Sign Builder November 2021

THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE

N OV E M B E R 2021 | S I G N S H O P.CO M

SIGN BUILDER

ILLUSTRATED

TOP DOG

SIGNAGE!

TAPPING INTO CUSTOM IDENTIFICATION

VINYL GRAPHICS: CONCRETE WALL APPLICATION

DIGITAL SIGNAGE:

SET UP TO MEET DEMAND

CONTENTS

NOVEMBER 2021

VOL. 35

NO. 316

HOW-TO COLUMNS

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SET ON CONCRETE

By Jeff Wooten Installing vinyl graphics onto the walls of a corporate parking garage.

HISTORICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

By David Hickey The challenge of keeping vintage signs.

DEPARTMENTS

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Cover Photo: Studio7 Imagery.

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EDITOR’S COLUMN

The supply chain can be a daunting specter when pricing projects for customers, and Editor Jeff Wooten previews how this plays to our latest Webinar.

IN THE INDUSTRY

Realizing automation aspirations at 3M Bonding Process Centers, and the path ahead for QR codes and branding.

SIGN SHOW

The newest products and services from sign manufacturers.

SBI MARKETPLACE

Advertisements and announcements from the sign trade.

SHOP TALK

Jason V. Barger points out mindsets to adopt that can help your sign-making team reboot.

18 FEATURES

18 22

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THE DOG DAYS OF SIGN MAKING

By Jeff Wooten Shepherding a brewer’s experiential signage.

ALWAYS BET ON DIGITAL

By Ashley Bray Digital signage presents a golden opportunity.

DEMAND FOR DIGITAL

By Ashley Bray A sign shop’s digital sign story.

GRAPHICS IN ACTION

By SBI Staff Large-scale vinyl makes a winning statement.

November 2021

Sign Builder Illustrated

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November 2021, Vol. 35, No. 316 Sign Builder Illustrated (ISSN 0895-0555) print, (ISSN 2161-0709) digital is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation

Subscriptions: 402-346-4740

EXECUTIVE OFFICES

President and Chairman Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. Group Publisher Gary Lynch 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005 Office: 212-620-7247; Cell 646-637-5206

EDITORIAL

Editor Jeff Wooten 323 Clifton Street, Suite #7, Greenville, NC 27858 212-620-7244 jwooten@sbpub.com Managing Editor Ashley Bray 212-620-7220 abray@sbpub.com Contributing Writers David Hickey, Jason V. Barger

ART

Art Director Nicole D’Antona Graphic Designer Hillary Coleman

PRODUCTION

Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers

CIRCULATION

Circulation Director Maureen Cooney signbuilder@omeda.com

ADVERTISING SALES Sales Manager David Harkey 212-620-7223 dharkey@sbpub.com

Sign Builder Illustrated is published monthly. All rights reserved. Nothing herein may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher. To purchase PDF files of cover and layouts or hard copy reprints, please call Gary Lynch at 212-620-7247 or e-mail glynch@sbpub.com.

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Sign Builder Illustrated

November 2021

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EDITOR’S COLUMN

AGENDA

BY JEFF WOOTEN

Note: Due to COVID-19 concerns, all events listed below are subject to change. Please check each show’s Web site for any cancellations or reschedulings that may have taken place after press time.

DECEMBER 2021 DECEMBER 2-3:

The Wrap Exerience™ - Virtual “Workshop,” in conjunction with The Wrap Institute and noted instructor/installer Justin Pate, is a new digital event designed to educate more companies on the power of wraps and highlight the business opportunities they bring while making the event a truly global experience. (signs.org/event/the-wrap-experience-virtual-2)

A Demand for Supply

Job costing can be a solution to profit problems.

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Sign Builder Illustrated

tracked at their actual value.

If you have questions about job costing (as well as pricing), then I invite you to join us on Thursday, December 2 at 2:00 p.m.

ET for our latest SBI Operations webinar, “Job Costing Made Simple.”

John Hackley, CEO of Oculus Business Solutions, led viewers through a very popular webinar this past August on shop layout, and he returns to detail why you should be adopting forward-thinking job costing methodologies to improve your shop’s performance. And since this will be live, John will be answering all the questions you have about job costing, budget management, and pricing calculations.

There are several topics that will be addressed: The basics of job costing and how to implement your own job costing system; creating profitability reports to improve estimating and sales; tracking and evaluating work in progress; identifying which products make the most money; pinpointing your production strengths and improving your weaknesses; and challenges you might encounter when it comes to dealing with a damaged supply chain.

Look for registration for this event soon on signshop.com. We look forward to providing you with some valuable advice at it for any of your costly questions!

JEFF WOOTEN Editor, jwooten@sbpub.com

November 2021

MARCH 2022 MARCH 21-23:

Digital Signage Expo, presented by Questex, is bringing Digital Signage and Digital-Out-Of-Home buyers and sellers to the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. This returning event will be taking place concurrently with the Bar & Restaurant Expo. (questex.com)

MAY 2022 MAY 4-6:

The ISA International Sign Expo 2022 is scheduled to take place in Atlanta, Georgia. Registration for the event will start this fall. (signexpo.org)

JULY 2022 JULY 27-30:

Photo: Shutterstock/Nokwan007.

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recent “sticker-shocking” trip to my local grocery store led me to believe that the building must’ve decided to go trick-and-treating as a character straight out of Mad Max’s apocalyptic wasteland—only, judging by some of the bare shelves and increased prices, this was going to lead to more tricking and less treating.

While Halloween is in the rear-view mirror, fallout from the pandemic and transportation issues is still causing some shivers when it comes to the supply chain.

The sign industry should already be used to the supply shortages that’s gripping the nation for certain products—alcohol for vinyl applications appeared to be the first to get Thanos-snapped at the pandemic’s beginning last year. And now certain segments of the industry are announcing increased prices for their materials and components taking effect now (with hopes that the supply snafu will return to a more normal process in a couple of months).

It’s probably a good idea not to pack away your Halloween crystal ball just yet, especially when it comes to figuring out how to stock up on inventory or calculate pricing to fit a customer’s budget.

Inventory and pricing remain key components when it comes to getting jobs approved from clients and complete them on time. And this is where the concept of “job costing” helps businesses make money—as direct material, labor, subcontract costs, equipment and other direct costs are

SignConnexion 2022, the MidSouth Sign Association’s annual tradeshow, will be happening in Chattanooga, Tennessee. (midsouthsign.org)

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IN THE INDUSTRY

REALIZING AUTOMATION ASPIRATIONS AT 3M BONDING

PROCESS CENTERS

S

t. Paul, Minnesota—Against the backdrop of a growing trend toward automation in manufacturing environments, 3M Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division recently hosted a virtual press event showcasing the evolutions taking place at their 3M Bonding Process Centers in St. Paul, Minnesota; Neuss, Germany; and Shanghai, China. The 3M Bonding Process Centers are being billed by the company as a “starting point” from which to design and plan automated bonding solutions.

