Sign Builder Illustrated June 2019

The How-To Magazine

J u n e 2019 | s i g n s h o p.co m

BEST IN

GLASS DESIGNERS U T ILIZE GLASS SUR FACES

SIGN BUILDER

illustrated

SANDBLASTED HDU: MAKING AN IMPRESSION

WAYFINDING GRAPHICS: MAXIMIZE THE EXPERIENCE

Restart Your Business in 2019!

Is 2019 the year to convert your business to an industry leader?

Paying Too Much For Supplies?

How long has it been since you updated your Marketing Materials?

Who Do You Call for Technology Support?

Who Helps Train Your Employees?

How Updated is Your Website?

Who Helps Manage Your Profit?

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CONVERTING TO FASTSIGNS: Mark Jameson • 214-346-5679 • mark.jameson@fastsigns.com Text “CONVERT” to 214-273-1715

www.fastsigns.com

Contents June 2019

Vol. 33

No. 288

How-To Columns

16 20

BLAST OFF!

By Ashley Bray A sandblasted HDU sign makes an impression.

GRAPHICS THAT GUIDE

By Tammi Johnson Maximize customer experience with wayfinding graphics.

departments

4 6

​Cover Photo: Cloud Gehshan.

10 38 40

EDITOR’S COLUMN

Editor Jeff Wooten reflects on why glass surfaces are a high-end market for sign shops to profit from.

IN THE INDUSTRY

Using vinyl to recreate disappearing NYC “mom-and-pop” shops, ISA International Sign Expo 2019 wins big, and digital signage and art combine for a hotel upgrade.

Sign Show

The newest products and services from sign manufacturers.

SBI Marketplace

Advertisements and announcements from the sign trade.

31

Shop Talk

David Hickey details how concerns from a sign maker led to this year’s Sign Code Champion.

Features

24 28 31

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34

BEST IN GLASS

By Jeff Wooten Glass finish graphics are an attractive option to consider.

INTERPRETIVE ACTION

By Jeff Wooten The story behind the Americans Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial design.

THAT TOUCH OF LUXURY

By Jim Cirigliano Using fabric graphics to transform high-end interior environments.

CHIEFS Of THE draft

By Jeff Wooten The collaborative gameplan to help make fans part of a football team’s foam letters.

June 2019

Sign Builder Illustrated

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June 2019, Vol. 33, No. 288 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 212-620-7220 abray@sbpub.com Contributing Writers Jim Cirigliano, David Hickey, Tammi Johnson

art

Art Director Nicole D’Antona Graphic Designer Aleza Leinwand

production

Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers Digital Ad Operations Associate Kevin Fuhrmann kfuhrmann@sbpub.com

circulation

Circulation Director Maureen Cooney mcooney@sbpub.com Circulation Analyst Brandy Wilson bwilson@sbpub.com

advertising sales

Publisher/West Coast Sales Arthur J. Sutley 212-620-7247 asutley@sbpub.com Associate Publisher/Mid-West Sales Jeff Sutley 212-620-7233 jsutley@sbpub.com Integrated Account Manager/East Coast & Canada 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 Art Sutley at 212-620-7247 or e-mail asutley@sbpub.com.

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WHERE DESIGN MEETS INNOVATION

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Editor’s Column

AGENDA

By Jeff Wooten

June 2019 JUNE 27-30:

The Texas Sign Association’s Denim & Diamonds Sixty-sixth Annual Conference will be happening at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. (txsigns.org)

July 2019 JULY 24-27:

Mid South Sign Association’s MSSA SignConnexion 2019 takes place at the Ross Bridge Golf Resort in Birmingham, Alabama. (midsouthsignassociation.org)

Pane and Gain

There’s no ceiling to working with glass substrates.

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while, inspirational story for you.

You’ll also find an article explaining all you need to know about how to use architectural window films on glass surfaces for branding, decoration, and/or privacy. Even more importantly, we spell out the “why” for you here, as well.

The experts interviewed for this story tell me that window graphics are a great way for your company to grow and expand your business.

“It also provides their clients an opportunity to create a more inviting, creative, positive experience in their respective space,” Josh Culverhouse, graphic innovations market manager at ORAFOL Americas, told me as I was writing this feature. “It’s one thing to throw up some etched glass material on a conference room window or an entrance into your favorite neighborhood bar-andgrill. The question should always be: How can you help your clients set themselves apart from their competition?

Helping them think outside the box is where you can add value and become a true partner.”

These projects aren’t typically first thoughts in selling, but hopefully this issue will help you get your glass ready to help transform environments.

Jeff Wooten Editor, jwooten@sbpub.com

August 2019 AUGUST 1-3:

The Northwest States Sign Council Summer Sign Spectacular 2019 sets up this year in and around beautiful Winifred, Montana. (nwsigncouncil.org)

AUGUST 8-10:

The ninth annual Tri-State Sign Expo and Golf Tournament plays out at the Downstream Casino Resort in Joplin, Missouri. (tristatesignexpo.com)

AUGUST 22-23:

The 2019 NSSA Sign Expo is Moving to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. (nssasign.org)

September 2019 SEPTEMBER 20-21:

Photo: Shutterstock/ Alex Ander.

O

ne can be forgiven for thinking that this month’s issue must have been plotted after a recent Redbox® rental of the latest Samuel L. Jackson-Bruce Willis movie (Glass, for those unaware). However that’s not the case, because the less said about that flick the better, IMHO. We are much happier though to present a couple of feature articles this month devoted to glass surfaces being utilized by sign shops and designers.

There’s a rich irony here that I’m talking about using glass as a substrate when I quite possibly could be the clumsiest guy around. All-glass screens on cellphones make me lose my grip, Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” causes clammy palms when I hear it, and my years of bad luck with mirror glass need two calculators to add up.

Fortunately you’re not me, and even more fortunately, there is no ceiling as to how print providers and sign shops can work with glass (engraving, etching, painting, vinyl application, etc.).

We have a look at the interpretive storytelling design of the etched, sandblasted, and painted glass panels at one of my favorite stops in D.C.—the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial. The design-and-build process behind it took a lot longer than a normal job (we’re talking the slow roll process of government bureaucracy here, folks), but the project management skills that were needed to pull off this project honoring the living should still be a worth-

The Sign Association of Canada’s national tradeshow, Sign Expo Canada 2019, takes place at the International Centre – Entrance 1 in Mississauga, Ontario. (sac-ace.ca/sign-expo-canada)

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In The Industry

Recreating Disappearing NYC

“Mom-and-Pop” Shops

D

avidson, North Carolina— The married team of architectural and interior photographers James and Karla Murray has been on a mission for two-plus decades to document and preserve images of “mom-and-pop” storefronts scattered throughout New York City’s boroughs that not only have fulfilled residents’ retail needs but also created a sense of community through their daily interactions. From bodegas to newsstands, delis, and luncheonettes, this couple has recorded the troubling closures of many of these family-owned businesses due to financially crippling rent increases.

To help raise awareness about the plight of these small businesses, the Murrays 6

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created “Mom-and-Pops of the L.E.S.,” a large-scale, wood-frame sculptural installation designed to resemble a store. Each of the installation’s four walls is covered with a lifelike 8-by-12-foot photograph of a neighborhood storefront from Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Three of these businesses have closed.

