Sign Builder Illustrated June 2016 by Sign Builder Illustrated

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June 2016

34 22

Enhancing the North Coast Revitalizing the city of Cleveland through startling wraps.

28 34

Monumental Responsibilities BY LORI SHRIDHARE

A sign shop finds itself taking on dimensional signage projects.

How to Spot a Problem Signage Client BY JOHN BAYLIS

Some things to consider during your profiling of a potential new signage client.

Sign Builder Illustrated (Print ISSN 895-0555, Digital ISSN 2161-4709) (USPS#0015-805) (Canada Post Cust. #7204564) (Bluechip Int’l, Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Agreement # 41094515) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 55 Broad Street, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices. Pricing, Qualified individual working in the sign industry may request a free subscription. 12 issues per year. Non-qualified subscriptions Print version, Digital version, Both Print & Digital version: 1 year US/ Mexico/Canada $50.00; foreign $99.00. Single copies are $15.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid in full in U.S. funds only. Prices are subject to change. Copyright © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2016. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.

BY JEFF WOOTEN

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

Outdoor Types BY JEFF WOOTEN

When it comes to print vs. digital, one company has found middle ground.

Making a Difference in Fabrics BY GREGORY SHARPLESS

How a print provider ventured into the art of soft signage creation.

For reprint information contact: Arthur Sutley, Publisher (212) 620-7247 or asutley@sbpub.com. For Subscriptions & Address Changes, please call (800) 895-4389, (847) 763-9686, Fax (847) 763-9544, e-mail signbuilder@halldata.com, or write to: Sign Builder Illustrated, Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, PO Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sign Builder Illustrated, PO Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172. Instructional information provided in this magazine should only be performed by skilled crafts people with the proper equipment. The publisher and authors of information provided herein advise all readers to exercise care when engaging in any of the how-to activities published in the magazine. Further, the publisher and authors assume no liability for damages or injuries resulting from projects contained herein.

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Agenda

How-To Columns

JULY 2016 July 22-24: Geezer Gathering at the Superfrog’s, a miniLetterheads event hosted by Butch Anton, takes place at the Frog Farm in Big Cormorant Lake, Minnesota. (superfrog.butch@gmail.com)

18 Service Driving the Automotive Market BY MARK K. ROBERTS

Here’s a way to increase your income with very little effort and expense.

Service Driving the Automotive Market

Variances: The Sign Experience

BY DAVID HICKEY

Businesses are more about their experience these days than their offerings.

Variances: The Sign Experience

Departments 6

UpFront

Dispatches

Sign Show

Immersion and interactivity are a couple of big sign industry trends now, according to Jeff Wooten. Signs help convert a movie theater into a modern, welcoming church; economic challenges with print and graphics; and FASI addresses the APA.

The newest products and services from sign manufacturers.

SBI Marketplace

Advertisements and announcements from the sign trade. LARGE FORMAT

Are We Not Wall Murals?

FABRICS & TEXTILES Spinning a Web into Dye Sub

52 Shop Talk

www.signshop.com

NUMBER 252 | JUNE 2016

HOW-TO

Ashley Bray explains why one NSSA Elite Member believes the sign industry is going digital.

THE MESSAGE ABOUT VINYL

On the Cover Outdoor backlit vinyl printed via an HP Latex 500 Series Printer. Photo: PPP Nederland. 4

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

July 28-30: The Mid South Sign Association’s Annual Meeting & Tradeshow happens at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. (midsouthsignassociation.org)

AUGUST 2016 August 11-13: The sixth annual Tri-State Sign Expo is on track for the Downstream Resort and Casino in Joplin, Missouri. (tristatesign.org)

SEPTEMBER 2016 September 14-16: SGIA Expo 2016 happens at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (sgiaexpo.org) September 15-16: The Virginia Sign Association (VASA) Annual Fall Meeting will be conducted at Acorn Sign Graphics in Richmond, Virginia. (virginiasignassoc.org) September 22-23: NSSA’s New England Sign Expo 2016 will be held at the Twin River Casino Event Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island. (nssasign.org) signshop.com

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Up FRONT

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June 2016, Vol. 30, No. 252 Sign Builder Illustrated (ISSN 0895-0555) print, (ISSN 2161-0709) digital is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation executive offices

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

Jeff Wooten

The Experience of It All Interaction and immersion as the latest sign trend.

Photo: hp.

hese days it seems that, especially when it comes to entertainment and hospitality venues, lots of companies and corporations are more into selling the “experience” than their actual product. After all, why settle for plain season tickets for your favorite sporting team when you can upgrade to spending “quality” time in the locker room too? Why waste time sitting around your “rinkydink” $250-a-night luxury hotel room when, for a few (or more likely many, many) dollars extra, you can tailor your on-property experience toward the catered pampering of your liking? Why stand in the cattle line with the masses at a theme park when you can purchase a “fantastic express” pass that will allow you to not only scoot straight to the front but maybe even afford you behind-the-scenes commentary straight from the ride’s engineer(s)? It appears experiences are on an upward trend in the sign industry. With a focus on interactivity and immersion, the question now isn’t so much “What is a sign?” as “What isn’t a sign?” For example, vinyl wraps are no longer confined to vehicle surfaces. Nowadays floor, wall, window, and ceiling graphics are transforming environments into desired themes. Engaging digital signage is being used as wayfinding to guide and inform visitors’ unique needs or in architectural applications to provide even more backstory about a product. And large format graphics are changing and enhancing communities and cityscapes. On page 22 (“Enhancing the North Coast”), we profile how Jeff and Lori Kolenich opened up a sign shop in Westlake, Ohio to help enhance 6

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

the look of their home city of Cleveland—designing and installing environmental graphics for local attractions, hotels, restaurants, etc. “Our graphics are helping the city shine and show [out-of-towners and young people living and working downtown] all that Cleveland has to offer,” says Jeff. Meanwhile on page 20 (“Variances: The Sign Experience”), ISA’s David Hickey gets right to the heart of the matter and explains how restaurants and venues selling experiences benefit from being able to creatively tell their stories through signs. “It is important that...we work with communities to improve their sign codes and that we pursue variances when warranted,” he writes about helping city councils see how regulated signs like EMCs are used in these experiences. Even this year’s SEGD Conference, being held June 9-11, is being billed as “Experience Seattle.” They’re really pushing the “experiential graphic design” concept, which involves “the orchestration of typography, color, imagery, form, technology and, especially, content to create environments that communicate” in applications like wayfinding systems, architectural signage, large format graphics, digital signage, exhibit design, etc. Again it’s about signage being used to promote interactions between the user and the environment. Now the big-money question for you: With all the talk about experiences this month, are you the least bit tempted to ask your customers to upgrade for the luxury of sitting in your shop and watching their sign being created? Or do you find some experiences are just better left alone?

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

Ashley Bray

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

John Baylis, David Hickey, Mark K. Roberts, Gregory Sharpless, Lori Shridhare art

Creative Director Wendy Williams Designer Nicole Cassano production

Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers circulation

Circulation Director Maureen Cooney advertising sales national sales director

Jeff Sutley 212/620-7233; fax: 212/633-1863 jeffsutley@sbpub.com midwest

& west coast sales manager

Heather Bonato

212/620-7225; fax: 212/633-1863 hbonato@sbpub.com marketplace

& buyer’s guide

Amy Lennox

212/620-7221; fax: 212/633-1863 alennox@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 & layouts or hard copy reprints, please call Art Sutley at 212/620-7247 or e-mail asutley@sbpub.com. Circulation Dept. 800/895-4389

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... ... ... ...

and and and and

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as

Easy as municipal sign codes could not discriminate based on the message on the sign has had a nice effect of opening up new lines of dialog amongst sign makers and city planners to figure out if sign codes are legal and enforceable. Speaking of working with planners, now is a good time to also mention that the new Foundation for the Advancement of the Sign Industry (FASI) in Cincinnati, Ohio, has also enabled its Web site (fasi.org), to promote the value of on-premise signage and its place in society and have the sign industry share important information with customer and city planners. Proactively working with city planners is a new experience that should open up doors to being able to provide quality sign experiences for your customers.

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Dispatches

Now Showing:

Signs convert a Movie Theater

Snap frames allow for changeable graphics.