Formerly known as the Global Adhesives Solutions Lab, the 3M Bonding Process Centers now connect customers with local 3M experts, facilitating a partnership that helps identify customized process solutions to complex bond-

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Sign Builder Illustrated

ing challenges.

To mark this evolution, 3M announced that its engineers and experts are offering virtual consultations with customers and prospects from 3M Bonding Process Centers in all three locations (https://bit.ly/3oHluET).

“At 3M, we continue to build our global automation and data science expertise, as part of our commitment to support our customers during every stage of their automation journey,” said Taylor Harper, director of Global Business Development at 3M. “We look forward to supporting our customers as they explore integrating more and more automation into their manufacturing processes to help them achieve their overall goals.”

November 2021

According to 3M, the primary benefits of automation include improvements in productivity, quality, and safety, as well as reductions in unit cost and reliance on labor. These benefits are becoming increasingly apparent as figures from a recent industry study show that the global industrial control and factory automation market size is expected to grow from $133.1 billion in 2021 to $197.8 billion by 2026 (https://bit.ly/3uXZpTB).

The 3M Bonding Process Center allows customers to find the optimal combination to meet their production needs and business outcomes, either by engaging in an interactive, remote visit or an in-person experience. They can interact with 3M experts to experiment with different types of tapes and adhesives signshop.com

THE PATH AHEAD

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and dispensing options (ranging from powered manual dispensers to fully programmable machinery) to find the right solution for each customer.

Additionally the centers are accustomed to all assembly types—ranging from large surfaces to small joints and encapsulating—and offer metered one- and two-part dispensing, automated tape dispensing, hot melt technologies, and more.

For example, the St. Paul, Minnesota Bonding Process Center features two automation assets.

PVA is a flexible, robotic conformal dispensing system that applies adhesive in dots, shapes, curves, arcs, and more.

The lines or dots can be varying widths or diameters in different spots on each part, and the precise programming means that signshop.com

each dot or line is applied at the right size and in the right location every time.

Meanwhile the 6-Axis Robot there is a complex-shaped part with multiple dimensions that can have a bead of adhesive applied with precision. By programming this 6-Axis Robot and the dispensing equipment to manipulate the part and apply the adhesive, a customer can get consistent bead application, which may allow quicker cycle times, improved quality and less variability.

A lot of these Bonding Process Center advancements can be attributed to 3M investing 6 percent of its revenue in research and development and is an example of how investing into future-forward solutions can contribute to manufacturers’ business growth and development.

EW YORK CITY, NY—Mark Kabbash is a frequent participant in cycling charity rides. His invention, The Dandy Horse, Inc., seeks to solve the problems of high costs and logistical challenges involved in planning these events through a product called WHEEL (World, Health, Engagement, Environmental, Love), which harnesses the power of QR codes and verified empirical data.

Sponsors pair their branding with a QR code on a jersey, bike, and helmet, which tracks the miles via a process called VIDAT (Verify, Inspect, Demonstrate, Analyze, and Test). The QR code-driven verification technology couples individual biometrics with an app to verify data like duration of time, location, distance, and the name of each rider. It then accurately reports that data to companies, brands, non-profits, etc.

“I really learned about the value of a billboard, branding, and marketing,” says Kabbash. “We’re taking a brand and then enabling that company to extend their range to philanthropic causes in front of an audience that can be tens of millions.”

For the full story on The Dandy Horse, visit signshop.com.

—Ashley Bray

November 2021

Sign Builder Illustrated

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SIGN SHOW DIGITAL PRINTING/ EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES

ROUTERS/ ENGRAVERS

Mutoh VerteLith RIP Software is Now Included with XPJ-461UF/661UF Printers

ShopBot Tools Offers Customized CNC Tool Services

Looking for a UV-LED printer that outputs smooth skin tones, perfect gradients, vibrant color graphics, and ADA Braille signage that surely will impress? Then MUTOH America’s XpertJet 461UF and 661UF small format UV-LED printers featuring VerteLith™, MUTOH’s new genuine RIP software, is the answer to your search. VerteLith is easy to use and automates complex printing processes, including layer printing, layout processing, and enhanced jig layout and production. For “what-you-seeis-what-you-get” output, VerteLith includes two preview functions—RIP preview and soft proof. This new RIP software also includes MUTOH Clear Tone half-tone technology, which produces better skin tones and gradations. Another feature of VerteLith is MUTOH CMYK wide color gamut ICC input profiles, which enable output of more vivid colors. Adding to the capabilities of the XPJ-461UF and XPJ-661UF is VerteLith’s inclusion of the Pantone© spot color library, which allows accurate mapping of any named solid coated or uncoated Pantone spot color within a design. VerteLith’s powerful capabilities mean less time is spent adjusting and processing files and more time is spent creating dynamic, creative output. MUTOH.com

ShopBot Tools, an industry leader in the design and manufacture of professional and affordable CNC routers, has expanded their Customized CNC Tool Services offerings.

Making CNC technology and tools accessible to everyone has been a commitment from ShopBot Tools since they started up twenty-five years ago, and they’ve recently seen a new trend develop—an increase in requests for more customized CNC tools! Specializations include things like a deeper Z-axis, multiple spindles, tool sizes different than standard-size offerings, and having a dedicated rotary axis, among others. ShopBot continues to believe that everyone should be able to successfully employ the capabilities of CNC, thereby making small- to medium-size shops competitive in today’s market. ShopBot’s engineering team will work with customers to spec out a tool to fit their custom application. The full line of tools from ShopBot is oriented to be used for both standard and specialty operations. Businesses don’t need to limit their production capabilities by trying to fit their unique applications to others' standard offerings, as custom machines from ShopBot are available in any size. shopbottools.com