“When viewing the near-life-size photographs, one can get a visceral sense of the impact of the losses of these businesses on the community and on those who once depended on the shops that are now gone,” said the Murrays in an artist’s statement describing this mixed media piece. “The installation is an artistic intervention and plea for recognition of the unique and irreplaceable con-

tribution made to [New York City] by small, often family-owned businesses.”

Installed in the city’s Seward Park in June 2018, this public art installation features large-scale storefront images printed on vinyl and laminated to ten four-by-eight-foot durable, weatherresistant 3mm DIBOND® Fine Silver color aluminum composite panels. The rectangular storefront art installation appears so lifelike—and life-sized to children—that Karla Murray said she had to turn away a four-year-old boy during installation when he handed her a dollar to buy a bag of chips.

The Murrays built the installation’s framework out of wooden two-by-fours and covered the walls with plywood. They signshop.com

Visual Wow at Festival

Large-scale storefront images were printed on vinyl and laminated to DIBOND.

C

The Murrays photographed the sculptural installation through the seasons.

turned to Unique Visuals NY for image printing, fabrication, and installation.

Unique Visuals NY utilized an Epson SureColor S60600 eco-solvent large format printer to digitally print the four 8-by-12-foot storefront images onto 3M vinyl. The printed vinyl was covered with an Avery Dennison anti-graffiti over-laminating film to offer additional protection and added sheen for the artwork.

The Murrays installed the sculpture’s framework to a painted base. “We had to build the structure to code,” said Karla.

“The whole thing is attached to skids of lumber that are used on construction sites.”

Unique Visuals NY employees completed installation of the storefront images on DIBOND. “We had to be very signshop.com

careful during installation because the framework was a little more delicate than we expected,” said Executive Vice President/Founding Partner Fernando Luciano. “We used smaller hardware and drilled in strategic places. We added small screws and nails and were careful with what we did on the prints.”

The Murrays painted the screws and nails to match the storefront prints and finished the sculpture’s roof with wavy green polyethylene material resembling the awnings of neighborhood bodegas.

The public artwork is installed in Seward Park through the end of this month. Afterwards, the Murrays hope to find a new home for the piece where it can be displayed intact.

ypress, California—For the third year running, AV company Christie® was the technology partner at GDLUZ, the festival of light held this past April in Guadalajara, Mexico. Organized by the company Alteacorp in conjunction with the local government, the festival celebrates the 477th anniversary of the founding of Guadalajara.

Held in the city’s old quarters, the night-time festival featured forty attractions inspired by light. The four-day event drew crowds of more than 1,100,000, and festivalgoers were treated to an array of video mappings, multimedia shows, interactive projections, live music, art installations, and performances.

One of the main attractions was a mapping projection at Instituto Cabañas, using a Christie Boxer 4K30 3DLP® projector with 30,000 lumens center and 4K resolution. The Christie Pandors Box 6.0 media server made it possible to synchronize the lighting, the audio, the video, and the fireworks and capture a videogame from a second system.

A strong point was an interactive video mapping that used a Christie Crimson WU25 3DLP® technology laser projector with WUXGA resolution and 25,000 center lumens.

June 2019

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In The Industry Upgraded Visitor Experience

D ISA International Sign Expo 2019

Wins Big

A

lexandria, Virginia—International Sign Expo 2019 dealt a winning hand in Las Vegas, closing with an attendance of 20,600, surpassing the 2017 Las Vegas-hosted event. Exhibitors reported increased attendee traffic on the 235,000-square-foot tradeshow floor and many purchases of new equipment.

In addition, pre-conference workshops and educational sessions were well attended, particularly in company packages, which increased 150 percent over the 2017 event. Company packages allow all registered employees from one company location to attend an unlimited number of education sessions at the show—building on expertise throughout the operation.

Genius packages, which allow unlimited education sessions for one attendee, were up 50 percent over 2017.

In addition to the products and education, the event included a number of opportunities to maximize connections: • Women Leading the Industry (WLI) launched with a networking breakfast that drew a capacity crowd. The initiative, in partnership with Sign Builder Illustrated, will be ongoing.

• Over fifty planners attended a Planning

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for Sign Code Success™ event, hosted by the Sign Research Foundation (SRF).

• The SRF more than tripled attendance at its education sessions over the past three years.

• More than thirty-five designers, buyers, and architects attended XDP, learning how to foster more creative sign projects. The XDP (or Cross Disciplinary Program) is now in its seventh year at ISA Sign Expo and has included more than 300 participants.

• A number of co-locations brought additional segments of the industry.

Xplor19, Signarama, and APTech all hosted events at ISA Sign Expo.

• ISA marked its seventy-fifth anniversary with a forward focus on products and innovations expected to transform the industry in the coming years. Attendees could explore opportunities in textiles, holographic signs, AI, and virtual reality on the tradeshow floor.

ISA also announced plans to co-locate with Impressions Expo (formerly Imprinted Sportswear Shows) at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida next year (April 2-4) to explore opportunities (and the natural overlaps) in textiles and signage.

a l l as, T e x as—Marriott International has unveiled a host of modern upgrades to its historic Sheraton Dallas downtown property, including two digital video columns at the entrance. The customengineered, four-sided LED columns were manufactured by SNA Displays and feature a modern digital art piece.

This installation was part of a multi-million-dollar renovation managed by The Chartres Lodging Group of San Francisco. SNA Displays was part of a multi-team collaboration for the project, including Prism Electric’s Technology Division, which managed the display installation, and Leftchannel, the content design studio that created the digital art piece and will be responsible for refreshing content for the new video screens.

The LED columns mirror each other on either side of the Sheraton’s circle-drive entrance at 400 N. Olive St., just across the street from The International Conference and Exposition Center.

The columns are wrapped in LED display technology. The screens are surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, so visitors can view the art content from the street, the entrance itself, or inside the lobby.

To read more, visit bit.ly/2w14VHh..

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Sign Show LETTERS/LOGOS Gemini Extends its GemLite Offerings

ACRYLICS/PLASTICS All That Glitters! The TroGlass Product Line Expands!

