and direct physical relationship that exists between Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) and signshop.com

All Photos: Marnie Blair.

Anatomy

the electrical activity of the heart.

Also an art instructor at Red Deer College in Red Deer, Canada, Blair has found herself utilizing the Techno CNC Systems LC 4896 from the college and creating one-of-a-kind art. She uses her ICD as a starting point to examine questions that surround the intersection of signshop.com

technology and humanity.

Her work explores the natural, the artificial, and what it means to be dependent on a machine in order to live. This reliance on technology references our own increasing dependence on technology and its impact on our daily life.

“I’m a print maker. I do wood cuts, etchings, and screen prints,” she says.

“Across the United States, print makers do not normally have access to a CNC router, but after working at Red Deer College for almost four years, they built the Center of Innovation and Manufacturing, which then allowed for a CNC router. The president of Red Deer College gave access to all students and faculty, allowing for anybody to utilize the router in its fullest potential.

“So naturally, I brought my students to the Center of Innovation and Manufacturing to utilize the CNC router. My students and I made a four-by-eight wood cut and printed it, and the rest was history. I was so fascinated with what the router could do and how wonderful each piece was carved.”

About six months ago, Blair was fully trained on how to use the router. She spent about four months in the studio learning the software and practicing how to carve.

Blair began routing images inspired by the imagery in a 1900s textbook she found and bought from an antique store.

Her dual purpose was to try to recreate sweat books where people can go into a gallery and flip through her art. And with the CNC router available, her vision could become a reality.

“So far, I have spent this entire summer with the router, and I love the entire process. I love carving it and then hand painting each piece afterwards,” she says.

Blair programs the router based off the image from her old textbook, routes the image, hand paints the wood cut to match the colors used in the textbook, and then stamps the painted wood carving, creating a fascinating yet vintageinspired piece of art.

“When I paint, I outline the details from the carving and make rings of paint to emphasize the carve areas,” she says.

Her work is meant to be a hybrid of old and new—woodcut is a traditional print-making process that dates back to

A Digital Sign Goes to College Siena College in Loudonville, New York was looking to broadcast its value and better stand out in the crowded market of nearby larger public schools and regional private colleges.

The college turned to Saxton Sign Corp., of Castleton, New York to help imagine, design, and install a new entranceway sign for the campus. The new sign, a double-faced, internally illuminated sign box with routedout and push-through lettering for identification, is mounted above back-to-back 10mm Watchfire electronic message boards (watchfiresigns.com).

“As a small school with a beautiful campus, we needed to be thoughtful about how to create a dramatic, attractive entranceway that ties into the aesthetic of the campus, while also [extending] the brand,” said Jason Rich, director of marketing and communications at Siena College.

The college uses the message centers to post about what makes Siena different from other area colleges, including facts, images, achievements, and events. The college also sells advertising space to promote upcoming events on campus.

Feedback from the community has been positive. Nearly 1,000 alumni voiced their support on social media after the college posted a photo of the new sign.

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the Han Dynasty before 220 AD, and the CNC router used to carve the imagery is a new technology.

“I am interested in how relying on a computer and machine in my artistic practice is similar to my own experience of relying on a machine, an implanted

defibrillator, to ensure my body functions as it should,” she says.

Before the router, it would take Blair about a week to carve each one of her pieces. “Now I can make my art in double the time, and the carve is so much cleaner, neater, and faster,” she says.

“The router adds another layer of information and aesthetic beauty to my work.”

When she first attempted to route, Blair was practicing using 3D carving techniques. Due to long cycle times, she quickly learned that these techniques were not sufficient for her project.

“I wanted to create a large back panel of the human body with a bunch of assembled pieces, like the lungs, the uterus, the intestines, etc., on top of it,” says Blair, “yet when I inputted the large back piece into the router; it said it was going to take hours to route.

“I absolutely loved the beautiful pattern the router created on the wood. I didn’t want to go back to carving each piece by hand. The router created this mesmerizing pattern on the wood that I would have never got if I had carved it by hand.”