DIGITAL PRINTING EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES Advanced UV Flatbeds from Roland DGA Maximize Direct-to-object Printing Options Available in two flatbed sizes (64-inch and 30-inch widths), the new VersaUV® LEC2 S-Series printers from Roland DGA offer the best of both worlds—direct-to-product customization plus direct printing on flexible and rigid materials. The LEC2 S-Series combine superb imaging with outstanding versatility and production, allowing users to quickly turn around traditional print jobs and customize a vast array of products and merchandise with vibrant, detailed graphics. All LEC2 S-Series printers boast up to 7.87 inches of height clearance and are sturdy enough to support up to 2,373 pounds. This makes the LEC2 S-Series unbeatable for a wide range of applications, including product personalization, tradeshow and retail signage, P-O-P displays, interior décor, and printing onto panels, sheets, tables, and heavy boards. LEC2 S-Series flatbeds offer an intuitive Distance Print Mode that maximizes print consistency on objects that are flat, irregular, or curved. Smooth, trouble-free operation is further ensured by a “Reverse Blow” setting that cleanly removes material from the bed. In addition to the available sixty-four- and thirty-inch widths, Roland DG offers two different carriage sizes and four different bed sizes to choose from (including a full-sized model that prints onto full boards). rolanddga.com/LEC2S

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November 2021

signshop.com

SIGN SHOW WIDE FORMAT Versatile EFI ProGraphics UV LED XA Ink is Suitable for a Wide Range of Rigid and Flexible Media High-adhesion EFI™ ProGraphics™ XA UV-LED ink from Electronics For Imaging, Inc. is now available for EFI wide format flatbed and hybrid roll/flatbed printers. ProGraphics XA ink delivers superior results on corrugated plastics and other substrates posing adhesion challenges. EFI ProGraphics XA ink does not chip during cutting when it is used on standard acrylic, corrugated plastic, or other fluted polypropylene media. Plus this ink is flexible enough for 180-degree heat forming applications. Bringing this advanced ink to the EFI Pro 24f, Pro 30f, Pro 16h and Pro 30h wide format printers gives sign and display graphics operations more capabilities in the range of applications they offer to customers. When purchasing an EFI wide format printer, customers can choose the ProGraphics Series UV LED ink set that best meets their application needs: EFI - 3M™ ProGraphics UV LED ink for flexible applications, EFI ProGraphics UV LED POP ink for rigid board and flexible indoor-outdoor media printing, EFI ProGraphics UV LED Rigid ink for printing on specialty rigid media (such as lenticular lenses, steel, aluminum, and wood), and EFI ProGraphics UV LED Ultra ink for a highly diverse range of flexible and rigid media applications that need the best outdoor weathering performance without lamination. efi.com

SOFTWARE-DESIGN/ PRINT/ROUTER/ ESTIMATING Zünd PreCut Center Makes Cut-file Preparation Easy and Efficient With PreCut Center, Zünd is launching software that significantly reduces the workload in cut-file preparation, generates optimal material yield, and eliminates the potential for error. PreCut Center –ZPC simplifies file preparation and output and lets the user select a level of automation based on individual production requirements. All it takes is a few simple steps to create a fully nested file. Whether users prefer a manual or automated process, the software allows for selecting the workflow that makes the most sense for a given production scenario. After importing the desired shapes into Zünd PreCut Center - ZPC, the user assigns them to the corresponding recipes (basically road maps for creating cut paths based on specific parameters). The recipes can be imported or created as needed by the user. The next step entails defining materials and material parameters. The shapes are subsequently nested on the unprinted material.

This process results in optimal material yield with minimal waste and reduced production time. Zünd PreCut Center's open architecture permits importing cut shapes and data from multiple sources. PreCut Center - ZPC is available in two versions: Basic and Pro. my.zund.com

SOFTWARE-DESIGN/PRINT/ROUTER/ ESTIMATING CorelDRAW Introduces Valuable Subscriber Updates Corel has extended its CorelDRAW® 2021 professional product family with new subscriber-exclusive updates for CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2021. Subscribers can now enjoy a more flexible way to stay up to date with productivity-boosting dynamic asset management and collaboration workflow enhancements, additional fonts, creative templates, and more to maximize their creative potential. Access and manage all assets from one central location and share symbols across teams. Easily sync updates to ensure you’re always working with the most current asset. An enhanced collaboration workflow makes working with colleagues and clients in a remote world more efficient than ever.

Enjoy a streamlined sign-in process and performance enhancements for faster saving, opening, and sharing of Cloud designs. Create stunning typography faster than before with new integrated access to the Google Fonts library in Corel® Font Manager. Effortlessly browse, search, and preview more than 1,000 font families from the Google Fonts library without having to install the fonts you wish to use. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2021 is available on Windows 10 and Windows 11, macOS, web, iPad, and mobile. Yearly subscriptions are offered, while a perpetual license with included one-year maintenance is also available. coreldraw.com/en/pages/subscription

signshop.com

November 2021

Sign Builder Illustrated

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HOW TO GRAPHICS | BY JEFF WOOTEN

The concrete wall graphics incorporated notable Memphis imagery, like the Hernando de Soto Bridge.

Set on Concrete

W

hen it comes to vinyl graphics applied to concrete, there’s a tendency for one’s first thought to drift downward to the floor area, where the material is typically employed for short-term wayfinding or social distancing reinforcement.

However Chris Coles, director of Brand & Marketing at LSI Graphics, a forty-six-year-old print-signage-promotional company based in Memphis, Tennessee, finds that clients rarely leverage a concrete graphic’s ability to serve as a permanent communicative piece.

“Concrete graphics are ideal for long-term applications because they are highly durable, have excellent colorfastness, and are resilient against tampering,” he says.

LSI Graphics was recently involved in

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a wayfinding project that required permanent, photo-quality mural graphics to be applied to the concrete walls at a three-story corporate garage belonging to commercial real estate firm CBRE in Memphis, Tennessee.

Coles says that his company was well suited to handle this project because they pride themselves on their ability to put a brand’s logo on anything—ranging from as big as the side of a building to as small as a company pen. “I’d say a predominant amount of our work involves environmental graphics,” he says.

The CBRE Memphis firm approached LSI Graphics Sales Manager TJ Werner looking for ways to brighten up their dark, dungy-looking parking garage. “The garage didn’t possess much flair, and [CBRE] wanted something that would ‘pop!’ there,” says Werner.

November 2021

The wayfinding and wall graphics LSI Graphics provided are color-coded based on the garage floor level. Level one is decked out in blue, level two is green, and the top level (which also happens to be outdoors) is red and orange.

“Our designer, Austin Barnes, based his color choices on what he felt was current and would withstand the test of time,” says Werner.

LSI Graphics designed, produced, and installed color-coded entrance signs, speed limit signs, and floor signage. They also created vinyl-covered circular plaques indicating the floor level number and placed those throughout the garage in corners, on columns, and in areas that are easily seen from the elevators.

The company also produced graphics for the concrete walls throughout signshop.com

All Photos: LSI Graphics.

Installing vinyl graphics onto the walls of a corporate parking garage.