Trotec Laser, Inc., has further expanded its line of laserable acrylics to include TroGlass Glitter—a high-quality, castacrylic material with glitter that is distributed evenly throughout each sheet. Available in a variety of colors and thicknesses, TroGlass Glitter products are designed to be color stable and will not bleach or fade when laser processed. The new product provides exciting opportunities for creative minds and designers to explore many different and interesting visual effects and can be used for a variety of applications (including signage, decorative items, and point-of-purchase displays). Like all TroGlass products, TroGlass Glitter comes standard with a plastic laserable mask. This unique feature protects the acrylic from scratching, which reduces scrap and rework and improves processing results. TroGlass products produce a smooth, polished edge in one process step, with little or no post-processing. Depending on the laser settings, laser engraving the material surface results in a prominent or subtle engraved image. troteclaser.com

Gemini has introduced an expanded line of its legendary GemLite™ illuminated letters and logos. The new GemLite line lets customers maximize their creativity and offer cost-effective, UL®-certified LED illuminated solutions with lower profiles and a new range of sizes and options. The latest GemLite offering includes a wider range of lighting options; reduced, more discrete profiles; and new Mini GemLites as small as six inches high. Lighting options include an array of face-lit, sidelit, and halo-lit options and combinations, plus painted surfaces and border lighting. GemLite’s durable, energy-efficient LED system provides brilliant illumination, and the specially formulated CAB plastic material allows for even diffusion. Ideal for indoor or outdoor applications, GemLite letters and logos are formed from a custom UV-stable, translucent CAB (cellulose acetate butyrate) material that is renewable and non-petroleum-based. Eight standard translucent material colors are designed for LED diffusion, and five LED colors are offered. GemLite products are made in the USA. GeminiSignProducts. com/GemLite

ACRYLICS/PLASTICS Plaskolite Unveils OPTIX-L Black/White Color-changing Acrylic for Illuminated Signage Plaskolite LLC, North America’s largest manufacturer of thermoplastic sheet products, has launched OPTIX-L Black/White, a continuous cast acrylic sheet that appears black in daylight and white when backlit at night. OPTIX-L Black/White eliminates the need for perforated vinyl to achieve the same coloring effect, offering a clean, simple, single-source solution for dramatic day and night signage. OPTIX-L Black/White uses a unique formulation to produce a double-sided gloss acrylic sheet that delivers the black/white effect in indoor or outdoor applications. It is available in stock at 0.177 thickness with custom size runs also available.

“This product eliminates the need for a second layer to achieve the desired effect under daylight or nighttime conditions, reducing material costs and streamlining sign construction,” said Jim Richards, vice president of Plaskolite’s Industrial Division. OPTIX Black/White represents continued investment and innovation in the former Lucite International North America continuous cast acrylic sheet business, which Plaskolite acquired in February 2018. plaskolite.com

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Sign Show CUTTERS/PLOTTERS Check Out the Newest Colex Sharpcut Flatbed Cutter Models The new 67-inch-by-67-inch Sharpcut Flatbed Cutter System SX1717 (pictured) from Colex can be used as a general purpose cutting and finishing system that combines routing, knife cutting, creasing, perforating, and textile cutting, in the process expanding your capabilities and dramatically increasing productivity. The Sharpcut SX 1717 provides users with the best affordable digital cutting offering versatility, speed, and price and is ideal for shops with limited space.

Colex has also released its Sharpcut Conveyor Flatbed Cutter System. The new Sharpcut Conveyor is designed to speed up the process of cutting soft to rigid boards, vinyl, fabric, and textiles by utilizing the automatic board feeder or the roll feeder, resulting in faster production runs and minimal operator intervention. The Sharpcut Conveyor is special in that it allows finishing technicians to perform intricate cuts while operating fully automated. The Sharpcut Conveyor offers a Triple Interchangeable Tool Head station that selects the proper tool for the job and an energy-efficient 6-Zone Vacuum System with a Vision Registration System. The Sharpcut Conveyor package includes a fixed knife, an oscillating knife, and a router, as well as a variety of new tools offered to customize the Sharpcut Conveyor to suit specific needs and workflow. colex.com

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Sign Show DIGITAL PRINTING EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES Epson Announces New SureColor Print and Cut Signage Solutions Epson has introduced three new signage solutions—the SureColor® S40600 Print Cut Edition, SureColor S60600 Print Cut Edition, and SureColor S80600 Print Cut Edition. The SureColor S-Series Print and Cut models (pictured) include a FC8600-130 cutter from Graphtec America to provide an end-to-end solution for printing and cutting that delivers incredible accuracy with high image quality. In addition, the SureColor S40600 and SureColor S60600 ONYX® GamaPrint bundles will now include ONYX® CUT-Server, allowing for a seamless workflow. For customers looking for the ultimate in image quality and workflow, ONYX® Thrive will be included in the SureColor S80600 Print Cut Edition. The new SureColor S-Series Print and Cut bundles deliver an advanced solution across a wide range of applications for indoor and outdoor signage (vehicle wraps, decals, stickers, window graphics, and more). Delivering high-production printing and cutting in an integrated workflow, the S-Series Print and Cut bundles are the only premium print-and-cut solutions on the market today that combine the highest color output printers, top-end cutter system, and the most powerful signage workflow software. proimaging.epson.com

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Sign Show DIGITAL PRINTING EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES Meet Every Market Challenge While Experiencing High-quality Results Thanks to Gerber Technology As the need for speed and on-demand manufacturing rises, those in the sign and graphics industry are going to need high-quality tools that can increase their productivity without sacrificing the quality of the final product. In order to reach the next level, the industry needs dependable, highquality products that offer the speed and versatility they need to compete. With that in mind, the Gerber MCT Cutter has drawn accolades in the North American market by being able to offer users the versatility and speed to meet every challenge with its industry-leading 100kw laser, eleven interchangeable toolheads, and the industry’s most integrated production and vision-guided software, TigerVision™. Meanwhile ImagePerfect from Gerber is a set of specially formulated materials that are designed specifically for digital inkjet printing.

With first-class printability, remarkable text definition, and a large color gamut, ImagePerfect from Gerber is the highestquality option on the market for a broad range of applications. The all-new Material Management System eliminates the need to rewind material by hand as it moves through the printing operation, while keeping your material clean and unwrinkled. gerbertechnology.com/sign-graphics

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June 2019

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How To HDU

By Ashley ashley Bray bray

Blast Off!

B

ob Hanks, a commercial artist who works frequently in architectural signage and owner of Sign Graphics 214 in Lafayette, Louisiana, has been in the business long enough to observe a change in the fabrication of signs.

When Hanks opened his shop about twenty years ago, he fabricated many signs from redwood. Now, while Hanks still restores, repairs, and repaints existing redwood signs, the majority of his work is fabricated from high-density urethane (HDU).

In fact, he recently completed a postand-panel project using HDU for the Gueydan Memorial Guest Home located in Louisiana.

“I’m a vendor that does sandblasted sign work and architectural graphics for about three other sign companies in the area, and this job came through a company in this area called All Star Signs & Specialties,” explains Hanks.

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All Star Signs supplied a photo of an existing sign that they wanted to model this project after, and Hanks took that photo and used Adobe Illustrator to design the sign.

Hanks next got to work on fabricating the elements of the single-sided postand-panel sign, including the 18-by48-inch main sign face, the shingle that hangs below it, and the architectural elements with the cornice at the top.

All the pieces were cut out from oneand-a-half-inch-thick, fifteen-pound Sign·Foam HDU using a small Bosch power router. (Note: If you’re creating a double-sided sign, Hanks recommends moving up to two-inch-thick, fifteen-pound HDU.) Hanks says he used a combination of router bits on this project. “I use the roundover bit anywhere from 1/8inch to 3/4-inch. I also use a very common bit in architectural finishes called a Roman Ogee. It’s made to assimilate

molding, like picture frame molding.

It’s real handy on some signs, and it makes a nice finish.”

Once the pieces were cut out, the plan was to sandblast the sign. So after vectorizing the design, Hanks created a stencil in Mimaki FineCut software and then cut it out using a Mimaki CG130FX plotter.

Hanks ran into a bit of a challenge with the pattern for the architectural elements at the top of the sign.