C a r r o l l t o n , Te x a s — W h e n R i v e r s Crossing Community Church decided to renovate a movie theater to serve as home for its growing congregation, FASTSIGNS® worked with the church from the beginning of construction through the complete build-out to help transform the theater into a modern, welcoming environment. The comprehensive visual solution provided by FASTSIGNS featured multiple types of signs—including a threesided entrance sign that displays key m e s s a g e s, e ve n t r e m i n d e r s, a n d announcements to connect with members and welcome visitors. Its snap

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

frames allow for changeable graphics and multiple messages. The project also called for exterior billboard graphics, dimensional letters for auditorium entrances, a stainless steel dimensional logo, custom wallpaper, and regulatory and ADA signage. FASTSIGNS also created wayfinding signage, such as dimensional signs for the River Kids check-in area that carried out a design theme using tan and brown graphics. FASTSIGNS’ Jon Blum said his favorite part of this project was the timeline wall, a physical environment for the church to share its history in a prominent foyer location. “The timeline told signshop.com

Dimensional signs were used for the River Kids check-in area.

A timeline tells the story of the growth of the church.

the story of the growth of the church,” said Blum. “We added graphics to the words, ‘Greater things are yet to come’ and spaced out the graphics to leave room for future events and themes.” The finishing touches included custom wallpaper designed to surround a dimensional logo created with stainless steel, shaped with a pattern, and mounted to a curved wall. “By incorporating shapes, colors, photographs, and other design elements through the signs and graphics that direct people throughout the building and inform them about events, FASTSIGNS helped Rivers Crossing signshop.com

Community Church to inform visitors about events and improve visual communication throughout the building,” said Drue Townsend, senior vice president of Marketing for FASTSIGNS International, Inc. The projects were completed in time for the grand opening of the new church auditorium and children’s classrooms. “The church was concerned that the space might look like an empty warehouse, because they moved from a small building to a giant, oversized movie theater,” said Blum. “The client was happy that the large scale of the signs and graphics fit the space very well.”

Shapes, colors, photographs, and other design elements helped improve visual communication within the building.

June 2016 // Sign Builder Illustrated

Dispatches +

Survey: Economic Challenges, but Positive Inflections life finally showed signs of a warming,” explains Semper CEO and Insight Report author David Regan. “Despite this good news, companies predicted sales outlooks in the next quarter will be slower than usual.This reflects more pessimism in the industry than the economic data indicates—understandable given the grueling nature of the past economic cycles and the recent GDP data. “There is still some reason for optimism. Our data finds that companies have been busier in the last two weeks and overall profitability had stabilized, albeit at a lower level than the highs of 2015.” Additional insights revealed in the Semper report include: Companies reporting their sales increased over the past two weeks rose slightly to 30 percent of all respondents, and just over half of companies indicated that sales held steady in the past two weeks. Hiring rose 20 percent in the past quarter. Thirty-six percent of respondents indicated they will invest in new talent soon. However staff productivity continues to be the primary concern among managers for the second straight quarter, indicating managers are concerned over economic outlooks. At the same time, diversification rates have dropped for the twelfth month in a row—to just over 44 percent reporting they will expand into new segments this quarter.

Positive economic trends are tempered by a slow start and continued signs of economic instability.

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

FASI Board Member Addresses APA Conference Cincinnati, Ohio—Law professor Alan Weinstein, a board member of the newly formed Foundation for t h e A d va n c e m e nt o f t h e S i g n Industry (FASI), was one of three people associated with sign industry groups who spoke at a session on sign regulation at the American Planning Association annual conference, April 4, in Phoenix, Arizona. Speakers at the session, entitled “Regulating Signs after Reed v. Town of Gilbert,” also included Wendy Moeller, AICP, a board member of the The Signage Foundation, and James Carpentier, the director of State & Local Government Affairs for the International Sign Association. Weinstein holds a joint faculty appointment at Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, and also serves as director of the colleges’ Law & Public Policy Program. A recognized expert on planning law, he has written more than eighty articles/books on this subject. Weinstein also serves on the Board of Directors of the Academic A d v i s o r y Co u n c i l fo r S i g n a g e Research & Education (AACSRE), a group of seventeen universities with a common interest in signrelated research.

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photos: (Left) Shutterstock/Sergey Nivens; (top) Shutterstock/Hadrian

B o s t o n , M a s s a c h u s e t t s — Semper International (semperllc.com) reported some positive economic trends coming into the second quarter of 2016, but a slow start and continued signs of economic instability temper that optimism. Trending positive, corporate profitability, recent sales, and hiring all rose this quarter. Despite these strong metrics, overall sales outlooks for the second quarter shifted below the .500 mark, and capital investment rates dropped to less than 1/3 of the industry, reflecting more pessimism throughout. Further corporate profits held steady at 71 percent of the industry for the third quarter in a row, a slight decline from highs over 80 percent a year ago. Since Februar y 2003, Semper International has provided a quarterly survey offering estimates of trends in the printing and graphics industries. Survey participants include a cross section of large, mid-size, and small commercial printers; advertising agencies; and media companies. Participants provide data on revenue and hiring as well as estimated outlooks on future trends. “At the turn of the year, we sat at the crux of an economic transition with slow sales and slightly depressed profits. This quarter’s data saw these same trends prove out until March, where economic

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SignSHOW CUTTERS/PLOTTERS Think BIG: Summa’s New Flatbed Cutter is 75 Percent Bigger Summa’s new flatbed cutting-and-finishing system, the model F2630, is the largest cutter Summa has ever created. Affordably priced and with a cutting area measuring 265-by-305-cm, the F2630 allows sign makers to process everlarger media more easily and more accurately. The wider working area also allows two media rolls to be placed sideby-side on the optional roll-support system for simultaneous processing. The work surface for the F2630 has been split into twelve automatically controlled vacuum zones to firmly hold materials in place—without having to activate the entire workspace. Whatever size material is in use, the vacuum pump automatically resizes the suction area to match. The same cutting tools that proved popular with Summa’s smaller flatbed cutter are also available on the F2630 model (kiss-cutting tool, multiple V-cut tools, single-edge cutout tool, etc.). Up to three tools can be simultaneously inserted into a single module, and as many as three modules can be inserted into the multifunctional head. Plus each tool features a barcode ID that ensures automatic recognition. 800/527-7778; summausa.com

D I G I TA L P R I N T I N G E Q U I PM E N T/ S U P P L I E S HP Propels Print Service Providers’ Profitability with New Latex Printers HP Inc., has introduced the HP Latex 500 Printer series and HP Latex 1500 Printer, helping medium-to-large sign and display print service providers (PSPs) who are looking for solutions that can handle higher-production volumes and enable access to profitable applications at an affordable cost of entry. Meanwhile the new sixty-four-inch HP Latex 560 and 570 Printers, designed for medium-to-large PSPs with increasing print volumes, enable customers to manage a variety of print jobs and peaks in production at a low upfront investment. HP Latex Mobile also enables customers to manage jobs remotely for more unattended production (such as overnight printing). The HP Latex 1500 Printer is expected to be available by July and the HP Latex 500 Printer series by August. hp.com

New Mimaki Super Wide Format UV-LED Printer is Ideal for Creating Oversized Graphics The new 128-inch roll-to-roll UJV55-320 super wide format UV-LED printer from Mimaki USA produces vibrant colors with a high degree of opacity and consistent color for optimal results in day/night applications. Instant-curing UV inks enable multi-layer printing that reproduces high-quality designs with two-layer or three-layer printing. This model is also equipped with an LED light for checking backlit signage during printing, which gives operators the ability to immediately verify density (thereby reducing waste and improving production efficiency). The combination of white and color inks adds value to transparent media applications. Compared to other inks (such as solvent), UV-curable inks are thicker and maintain vibrancy when used for backlit signage. White ink also enables three-layer printing with color + white + color. mimakiusa.com

Roland DGA Opens New East Coast Imagination Center Roland DGA Corporation has opened its new East Coast Imagination Center in Wilmington, Massachusetts near Boston. The 3,500-square-foot facility will serve as a product demonstration and application display venue, as well as a training and sample production site for Roland resellers, customers, and prospective customers. In addition to serving as a demo facility for Roland dealers, the Imagination Center is open to the public, enabling anyone interested to get a firsthand look at the company’s cutting-edge devices. Like many of Roland DG’s business divisions around the world, the facility boasts a Creative Center gallery that showcases a wide variety of products made by Roland DG customers and technologies. Visitors can see actual examples of creative output and get a feel for what these machines can do. Scott Burgess, formerly Roland DGA’s Northeast service account manager, has been appointed East Coast Imagination Center manager. He will be assisted by Mike Gaurino, the company’s new Northeast service account manager. rolanddga.com