After playing around with the software capabilities and learning the ins and outs of the Techno CNC router, Blair was able to reduce the file size, resulting in

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September 2018

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a reduced cycle time to complete her project. The time lowered from days and weeks, to hours and minutes.

Blair has CNC-carved a number of body parts—a shoulder, a hip bone, lungs, rib cages, a liver, intestines, a womb with a fetus, etc. “Hand-carved, this entire piece of art would have taken a year,” she says. “The back panel of the body took about a week on the router. Each organ on top takes about three hours.

“I separated the back panel into three sections since the piece requires such detail. Each piece is routed with tiny dots where the router has to come in and route each dot one-by-one. I could never do this all by hand.”

Blair’s goal is to carve every single organ she can find in her vintage medical textbook. “I love the abstract ideas that scientists had about the human body many years ago,” she says. “I am inspired by the different thought processes, the colors they used, the phenomenon about how the human brain is separated into

the seven layers of the brain, eyes, ears, hands, and feet, all based on medical flip charts. These pieces will be hinged like a book for viewers to flip through.

“I am so happy with where I am with my art,” says Blair. “I could not work like this without the CNC router.”

different layers.

“I love it all, and I plan to recreate it using my knowledge and creativity paired with the CNC router.”

This work is the beginning of a larger body of work. Blair has started to carve more large pieces that will be painted—

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FeatureSIGNAGE DIGITAL Name

By ASHLEY AuthorBRAY

Digital

32

Download

Sign Builder Illustrated

September 2018

signshop.com

A look at four applications primed for digital signage sales.

Photo: Gallery Digital Signage Solutions.

A

ccording to Grand View Research, Inc., a U.S.-based market research and consulting company, the global market for digital signage is now worth an estimated $16 billion, and by 2025, it’s projected to reach $31 billion.

The good news for you is digital signage is spreading that growth over a number of markets and applications.

“If you have a distinct, unique, and insightful message that needs to be changed on an ongoing basis, it provides a very creative way to present it to your customers,” says William Kurtzer, president at Gallery Digital Signage Solutions.

It’s important to make sure your sign company isn’t missing out on this growing market, and the good news is you don’t have to go it alone. Digital display manufacturers are actively looking to partner with sign companies to sell their products.

“We have a good understanding of the industry so we have the ability to talk about digital signage and why it’s an attractive opportunity for the sign shops from an economic standpoint,” says Kurtzer. “It helps them make money because it complements their existing business. And it provides them with opportunities.”

Gallery Digital can handle all aspects of digital signage. “We can provide anything from soup to nuts associated with digital signage,” says Kurtzer, “from a hardware, content management, installation, service and support—all those elements associated with it. We’re there to partner with [sign shops].”

Optec Displays, Inc., takes a similar approach to partnering with sign shops and offers a range of service and support.

“Our customers approach us about wanting to work with a solutions partner to assist with integrating the hardware and software to fit their business structure,” says Chad Engstrom, director of Sales Central Region for Optec Displays, “as well as provide technical support and service that gives them longsignshop.com

term peace-of-mind.”

Digital signage can be used indoors or outdoors, and where it is located will dictate the display type.

The content also changes based on whether a display is inside or out, with interior displays typically being used to handle multiple content capabilities and more varied messaging.

No matter whether it’s an exterior or interior display, clients are asking for sharper resolutions. “For both interior and exterior, we are being asked about the finer pixel pitch LED displays and

You don’t have to go it alone. digital display manufacturers are looking to partner with sign shops to sell their products. their ability to create bright, seamless visuals that transform spaces and create engaging experiences,” says Engstrom.

Let’s take a look at four popular interior digital signage markets—banking, corporate communications, hotel and hospitality, and retail and restaurant— that your sign shop can sell into today.

Retail & Restaurant Digital signage lends itself well to the restaurant market as menus, prices, and promotions are constantly changing.