“When you cut the sandblast stencil, that makes an automatic pattern for you,” he says. “When the pattern was cut somehow, it was a little bit off.

“So the challenge there was to use one side that was correct on the pattern cut and just flip it on over and use that to make them symmetrical; this way I wouldn’t be off.”

For the sandblasting portion of this project, Hanks teamed up with Blast Works, LLC out of Carencro, Louisiana. signshop.com

All Photos: Sign Graphics 214.

A sandblasted HDU sign makes an impression.

Join us at the

peak of innovation with the new

Higher Efficiency LEDs = Fewer Power Supplies

How To HDU

By ashley bray

The company completed the sandblasting with its Dustless Blasting machine with a special grit material, which allows for some of it to be recovered.

Blast Works, LLC used the incised blasting method to blast out the letters on the main sign panel as well as the phone number on the shingle sign.

This method involves covering the sign with a sandblast resist or a mask and leaving only the parts to be blasted out exposed.

Blast Works also completed sandblasting on the background of the sign elements to give them a stucco-like finish.

Hanks and Blast Works, LLC then went back to the main sign panel with a Grain·Fraim, which is a specially engineered sandblasting screen used with Sign·Foam that makes it easy to replicate a natural wood grain texture. The Grain·Fraim has multiple wires with adjustable tension. Users place the Grain·Fraim in front of a pre-masked sign and sandblast through its wires until the desired depth is achieved.

When the sign pieces were completely sandblasted, Hanks laid them out and positioned them in place with the posts, in order to get a better sense of

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Although Hanks still restores, repairs, and repaints redwood signs, the majority of his work is now made from HDU. the finished fabricated design. He then got to work on painting.

Hanks first applied a waterborne, latex primer from PPG. Next, he painted the pieces with 100 percent acrylic latex PPG paints using a combination of a Wagner airless sprayer, paint brushes, and four-inch and six-inch rollers with 1/4-inch nap. (Note: Hanks says to reserve rollers with longer 3/8-inch or 1/2-inch naps for applying primer.)

In total, the fabrication of the postand-panel sign took about fifteen working days.

To install the sign, Hanks started by

digging and prepping the two footings for each post.

The next day, Hanks came back with the sign support structure, which included two six-inch-by-six-inch solid wood posts. A pair of two-inch-by-sixinch wood planks secured the posts together and were connected with Gorilla Wood Glue and Tapcon 1/4-inchround construction screws.

For additional support, two twoinch-by-two-inch wood blocks were screwed behind the wood planks and into each column.

“The smaller blocking was glued and secured with screw fasteners to make it solid; that way, nothing moves on you as you put it in the ground,” explains Hanks. “Even though you have a sign installed in concrete, you can’t put enough fasteners.”

Once the sign was in the ground, but before pouring the concrete, Hanks temporarily secured a two-inch-byfour-inch wooden board across the back of the sign to help ensure that the sign was level.

“Once you set it in the ground, you place your level on top of that two-byfour, and you level everything before any concrete is poured,” he says.

Hanks then poured 3000-psi concrete for the finished, formed footings. Hanks also installed 1/2-inch-round, reinforced steel bars inside the concrete.

“The reason I like to do a finished footing is because people who come in and do lawn service with the weedeaters will tear your wooden posts up if you don’t do this,” explains Hanks.

Once the support structure was set and the concrete dry, Hanks came back and secured the HDU sign elements and the architectural elements to the structure with Tapcon 1/4-inch screws.

The drop-shingle HDU sign was mounted beneath the main panel using two four-inch-by-four-inch metal L brackets.

Installation took a total of three days since some bad weather forced Hanks to come back a third day to finish the job.

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WORLD’S

MIGHTIEST

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

How To GRAPHICS

By TAMMI JOHNSON

Graphics That Guide

C

onsumers are constantly being targeted with ads, signage, and other stimuli, so capturing and maintaining their attention can be a challenge.

One major competitor for consumer eyes is the mobile phone. It has become the norm to send emails and texts, read the news, and catch up on social media—all while walking to a destination.

This makes it even more difficult to command someone’s attention.

However disruptive tactics, such as wayfinding graphics, can help guide consumers in the right direction, even when they’re gazing toward the ground.

Wayfinding graphics can serve a number of purposes. The right signage can minimize confusion, lead guests to desired locations easily, increase safety measures, and help maintain an efficient facility.

When designing this signage, it’s important to take the perspective of those 20

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you are trying to target. For instance, floor graphics can be an effective way to grab the attention of someone looking down at their phone and get your message across.

Let’s look at the various uses in different industries.

Retail. In the world of retail, such as grocery and clothing stores, not only do wayfinding graphics help move traffic along and prevent confusion, they can also support different promotions.

For example, if there is a sale on a product, wayfinding graphics can pique the interest of customers and then guide them to the right section of the store.

Production Facilities. Wayfinding graphics can support both staff and equipment operators in production facilities in several ways. Ensuring that pathways remain clear supports efficiency and helps keep operators and guests safe.

Wayfinding graphics can clearly mark lanes, reminders, and queues for employees and machinery to stay within a specified area or to avoid another area. This allows employees and operators to feel secure, trust that they are out of the way, and maintain an efficient operation.

Sports Venues. Sporting and other sponsored events that have many attendees can quickly become confusing and intimidating if the proper signage is not in place. Large facilities, such as sport arenas, often use wayfinding graphics to help guide visitors to food, drinks, restrooms, seating, exits, parking, and much more.

Additionally wayfinding graphics can be useful even outside of the facility, guiding customers into the correct entrances from parking locations. These tactics can also be useful for larger facilities, such as theme parks.

Professional Spaces. Installations in professional environments tend to signshop.com

All Photos: 3M.

Maximize the customer experience with wayfinding graphics.

How To GRAPHICS

By TAMMI JOHNSON

Wayfinding graphics can clearly indicate to employees and machinery to stay within a specified area or to avoid another.

be more straightforward. They exist simply to guide visitors and staff from point A to point B with ease, without encouraging a purchase. However the

diverse capabilities of printed graphics give facilities the freedom to be creative in their designs.

For example, the children’s wing in a hospital may feature brighter, more dynamic and intriguing designs that help patients feel more comfortable.

One of the biggest challenges in developing wayfinding graphics is ensuring that the design can be easily consumed by the viewer.

Facilities often can get caught up in what they want a graphic to achieve and, as a result, overlook the placement and design.

It is important to visualize how the guests will be viewing the graphic.

Take a step back and think about how the graphic will fit into the environment and determine where in the facility will be the most effective place for an installation.

Having a clear objective for each installation can help save on costs and ensure that the graphic achieves its goals, whether that’s increasing sales and brand loyalty or improving safety.

Before installing graphics, determine what the purpose is and ensure that the design and location of the installation supports that purpose.

A positive experience keeps customers coming back. If a facility is difficult or confusing to navigate, it can leave a bad impression on a guest and damage brand reputation.

Wayfinding graphics help ensure that the time customers spend at a facility is stress-free and successful and gives them a reason to return soon.

Tammi Johnson is business development manager at 3M Commercial Solutions Division (3m.com).