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Graphics were applied throughout the garage to the corners, columns, and areas that can be seen from elevators.

LSI Graphics applied concrete graphics on all three levels of the parking garage.

all three levels of the garage. Many of them feature the level number and its appropriate color code. However, LSI Graphics had an additional idea for sprucing up the concrete walls near the elevators—incorporating Memphisbased themes into the designs.

Werner says that a lot of this concept can be attributed to Memphis being a pretty “homegrown” city.

“A lot of people in [Memphis] are from here, and they stay a long time.

And if they leave, they end up coming back. So we like incorporating the city into [area] graphics whenever we can,” he says. “We do a lot of work with the University of Memphis and the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, so anything we can kind of put our ‘Memphis stamp’ on, we try to run with it.”

For the CBRE garage, LSI Graphics selected imagery involving notable city figures and iconography—such as the Hernando de Soto Bridge (level one), the legendary Sun Studio (level two), and, of course, recording artist Elvis Presley (level three).

LSI Graphics downloaded photos of these Memphis icons from Shutterstock, an online image service. “When you’re dealing with grand format, the quality of the photos that are on Shutterstock, especially when you’re down12

Sign Builder Illustrated

loading the highest resolution available from it, turns out more than enough,” says Werner.

The imagery used in these concrete wall graphics was designed as a “blackplus-color” treatment. “Our artist removed the color from the image and applied a color overlay on top of the photography,” says Coles.

LSI Graphics printed out the colorcoded concrete wall graphics onto over 700 square feet of 3M™ Envision™ Print Wrap Film 480Cv3 using their EFI™ VUTEk® GS-5500 Pro wide format printer and HP 3600 latex printer. “We always use that material anytime we do something for a concrete wall,” says Annette Kellett, project manager at LSI Graphics. “The texture of the Envision Print Wrap Film 480Cv3 is designed to conform better to a textured wall.”

Kellett says that the graphics were printed out onto fifty-four-inch-wide panels and then rolled up and driven out to the CBRE parking garage.

Installation took place over several different days. “There were certain items that the client approved ahead of getting some other items approved, so part of it depended on their approval of the artwork,” explains Kellett. “So we went ahead and scheduled some installations based on their approvals.”

November 2021

Installers successfully applied the 3M Envision 480Cv3 graphics onto the concrete walls with no trouble at all using heat guns.

According to Kellett, most of the installation was finished within two days, noting that constant rain showers did delay working on the outdoor level three walls for a bit.

Werner says the design-and-approval process also went very smoothly here, with only a few alterations needed or a switch-out to a different color here and there.

“It typically goes very well, as it just depends on how many people are involved,” he explains. “In addition to your client, you might have to get approval from the building’s owner or the tenants. But this is typically a pretty easy process.”

According to Werner, the biggest challenge encountered in this project was dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Typically we can turn around a project like this in a month or so,” he says, “but because of COVID-19, it took eight to ten months to acquire approvals, start production, and finish the installation.

And sometimes there were a few supply issues where we had to wait on a material for a week.”

This project also proved to be a great signshop.com

HOW TO

GRAPHICS | BY JEFF WOOTEN

signshop.com

November 2021

Sign Builder Illustrated

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HOW TO GRAPHICS | BY JEFF WOOTEN

example of how sometimes a sign company’s work ends up being their best sales pitch. “During the install, I went over to check on our guys,” says Werner, “and one of the tenants was moving out to a newer building. He gave me his card and said, ‘Hopefully, you can do something like this for our garage, which is a couple of miles away.

“So our concrete wall graphics we designed and installed for the CBRE Memphis garage made a great impact!”

Coles says that the amount of graphics used for this concrete walls project was pretty notable in all his experience.

“You see them a lot in retail spaces,” he says, “so I felt like this was a unique way to use them. In a garage space, I’ve personally never seen them get used in this quantity.

“And I think that’s what was so special about this job.”

Installation was finished in two days, with rain showers delaying work on outdoor level three.

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Sign Builder Illustrated

November 2021

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WANT MORE FOR YOUR MONEY? WHO DOESN’T? As a local sign or graphics company, when you join an ISA affiliated association, your International Sign Association membership is automatically included.

That’s two great memberships for the price of one.

•

Stay on top of current trends and find innovative solutions to keep your customers coming back.

•

Build a strong professional network to learn best practices from your peers.

•

Protect your livelihood by utilizing ISA’s rapid-response government relations team to fight oppressive local, state and federal sign codes.

•

Learn from others in the industry to grow your business.

PUT US TO WORK FOR YOU. ISA Affiliated Associations: Arizona Sign Association California Sign Association Colorado Sign Association Illinois Sign Association Mid South Sign Association Midwest Sign Association Minnesota Sign Association Nevada Sign Association Northeast States Sign Association

Northwest Sign Council Northeast States Sign Association Sign Association of Canada Southern States Sign Association Texas Sign Association Tri State Sign Association Utah Sign Association Virginia Sign Association Wisconsin Sign Association ISA-UK, Powered by BSGA

For additional information, visit www.Signs.org/Regions, or contact ISA Membership at (703) 836-4012 or membership@signs.org.

HOW TO BRANDING | BY| BY ORDINANCES NARINE DAVIDDAVEYAN HICKEY

Historical Achievements

F

or people like Jude Cook and Vince Coley, restoring vintage signs is a labor of love. “It helps to be passionate,” says Cook, who operates Cook Signs in Tucson, Arizona. “The temptation is to build it newer, easier.”

But losing some of those old signs, he believes, means losing a community’s character. “They separate you from every other city that looks the same,” says Cook.

“They’re gems, and it hurts every time you take one down.”

Yet it can be a challenge to keep these signs. In some communities, these signs no longer conform to the city’s sign codes and, once removed, cannot be reinstalled.

That was the challenge for Coley of Rainbow Signs in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“The city had a zoning rule that if a nonconforming sign came down and touched the ground,” he says, “they would no lon-

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ger be able to put it back up. We fought for three years to get that changed.”

One creative idea: taking city council members on a tour to visit a half-dozen historically vital signs. “We told them how vital it was to be able to maintain these and [that] sometimes they have to be removed and put back up,” says Coley.

In the three years that it took to convince the council to change the code, though, one roof sign continued to decay, and Coley was concerned about the safety.

The sign’s owners didn’t have the money to restore it.“I said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t let anyone take it down,’” he says.

Coley secured the sign and waited for the law to change so that it could be removed, restored, and rehung.

Cook also had worked to change local ordinances, serving on his community’s sign committee for a decade. The com-

November 2021

mittee worked to amend the sign code to allow historic signs to be refurbished and reinstalled.