“LED displays are the perfect communication vehicle for this industry, especially now with software that allows quick service restaurants (QSRs) to

quickly schedule content to one or multiple locations, build tailored campaigns with targeted content for dayparts, easily manage large content libraries, and upload one or multiple media types for each LED display size,” says Shawn Klinger, director of Sales Eastern Region at Optec Displays. “QSRs are employing innovative Cloud-based software as an effect tool for networking, scheduling, and content management.

“It allows for content to be delivered quickly and effectively to single or multiple QSRs from one central location.”

By enabling all of these capabilities, the Cloud-based software allows for a system to be tailored to specific business models while also ensuring that each location follows brand guidelines.

Kurtzer says Cloud capabilities are what makes digital signage attractive to so many clients. “The Cloud solution is why people use digital signage, and it’s for the scalability concept,” he says.

There is also strong demand for digital signage on the retail side.

“Management companies realize that displays are often patrons’ first visual when they enter the facility and provide useful information,” says David Pratt, director of Strategic Accounts for Optec Displays. “Digital advertising entertains and attracts people to buy while also helping tenants promote their brands and stand out. When retail centers consider upgrading signage, it makes sense to install digital displays because it lets them be more flexible in the messaging, allows for multiple advertisers/content on a single channel, and reduces printing costs.

“In the end, it’s about using the stories you tell through digital signage and their ability to resonate with a consumer.”

Indeed the branding effects of digital signage can be powerful.

“The digital signage world is becoming one of the powerhouses for branding, especially the video wall area,” says Kurtzer. “The video wall is a very strong way of presenting a branding image for

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a company that really wants to position themselves in the marketplace as a highquality, premium product.”

The ability to differentiate your business and stand out is becoming even more important in today’s changing retail market.

“As technology continues to challenge and transform retail and restaurants, the traditional brick-and-mortar concept will change,” says Evan Sands, director of marketing and creative at Optec Displays. “The use of digital signage can help that transition by making

Hotels & Hospitality In the world of hotels and hospitality, digital signage is a great way to dynamically present multiple sources of information in a clear, concise manner to multiple stakeholders, which include guests, employees, and visitors.

Digital signage covers a number of applications in this market, including menu boards, promotions, branding, directories, events, and scheduling.

Kurtzer cites a recent project that checked off all of those applications at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark, New Jersey. The project incorporated a number of display types: the BrightShow™ Herald HD Kiosk for event information; the BrightShow™ 22-inch AllIn-One for meeting room agenda and event information; the BrightShow™ Media Player for airport flight departures; the BrightShow™ 43-inch All-In-

One for coffee service menus; and the BrightShow™ 55E Series All-In-One for the hotel’s directory.

Gallery Digital trained the user in two two-hour sessions, and now the client is able to handle any content changes on its own.

Kurtzer recommends sign shops start by selling to smaller hotels, which don’t have large corporate offices to navigate.

“One of the challenges with digital signage and sign companies is getting to the right person,” he says. “I think with hospitality you have a better shot at meeting the right person or at least having a tie-in to the right person. The decision makers are closer to who the sign company talks to.”

Thanks to the scability of these digital signage systems, sign companies should also expect that an initial project may be expanded to additional displays. When Gallery Digital worked on the Robert Treat Hotel, the hotel asked for more signs after seeing the first few displays.

Photos : (this page) FASTSIGNS of Boca Raton, FL; (opposite) Gallery Digital Signage Solutions.

it easier to refocus targeted messages quickly and effectively.”

Digital Signage Solutions

The Gallery Advantage:

Unique Products

34

Built to Last

Built-in Media Player

Sign Builder Illustrated

Easy-to-Use Software

September 2018

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“You do want to go in there understanding that if you have one or two applications, you can move forward from that,” says Kurtzer.

Banking Digital displays serve a variety of uses in banks, including advertising programs and promotions to reduce perceived wait times for customers in line.