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June 2019

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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

Feature Name FILMS

By JEFF Author WOOTEN

Best in Glass A

Glass finish graphics are an attractive option to consider.

ccording to experts, three factors are driving the popularity of glass finish vinyl graphics amongst end-users today—decorative customization, corporate branding, and privacy.

“Clients are using glass as a surface to communicate with their customers, to create an aesthetic ambiance around their facility, as well as to promote their own brand or services,” explains Tammi Johnson, business development manager at 3M Commercial Solutions Division, manufacturers of 3M™ Fasara™ glass fin24

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June 2019

ishes. “Glass finish materials can also be used to help control light in the building and aid overall viewing within an area.”

The good news is that advancements in vinyl materials mean that you don’t have to take classes in etching or sandblasting to achieve these effects. And there are lots of opportunities available for you to pursue the art of applying vinyl films to glass surfaces (doors, windows, partitions, mirrors, etc.).

“You might be surprised to learn that many of your clients aren’t necessarily utilizing existing glass surfaces to their

fullest advantage,” says Johnson.

“Glass finishes are another channel for revenue and a chance [for providers] to offer a multipurpose, printable window film solution that is currently being underutilized,” remarks Josh Barnard, product manager at Avery Dennison, manufacturers of the Avery 100 Window Graphics Series.

Even more important in today’s “don’t say ‘no’ to a customer” business atmosphere, “Adding window and glass finish graphics to their portfolios also allows print providers to become a one-stop signshop.com

Photo: (Opposite Page) 3M; (This page) Mactac.

shop for their clients,” adds Brittany Eppley, marketing communications manager at Mactac, manufacturers of MACmark Glass Décor 700 Series films.

Depending on the application (branding or privacy), glass finish media typically consists of clear or perforated seethru vinyl and specialty vinyls (frosted, crystal, etc.). The material you use will depend on what your customer is trying to accomplish on glass. “You have to figure out how much transparency or opacity is needed in the area to gain the biggest impact for your application,” suggests Johnson.

A Window Into Your Markets There are a lot of potential markets for vinyl glass finish projects—commercial, office, retail, small businesses integrating it into their branding, etc. “If they have windows or glass at their home or facility, then graphics can be applied to them,” states Eppley.

“Our recommendation for the most successful use of this product would be to work with an artist to bring your ideas and branding to life,” says Barnard, noting that he sees these films transforming the retail industry, offering a unique solution for homeowners, and providing an economical option for corporate spaces looking for a change. (Note: “Economical” is a big selling point, as one of the most valuable uses of vinyl glass finishes is that clients are able to repurpose their space in a cost-effective way.)

Avery-Dennison points out that hotels are a great example of an industry that’s making these films work in outside-thebox ways, particularly when it comes to privacy. In rooms built as a studio concept, the film can be used on glass bathroom walls as a way to create privacy yet still maintain an open space. “And in banquet halls, where clients still want natural light but also some concealment, an architectural window film is a great solution to achieve this,” says Barnard.

Educational facilities are also choosing glass finish decorations for use in learning areas. “This film allows for an open learning environment while still offering privacy to students,” says Barnard.

3M Commercial Graphics adds that healthcare facilities are also receptive signshop.com

to glass finish graphics. “Patients and providers want a level of privacy, yet facilities don’t want something that completely blocks their view, for security purposes,” says Johnson.

Interior window applications are becoming more popular thanks to the increasing popularity of open concept layouts in office environments these days.

“Many corporate offices have moved towards environments that include glass meeting rooms; however they later realize these spaces lack the privacy needed to conduct business,” says Barnard. “Architectural window films can solve this problem without changing existing construction. These products could be valuable to anyone with glass in their building, such as retail, corporate offices, and even private, residential homes.”

Think of glass finish graphics as something that’s more long-term or even permanent. Because of this, you’re not going to see these types of films utilized as frequently in Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) venues because their campaigns are geared more toward short-term promotional cling materials. “It’s when you get into some of your high-end restaurants with glass partitions or privacy areas between booths or areas of their facilities like a meeting room or a separate eating room where glass finish films tend to be utilized,” says Johnson.

Designs on Display When it comes to using glass finish films

for branding, Eppley suggests that a plotter-cut design with a frosted media results in a clean, professional, and practical appearance. “Printing an image or design with color onto a clear media can add extra ‘pop’ to the environment,” she says.

White inks are also allowing print providers the ability to create multi-layered effects with graphics on glass. “This allows you to have one image on the exterior to draw somebody in and a different image or message on the interior side as they’re leaving or moving through that facility,” explains Johnson.

There is also the capability of mixing and matching printed graphics with a static design on glass. “There are two layers of the glass that are transparent, you have two separate surfaces to install graphics or glass finishes on. You could apply a color-shifting material on one side and another patterned or intricate design on the other layer,” says Johnson.

“This can create dual-layer effects or even a 3D effect.”

Johnson points out that crystal films can be cut to very intricate designs and finds that sign shops are being very creative with this technique, citing beautiful window graphics installed throughout U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. The team’s Viking logo is reproduced onto vinyl and applied to interior windows and glass surfaces throughout the complex. “So if you apply portions of your cut design to both surfaces of the glass and slightly offset

Printing an image or design featuring color onto a clear glass finish film can add an extra “pop” to the environment, as evidenced in this airport application.

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A Clean, Clear Beginning The absolute first rule of applying graphics to glass is that its surface must be clean of any dirt, debris, or wax; if not, the film’s adhesive won’t adhere as well to it.

“This can be accomplished first by using a razor scraper, then by washing with a solution of 4cc baby shampoo and a liter of fresh water,” explains Barnard. “Next squeegee the window, then repeat cleaning and squeegeeing until it’s completely clean. Lastly thoroughly dry the edges of window area using lint-free paper towels.”

Josh Culverhouse, graphic innovations market manager at ORAFOL Americas,

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manufacturers of various window graphics films, adds, “Never prepare the glass with cleaning solutions that leave behind a residue. If possible, clean both sides of the glass to ensure there’s no contaminants remaining that will appear through the window graphic. Once the window surface is cleaned, wipe down the surface with an isopropyl alcohol and distilled water mixture for good measure.”

It’s important to know your environment and plan accordingly. “Most exterior applications to glass require a wet application, and should be completed when the exterior temperature stays above 50°F for 24 hours,” says Culverhouse. “You want to ensure that the application fluid has adequate time to dry out, allowing the adhesive to effectively setup and anchor to the glass surface.”

While you don’t have to use gloves to apply vinyl graphics to glass and windows, be careful not to leave any fingerprints on the surface. “As messy as it is, the best method for a glass finish

Glass finish films are being aesthetically used to promote privacy in open spaces.

install is a wet installation because then you don’t have any trapped air between the graphic and the glass surface, which can create streaks or hazing,” confirms Johnson. “So if you’re being cautious with your fingers where you’re touching things and you’ve got [the material] wet and sprayed down as you’re working on it, you should be okay.”

Maintenance is crucial for protecting exterior window films. “Outdoor glass and window films should be cleaned at least four times a year to maintain its appearance and clarity,” says Barnard. “This is particularly important on sloped or horizontal installations, since the accumulation of dirt and water is more likely.”