Through that process, he met a “group of guys” who were “passionate” about the signs. “That led to a whole slew of contacts that got me started in restoration,” says Cook.

Communities lose something extremely valuable every time one of these old signs is removed. That’s one of the reasons ISA has developed resources specifically about historic signs and signs in historic districts.

This includes webinars and sessions in partnership with the American Planning Association, which have been attended by hundreds of planners and other local officials from all over the country.

A growing number of end-users understand that retaining historic signs or installing replications of historic signs can signshop.com

Photo: Shutterstock/ J.D.S.

The challenge of keeping vintage signs.

HOW TO

ORDINANCES | BY DAVID HICKEY

be a good marketing strategy, appealing to the public’s nostalgia and perpetuating a sense of continuity to their community’s past. These signs offer immediately Instagrammable spots, ones which convey a lot about the community.

As planners and communities work with ISA advocacy on the preservation and regulation of historic signs, they increasingly come to view the sign industry as a reasonable and credible partner in developing sign regulations in general, including on more controversial issues.

It’s a win for our industry, but an even bigger win for the communities. “Communities are starting to realize that they’re taking all the character off the streets,” says Coley.

According to Coley, working with local historical commissions often pays off.

One project included four sets of letters eight feet tall and a mile of neon. “That

was by far the most non-conforming sign under the current regulations,” he says.

“We took a letter from the historical society, which backed our plan, and that was good enough for the city to approve.

“It’s very important to have those guys on your side.”

ISA’s advocacy is working to develop resources that help communities understand the value of these signs in setting their

towns apart. It’s a strong argument that we can make, and with passionate sign professionals like Vince Coley and Jude Cook, it’s often a winning argument.

David Hickey is vice-president of Government Affairs at the International Sign Association. If your community is struggling with the preservation of historic signs, Hickey urges you to contact him at David.Hickey@signs.org.

Graphics. Dimensional. Lighting. Digital. Installation. Operations.

Photo: Shutterstock/Everett Collection.

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17

MULTI-COMPONENT FEATURE NAME

BY JEFF AUTHOR WOOTEN

THE DOG DAYS

OF SIGN MAKING

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Shepherding a brewer’s experiential signage.

S

Photos: (Clockwise from top) Studio7 Imagery, RGA Media Services, Raven Lake Studio, and Studio7 Imagery.

hepherd’s Eye Brewing Co., is a family- and veteran-owned start-up brewpub that recently opened up in Florida, New York.

The brewing company derives its name from one of the co-owner’s German shepherd’s, Zeus, who the family notices keenly watches all their beer-making processes and developments. In fact, think of Zeus as an unofficial “member” of this brew crew.

Not only does the new brewery have a wide variety of tasty craft beers on tap, but they also host a wide variety of custom signage, props, and graphics throughout their building.

The shop responsible for designing and installing these signs and graphics is Raven Lake Studio, and their creative work employed for Shepherd’s Eye Brewing Co., is definitely something to bark loudly about.

Drafting Designs Raven Lake Studio is a new, boutiquestyle, design/fabrication business based out of a 4,700-square-foot facility in Warwick, New York that specializes in providing experiential graphic design, branding, and custom signage for their clients’ spaces.

The Raven Lake Studio team consists of co-owner Stephen Hoey (who has twenty-six years’ worth of award-winning custom sign experience) and his business partner, Rebecca Dykstra. All design work is handled by Stephen’s wife Nanette and her company, Goals! Design & Marketing Services out of Orange County, New York. “We also work with a team of very talented contractors, artists, fabricators, and installers,” says Stephen.

Stephen’s company had just finished the design and build-out of the Pine Island Taphouse in Pine Island, New York when one of its patrons, Steven Brigham, asked for more information about his studio. It turns out that Steven was slated to be the new tasting room manager at Shepherd’s Eye Brewing Co. “He liked our work so much and asked if we would meet with the owners, father and son George and Brian Taylor and their wives Linda and Kerry, to discuss

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[experiential ideas] for their new brewery,” says Stephen.

By the time the plethora of experiential sign and graphics ideas Raven Lake Studio presented to them were approved, the brewery’s planned grand opening celebration was fast approaching. “We only had a month to create and install everything in time,” says Stephen, noting that the Raven Lake Studio team did a decent job staying ahead of the tight schedule.

Crafting an Identity All the signs and graphics are based around Shepherd’s Eye Brewery Co.’s two logos— one featuring an adult version of the German shepherd and the other a puppy version. The brewery supplied these images.

However, since co-owner Brian Taylor was also a U.S. Marine veteran and had military iconography deployed throughout the property, Raven Lake Studio decided to also incorporate earthy camouflage colors throughout the space as well.

“We chose to paint the wood-paneled walls with a copper-based and black wash,” says Stephen, noting that the brewery owners had chosen a copper element on the bar and the lighting above the bar. “These colors worked very well together.”

One example of the studio’s custom work here is a four-by-seven-foot exterior identity sign resembling a military dog tag that’s mounted directly to the front of the brewery’s exterior façade above the metal canopy. “The dog tag sign was a fun, creative element that we know would be striking to someone approaching the building,” says Stephen.

Nanette designed the initial dog tag graphic in Illustrator, and afterwards, Stephen brought it into Enroute Pro 7 to create the production file.

Once the file was scaled and programmed, Stephen used their 5-by-10-foot MultiCam Apex CNC router to carve the piece out of two-inch-thick, fifteen-pounddensity Duna-USA CORAFOAM® HDU. Rebecca took over priming the sign using three coats of Jay Cooke’s Primer, lightly sanding between each coat. For the

topcoat, Rebecca used Modern Masters Silver Metallic and Black Pearl. “Rebecca then took some artistic license and added an almost-galvanized look to make the finish a little more interesting,” says Stephen.

Once they had scaled the graphic into their design program, Raven Lake Studio realized the dog tag’s chain was going to be a little more taxing when it came to finding a material that would work for the finished design. They knew the best solution was going to be hard, hollow balls; however they needed to match the scale chain size and be lightweight. “After a thorough search, we found that a simple field hockey ball was the perfect match,” says Stephen.

Raven Lake Studio painted dozens of field hockey balls with metallic colors and attached them onto aluminum spacers that had been placed over two twelve-foot stainless steel rods that his company could bend into shape. “We zip-tied the chain to the face of the building, in order to keep the shape,” he says, noting they L-bolted 52-inch pieces of 2-by-2-by-1/8-inch aluminum to the building in order to hold the top and bottom of the dog chain sign.