Brighter, higher nit displays can also be used in-window for banks that have higher drive-through than foot traffic.

Similar to retail brick-and-mortars, the world of bank branches is rapidly changing, and banks are redesigning their branches to attract more traffic.

“There’s a whole world of redesigning banks so digital signage should be part of it when working with the design team,” says Kurtzer, who notes the redesigns include unique features like cafes.

The other thing for sign companies to keep in mind is the robust merger and acquisition market in the financial world.

Sign shops may already be enjoying the windfalls of this trend by designing and installing new identity signage for banks, but the job doesn’t have to stop there. Shops can upsell to those existing clients by pitching digital signage that will help the newly acquired institution communicate updated branding, programs, and promotions to new and existing customers.

The last consideration for selling digital signage to banks is security. Gallery Digital says it works with sign shops to provide independent lines into the bank for the Cloud system so that no sensitive information has to be handled.

Corporate Communications In the corporate world, digital signage is used in the cafeteria, elevators, entrances, back rooms, and break rooms.

The content ranges from employee messaging, performance stats, health and wellness programs, philanthropic work by the company, etc.

“Employee communication is important for the retail, manufacturing, and operations spaces where companies have a large back room operation,” says Kurtzer.

If your sign shop is already working on an identity sign installation for a corporate customer, try upselling them to interior digital displays.

For new sales, seek out the humans resources department. “You do have to get to human resources,” says Kurtzer, “but there’s probably only one person you have to get to.”

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September 2018

Sign Builder Illustrated

35

Feature Name INSTALLATION

By MIKE Author ANTONIAK

CIVIC DUTY

“W

e don’t just want to build you a sign. We want to help elevate your brand,” proclaims TDH Experiential Fabricators of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, outlining its focus on its Web site (tdhsigns.com).

In a telling demonstration of that com36

Sign Builder Illustrated

mitment, TDH recently crowned the new Civic Hotel in downtown Surrey, a satellite municipality of Vancouver, British Columbia, with letters, logos, and LEDs. From 520 feet above street level, matching signs on the tower’s north and south faces announce the multi-use hotel/ residential/education complex to the sur-

September 2018

rounding area as a new local landmark.

In fact, these signs have been cited as the highest signage in Western Canada.

TDH also created twenty-seven other illuminated signs for the exterior of the building. “We designed the sign package to serve the hotel, the staple tenant KPU (Kwantlen Polytechnic University), and signshop.com

All Photos: TDH Experiential.

Highest sign installed in Western Canada announces a new landmark.

multiple other tenants,” says Troy Hibbs, managing partner and project coordinator at TDH Experiential.

An Iconic Addition to the Landscape “It was always part of our vision to make this building an icon for Surrey as the high-tech center of British Columbia,” says David Laulainem, spokesman for Century Group, specialists in multiuse facilities and the developers of the complex now known as 3 Civic Plaza.

“TDH brought the expertise to make our vision work.”

By the time TDH was contacted in October of 2016, construction was well underway. “Ideally we like to be brought in as early as possible on new building projects, but the tower was already halfway up,” says Hibbs. “While their plans called for different types of signs throughout the facility, they had not planned for attachments we needed, especially for some of the larger signs they wanted on the lower sides of the building where there was a lot of glass.”

Fortunately they still had time to adapt and plan for the formidable installation at the top of the tower, which took immediate priority. “The sign itself is pretty basic—channel letters and LEDs—but we did have to make sure from then on the contractors installed the conduit we needed to power the sign,” says Hibbs.

Realizing the Vision As part of its design process, TDH conducted a visibility study to ensure the 38

Sign Builder Illustrated

sign, as planned, would realize the Century Group’s goals of making it a beacon for the building and downtown.

The channel letters and logo were designed and built for optimum day and nighttime visibility with white sign faces and charcoal returns, illuminated by peel-and-stick Hanley LEDs. “We added a bead of clear silicone along each module, after inserting them,” says Hibbs.