Culverhouse suggests routinely cleaning the graphics with a mild detergent and water mixture. “Doing so removes environmental contaminants that can degrade the film over time and cause permanent discoloration, staining, or deterioration,” he says.

If you’re using a perforated window film, Johnson says, “An overlaminate can help keep any dirt and debris from building up especially if it’s on the exterior in the holes.”

Johnson stresses that using an overlaminate will also help your inks (which are, a lot of times, the weakest link of the graphic design process). “Installation on the second surface away from traffic also helps protect it,” she says.

Consider UV exposure and direct sunlight, as heat and glass are not necessarily a good combination. “You wouldn’t necessarily want to have a graphic that is really dark color in color where it would absorb high levels of heat,” says Johnson, “as this may compromise your glass surface itself.” signshop.com

Photo: Mactac/Central Graphics of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

the images, you can create 3D effects,” she explains. “The beauty of a dusted or frosted film is that you can replicate a sandblasted or etched glass effect at a fraction of the cost.

“A lot of times, people think it’s custom glass when it’s actually a film that has been applied to the surface.”

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Feature Name DESIGN

By JEFF Author WOOTEN

interpretive action

T

he concept behind interpretive design is to combine media with storytelling techniques to help create effective, immersive visitor experiences. Components include signage, wayfinding, graphics, interactive exhibits, verbal discussions, and more.

The storytelling aspect of interpretive design is fully on display at the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C. Completed five years ago, this is the first national memorial ded28

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icated to the over three million veterans living with permanent disabilities and to honor all disabled veterans across the full continuum of American military history.

This stunning, triangular-oriented memorial is located on a two-acre wedgeshaped site adjacent to the National Mall and in full view of the U.S. Capitol (where many decisions concerning veterans’ lives are shaped and determined).

There is a star-shaped fountain at the center of the memorial with an eternal

flame hovering above the water. Each point of the sculptural form represents the five branches of the U.S. military.

Running along one edge of the site is a 200-foot-long “Wall of Gratitude” bearing the memorial’s name in large v-cut letters carved into its salt & pepper granite.

Perhaps the most visually dynamic element of this memorial consists of three walls made up of forty-eight laminated glass panels. Each of these 10-foot-highby-4-foot-wide panels consists of five signshop.com

Photos: Cloud Gehshan.

The story behind the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial design.

layers of laminated glass. Representing four themes (Pride of Serving, Trauma of Injury, Challenge of Healing, and Discovery of Purpose), the glass panels carry etched quotations from veterans’ personal stories, sandblasted and painted photographic images, and four freestanding panels that carry bronze-sculpted silhouettes. The translucent glass walls and the bronze panels were positioned so that natural daylight passing through the adjacent tree plantings can create a dappled signshop.com

and animated effect.

Lead designers Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, Ltd., of Alexandria,Virginia, won the American Disabled Veterans for Life Memorial Foundation’s competition for the memorial design. The company assembled a multi-disciplinary team that included public artist and sculptor Larry Kirkland of Washington, D.C., and experiential graphic designer Jerome Cloud of Cloud Gehshan and his team from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The challenge for this group was finding a way to bring these veterans’ stories to life through content design and development, which included extensive materials research. It was Cloud Gehshan’s experience with interpretive storytelling and creatively framing those stories that brought them onboard this project during its embryonic stage. “At the time, [Vergason] had yet to focus on what the specific content would be, how it would be developed, and what type of narrative would emerge out of that,” says Cloud.

Cloud Gehshan spoke with him about his vision and the glass materials he was thinking about employing. The team also discussed scale, location, and site orientation of the glass panels.

The important thing to keep in mind is that this is a memorial for the living—veterans living with a wide range of disabilities. “We had to find a way to celebrate their sacrifice, contributions, and courage in a different way than memorials that celebrate loss of life, such as applying names of those who lost their lives to the walls,” says Cloud. “The team started thinking about the journey these veterans had been on from the point of enlistment to the moment of injury in the field and how to incorporate quotations from those service men and woman in a meaningful way.

“The team also wanted the sculpture and the selected imagery to complement each other and add dimension and meaning to the stories we were trying to tell.”

The content research was conducted by History Associates of Rockville, Maryland, and it included a catalogue of 600 quotations and text fragments.

To find images that would resonate with the quotations, the Cloud Gehshan team worked with Larry Kirkland and his photo researcher.

Eventually the American Disabled Veterans for Life Foundation Board culled the selected quotes down to eighteen.

These were then inscribed onto various layers of the glass along with six photo images super-scaled and encased within the glass walls.

This is a permanent installation that will be managed and maintained by the National Park Service and require that all materials have a long and durable lifespan. This means materials that could June 2019

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29

Savoy Studios crated and shipped all the glass panels to Washington, D.C., where the construction team devised a special harness for carefully lifting the panels into place.

stand up to various kinds of weather, UV exposure, delamination, and other natural conditions.

Hartung Glass Industries in Carlisle, Pennsylvania custom-cut all fortyeight pieces of glass to a precise size of 3/4-inch-thick out of ultra-clear Starphire Glass. To guarantee they would hold up

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over time, the team searched for an exterior, ultra-clear laminating process. A liquid lamination process developed for making bulletproof glass for the military was selected as the best solution.

Working from specifications supplied by the Cloud Gehshan team, Hartung then shipped the glass to Dan Legree,

owner of Savoy Studios, an art glass studio in Portland, Oregon. Savoy, working with their team of crafts people, did an extraordinary job of coordinating the etching, painting, laminating, and waterjet-cutting of the forty-eight glass panels required for the memorial.

Savoy worked with Moon Shadow Glass, Inc., of Portland, who performed the text etching and sandblasting the photorealistic images onto the glass from the digital artwork provided by Cloud Gehshan. Savoy then masked and spraypainted the etched text and imagery with automotive paint and delivered the glass panels to Glass Strategies, also of Portland, for lamination and sand sealing.

Savoy Studios then finish cut the panels, radiused the edges, and crated and shipped all the glass panels to Washington, D.C., for installation.

From start to finish, the entire memorial process took a little over eleven years and involved gaining bipartisan approval from Congress, transferring the land from the District of Columbia to the National Park Service, and undergoing testing and approval processes from nine different public and private agencies. “It does take a long time to plan, design, and build things in D.C.,” says Cloud, noting his company got involved in 2004.

For example, in order to explain the interpretive storytelling concept behind this memorial to the Commission of Fine Arts, the design team, led by Michael Vergason, had to create mock-ups to demonstrate how the bronze and glass elements would work together and how light would interact with the panels.

In the end, Cloud learned a lot helping to put this project together. However he says that the biggest reward his company received was having the opportunity to hear the stories of the men and women who had served and sacrificed so much in our nation’s military. “It was an unexpected journey and, at times, emotional,” says Cloud. “One really gets a sense of why people dedicate themselves to our nation’s military.

“I have to say our disabled veterans are a remarkable community of people who deserve all the support we can give them for their selfless sacrifice and service to our country.” signshop.com

Feature FABRICS Name

By JIM CIRIGLIANO

By Author

That Touch of

Photo: Fisher Textiles.

luxury

P

rinted fabrics offer an unparalleled opportunity to combine vivid, durable, high-quality graphics with incredible versatility, in turn allowing them to be used throughout many indoor environments.