Experience More Experiential The dog tag sign is not only a howling success, but it is also just the beginning of the experiential signage and branding that Raven Lake Studio designed, produced, and installed at Shepherd’s Eye Brewing Co. A full-length unique wall feature namepiece is located behind the bar.

This piece was made from twenty-twofoot faux-leather stretched across a onehalf-inch-thick PVC backer panel with one-inch upholstery nails spelling out the Shepherd’s Eye Brewing Company name.

“We then flanked this piece with two UVprinted faux-leather panels featuring their logo,” says Stephen.

Fun, sixteen-inch-diameter beer caps covered with colorful graphics featuring labels of the brewery’s various craft beers are also featured on the walls. Raven Lake Studio bought plain, pre-produced bottle caps off the Internet, and Rebecca distress-painted them.

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The interior of the brewery features copper-based and black wash painted walls, wrapped doors, murals, a unique wall feature, and oversized bottle caps.

Images for the oversized beer caps were based on the brewer’s craft beer labels.

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all the doors with them using Avery MPI 1105 printed out via their HP Latex 570 printer and laminated on a GFP laminator with a Luster Laminate.

Meanwhile the large brewery logo positioned prominently on one of the outside walls was produced on Oracal 651 Gloss Black film and then cut with a Summa S3 flatbed cutter. “Because the walls were corrugated metal, we stretched the logo about 20 percent wider to compensate for this,” says Stephen.

Finally, since one of the brewery coowners happens to also be an avid HarleyDavidson® rider, as a complementary add-on, Raven Lake Studio used their Canon Arizona 1260 GT flatbed printer and MultiCam Apex CNC router to cre-

November 2021

ate the brewery’s name out of 1/8-inch Chrome Mirrored DIBOND® in the shape of the Harley-Davidson logo.

Stephen says that his shop enjoyed working on this project not only because it was “fun” and “creative” but also since the client was easy to work with here.

“They were very laid back and trusting of our process, which allowed us to push the envelope,” he says. “The grand opening was a huge success, as were the buzz and compliments about our work. And to top it all off, their beer is amazing!”

To see additional photos of the signs, graphics, and build processes that were involved with this project, search for “Raven Lake Studio” on signshop.com. signshop.com

Photos: (Top) Studio7 Imagery, (Bottom) Raven Lake Studio.

Stephen then printed out the beer label graphics using their HP Latex 570 printer and applied these vinyl prints to each cap.

“The [caps] are hanging on hooks inside the brewery, so they can be easily repositioned as they add more beers,” says Stephen. “And we’ll add more labels to them when they do so.”

Wall décor designs were created as vector files using Illustrator. “Nanette wanted to incorporate [Zeus], the logo, and scenes from the outside the brewery into the murals,” says Stephen. “So she chose to add ‘hops’ as an element of the design (with Zeus hopping), and then the dog seeing his logo reflection in the pond.”

Vinyl logos are featured throughout the brewery. Raven Lake Studio wrapped

A complementary add-on DIBOND piece inspired by the Harley-Davidson logo design also hangs on the brewery’s wall.

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FEATURE NAME INSTALLATION

BY ASHLEY AUTHORBRAY

ALWAYS BET ON DIGITAL

C

NS Signs is a full-service sign company that’s located in El Centro, California. Established in 2006, the sign shop provides high-quality sign design, manufacturing, installation, and repair services and offers everything from channel letters and monument signs to vinyl graphics and digital signage.

Digital signage is a fairly new market for the sign company as it really only started offering this technology about five years ago thanks to a partnership

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with manufacturer Vantage LED. CNS Signs Owner Carlos Vera believes digital signage is an important market for sign companies to be in, as he’s seen a lot of interest in it.

When selling digital, Vera says sign shops need to first make sure they actually mention to customers that they sell it. Next they need to go over the value of the signage to reduce sticker shock.

“Suggest to customers that, for the digitals, they’re going to spend a little money at the beginning, but in the end,

November 2021

they’re going to get a lot of customers, and that’s the main thing,” says Vera.

A recent client of CNS Signs was the Golden Acorn Casino, which is located in Campo, California.

Featuring a casino floor, a bevy of dining options, and a fuel and travel center, Golden Acorn Casino is an entertainment destination.

However when the Casino’s large digital sign overlooking California’s famous Interstate 8 went dark, it was in need of an upgrade. signshop.com

All Photos: Vantage LED.

Digital signage presents a golden opportunity.

CNS Signs was already providing vinyl graphics and working on the canopies around the gas station for the Casino, so they provided them with an estimate for a new digital sign from Vantage LED that the Casino accepted.

From there, CNS Signs did a site survey on the existing digital signage to ensure everything would fit up properly.

“We did all the surveys and all the measurements, and [Vantage] sent me back a drawing of what was going to be installed,” explains Vera. signshop.com

After confirming that everything was correct on the drawing, CNS Signs was ready for the install.

Using a large crane truck and a few bucket trucks, they first removed the old digital display. They then installed the new display to the existing stone monument structure using a combination of welding and bolts.

“Every install is different, and yes, we had a few little problems,” says Vera, “but nothing that was too difficult. The install took us about a little over a week.

It was up on a hill, which is not a problem, but carrying the digital all the way up there and everything took us a little over a week.

“Plus, keep in mind, the wind blows harder out there. However everything worked out [well] in the end.”

Even with fifteen years of operation under its belt, CNS Signs emphasizes that the company is staying open to new opportunities and technologies like digital signage. “We’re still learning and still growing,” says Vera.

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Outdoor Advertising Embraces Digital AS TECHNOLOGY CONTINUES to affect every segment of our life, it should be no surprise that outdoor advertising would also be influenced.

Going forward, outdoor advertising will evolve to be more competitive with ads digitally driven by data, programming, and IoT technology.

According to Statista, the number of digital billboards in the U.S. reached 9,600 in the first half of 2020—up from just 6,700 in 2016.

The future of outdoor advertising will be all about investing, implementing, and transforming the marketing channel (https://bit.ly/3vuDP9x).

Despite the fact that digital displays are rapidly adopted by marketers, the future will be all about introducing

smart, intuitive, and responsive displays.

These displays will provide a TV-like experience, and better connect with viewers by immediately responding to dynamic variables such as temperature, weather, customer mood, etc.

According to Statista, digital billboards, which are the most common digital displays, are highly impactful— with 34 percent of respondents taking action and 32 percent visiting a store, mall, or restaurant advertised. As technology like the IoT, facial and thermal scanners, and sensors roll out, digital displays will start to show even more precise and real-time information.

Programmatic DOOH displays will surely be the key for existing businesses ailing with declining revenue to better

and more effectively use the marketing budget. The possibilities are endless with additional options of contextual and real-time triggers encompassing weather, demographics, etc.