Each element is ten inches deep with the letter-face composed of 4.5mm signwhite polycarbonate, backed with pure white 7000K LEDs. The “Civic” letters were built six feet, seven inches tall for legibility up to threequarters of a kilometer away. The smaller “hotel” letters are three feet, four inches high and legible up to half a kilometer away. The facility’s distinctive diamond logo, which doubles as the “v” in Civic, was designed as the sign’s most visible element, standing nearly thirteen feet tall and easily discerned 1.5 kilometers away.

Once the tower sign was approved, TDH started designing for the rest of the package. By the end of February, all elements for the tower sign were built.

“But we knew the biggest challenge was going to be the install,” says Hibbs.

Partnering with Expert Installers For the install, the company solicited the expertise of Tops Lighting (topslighting. ca), Vancouver-based specialists in difficult sign installations.

“We do all the big installs on high rises in and around Vancouver, but we’ve nev-

September 2018

er done one that high before,” says Kris Voros, shop supervisor at Tops Lighting.

“It wasn’t an issue for us as far as the installation goes.

“Because of the height, we had to have special 600-foot fall ropes and wire cables built for our swing stage. And since the sign was being installed more than 400 feet above ground, we had to have special variances and permits. All of that took time.”

The actual installation took place over two weeks with each side requiring two days for the setup and install. Weather and the work of other trades completing their parts of the project played a major factor in determining when the work could actually take place, notes Hibbs.

“Our original plans called for using the crane onsite to hoist all elements into place, but it wasn’t available when needed for the final install,” says Hibbs.

In mid-August of 2017, when it was available, the main diamond logo and all letters for the south side of the building were hoisted partway up with the crane and secured in place until the install could be scheduled.

In October, a custom-engineered winch was rented to hoist the letters to the top of the building, which were then lowered from the roof to the crew in the swing stage.

To view a time-lapse video of the install, visit signshop.com.

signshop.com

WE’RE HERE TO ANSWER THE CALL! Sign Builder Illustrated is the “how-to magazine” of the sign industry. Each issue includes SBI’s signature “how-to” columns and features with detailed, stepby-step instructions covering a wide range of signage.

SBI’s website (signshop.com), newsletters, Buyer’s Guide, and digital edition keep you updated with timely news, recent projects, and upcoming industry events.

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“The signs’ largest element on the north elevation—the diamond-shaped logo—was hoisted by the winch, while the crew in the swing stage travelled up the 525-foot-high wall at the same time as this logo, helping to stabilize it,” says Hibbs. “For the south side, the logo was hoisted from the twenty-fifth floor, where the logo was previously placed for storage by the site crane in mid-August.”

With all that was involved, Hibbs admits some anxiety as the project entered its critical final phase. “I knew if something was wrong or didn’t fit or there were any mistakes, we were on the hook. There were a lot of special costs,” he says.

The installation posed so many special considerations with so many variables, the entire sign was designed to minimize potential headaches in the future.

“We actually built a second set of LEDs into the letters and logo in order to extend the life of the sign without having to go over the edge and remove the faces,” says Hibbs. “Whenever the first set burns out, it will just be a matter of simply switching over the wires to activate a new set of LEDs without the need to move all that equipment into place.”

When the sign switched on this April, the day after the hotel officially opened, all could take pride in a job well done.

For TDH and Tops Lighting, the new Civic Hotel signs stand as a tall testament to their specialized expertise in sign design, fabrication, and installation.

For Century Group, as intended, the tower and sign symbolize the facility as well as downtown Surrey and its aspirations to prosper as a tech center.

“We’re very pleased with all the attention to detail that TDH provided,” says Laulainem. “From what we see on social media, the entire community is embracing [the signage].”

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September 2018

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MONUMENTS Feature Name

By JEFF Author WOOTEN

Welcome to

Custom Signage New welcome monuments are reflective of a community.