Mutoh America Launches the ValueJet 1938TX 75-inch Direct-to-textile Printer The new VJ1938TX seventy-five-inch direct-to-textile printer from Mutoh America, Inc., is made for high-production direct-to-textile printing (everything from custom apparel to home furnishings, tradeshow graphics, soft signage, flags, upholstery, and more). The VJ1938TX provides outstanding performance at a competitive price with a staggered dual printhead design and blazing-fast print speeds up to 914 square feet per hour on a variety of fabrics—including closed, open non-stretch, face-in, and face-out roll media. Additional features of the ValueJet 1938TX textile printer include: high-quality 1440-dpi printing for amazing clarity and details, an open ink platform up to eight-color capability, a heavy-duty feed and take-up, a built-in ink trough, Smart Printing that virtually eliminates banding, DropMaster ink technology, and ValueJet Status Monitor app for mobile printer monitoring. mutoh.com/dealers

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

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SignSHOW LED MODULES/TUBES/STRIPS Allanson Releases a Number of New Lighting Products Allanson has introduced a number of new products, including the new SkyLock Custom RGB Rigid Border Tubing. Lock in any color to match your corporate brand image or existing neon border tube. This easy-mounting and non-bendable system provides a seamless connection for balanced and even illumination. Customized sizing and built-in color locking options are available. Allanson has also released the new LEDgenII 1W Modules, which are ideal for populating channel letters and cabinet sign boxes. Also great for architectural lighting, LEDgenII Lighting Solutions provide consistent color, balanced and uniform illumination, and distinguished crisp and bright finish. Achieve the brightest and cleanest illumination with fewer LEDgenII modules and minimize installation costs. Available in 1W White and 1W Red colors. allansonled.com

MAGNETICS Ultraflex Customers are Receptive to Signetics Magnetic Media Ultraflex Systems Inc., has launched Signetics™, the new standard in magnetic-receptive media featuring effortless on-site installation, no-edge chipping, and exceptional durability. Products are easy to clean with no lamination required. Signetics materials are engineered with an optimized face-film for superior ink adhesion and offer a neutral white point. Signetics™ Select is ideal for high-traffic environments, offered in three sizes, and designed with a smooth backside that eliminates scratches on prints when stacked or rolled. Signetics™ LTX offers universal print compatibility with enhanced engineering for use with latex inks. Signetics™ Duo is printable on two sides. The material is compatible with an existing magnet and requires no professional installation. All three media types are compatible with solvent, eco-solvent, and UV inks (with Signetics LTX and Duo also compatible with latex inks). ultraflexx.com

SALES & MARKETING New Epson Program Provides Sales and Product Training for Commercial Business Partners The new EpsonMasters.com partner training program for authorized Epson ImageWay and Envision allows commercial business partners to expand their knowledge and selling power by taking courses and utilizing advanced sales tools. This new training program brings comprehensive resources and support that its partners can rely on to stay competitive and grow their business. EpsonMasters.com currently offers more than thirty sales and technical training courses and a variety of additional resources, including how-to videos; recorded Webinars; Smartphone sales snapshots; report cards, rewards, and certificates; and solution slide sets. As Epson continues to deliver business solutions to a wide range of markets, EpsonMasters.com will provide new and relevant training programs and resources, ensuring business partners are up-to-date with the latest in Epson innovation. Epson.com/partners

S O F T WA R E - D E S I G N / P R I N T/ R O U T E R / E ST I M AT I N G New Feature Updates to ikeGPS Spike ikeGPS has introduced new hardware, measurement capabilities, and language support for its Spike laser measurement solution, giving users greater measuring flexibility. Replacing the original hardware, users can now choose between Spike’s new clamped-based model that attaches to a smartphone or the tablet case-mountable model. In addition, the Spike app for Android and iOS now offers the Point-to-Point Measurement tool, which allows users to measure the distance between two different points or objects to determine the clearance between a building and landscaping, the height of a light or flag pole, or the appropriate-size ladder to reach a roof line. Additionally Spike now offers a full suite of language support for the Spike app and Spike Cloud, with fourteen different languages added to match Spike’s growing global market share. ikegps.com/spike

SAi Announces Major New Enhancements to its FlexiPRINT HP Latex Editions SA International (SAi) has released a free Version 12 download for all existing licenses of the SAi FlexiPRINT HP Latex Edition software. The new version includes a suite of new features for FlexiPRINT Premium and FlexiSIGN-Pro Editions, as well as enhancement to the company’s FlexiPRINT Basic Edition software, available on HP bundles worldwide for customers of the HP Latex 310 and 330 printers. All three packages comprise Microsoft® Windows® 10 compatibility, intuitive Job Nesting Alignment Tools, and an updated HP Latex Driver SDK. In addition, those running FlexiPRINT Premium and FlexiSIGN Pro immediately gain access to a far greater set of tools engineered for an efficient and precise design, print, and cut workflow. Among the new features: An Artwork Approval Tool that sends designs to customers so they can review and comment on them through their Web browser; Banner and Canvas Finishing Tools; and Animated Cut Viewer Tools that allow users to analyze exactly how designs will cut prior to the process. ThinkSAi.com/Update

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

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At the 2016 SGIA Expo in Las Vegas, sign makers will gather to experience the newest equipment for rigid and soft substrates including flatbeds, roll-to-rolls, dye sublimation and much more from the industry’s leading exhibitors. You’ll also see the most innovative software, automation solutions and color management tools available.

Don’t miss the best show for signage: 2016 SGIA Expo, September 14–16 in Las Vegas!

SignSHOW VEHICLE GRAPHICS Arlon Starts the Engine of Its DPF 6100XLP Film Arlon has added DPF 6100XLP Cast Wrap Film to its automotive print media product line. DPF 6100XLP has a smooth finish and low-profile, air-egress liner, making it a great solution for your commercial vehicle wrap needs. The most notable feature of DPF 6100XLP is its superior bond in channels and compound curves, outperforming other alternative films on the market. DPF 6100XLP’s low initial tack makes it highly repositionable, accelerating installation time. Additional features of DPF 6100XLP include its compatibility to various print systems—including latex, solvent, ecosolvent, and UV printers. Recommended applications for DPF 6100XLP are full vehicle wraps, partial vehicle wraps, fleet wraps, and various other applications. 800/232-7161; arlon.com

VINYL/VINYL FILMS/SUPPLIES Vivid New Colors for 3M Opaque Graphic Films Offer an Explosion of Creativity for Graphic Installers Building off the success of 3M™ Opaque Graphic Films, 3M has announced the addition of twenty-two new colors to the product lines, alongside the introduction of the 3M™ Controltac™ Graphic Film with Comply™ Adhesive Series 180mC. The new colors run across all three lines of 3M Opaque Graphic Films: 3M™ Scotchcal™ ElectroCut™ Graphic Film Series 7125 and 7725 and 3M™ Controltac™ Graphic Film with Comply™ Adhesive Series 180mC, raising the complete color palette to a total of eighty-four colors. 3M Controltac Graphic Film with Comply Adhesive Series 180mC is the newest 3M Opaque Graphic Film. It features a micro comply air-release pattern for smooth graphic appearance, ease of installation, and excellent application tape adhesion to liners for cut letters and graphics. 3M Opaque Graphic Films are made in forty-eight- and sixty-inch-wide rolls. 3MGraphics.com

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

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Taking Wall Graphics to a New Dimension: Avery Dennison Expands Digital Wall Film Portfolio Avery Dennison® Graphics Solutions has added three new digital textured wall films— Crushed Stone (pictured), Natural Stucco, and Pure Canvas dimensional finishes—to its MPI 2600 wall film portfolio, allowing customers to create dynamic, custom wall graphics with a variety of textures for retail, hospitality, interior design, and tradeshow applications. The new films provide quick, customizable, and creative wall decoration and come in both permanent (MPI 2630) and removeable (MPI 2631) adhesives. MPI 2600 films are 6-mil calendered and digitally printable with solvent, eco/mild solvent, latex, and UV curable inks. MPI 2611, the non-textured, matte finish film, is durable up to three years when printed, and the textured MPI 2630 and MPI 2631 films are durable up to two years when printed. (Note: If unprinted, the wall graphic films are durable up to four years.) The MPI 2600 films are rated ASTM E84 Class 1 or A for flammability and are thick (making them extremely easy to apply), with excellent opacity ensuring that the underlying wall is completely concealed. graphics.averydennison.com/wallfilm