Increasingly high-end clients are turning to fabric graphics providers for a wide

signshop.com

variety of projects. These high-end applications can be extremely lucrative business for sign shops able to provide upscale fabric graphics that not only look great but also meet these customers’ needs.

“Fabric displays, structures, and backwalls are used prominently in tradeshow and exhibit spaces, as well as many

Using fabric graphics to transform high-end interior environments. other interior environments such as retail, hospitality, medical, entertainment venues, and more,” says Alex Frederick, marketing supervisor at Orbus Exhibit and Display Group. “These displays also provide an excellent opportunity for businesses to switch out branding or messaging as needed.”

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According to Nelson James, COO of Signs.com, fabric materials are also perfect for indoor pole banners—similar to the ones you see on a light post or telephone pole. “They can also be hung from rafters in sporting arenas or used as a backdrop for a photoshoot or a red carpet event,” he says. “Table runners—graphics that are placed on top of and hang over tables—are typically made of fabric.”

“Fabric is the media of choice for silicone edge graphics (SEG), tension shapes, stadium wraps, step and repeats, translucent banners, and feather flags,” says Sharon Roland, director of marketing at Fisher Textiles. “They introduce the sense of touch and have a much more luxurious appearance than vinyl and foam board.”

Eric Tischer, president of Verseidag US, agrees, “Fabrics offer a softer, more natural look than their rigid and vinyl counterparts, and a number of today’s widely used graphics applications are actually much better suited for fabric. “[And] being able to fold the fabrics without damaging the print also improves logistics and lowers shipping 32

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June 2019

costs compared to rigid substrates or products that need to remain rolled to avoid damage.”

Frederick explains fabric displays are also well suited to be adapted for specific needs. “For example, fabric kiosks and iPad stands are the perfect solution for self-check-in stations,” she says. “Fabric hanging structures are ideal for visual labeling and separation in grocery or retail environments and over product displays.

“Fabric backwalls and banner stands can be combined to make impressive displays that serve to promote, advertise, and add artistic shapes and functionality. A good venue for this would be at movie theaters.”

Printing Onto Fabrics Applying images to fabric, rather than vinyl substrates used for many other signage applications, requires a different process. Although multiple techniques can be used to print fabric graphics, some methods are far better suited to high-end applications than others.

“Vinyl products are typically printed with UV, solvent, eco-solvent, and latex inks,” explains Mike Compton, product

marketing manager for Top Value Fabrics. “Fabrics are mostly printed with water-based dye sublimation or direct disperse inks on polyester because they offer vibrant color, light-fastness, no odor or harmful chemicals, as well as excellent crock (rub and abrasion) fastness and wash-fastness. Polyester fabrics also mimic fabrics such as cotton, silks, sheers, and others that are tastefully printed.”

“The most durable and wash-fast method to print fabric is through dye sublimation, where the graphics are printed on paper then put through a heat transfer machine against the fabric at extreme temperatures,” says Roland.

“The ink from the paper turns into a gas and sublimes into the fiber of fabric where it turns back into a solid.”

Printing fabric graphics using dye sublimation inks allows a sign shop to print a wide range of vivid colors and high-resolution images for high-end clients that will hold up well and retain the soft feeling of the fabric substrate, introducing the sense of touch to the graphics experience.

“Scratchability and color vibrancy are best too because the print is ingrained into the fabric, although other technolosignshop.com

Photo: Fisher Textiles

Multiple techniques can be used to print fabric graphics. Some methods, such as direct disperse inks or water-based dye sublimation, are better suited to high-end graphics.

gies are making advancements to rival sublimation’s results,” says Roland.

Tischer says, “Dye sublimation inks are often used with fabric graphics, due to the vivid colors the output provides, along with the hand of the fabric remaining the same as its original soft hand. These advantages allow print providers the opportunity to customize displays with numerous shapes and stretch characteristics without damaging the graphic.

Shining a Light Onto Fabrics Meanwhile indoor environments—especially higher end ones—make extensive use of purposeful lighting to direct attention or create a desired ambiance.

Fabric graphics incorporated into such environments can be made even more impactful by incorporating lighting into the display, and there are many options that can be used to fit the application.

“Lighting has become an important factor in interior graphics; this is especially true of backlit graphics with

LED light sources that can be dimmed for environmental esthetics as well as various color hues that can accent color chosen by the client,” says Compton.

“The same is true of front-lit graphics, as many museums, art galleries, and interior design firms choose various LED light sources.

“LED lights provide archival quality for prints to keep them from fading and to enhance color in printed graphics.”

According to Frederick, illuminated and backlit fabric displays are extremely popular because they make these already impressive displays stand out even more.

“Dye-sublimated graphics [already] create realistic, color-rich visuals,” she says.

“Adding lighting to this sort of display makes the colors ‘pop’ and draws attention to the messaging.”

Conclusion “Time and again, we see customers who buy fabric for the first time who are blown away by the combination of versatility and

Fabric backwalls are offered in various sizes and configurations, with or without illumination, to meet interior display needs.

print quality that results in a fantastic display option for them,” says James.

Compton advises to consult with fabric suppliers when choosing the best fabrics for your interior design and printing solutions. “This is an extremely fast-growing market and opportunity for print providers,” he says.

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Feature Name identity

By JEFF Author WOOTEN

of the Draft The gameplan to make fans part of a football team’s foam letters.

Q

uarterbacked by real-life (and fantasy football) phenom Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs sported one of the most electrifying, entertaining offenses in the National Football League last year.

So it really should come as no surprise whatsoever that the Chiefs organization would be looking forward to this year’s NFL Draft, held each April, as a chance to restock their high-octane team with fresh, new talent.

The Chiefs organization has been hosting an annual celebration over the past few years at their home turf of Arrowhead Stadium during the NFL Draft weekend. Dubbed “Draft Fest,” the day-long Saturday event boasts a festival-style atmosphere featuring oversized inflatables, several bands, a buffet of tailgate-style food, and lots more fan-friendly attractions.

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To make this year’s Draft Fest party even more interactive for fans and

the challenge was figuring out how the foam-core letters could be moved while also standing up to the wind load. guests, the Chiefs marketing team came up with the idea of using a set of over-

sized, red letters spelling out the word “CHIEFS” for fans to stand in front of and snap photos and selfies. What was unique is that the “I” could be moved back, allowing fans dressed in Chiefscolored red to stand in its place and become a part of the team name.

This quick-turnaround project (needed on-site at Arrowhead Stadium in a matter of a few weeks from inital order) was realized through another successful collaboration between Midtown Signs of Kansas City, Missouri and wholesale foam-core sign supplier Signs By Benchmark of Watertown, South Dakota.

Midtown Signs is a full-service custom sign shop with in-house design, graphics, metal fabrication, painting, and installation capabilities. “We like to work in as many areas of sign manufacturing and installation as possible,” says Owner Dennis Baughman. “This keeps everyone at our company engaged and signshop.com

Photos (this spread): Midtown Signs.

fulfilled as sign makers.”