42

Sign Builder Illustrated

T

he picturesque town of Stony Plain is located in the province of Alberta, Canada and has a population of 17,000-plus. Stony Plain is famous for its plethora of painted murals depicting local historical figures and events (earning them the nickname “Town with the Painted Past”). They are

September 2018

also well known for their bluegrass and country music festivals held during the later summer months.

They’ve also made a statement with two brand-new, strategically placed, custom-designed signs located along the main highway into town that welcome people to the community and complesignshop.com

Photos (left to right): Valley Traffic, Signs By Benchmark.

ment the surrounding environment.

These “Welcome to Stony Plain” monument signs measure 214 inches wide, 134 inches tall, and 43-3/4 inches deep.

The single-sided signs feature a two-color acrylic stucco finish on the face, as well as a custom Gemini plaque of the town’s logo. There is an EIFS stone finish on the base and column and a faux woodgrain finish as the top accent.

These stunning-looking signs were made a reality thanks to the efforts of Valley Traffic Systems and their collaborative project management with a variety of sign vendors.

Valley Traffic Systems has been around for twenty-one years, first operating as a small alternative traffic control company out of a one-bay mini warehouse in Langley, British Columbia.

The company has since grown into one of Western Canada’s largest manufacturers and resellers of traffic management services, traffic signage, and other safetyrelated products, even opening up a second office in Edmonton, Alberta, where Prairie Region Sales Manager Derek Sware is employed.

Valley Traffic Systems worked on this monument project for the Town of Stony Plain after winning an open negotiated request for proposal process against four other competitive proposals that was conducted at the beginning of the town’s entire signage strategy implementation.

“I’ve had a good working relationship with the Town of Stony Plain for over twenty years, and my company has partnered with them on a variety of their projects in the community,” says Sware.

After selecting Valley Traffic Systems, town administration officials, in turn, contacted Sware about what they wanted to accomplish with their new welcome signage, and he came up with ideas for them. After everything was agreed upon,

signshop.com

Sware met with them in-person to finalize the drawings and map out a schedule for moving forward.

The Town of Stony Plain had already hired a communication design firm to create a new wayfinding platform for throughout the community, and this sign was a part of the roll-out this summer. “Town officials helped a great deal in making this welcome sign project successful from the start,” says Sware, “as they knew right from the concept stage what they wanted.”

When it came time to make their 2-D sign design a 3-D reality, town officials told Sware that they wanted the pair to match the look of the rock that the town had used for the exterior of their new community building.

Valley Traffic Systems has enjoyed a partnership with EPS foam manufacturer Signs By Benchmark for many years and brought them onboard the project to help fulfill this request. Aside from the aluminum copy and plaque, everything you see on the signs’ exterior was constructed

by Signs By Benchmark.

After being given pictures of the stone and wood that the Town wanted to match with this custom monument sign, Signs

By Benchmark developed a color palette that closely resembled the actual finishes.

“To ensure we had a match, we sent samples of the finishes for approval, prior to production,” says Signs By Benchmark Senior Designer Jamie Kakacek.

The frame for the top section was made out of tubular steel. Signs By Benchmark outsourced this portion to a third-party specialist since they don’t have a lot of metal capabilities in-house.

During assembly, they easily cut around the framework and built the EPS foam around it. “Most of the cutting was done by our CNC hot wire machine, although we did employ a few hand cuts,” says Kakacek.

The face of the sign was made with a one-color finish, while the EIFS stone and timber elements were all hand-applied using multiple colors.

“The expert craftsmen at Benchmark did a fantastic job [replicating] the look and feel of the requested stone appearance,” says Sware.

Gemini supplied the aluminum letters

Coach’s Corner 2.0: Shop Management Holding a company-wide meeting to talk to your employees about your vision for the company and plan for getting there is a way to create excitement, positive expectations, and is a key benchmark in building your business.

Here’s why it’s so important.

It’s the most effective platform for delivering your vision and securing the emotional commitment to move forward with it.