Give Your Signs a Longer Street Life with a New Film from TrafficWrapz TrafficWrapz™ and DuPont™ collaborated for years in the development of the recently launched, revolutionary TW 360™ series of protective overlaminate and overlay films. This media features an exclusive formulation of DuPont™ Tedlar® polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) film that offers a new level of protection of graphic signs. Users can protect signs for years from harsh graffiti-staining methods, adhesives, and stickers; UV exposure; and environmental contaminates. TW 360 Series films are compatible with all types of natural and chemical-based graffiti cleaners (including MEK), making this the most versatile protective film on the market. Common stains can be cleaned using mild detergents. Harsh stains from epoxy or oil-based markings can be removed with any natural or chemical-based graffiti cleaner without damaging the TW 360c-OV protective overlaminate surface. Additional features of TW 360c-OV are its resistance to salt, excellent performance on horizontal surfaces, and the ability to stay cleaner than traditional films. More information about the TW 360 series, as well as samples, are available from the master distributor, RDH Supply, Inc. 716/243-3989; TrafficWrapz.com

Entry Level Dye Sublimation High performance, 54-inch transfer sublimation ideal for small production, on-demand work.

mimakiusa.com/TS30

signshop.com Mimaki_TS30_H_SBI0616.indd

June 2016 // Sign Builder Illustrated 5/5/16

10:4217 AM

HOW-TO: vinyl By Mark K. Roberts

Service Driving the Automotive Market

Here’s a way to increase your income with very little effort and expense.

have enjoyed serving area automotive dealers over the last thirty-five years with high-quality window name bands that are customized with their service writers’ names and titles. Most, if not all, automotive dealers are looking for a competitive edge, so these hardworking service advisors appreciate the recognition of their marketing efforts (especially since they are paid on commission). Most service drives are open-ended (with a roof on top to keep the customers dry), while others offer the choice of a service writer outside under a covered canopy. Meanwhile some dealerships have the clients come into the service center after exiting their vehicles. Either way, we, as sign providers, have a golden opportunity to convert the bottom or top of their clear glass windows to a specified service writer’s name. I recently started such a project for a local

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

Ford dealership with a list of their eight service writers’ names and their titles. I inserted a beveled and three-dimensional Ford logo in a nice oval shape. Using the Ford colors in two shades of blue, I then added the service advisor’s name on the top line and their title on the bottom line. I completed the decal by inserting dual perimeter pin lines. Next I loaded a roll of Orafol vinyl into our shop’s Roland VP-540 and sent the print files to it for processing. In no time at all, we had all eight customized decals with a Ford chrome logo on each one. I applied Main Tape transfer paper to each of the Ford-decorated service bands and trimmed them to shape. Once I finished doing this, it was time to gather our gear and make the trip to our Ford dealer. We arrived early in the morning and began

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Mark applies the graphics with a felt squeegee by carefully working his way from the top left-hand corner to the top right-hand corner and then down to the bottom of the graphic.

to clean each and every window panel twice! Yes, we double clean all our windows—one time with Windex® and one more time with Windex. (We want everything to stick right here and right now.)

Doing a double cleaning has meant that we’ve never had a call-back for any failed vinyl application—and we never will! (Note: We always strive to deliver the best product to each and every client without call-backs. After all, customized window graphics aren’t cheap!) After thoroughly cleaning the window, we taped each graphic to the window and carefully leveled each one. Next we removed half of the vinyl backing and adhered the fresh vinyl surface to the clean window glass. Taking a felt squeegee in hand, I applied firm pressure from the top left-hand corner to the top right-hand corner and then carefully worked my way down to the bottom of the graphic. Next we carefully removed the transfer tape and proceeded to install the next service writer’s name band. After all the personalized name bands were adhered to each window (never encountering any bubbles or creases), we were ready to pack up and move on to the next decal installation project. Mark K. Roberts is a thirty-nine year sign and graphics provider for hundreds of local businesses in and around the Houston, Texas market. To contact him, email markrobertsigns@gmail.com.

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June 2016 // Sign Builder Illustrated

HOW-TO: regulations By David Hickey

Variances: The Sign Experience

Businesses are more about their experience these days than their offerings.

ecently a new restaurant concept tapped Advance Sign Group of Columbus, Ohio to create and build its signs for a new location. Since the restaurant wanted to create a hip and comfortable vibe—the kind of place to entice people to try sushi—it wanted its signs to help set the mood. But the restaurant, located in a bedroom community, needed a variance before the sign could be installed. The restaurant opened anyway. “We fought for the variance and got it,” said Jim Wasserstrom, president and CEO of Advance Sign Group. “Once they put the monument sign up and installed wall signs on the sides of the building and the front, they said their foot traffic increased significantly. “It was amazing. It became the strongest store they had. What that did is confirm again how important signage is to any type of business.” While there are any number of stories that demonstrate how signs can improve a business’ economic outlook, it’s especially important for a new restaurant or other unfamiliar concept. “They needed their sign to differentiate not just the food but their whole concept,” said Wasser-

strom. “They have this building painted black on the outside with big windows. Their sign is electrifying—and I don’t mean glowing. It’s an electrifying design, because it attracts you to come in.” Imagine what would have happened if that restaurant had not been able to use their signs to fully explain the experience they are offering? What if Advance Sign Group’s designers had been significantly limited in the branding they could use to set the sushi restaurant apart due to sign code restrictions? In the hospitality and tourism areas, signs are more important than ever. Wasserstrom also sees the need for large movie theater signs—another important area of business for Advance. “They’re trying to make the signs as large as they can make them, almost the size of the screens that they play the movies on,” he says. “They try to create some sort of excitement where they use the maximum amount of the sign that really explode.” Some communities seem to understand that entertainment venues and tourist attractions need to be given more creative leeway.

Signs are now being installed to match the experience instead of the product.

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

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In Traverse City, Michigan, the council recently allowed exemptions to its EMC code. The existing code prevented flashing lights and signs with frequently changing messages. The city planning department saw a need to exempt theater marquees, something the town’s film festival had long sought. It was ultimately a successful argument. No matter the type of sign used, restaurants and venues that sell “experiences” benefit from being able to creatively tell their stories through signs. What if a theme park—with multiple concerts scheduled over the next few weeks—had to change out the content manually. Imagine how hotels can better attract tourists by touting more than one of the luxuries they offer. More and more venues—whether restaurant or retail—will focus on “experiences” rather than products. According to a Harris poll in 2015, the share of consumer spending on live experiences and events compared to overall consumer spending is up 70 percent since 1987. As consumer spending increases, more and more businesses step up to serve this need. And to tell their stories, these businesses need creative signs. It’s important that, as the sign and graphics industry, we work with communities to improve their sign codes and that we pursue variances when warranted. It helps our customers

The addition of a wall sign for a new sushi restaurant might not have fit a local variance, but it did help increase its business.

and ultimately helps the community. People passing through looking for an interesting place to eat can know what they’re getting before they walk in the door. Strong signs can help deliver that message. It’s up to the sign and graphics industry to help communities see the benefits of allowing them to do so. David Hickey is vice president, Government Affairs, at ISA. He can be reached via email at David.Hickey@signs.org.

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June 2016 // Sign Builder Illustrated

F ei n V a tyul r/e B/yB JyeA fu f tWhooort /e/n/ ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Enhancing the North Coast Revitalizing the city of Cleveland through startling wraps.

The image for this 12-by-36-foot Kraken mural was enlarged from a hand sketch on illustration board.