The company has found a bevy of success partnering with Signs By Benchmark in doing larger promotype letters made out of EPS foam for tradeshows, sports teams, tourism campaigns, and more. In fact, they had really garnered extra attention from the community after posting about these projects on their social media accounts using hashtags like #howwedokc and #togetherwichita.

It was these foam letter projects that caught the attention of Kansas City Chiefs brass, and they approached Midtown Signs about putting together something similar for Draft Fest.

The movable aspect of the letter “I” was always part of the original conversation. The challenge for Midtown Signs was not only figuring out how the foam-core letters could be easily moved in and out of place but also how they would be able to stay firmly in place in a wind load.

“For past campaigns, we would mount these large letters to very heavy steel as a ballast, but the Chiefs organization didn’t want us to do this for here,” says Baughman. “So we moved a five-foot-tall, foam-core sample ‘M’ that we have in our showroom outdoors to gauge how the wind would push it around. After judging that, we mounted the ‘M’ to a piece of plywood and put a five-gallon bucket of water on it to see how this would support it in the case of a little bit of wind. This held it down well.”

The water bucket idea was offered as a possible insurance policy to the Chiefs. “We also suggested filling the buckets with concrete and mounting flags in them to help judge wind speed,” says Baughman.

Midtown Signs eagerly attracted Signs

By Benchmark onboard this project and had them produce all the Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam-core letters inhouse at their manufacturing facility. “[Signs By Benchmark] has always been great at working with our ideas and making suggestions how to handle it,” says Baughman. “Our partnership is very important because they really know how to make large foam shapes.”

Midtown Signs created the model for signshop.com

the “CHIEFS” letters using Autodesk® Fusion 360™ CAD software and sent these generated DXF files to Benchmark for further design-and-build collaboration. Benchmark, in turn, used their software to further manipulate the construction drawings and send these renderings back-and-forth to Midtown Signs for approvals.

“We designed this in conjunction with Midtown Signs so that the final staging process would be easy,” says Jamie Kakacek, senior designer at Signs By Benchmark. “All that would be needed on-site was to align the wheeled base sections to create the perfect letter spacing.”

Each of the “CHIEFS” letters measures sixty inches tall and twenty-four inches deep.

Signs By Benchmark used a CNC hot wire cutter to cut eighteen individual foam-core parts to create the whole assembly totaling three final sections (“CH,” “I,” and “EFS”). Since the “CHIEFS” letters were always intended to be portable, Signs By Benchmark thought breaking them up into three separate sections would make it more manageable to transport them from place to place.

“Separating the “I” did add another seam into the final product, but it didn’t affect our manufacturing process at all,” says Kakacek.

The entire assembly weighed 400 pounds. “This might seem like a lot of weight for the letters,” says Kakacek, “but the overall width of each letter was

June 2019

Sign Builder Illustrated

35

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23-1/2 inches, which made the weight seems less dramatic.”

The letters were constructed so they would stand directly on the ground.

“The “I” was the smallest piece of the assembly, which meant that it could be easily lifted and pulled away from the rest of the letters,” says Kakacek.

Signs By Benchmark added a small ledge platform to the backs of each letter.

This platform extended another fourteen inches in order to not only aid with stability but also tie the letters together and act as temporary weights for the buckets.

Kakacek feels that the depth of these “Chiefs” letters was probably the most difficult element on this project. “Since the letters were spaced tightly together, we knew that getting coating into certain areas between the letters was going to be a challenge,” he says. “But it wasn’t something we haven’t dealt with before.

I think they turned out quite nice.”

The company then packaged the finished letters in plywood crates and shipped them back to Midtown Signs where they painted them a couple of times before achieving the exact red color of the Chiefs team. “Color-matching was tricky because Chiefs Red is very specific,” says Baughman, noting his company had to color-match this red locally to achieve this.

The Midtown Signs and Signs By Benchmark team ending up avoiding the pressure in the pocket from the fast-approaching due date rush and provided a memorable piece of fan experience at this year’s Chiefs Draft Fest. signshop.com

Photo: Signs By Benchmark.

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39

Shop Talk

By DAVID HICKEY, ISA VP GOV’T. AFFAIRS

(L-R) ISA President & CEO Lori Anderson, ISA Board Chairman Mike Quiqley, Mark Stein, and his wife Jana Stein.

A Concerned Sign Maker

Announcing this year’s Sign Code Champion.

T

o Mark Stein, his work with the local sign code committee didn’t seem like much other than a way to “protect the jobs of the people who work here.”

What didn’t seem like much was actually something of a big deal—largely because of how unusual it has been and the impact that it has made.

Mark, the second-generation owner and president of ESCO Manufacturing and Stein Sign Display, took on the often-thankless job of serving on his community’s ad hoc sign committee. He also volunteers on his community’s planning commission and board of adjustments.

That combined effort earned him the 2019 ISA Sign Code Champion award, presented during this year’s ISA International Sign Expo®. The Sign Code Champion honors someone who works on codes and regulation issues in ways that benefit the industry.

As the community of Watertown, South Dakota began to explore changes to its sign code, Mark stepped up to help, playing a valuable role in explaining the benefits of signs. The end result: a reasonable sign code that balanced community aesthetics with business interests.

He saw every potential limit as one that would impact his 110 employees.

The Watertown area also is home to several other sign, graphics, and visual communications companies, including Persona, Service Signs, and Drive-By Signs.

Serving on the ad hoc committee involved a lot of meetings and sharing research (from ISA and the Sign Research Foundation) that helped shed light on the importance of signs as well as provide a better understanding of the 2015 Supreme Court ruling, Reed v.Town of Gilbert.

“Some people were interpreting the Supreme Court ruling one way to achieve their objectives,” said Mark. “The ISA re-

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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search was helpful in clarifying it. I don’t know all the rules and regulations of a Supreme Court ruling. Working with ISA, I was better able to understand it and explain it more effectively to the committee.”

Working with the sign committee and continuing to volunteer with the planning commission and board of adjustments are important ways of giving back. He managed to navigate his business interests (and protect his employees’ jobs) while focusing on creating the kind of community he wanted to live in.

“I’m a concerned citizen who happens to wear a ‘sign guy’ hat,” he said. “I volunteer because I care about my community and want to have an impact on the longterm managed growth of our local town.”

It’s a model that he hopes others in the industry follow. “The importance of getting involved is to work toward reasonable outcomes,” he said. “I understand the balance between many city officials’ desires to have a ‘beautiful’ town or avoid sign clutter.

I live here, too, and I don’t want a junky, ugly town with signs everywhere.

“But you can swing the pendulum only so far. I wanted to strike a happy medium where we can have effective utilization of signs. Without our involvement, the pendulum could swing too far the other way.”

Mark reached out a number of times to ISA via phone and email with specific questions. We provided research as well.

The long and frequent meetings are hard to tackle, especially when balancing a company (or in Mark’s case, two). It can be hard to get a company to commit to showing up to a public hearing on sign code issues—much less volunteer to serve countless hours on a sign code committee.

Mark’s diligence proves that the work can pay off—especially when provided access to ISA and SRF research.

“I never felt all alone out there,” he said. “I just volunteered the time, and ISA brought in the expertise.”

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sign Builder Illustrated, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52406-1407.

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: ISA.

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