It creates a sense of “we’re all in this together.” Everyone is important. We’re all hearing the same message at the same time.

It allows you to address employee concerns and fears: if ignored or handled improperly, it could sabotage your efforts.

It’s part of your ongoing management system for keeping everyone focused and involved in the process of innovation, quantification, and orchestration in your business.

The majority of your staff will be eager to join you in building a company that really works. Some of your employees may not react as favorably due to underlying concerns or fears about what the changes will mean to them.

You can minimize these fears by: Positioning changes in your employees’ self-interest; helping them focus on what they truly want; stating clearly people’s past accomplishments and positive qualities; emphasizing what will be gained; giving people the opportunity and permission to speak openly; staying calm and not over-reacting; and being steadfast in your commitment to building the business.

– John Hackley, Chief Efficiency Officer for Oculus Business Coaching (oculuscoaching.net)

September 2018

Sign Builder Illustrated

43

WHOLESALE

TO SIGN INDUSTRY

800.658.3444 SignsByBenchmark.com

44

Sign Builder Illustrated

September 2018

monuments were actually constructed in three sections—the top woodgrain section, the sign face and column, and the base and bottom portion of the sign.

(Note: Two sections would have still been too large to ship to the install site in an enclosed van.) “We had some natural break points on the sign, so any seams were pretty well hidden,” says Kakacek.

Once the signs were assembled, Signs

By Benchmark encapsulated everything in its polyurea hard coat finish. “This completely seals and protects the sign from the elements, as well as provides a base material to apply the stucco finish,” says Kakacek.

It took about eight weeks for Signs

By Benchmark to complete both signs.

“Given their size and pieces involved, we had a few time-consuming pieces to figure out,” says Kakacek. “Luckily we were given the official go-ahead during our colder season, so we had some time before the installation date to build these the right way.”

Everything was shipped to Valley Traffic on a dedicated truckload. “The two signs took up the majority of a trailer so we didn’t have to worry about any damage along the way,” says Kakacek.

The Town of Stony Plain hired a local contractor to organize and clear the sites in advance of the custom monument sign installation. Valley Traffic Systems installers then dug the appropriate footings to host the sign structures. “The signs were installed using wooden posts,” says Sware. “This was a required element needed to comply with an Alberta Transportation roadway requirement for a break away system.”

Valley Traffic Systems used a boom crane truck to lift each section into the air, while they guided them into place.

The signs are installed on a major roadway leading into the community. “The sight lines are fantastic,” says Sware.

“Both spots are clear of obstructions and really stand out and welcome people.”

Photo: Signs By Benchmark.

bases pole covers turnkey monuments

featured on the face of the sign. The “Welcome To” letters are 5.2 inches tall, the “Stony” letters are 22.6 inches tall, and the “Visiting” letters are 10.3 inches tall.

During the design stage, the topic of visibility during non-daylight hours was brought up, and the Town of Stony Plain decided that they wanted the sign to include reflective qualities. With that in mind, Valley Traffic Systems offered the option of Avery Dennison vinyl reflective letters to satisfy this requirement.

“While creating a platform to welcome people into a community, we often see a situation where the old, worn-out sign being replaced is in an area where there is no power to light it or it’s too costly to run power to the site,” says Sware. “Our partnership with Avery Dennison allows us the flexibility to provide a truly visible solution using premier reflective sheeting.”

The “Stony Plain” letters were covered in Type XI OmniCube reflective sheeting.

“This product’s exceptional reflectivity and consistent performance allow us the flexibility to provide a visibility solution to clients, since there is no power at the installation site,” says Sware.

Signs By Benchmark can present the copy in a number of different ways, and in this case, they decided to install the copy onto the sign prior to their final coating process. “This makes it an integral part of the sign,” says Kakacek. “The Stony Plain letters were created with a border so we could nest the reflective aluminum inside of each letter. Not only does this create a nice effect around each letter, it also helps protect the sign from prying hands.”