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

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all photos: Speedpro imaging cleveland west.

eff and Lori Kolenich are the owners of SpeedPro Imaging Cleveland West in Ohio. The Koleniches opened the studio because they were interested in revitalizing the city of Cleveland (nicknamed the “North Coast”) and helping its businesses enhance the city’s signage visually in order to positively affect the community. The married couple has put in enormous time and effort to enhance their home city since leaving American Greetings in Cleveland back in 2011 to open their own sign shop. In 2012, the Koleniches did all of the graphics for the Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland and, soon afterwards, became the sole provider of graphics on the West side of Cleveland. They have done work for Quicken Loans Arena (home of the Cleveland Cavaliers) and the Greater Cleveland Aquarium. Remarkably the Koleniches had no prior experience or knowledge of sign making before transitioning into this industry, which has made their ability to produce such stunning graphics even more remarkable. “We were fortunate to find and hire an experienced graphic designer with some large format experience and great attention to detail,” says Jeff Kolenich, noting that he has an extensive sales and marketing background, while his wife Lori specializes in operations and project management. Jeff and Lori were at a slight disadvantage when they opened their business because the economy was at the height of the downturn, and the couple knew that their SpeedPro studio was going to need quite a bit of space. “Many landlords were propertyrich but cash-poor,” recalls Jeff. “They were very unwilling to negotiate on their lease, and the price some of these landlords wanted for their

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spaces was ridiculous. “It was eleven months from the time we signed the franchise agreement until we moved into our current space. SpeedPro Imaging Cleveland West currently has three HP Latex Printers with plans to add an EFI flatbed printer later this year. “We do a great deal of vehicle wraps, window graphics, wall graphics, and large banners,” says Jeff, “as well as tradeshow displays.” Horseshoe Casino was planning to open right around the same time the

The devil is in the details when printing and installing graphic wraps. Don’t underemphasize the importance of having accurate measurements and being extremely organized throughout the entire project. Koleniches opened their studio. “[The casino] was looking for a local supplier,” says Jeff, “and we were ‘persistent’ in applying to be their suppliers of large format graphics.” SpeedPro Imaging Cleveland West ended up providing the majority of the graphics for the casino’s grand opening, which also led to some very busy months

June 2016 // Sign Builder Illustrated

Feature / By Author ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Graphics created for the Horseshoe Casino include window, wall, desk, and vehicle wraps.

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

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///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// right afterwards. Horseshoe is a Caesars Casino, so the design work was primarily completed by Caesars then sent to the Koleniches. For The historic Akron Civic Theatre, built in LUV Overlaminate for the job. the grand opening, the shop printed and The client sent Central Graphics the 1929 on Main Street in Akron, Ohio, installed wall murals, parking garage original photo, which they scanned was recently exploring ways to improve window graphics, window graphics on into Photoshop® and added text to it. the aesthetics of run-down storefronts the majority of the outside windows of They used Onyx Production House to dating back to the early 1990s within the Casino, wall murals inside the caRIP the image and their Epson the heart of the city. After uncovering sino, and some directional signage. SureColor® S30670 to print the an iconic photo of Devo, an American They used mostly 3M™ Controltac™ graphics onto the MACtac media. They new wave rock band formed in the ™ ™ IJ180-10 vinyl and 3M Scotchcal then laminated the vinyl using their 1970s with members from the local Gloss Overlaminate 8518 throughout. Seal 6000 laminator. area, the theatre commissioned the “We used 50/50 Solvex window perf on “The substrates we needed to mount Akron Summit County Convention and some of the parking garage windows,” the panels of the mural were in poor Visitors Bureau to fund a wall mural says Jeff. condition and uneven,” said Jeff featuring the photograph. One installer was able to handle inLoofboro, managing director of Central “The photo of Devo, taken in front of stalling all of the graphics himself for the Graphics. “So we mounted them to a downtown Akron eatery, is fun, grand opening; however to put up the Dibond® ACM with felt squeegees.” quirky, and graphically appealing,” said window graphics for the parking garage, In the end, the total Devo mural Lisa Martinez, development, Akron City he did need to use a boom lift. generated buzz throughout local news Theatre. “Our goal was to connect the For a 37-by-75-foot wall mural on and on social media. city to the Civic. The photo is iconic of brick, the shop used 3M textured surnot only Devo but also the time period. face wall graphic vinyl for it. “We used Devo played at the Civic many times two boom lifts and five installers to and is one of the local bands that made complete that project,” says Jeff. it to the national stage.” SpeedPro Imaging Cleveland West Central Graphics of Cuyahoga Falls, still spends a lot of time working handOhio was the sign and graphics in-hand with the casino. In fact, they’re provider of choice hired by Nagel currently working on rebranding efAdvertising of Medina, Ohio to produce forts for it, as its now called JACK and install this 192-by-174-inch DevoCleveland Casino (part of JACK Enfied mural. They needed a solution that tertainment and Rock Gaming LLC). could withstand extreme weather “They like using a local vendor conditions and a media that could work who can help troubleshoot how best on a variety of installation surfaces to handle a project,” says Jeff. “They (from degraded plywood and glass to were also pleased with our customer metal and marble). The company service, the quality of our print and selected MACtac REBEL Multi-Print installation work, and our eagerness to Media and PERMACOLOR ColorGard follow up with them.” As mentioned earlier, their involvement in enhancing the “North Coast” city has led to them also doing work for the Greater Cleveland Aquarium. They began this relationship by dropping off an “aquarium-themed” sample kit to the managing director. They followed that up with several phone calls before finally snaring a meeting. “That meeting led to some small projects initially, and once they got to know us and saw our commitment to quality and customer service, we became partners on several large scale exhibits and projects—from design and layout to printing and installation,” says Jeff, noting that they’ve done a variety of wall murals, window graphics, and die-cut images and even wrapped the stall doors signshop.com

June 2016 // Sign Builder Illustrated

photos (this page): central graphics.

Are We Not Wall Murals?

Feature / By Author /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// on the visitor restrooms. Recently the shop produced and installed a large amount of environmental graphics for the aquarium’s interactive Sea Monster Exhibit. The Kraken sea monster featured on the exhibit’s large wall was actually designed by Danielle Ladovich, graphic designer and production manager at SpeedPro Imaging Cleveland West. “They asked that the Kraken be unique,” says Danielle, “and not just any sea monster.” Aquarium officials initially wanted to use the sea beast featured in Kraken Rum branding on their 12-by-36-foot wall, but they couldn’t secure the rights nor did it seem to mesh well with what is a kid-friendly exhibit. Using one-inch equals one-foot measurements, Danielle drew an original 12-by-36-inch pencil sketch of a Kraken onto illustration board, which the aquarium team loved. However since this sketch was not on paper, this made scanning quite a challenge. “I scanned it in as three separate pieces at 1200-dpi, imported it into Photoshop®, and pieced it back together there,” says Danielle. “We then printed it out via our latex printer onto fifty-fourinch-wide 3M Controltac IJ180-10 vinyl panels with overlaps and applied it to the wall via dry installation.” According to Jeff, the devil is in the details when it comes to printing and Automated channel letter bending systems installing graphic wraps. “Don’t underemphasize the importance of having No other machines produce traditional & Trimless® letters with: accurate measurements and being exfaster production / greater precision / smaller footprint / less waste tremely organized throughout the entire process,” he advises. “For example, we always label the back of our vinyl panels. So when it comes off the printer ChannelBenders will save you time and money! to the laminator, we know which panel • Bend returns faster is what and the installer knows which • Cut hand finishing time panel is supposed to go where.” • Make serifs as small as ¼” There has been a lot of positive change in Cleveland over the last sevFabricate face-lit and reverse letters, or Trimless® letters eral years, and Jeff credits being members of Destination Cleveland (the with our LetterBox® and LetterForm® return materials. “convention and visitors bureau” for the city) as helping them keep their For more information: fingers on the pulse of what is going on www.channelbender.com in Northeast Ohio. info@channelbender.com “Our graphics help the city shine 303.798.7110, ext. 203 and show all that Cleveland has to offer,” he says. “With the Republican NaU.S. Patent Nos. 5589090; 5787750; 5870919; 5966974; 5992485; 6128940; 6405574; 8327679; 7694543; 7441434; and tional Convention coming to town [next 7878039. Other U.S. and international patents pending. month], we’re hoping to assist with even more graphics for that event.”

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Responsibilities W hen Lilly Signs of Taylorville, Illinois was founded in 1996, owners Jason Lilly and his wife Val started noticing that many of their customers were coming in requesting signs just like the ones they were seeing around the area—in particular, those of the dimensional variety!

With this in mind, they knew that they had to jump into being able to manufacture these types of signs, in order to take advantage of this increased demand for dimensional. Today this four-person, full-service shop is still going strong and still producing dimensional signs to meet demand. (Note: Jason and Val have since added

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

A sign shop finds itself taking on dimensional signage projects. two designers to their staff—a wrap specialist and a laser specialist.) “We started out installing formed, injection-molded, cast/flat-cut plastic, or metal dimensional letters,” says Jason. “We have since moved on to expanded foam. We really like this material for monument signs, because of its versatility and durability.” signshop.com

all Photos: lilly signs.

Monumental

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When designing monument signs, Lilly Signs always takes location, color, materials, size, budget, and sign ordinances into consideration. They also frequently add dimensional features to the sign through the use of elements like standoffs.