Lily Travis is a content writer at Front Signs (frontsigns.com) in Los Angeles, California.

www.signshop.com/resources

SBI’s new webinar series—On the Floor—is your compass to all the challenges sign shops face. Our series provides actionable steps to help your sign shop thrive amidst the expanding digital signage landscape and everyday operational challenges.

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November 2021

signshop.com

Photo: Statista.

HOW TO NAVIGATE A CHANGING SIGN LANDSCAPE

DIGITAL CNCSIGNAGE ROUTER

BYBY BRAD ASHLEY BURNETT BRAY

DEMAND

FOR DIGITAL A sign shop’s digital sign story.

All Photos: KC Sign & Awnings.

F

amily-owned, full-service sign company KC Sign & Awnings located in Aston, Pennsylvania has been servicing the Delaware Valley region for almost thirty years. The sign company offers everything from awnings to vehicle wraps to ADA signs, but its entry into the realm of digital signage was a little more recent.

KC Sign & Awnings entered the digital sign market in the late aughts after it observed prices coming down and digital signage making inroads into more markets.

“We were probably early compared to most sign shops that got in, but we saw the new wave coming and people were

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going to go that way,” says Steve Clark, director of Sales at KC Sign & Awnings.

The sign company offers both indoor and outdoor digital signage through Vantage LED that comes with a multi-year content creation package and a sevenyear warranty. KC Sign & Awnings also partners with some third parties to offer financing on the signs to its customers.

While outdoor digital signage is pretty well known and established, Clark sees demand for indoor digital signage starting to grow beyond the super highresolution displays in the casino, city, and stadium markets. He predicts indoor digital signage soon making bigger

moves into the commercial and public sector in businesses like restaurants.

Currently KC Sign & Awnings provides digital signage for a number of markets, including country clubs, bars, and auto dealers. On the public sector side, the sign company does projects for fire companies, school districts, and townships.

Clark says installing outdoor and indoor digital signage both has its perks and drawbacks.

With outdoor digital signage, Clark says sign companies are working with mediums and processes they know well— such as putting a display on a pole for a

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KC Sign & Awnings sells both indoor and outdoor digital signs.

It’s important to educate customers on resolution and brightness levels.

THE MORE DIGITAL PRESENCE WE HAVE, THE MORE IT DRAWS US TO OTHER BUSINESS. IT QUALIFIES YOU [AND PROVES] YOU CAN HANDLE IT. pylon sign, or digging a footing.

Interior digital signage, on the other hand, can present new challenges with wiring and finding ways to run power through buildings that can be very old.

However indoor digital signage does eliminate the variable of weather delays on an install.

Speaking of challenges, Clark says one of the biggest hurdles KC Sign & Awnings faces in selling digital signage is educating its customer base.

Clark says the difference between 26

Sign Builder Illustrated

resolution and brightness has come up a lot lately.

“It gets tricky with brightness levels because everyone is now accustomed to comparing resolutions, and the client base has gotten used to knowing the difference between something that’s 6mm, 12mm, or 20mm. The tricky part is there’s a lot of people out there offering higher resolution boards, but they don’t put out the same brightness and that’s almost as big of a factor as resolution when it comes to outdoor signage,” says

November 2021

Clark, who explains that the discussion used to revolve around pixel, resolution, and pixel matrix, and it is now about pixel, resolution, pixel matrix, brightness, and durability.

Another challenge that will be all-too familiar to many sign makers is the permitting process.

“Permitting is always an issue. A lot of townships are still behind in their code, so we spend a good bit of time going through variances to get things approved because the government works signshop.com

slow. A lot of the code that was written was to prevent people from putting big billboards on a two lane highway; they weren’t to prevent a business putting a two-by-eight sign out,” says Clark, who says many of the codes are just a blanket ordinance saying no LED signs allowed.

“It’s getting better as time goes on, but a lot of townships still won’t change the code. They’ll make you go through a long, drawn-out process, pay extra money, and then they’ll approve it.

“Know what the code is before you waste your time selling an LED to someone. Permitting is the only thing that usually prevents a job from being sold or completed—when you get a township that won’t budge.”

For other sign shops considering the digital signage market, Clark recommends to first and foremost choose your LED display partner wisely.

“It’s probably the biggest thing that holds sign shops back—the horror stories or the bad experiences they have from picking an LED product or vendor that doesn’t stand behind their product or isn’t quality,” says Clark. “I mean, they are high ticket items, so if you put something out there that doesn’t work, can’t get fixed, or you can’t service, it’s the quickest way to see your Google ratings dip or business disappear.”

Clark also recommends choosing a partner that will be able to provide parts and support on repairs.

“We typically only have to make one trip to fix a sign because we stock extra of pretty much everything,” he says. “We can go out and fix it with parts we keep stocked then ship back the bad ones and replenish our stock.”

Above all, Clark recommends sign companies seriously consider adding digital signage to their line-up as it will keep them competitive and draw in additional business.

“The more digital presence we have, the more it draws us to other business.

Because if someone is going to trust us with a $30,000, $50,000, or $100,000 dollar project, they’re definitely going to call us for a $3,000 awning. So it qualifies you [and proves] you can handle it,” explains Clark. “It has definitely led to a lot of other business.” signshop.com

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November 2021

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VINYL

BY SBI STAFF

GRAPHICS IN ACTION

V

inyl experiential graphics continue to make big design statements when it comes to successfully transforming environments of all kinds.

One new player in this field can be found adhered to the main interior entrance wall of the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The state-of-the-art Virginia Beach Sports Center has already made quite a name for itself, as this newer facility also happens to be the city’s largest indoors sports complex. Its 285,000 square feet of space includes a wide range of athletic options—for example, 12 basketball courts, 24 volleyball courts, a 200-meter hydraulically banked track, seating for 5,000 spectators, and plenty more.

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However the Virginia Beach Sports Center management team wanted to go the extra mile and make an even bigger splash with their presence, which the imagery featured in the finished wall graphics captures almost quite literally.

This recently installed 26-by-75-foot wall graphic is doing a gold medal job at turning heads and making a rim-shattering impression.

The aqua-themed graphics feature a basketball player in one set of panels and a pole vaulter in another set, as they make dynamic, action-oriented plays through the ocean-inspired waves. Both athletes surround the center panel of this graphics experience—the Virginia Beach Sports Center name and logo.

The company responsible for design-

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ing, printing and installing these massive, statement-making graphic panels (and, in the process making officials’ dreams a winning reality) was BIZPORT, a design and print agency that’s based out of Richmond, Virginia.