Gemini also created the aluminum plaque featured on the right-hand side of the sign face. Signs By Benchmark used a template plaque that was sent to them by the Town of Stony Plain. “After some minor cleaning up to make it more production friendly, we had Gemini mill the plaque out of aluminum,” says Kakacek.

The reflective “Stony Plain” aluminum copy was stud-mounted to the face while the plaque was mounted to the sign using studs and adhesive.

The upper woodgrain section of the sign has an internal frame that is sleeved into the main body of the sign. “It was made so that the frame would nest over the poles before locking it into place,” says Kakacek.

To help with both shipping and installation aspects of this project, both welcome

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COMPANY

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3 EASY

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2. Click on our InfoDirect box on the website September 2018

3. Request info about advertisers & products

Sign Builder Illustrated

47

Shop Talk

By DAVID HICKEY, ISA VICE PRESIDENT, GOV’T. AFFAIRS, ISA

Code Red

The biggest sign code issues facing shops.

E

ach year at ISA International Sign Expo, attendees are asked about a variety of issues that affect their businesses. In all of the discussion about growth and new investment opportunities, threats to those things continue to come up. And it’s no surprise that local, state, and federal codes and regulations are among the biggest challenges.

This year, we delved more specifically into the issues and got an earful.

The complete report is available at signs.org/pulse, but here are a few highlights from the overall survey.

Sign, graphics, and visual communications companies are enjoying growth: 55 percent of survey respondents expect 2018 will bring double-digit growth.

That’s somewhat on par with 2017.

Construction is booming across the country, creating more of a demand for signage. The industry growth, as well as construction boom, can be attributed to

the tax code changes, which have increased consumer confidence, the survey showed.

Others felt that growth was due to their own choices, such as adding additional products, services, territories, and staff. About two-thirds said they probably or definitely would be adding new equipment in 2018—something that is likely to fuel even more growth.

With the year nearly 75 percent over, much of that new equipment has been purchased already—and likely is adding to the bottom line. But given the pace of innovations throughout the industry, 2019 will surely bring new products worth exploring. That is probably why we keep seeing about two-thirds of respondents say they invest in equipment year after year.

Now on to sign code issues. While the biggest issue was expressed in many different ways, one idea kept coming up: inconsistencies with how sign codes are applied or interpreted. This might lead one

Sign Builder Illustrated (Print ISSN 895-0555, Digital ISSN 2161-4709) (USPS#0015805) (Canada Post Cust. #7204564; Agreement #40612608; IMEX Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Canada) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 55 Broad St. 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices.

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September 2018

company to receive approval for a sign one day and, a month later, be denied approval for essentially the same sign. Or it might mean that one sign company can install a certain type of sign for its customer while another is denied.

No doubt, sign codes that are unclear or open to interpretation can be frustrating. How do you explain to your customer that their sign has been denied when you can’t necessarily articulate why it is substantially different from one their competitor has installed? It makes no sense.

That’s one reason that ISA has worked to help communities develop sign codes that are easy for all to understand.

We couldn’t do it without the work of the Sign Research Foundation (SRF), which continues to provide insight into regulations as well as language that can easily be incorporated. We offer free advice to community planners and local officials on their sign codes, whether there are challenges with existing language or questions as new codes are crafted.

That is just one hurdle facing the industry though. Difficulty in permitting was also frequently cited, including a lengthier process and delays in receiving final approvals or inspections. Some of this, I suspect, might be due to the construction boom. Inspectors and permitting officials are struggling to keep up.

Below that real challenge however is a permitting process that may be unnecessarily burdensome and that’s made even more complex by unclear codes.

The survey also asked about areas of research that SRF should undertake to help improve the industry. The top two were educating sign code officials on creating effective regulations and educating architects and designers about the value of collaborating with our industry.

Note: Read more of this month’s “Shop Talk” in the “Business Management” channel at signshop.com.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sign Builder Illustrated, PO Box 3135, Northbrook , IL 60062-3135.

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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