Fabrication One of Jason’s favorite aspects of working with foam is that it is easy to cut, route, or shape the material to accommodate raised or recessed lettering and logos. In fact, Lilly Signs has plenty of equipment on hand in their shop to help them accomplish these tasks. Their main piece of hardware is a large bed CNC router, but they also have a Samson 5-by-10 plasma cutter table that they’ve attached to it. They also use a hot wire foam cutter that melts off pieces of the foam into desired shapes and recesses. In addition, they like adding extra signshop.com

enhancements to their clients’ monument signage whenever they can. “We have applied plastic or metal shapes, as well as other accents, to make each customer’s sign unique,” says Jason. “In fact, LED lighting components have made high-density urethane and other composite dimensional signs and monuments much easier to illuminate and to add accents—such as haloed and recessed lighting effects or even integration of LED message centers.” (Note: Jason says that adding LED technologies to a traditional monument sign can give said sign a modern upgrade, while saving on power.)

Design When it comes to designing monument signage, Jason finds that foam is a great medium to work with, compared to other substrates. “You can make it look any way you want,” says Jason. “You can match the brick or stone (faux masonry) of a building without having to hire a mason.” The first step in the company’s design process is to ensure readability of the sign. “We always like to take/have location photos to understand the intended [environment] for the sign—whether it will be in front of a building or near the road,” says Jason.

June 2016 // Sign Builder Illustrated

“Most towns or cities have sign ordinances though, which often limit or determine the ultimate size of the signage,” says Jason.

We always suggest to customers that [colors used] have at least a 50 percent contrast, so older people will be able to read it as well.

“We also take colors into consideration,” says Christine Condon, a designer/fabricator/installer at Lilly Signs. “Many times, this is up to the customer’s logo colors. So we try to use the colors they want us to use. “However we always suggest to them

that it have at least a 50 percent contrast, so older people will be able to read it as well.” After accumulating this information, Lilly Signs goes into planning how to build the dimensional sign, as well as the size that will be required for it to be most effective and have the greatest visibility.

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

Before beginning to design any dimensional signage, Lilly Signs always collaborates with the client first. “We find out what they are looking for, what kind of budget they need to stay within, and whether or not they want something illuminated or just spot-

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lighted,” says Jason. And don’t think that you are just limited to a 2D playing field when it comes to a customer requesting vinyl. “We like to use stand-offs,” says Christine. “We recently had a customer come in wanting a vinyl-decorated panel office sign, but we attached it to Plexiglas® and added stand-offs to it to make it come off the surface. It worked beautifully!” Lilly Signs also likes to use different types of aluminum, such as brushed silver aluminum. “You can put clear on it to give the print on it a little more dimension and add Plexiglas layers and standoffs to it,” says Christine. When it comes to adding coatings and finishes to their foam signs, the shop uses Matthews Paint two-part paint and catalyst. “It dries smoother,” says Jason. “If we’re rolling it on, it doesn’t leave roll marks. If we’re brushing it on, it doesn’t leave any brush marks. “It comes out really nice.”

Tools of the Trade Finally no dimensional sign project is

Adding LED message centers can give the sign a modern upgrade.

ever complete without the right equipment and tools. The first step, says Lilly, is to make sure you know the type of surface or material that the sign is being installed on. For example, the surface might be brick, wood, drywall, dryvit, cement

block, vinyl siding, or ribbed steel. “Knowing the surface and location beforehand will help you reduce the installation time later and aid in determining which materials you should use to fabricate your dimensional signage,” says Jason.

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June 2016 // Sign Builder Illustrated

Engineering Solutions It can sometimes be easy to get lost in just appreciating the wide variety of designs, add-ons, and substrates that are out there for your client’s monument signs. However if you have not factored in the engineering skill set that is needed to make sure that your finished monument sign can withstand the elements and the terrain, then you are missing out on a very vital component of the entire build process. In fact, according to Yousif Jacob, owner of Y.J. Inc. (yjinc.com), a nationwide sign engineering service located in Agua Dulce, California, the process of engineering monument signs is just as much an art form in and of itself as determining which paints to use, which shapes to employ, and whether to add illumination or electronic displays to your sign. “Maintaining the aesthetic look, approved by the end-user, can be

challenging at times,” he says, noting that his company’s job is to design structural supports below grade and above grade that are low cost and easy to install. “The aesthetic look of the sign above-grade is laid out by our clients, the sign designers. So we think outside the box to give end-users a structurally sound sign that meets their aesthetic requirements.” A little background for you: Jacob’s company provides wet-stamped engineering documents for permitting purposes, as well as structural observations, inspections, and surveys for not only monument signage but also pylon signs, blade signs, channel letters, and a whole host of other dimensional sign types. Since public safety should be maintained at all times with one’s signage, it’s important to strive to stay on top of current code requirements. “Ever-changing codes require

substantial continual professional development hours,” says Jacob. Jacob has a few words of advice when it comes to installing engineered monument signage. “I quite regularly inform my clients that the most cost-effective way to install monument signs is with a round steel pipe directly embedded into an augured footing,” he says. “Augured footings use less concrete than spread footings and require less soils to be taken off site.” Meanwhile Y.J. Inc., recommends using round instead of square poles. Doing so helps to prevent any misplacement of support columns. “If the rotation of the square steel tube is not correct and the pockets in the cabinet are tight, the sign will end up not facing the right direction,” says Jacob. “But when using a round column support, that potential error is eliminated.”

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How to Spot a

Problem Signage Client

ow would you define the term “problem signage client”? Let’s analyze that question in terms of an outdoor electric signage project involving channel letters. Here are some of the potential issues that problem clients may cause for you and your company: + They take an excessive amount of your time and attention—more than the project requires.

+ During the project, they will cause an unusual amount of stress for both you and your staff. + Their project provides little chance of any future work—this is probably the only location for which this sign will be produced. + They are inflexible regarding their artwork/logo appearance—it must look “exactly like it does on this page.” This is certainly not a client with

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

whom you would be eager to do business, but nevertheless, some signage companies go through the negative and time-consuming experience of working with them. A superior business practice is to use a procedure to spot the problem client in advance and skip the entire ordeal. By the way, nothing is inherently wrong with a potential client not knowing the realities of your line of work. A signshop.com

rite lite signs photo: Sean busher.

Some things to consider during your profiling of a potential new signage client.

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client’s lack of signage knowledge is, in itself, not a negative. However a client who insists on projecting their own lack of understanding onto you and your staff may quickly become an issue. These problematic customers are a different type of client than those who respect your competence and leave you alone to perform

the installation. So which items should you consider during your profiling of a potential new signage client? Here are a few ideas.

Prior Signage Experience First does your potential new client have any prior signage experience? This question is not asking if the cli-

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Photo: gs worx.

Channel letter signs have minimum stroke widths.

ent has previously worked in the signage industry. Rather it asks whether this customer has previously had a formal outdoor electric sign produced and installed. Obviously the client who has that previous experience is beneficial to you. Such a customer has a better idea of what is involved in an outdoor electric signage project. However the lack of that experience can be a red flag, as this type of customer sometimes has no idea how much time and work is involved with fabricating and installing a channel letter set. Some are not even aware that such an installation typically requires a permit. Worse some will lump other signage types together as an example of how much time they believe the project should take (i.e., “our window signs didn’t take that long”). This person clearly has a rose-colored vision of the work involved with a professional outdoor electric signage project. Be wary of the “this is our first outdoor sign” client. They may have unre-

alistic expectations regarding the cost, materials, and time frame involved with such a project.

Lack of Design Knowledge/ Experience Another potential problem area is the customer who has no knowledge of sign and/or logo design. Just as customers can be naïve regarding how much work is involved with producing and installing a sign, they may be equally out of touch regarding the generation and use of a vector artwork signage file. Furthermore the “first-timer” may assume that you will be supplying the art-

work as a standard part of your services, which can be fine—provided that expectation is out on the table in advance and the client has been made aware of the additional cost. This also assumes you have a staff member who is capable of generating an appropriate design. If you do have such a staff member, then of course, you take on the additional challenge of generating artwork that is acceptable to the client. This may involve multiple revisions, which adds on to the project timeline. Finally the problematic sign customer may assume that a handwritten sketch on a piece of paper is a design “file,” and that once they have given

you that paper, the design stage is complete. Ah, no.