BIZPORT was thrilled to be a vital part of this action. Backed by over thirty years of expertise, BIZPORT prints and installs a variety of large format graphics solutions for its clients in the Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Outer Banks regions.

Surveying the magnitude of these wall graphics and paying close attention to the sports center’s main entrance, BIZPORT elected to use Mactac’s 6-mil, matte white IMAGin® ROODLE™ semi-rigid vinyl for the output of these graphics, citsignshop.com

All Photos: BIZPORT.

Large-scale vinyl makes a winning statement.

Installation of the large format graphics.

even up close, it’s difficult to see where the panel overlaps are located.

ing the material’s “superior material stability” and “performance.”

“ROODLE is a stiffer and dimensionally stable product, which helps with a large install that needs lining up,” said Andy Thompson, director of Operations for BIZPORT. The BIZPORT team first tested the material’s adherence and visibility on the wall surface at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. Satisfied with what they were seeing, the company took charge and rushed ahead, printing the stunning ROODLE graphics edge-to-edge using one of its Canon Colorado 1650 UVgel roll-to-roll printers.

BIZPORT created the wave-inspired logo found in the center of the graphic by using its plotter/cutter to turn it into a twelve-foot decal.

Installation of these graphic panels signshop.com

took three-and-a-half days to complete. Two members of the BIZPORT installation team used a scissor lift to put up the graphics, overlapping each panel by two inches. “Even up close, it’s difficult to see where the panel overlaps are located,” said Thompson.

Meanwhile Thompson says that officials at the sports center were so impressed with the finished wall mural that the BIZPORT team is not only being considered for other wide format graphics opportunities in the building but also for other nearby businesses.

Vinyl graphics are enhancing and/ or changing interiors—ranging from corporate offices to retail centers and healthcare facilities. This giant wall graphic playing now at the Virginia Beach Sports Center is another championship solution in this field.

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November 2021

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SIGN BUILDER’S

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Your Direct Source for Products & Services Get access to vital product and service information from manufacturers and distributors by visiting www.signbuilderdirectory.com

COMPANY

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ARK Ramos Foundry & Mfg. Co. Inc.

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PAGE 29

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Coastal Enterprises/Precision Board

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Duxbury Systems Inc.

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Echod Graphics

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France Lighting Solutions

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International Sign Association

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Keystone Technologies

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MUTOH America

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International Sign Association

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Nova Polymers

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SDS Automation

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Signs365.com

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SinaLite

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Southern Stud Weld

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C4 13

COMPANIES IN SIGN SHOW 17

Corel Corp.

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Mutoh America

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3 EASY STEPS 1. Go to www.signbuilderdirectory.com

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2.Find the category of products or services you need

November 2021

3. Select among dozens of companies in each category to find the best solution for your business.

Sign Builder Illustrated

31

SHOP TALK EMPLOYEE MGMT.

BY JASON V. BARGER Ownership. “Accountability” plus “Action” are mindsets and oxygen that the best leaders and team cultures on the planet breathe. They connect the things they say they will do with positive accountability and action. Accountability isn’t a negative word—it’s a positive mantra that all take ownership of. In a world where people are quick to gossip, point fingers, and be critics about what isn’t working, the best leaders reboot themselves and their people and shift conversations from blame to solutions-focused.

Adopt mindsets to help your employees.

D

id you know that 7.6 million people quit their jobs in the months of April and May of 2021? Reports of loneliness at work are as high as ever. Divorce rates are up 34 percent from last year.

To say that people have been a little stressed would be an understatement.

Nine out of every ten employees say they want to work for a more meaningful culture. People want to feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves; they want to feel appreciated, valued, and cared for.

In the midst of so much angst, division, and uncertainty in the world that seems out of our control, people need to be reminded about what is within our control: Teams and companies need a reboot.

With all that people have been navigating, they are also expected to maximize the experience, product, or service that you are delivering to the marketplace.

Here are a few mindsets to help you reboot your sign-making team:

Sign Builder Illustrated Magazine (Print ISSN 895-0555, Digital ISSN 21614709) (USPS#0015-805) (Canada Post Cust. #7204564; Agreement #40612608; IMEX Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Canada) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, 88 Pine St. 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices.

for in U.S. funds only. Prices are subject to change.

Pricing, Qualified individual working in the sign industry may request a free subscription. Non-qualified subscriptions Print version, Digital version, Both Print & Digital versions: 1 year US/Canada/Mexico $50.00; foreign $99.00. Single Copies are $15.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid

For Subscriptions, & address changes, Please call (402) 346-4740, Fax (847) 291-4816, e-mail signbuilder@omeda.com, or write to: Sign Builder Illustrated, Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, PO Box 239, Lincolnshire IL 60069-0239 USA.

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Sign Builder Illustrated

Clarity. Is your Mission clear? Is your Vision clear? Is your Strategy for the next priorities clear? Take this time as an opportunity to reboot and make sure all are aligned with clarity. The outcome is that everything on the path forward becomes clearer. Your team may not have all the answers, but they’ll have energy and clear direction on how to take the next step.

Jason V. Barger (JasonVBarger.com) is the founder of Step Back Leadership Counsulting, as well as the host of The Thermostat podcast.

His latest book, Breathing Oxygen, is set to be released in early 2022. To read more of this article, visit https://bit.ly/3BBtoDx.

Agility. “Possibility” plus “Adaptability” is the name of the game in a changing world. Leaders have to practice an occasional reboot that allows their mind to find new ways of doing things and the courage to adapt to opportunities that emerge. If leaders return to the “this is the way we’ve always done it” mindset, then they will sit back and watch their people leave the room.

The best work cultures intentionally choose to inhale positivity and exhale negativity.

COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2021.

All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.

For reprint information, contact: Gary Lynch, Publisher (212) 620-7247 or glynch@sbpub.com.

November 2021

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sign Builder Illustrated, PO Box 239, Lincolnshire IL 60069-0239 USA. Instructional information provided in this magazine should only be performed by skilled crafts people with the proper equipment. The publisher and authors of information provided herein advise all readers to exercise care when engaging in any of the how-to-activities published in the magazine. Further, the publisher and authors assume no liability for damages or injuries resulting from projects contained herein.

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Photo: PR/PR Public Relations.

Help Your Team Reboot

The process for developing high-performing and engaged teams never stops, and the best leaders, teams, and organizations are committed to rebooting how they hire, do performance evaluations, develop emerging leaders, and recognize excellence. The best leaders invest in their teams together.

If you’re experiencing a lack of energy, passion, or hope for the road ahead, it may be the air you’re breathing. It may be time for a reboot.

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