Inappropriate Graphic File(s) Some graphic files look fine in print but do not translate well to signage. Your potential client may not understand that. For example, consider the client whose logo includes some other artistic element that makes it impractical to produce as a channel letter set because the resulting sign would be difficult to read. See Photo 1 pictured below: Which of these two designs would be more legible? Another potential issue is a design featuring overlapping graphic ele-

Photo 1

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Potential Future Business Another item to consider is the potential for future signage sales. Is this a single location business or could they open additional location(s) in the future? Nothing is wrong with a single location business, but that reality (knowing this project has no potential for similar future sales) can compound the frustration of working with a problem signage client. Such a client may still result in valuable referrals, which are always good. However a far better situation (particularly if you choose to deal with a difficult, time-consuming client) is the possibility of multiple future installations of the same (or very similar) sign.

ments. Again this design may have an interesting printed appearance but producing an actual letter set from it may not be feasible. It may be possible as a logo box but not as separate letters. And even then, as a logo box, it may still have legibility issues. Then there is the customer whose logo may include a custom font that features letter strokes that are far too thin for use in a channel letter sign (which have minimum stroke widths).

Do not accept the statement that “our logo is all set to go.” The point is that your potential client may have permitted their graphic artist to design their artwork without consideration of the usage application(s). It may involve an odd shape, layered design elements, or some other complication that prohibits an easy translation into effective channel letter signage. So even if the client assures you that “our file is ready,” insist on seeing it for yourself.

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

Several Layers of Decision Making Yet another issue (sigh!) is the channel letter client who must go through multiple layers of decision-making to receive design approval. If a committee must approve the design prior to production, you will soon have a new appreciation for the old saying that “a camel is a horse designed by a committee.” A similar situation is the potential new client who has an equally inexperienced colleague or spouse who insists on participating in the design process. What is acceptable to one person may not please the other, and this may lead to an ever-changing sign design or even project delays.

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Photo: dave forrest.

A good antidote to the problem signage client is one that has additional locations now (or in the future) and will need a set of identical letters and logos at their multiple destinations.

Budget Statement Another potential red flag is the client who will not state a signage project budget in advance. A client’s unwillingness to state a project budget is never a good omen. It often means that their actual budget is far less than what the sign in question would cost. This again goes back to experience and knowledge. A person who is quoting an outdoor electric sign for the first time may have a misguided perception of the amount of time, labor, and expense involved with such a project. That misperception may carry over to their project cost expectation.

Asking Questions So what can you do to spot and bypass the problem signage client? Protect yourself by asking them a few helpful questions in advance: #1. Is your new sign already designed? #2. (If “no” to Question #1): Who will design the sign? #3. (If “no” to Question #1): Are you the only person who must approve the design? #4. (If “no” to Question #3): Who else must approve the design? #5. (If “yes” to Question #1): May I see the design file? #6. (If “yes” to Question #5): Who designed this sign? #7. Is this the first time this sign has been produced, or has it already been installed at another location? #8. What is your budget for this particular project? #9. What is your timetable to have this sign project completed? #10. Do you have a grand opening date by which the project will need to be completed? #11. Is this the only location for which this sign will be needed? Watch for the “red flags” as you ask those questions. A problem signage client may cost you far more (in time, headaches, staff morale, etc.) than you would make from the project. It is better to pass it by. John Baylis is the marketing director at Direct Sign Wholesale (directsignwholesale.com) in Denver, Colorado. signshop.com

June 2016

// Sign Builder Illustrated

O u t d o o r S i g n a g e / By J e f f Wo ot e n / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

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Outdoor Types When it comes to print vs. digital, one company has found middle ground.

all photos: barnes outdoor advertising.

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ccording to recently released statistics, billboard out-ofhome advertising was actually the only traditional media business that grew last year. This result shouldn’t be shocking. In this age where consumers are able to skip or block online ads and television commercials, signage remains a steady presence when it comes to encountering marketing dollars. Barnes Outdoor Advertising of Zanesville, Ohio, the oldest and largest outdoor advertising group in Southeastern Ohio, has found success in this field. And it wasn’t overnight either. The company is currently in the midst of celebrating its one hundredth anniversary in business. Established by Erwin M. Barnes as “The Zanesville Outdoor Company” way back in 1916, the firm quickly developed a reputation for its services and dedication to the local community. Specializing in outdoor marketing solutions, Barnes Outdoor Advertising owns nearly 600 traditional print billboard faces throughout fifteen counties in Southeastern Ohio. The company has also been a pillar in giving back to the local community. In 2015, Barnes Outdoor Advertising donated 524 billboards worth a combined $297,000 in one year to local organizations (including Rotary, Big Brothers Big Sisters, American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and the Veteran’s Association,

among others). The ingredients they’ve employed to reach success in this outdoor field in terms of design, production, and installation are also exemplary for shops that specialize in large format graphics and/ or advertising. One reason is their hands-on approach to designing effective display campaigns. This fifteen-person shop boasts its own art department that creates 90 percent of the art/graphics for billboards and other large format signage themselves. The real challenge for them is creating something clean, professional, and effective in such a large format. Even though Barnes Outdoor Advertising is dedicated to developing a lasting partnership with every one of its clients (some for as long as nearly fifty years), the company has found one of the biggest hurdles is getting people to understand the benefits of outdoor signage. “It’s effective, if done the right way— with a limited number of words and the right visual imagery,” says Art Director Rob Nichols. The design process begins with the company’s sales staff. Their sales person will work directly with the client to figure out what their needs are (call to action, branding, event promotion, etc.) and the most effective advertising method to do this. Once that information has been gathered, it’s sent to the art department.

June 2016 // Sign Builder Illustrated

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

Adding Vibrancy, Clarity to Outdoor Digital For digital content to sing, there are two main components: clarity of messaging and graphics and dynamic screen resolution. These best practices go hand-in-hand to create twenty-first century electric signage that can both brighten up a shopping plaza or gas station and convey brand identity. “Optimal design resolution depends entirely on the output medium’s resolution,” says Brian Huber, multimedia art director for Watchfire Signs, a digital signage company. “LED signage is custom-built at a variety of pixel matrix sizes. We recommend at least two times the sign’s resolution (both height and width) to get the best look out of the source material. “For smaller signs, designing at greater sizes (four to ten times the size, for instance) can be useful in aiding the sign design and review process on a computer monitor. Always design at the same height-by-width ratio as the sign’s resolution so no distortion of the content occurs.” When imagining options for digital signage content, customers can choose anything from single-frame static ads to news media that is generated by RSS feeds to fully custom animation. The images and artwork can either be static or live content. “What is displayed on the owner’s sign is a designed frame either complete with a preloaded message or augmented through live data from an RSS feed,” says Huber. “Each ad is its own message, and the sign software facilitates the playing of the collection of messages according to the schedule the owner builds.” For sign professionals just starting out in outdoor digital displays or looking to enhance their own products, Huber advises to start with clarity. “When choosing or creating content for LED displays, the most important thing is the readability,” he says. “To achieve the best readability, the two most important design elements are text and color.” For text, he emphasizes three rules: Keep it simple, keep it big, and keep it clean. “Using thin or script fonts makes messages difficult to read,” he says. “Thick, simple fonts without serifs or complex details work best for legibility on a sign. Bold text with a black outline sets itself apart to be easily seen by passing traffic. “It’s better to break larger messages up into smaller components, so readers don’t have to miss part of your message. And try to keep letters at a minimum of one-foot-tall for maximum readability.” —Lori Shridhare signshop.com

Photo: watchfire signs.

“We then try to hone their ideas down a bit to where we are in sync directing them toward the best option for promoting what they want to promote at the time,” says Nichols. “Effective billboards have to include art that immediately catches the eye, resonates with the consumer, and includes a call to action,” says current fourth-generation Co-Owner John Barnes. (Note: His sister Maryjane Shackelford serves as company president.) Nichols tries to warn clients against using too much information. “We try to drill it down to the simplest image that conveys what they want to put on the billboard,” he says. Another reason to avoid too much information, according to Barnes, is that this can lead to a cluttered image. “Avoid too many colors,” he adds, “because if you’re going to put text over the top of it, it will all bleed together.” When reading a billboard, you’re talking about seven to eight seconds to pick up on the idea as you drive by. Some of Barnes Outdoor Advertising’s billboards are in the city and some are on highways, so they try to come up with color contrast related to distance and duration. “The image has to stand out,” says Nichols. “And the text has to feature a really good contrast against the background.” Nichols advises the use of bold, easy-to-read fonts. “Anything ‘script-y’ doesn’t work very well,” he says, “nor do ornate Serif fonts.” One hurdle Barnes Outdoor Advertising encounters is when a client that has no skill or any idea how to design a billboard brings in their own design and is married to their idea. “A lot of times it’s not the idea that is bad but rather the way the idea has been executed,” says Barnes. “We try to offer encouraging tips.” Although Barnes Outdoor Advertising can work with images supplied by clients, they also do their own photography on-site. Some things are shot with a high-resolution camera outdoors, some indoors, and some (dependent on the lighting) in their studio. It depends on what they’re trying to shoot. “For a recent Christmas campaign for Giacomo’s Cookies, they brought in a plate of cookies. We took a photo of them and designed from there,” says Nichols. “And we took care of the remaining cookies,” laughs Barnes. Barnes Outdoor Advertising’s print billboards are made up of thirty-sheet poster panels equalling 12-by-25 feet in total. So the company tells clients that any photos sent in to them for large format reproduction need to feature 300-dpi resolution. They then work with imagery in CorelDR AW, citing it as a more user-friendly program than Illustrator. They then send artwork via FTP upload to a third-party vendor to produce prints onto the woven plastic PE materials. They typically don’t add UV laminates to the prints, since most of the projects are short-term (sixty days or less). Barnes Outdoor Advertising has also ventured into the realm of digital and owns nine electronic billboard faces in three Ohio counties. There are things you can do with an electronic billboard that you cannot with a traditional static one. “We can instantly change the artwork on it from here in the office,” says Nichols, “which is popular with car dealerships.” The company has also tapped into RSS feeds from the dig-

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June 2016 // Sign Builder Illustrated

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1. Choose up to 10 categories of interest and check off on card. 2. Select up to 28 suppliers and record InfoDirect # on card. 3. Mail card to start getting info! Page

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Outwater Plastics Industries . . . . . 19

Roland DGA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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Company

Sign Builder Illustrated // June January 2016 2014

Company

Page

Engineering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

InfoDirect #

Company

Page

Companies in Sign Show

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ital billboards that provide current, upto-date information. “We’re running lottery campaigns on them that show the jackpot amounts or show what’s currently playing on a radio station,” says Barnes. Nichols adds that clients can run three ads on a billboard at once, as opposed to one message for one board. And they’re allowing select trusted clients to put a message on a digital billboard via Twitter. “If they have a special that day/time, they can actually just use their smart phone to Tweet something and it appears on the digital billboard,” he explains. Digital billboards are also a lot more vibrant than print, because you’re using RGB colors opposed to CMYK print values. But these vibrant colors and the more frequent rotations can make designing for this medium more challenging. For instance, the digital billboard should not have a white background. “In order to produce white, all the LEDs have to be blaring at full brightness, which can potentially be distracting to the traveling public,” explains Nichols. Nichols says a few of their clients use both print and digital. “They tend to do short-term messages on digital and use print for branding,” he says. Meanwhile for Barnes Outdoor Advertising, moving into digital billboards has allowed them more lateral movement to provide more options for their clients. For instance, digital options have allowed the company to sell to people they typically weren’t able to sell to before. “Say they don’t have a budget for a full-month campaign, but they have enough for a week’s showing on a digital,” says Nichols. “Before digital, we didn’t have that option to give them a week showing, whereas we can do that now. “It also gives us the flexibility to change the copy at a moment’s notice, such as if a storm warning has been issued.” Still Barnes says that traditional outdoor is going to be larger than digital for the foreseeable future, due to costs, advancements, and regulations. City and state ordinances dictate where a digital billboard can go up, so it’s important that it’s placed in the right location. signshop.com

“Digital billboards are a large investment, so you want the digitals to go up in a high visibility area with slower traffic,” says Nichols, noting that animation is still not allowed on off-premise billboards due to ordinances. But Nichols and Barnes are both excited about the prospects that electronic billboards and signage offer. “For a long time, I think the government held the outdoor industry back

for what they can and can’t do with LEDs and variable message signage,” says Barnes. “On-premise sign providers have always been ahead of the game because legislation pretty much dictated they were able to do all sorts of things, such as animation. “When it comes to off-premise though, it’s important that the sign grab the driver’s attention without being a distraction.”

June 2016 // Sign Builder Illustrated

D y e S u b l i m a t i o n / B y G r e g o r y S h a r p l e ss / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Making a Difference H

eadquartered in Riverside, California, Nova Print, Inc. (novaprintds.com) has been producing soft signage, banner displays, tradeshow displays, custom fabrics, framed lightboxes, wall and freestanding displays, custom flags, and promotional/performance apparel for more than twenty years. We asked Michelle Gay, NovaPrint’s COO and owner, to discuss how her company has gone about achieving success in this market. SBI: It appears that NovaPrint primarily focuses on dye-sub printing for fabrics, but do you have other capabilities?

How one shop ventured into the art of soft signage creation. MG: Our primary focus in on custom printing fabrics for apparel, interior design, and tradeshow décor. There are other substrates that are complementary to the sublimation process, and it seems that new products are constantly coming out. Some non-fabric products that we commonly print onto are aluminum panels, ceramic tiles, bag tags, drink insulators, metal bracelets, and coasters. Of course our goal is to fulfill our clients’ printing needs, so if we’re asked to print onto something we haven’t before, we’re always happy to test it to check the print quality. Above all, we constantly strive to deliver a first-rate finished product.

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

What types of products/applications are you producing? Soft signage? Garments? Home décor? Industrial applications? Other? All of the above! Since we are dye sublimation specialists, we attempt to service any and all dye sub needs and requirements. We create custom fabrics, and sometimes our clients have the means to finish it themselves—in which case we’ll simply deliver the printed fabric. We also have a full-service finishing department in-house to turn our custom fabrics into anything our clients desire. We make custom tradeshow and retail displays (which include soft signage, signshop.com

all Photos : nova print, inc.

in Fabrics

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What hardware, inks, and finishing equipment are you using for digitally printing fabrics? Our hardware includes a Monte Antonio calendar roll-to-roll heat press, an AIT dual shuttle flatbed heat press, a Hix flatbed heat press, an HPN mini label press, a JV-33 Mimaki printer, and a TS-34 Mimaki printer. We use J-Tech inks and Beaver paper in our printers. We also commonly use a hot knife, and we have single needle, overlock, and cover-stitch sewing machines for finishing.

With sublimation, polyester fabrics retain the print best, and the higher the poly content in the fabric, the more vibrant the color will be. framed displays, and theater backdrops), we use RexFrame to create any shape or size of stretch fabric walls or light boxes, and we offer pre-sewn sublimated apparel options (as well as a full cut and sew apparel department). We also make

fabric tote/grocery bags, beanbags, pillows, shower curtains, blankets, machinery panels, gallery wraps, and more. It’s best to describe our capabilities as creating anything that can be made out of our custom fabrics.

What types of fabrics are you printing on? With sublimation, the process is really about bold color and no color restrictions. Polyester fabrics retain the print best, and the higher the poly content in the fabric, the more vibrant the color will be. We use premium display and apparel fabrics. The growth in popularity of sublimation has resulted in a wide variety of fabric options for nearly any application. The choices are truly overwhelming, and it’s easy to find textured fabrics such as linen, silk, metallic and velvet. Quality fabrics give your finished

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

What’s the hot topic this month? Sign up at www.signshop.com to receive the newsletter and find out!

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

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products a high-end look, longevity, and durability, no matter what the application. What have been the most critical shop/ business components in digitally printing fabrics (e.g., equipment, consumables, staff, training, etc.)? I’d say the most critical component is first-class equipment. We believe that the print companies who have great equipment are the companies who do well. The second would be the people who run the process and their knowledge and creativity that makes all the projects possible. It’s hard to create a product you’re proud of with sub-par equipment, and it’s impossible to create a product you’re proud of with sub-par people. It seems that printing on fabrics is the “talk of the town” right now in the digital print world. How have you differentiated your business to separate yourself from competitors? We have always differentiated ourselves with our knowledge, experience, and customer service. We strive to educate

When digitally printing fabrics, first-class equipment, along with knowledgeable and creative employees, result in a quality product. our clients and give them the options that tick their boxes the best. A well educated client is usually a happy client. We are not simply digital printers; we are dye-sublimation specialists with more than twenty years of industry ex-

perience to pass along to our clients. Gregory Sharpless is a Jacksonville, Florida-based freelance writer and the former editor-in-chief of The Big Picture and Digital Output magazines.

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“

SHOP TALK

B y A s h l e y B r ay

Joe Kannegiesser, NSSA Elite Member

Staying Plugged In

ver the last few years, the sign industry has witnessed the rise of numerous technologies, including digital signage. This g rowing dig ital sector is where Joe Kannegiesser found his way into the industry. He currently serves as manager of Service and Support at Gallery Digital Signage, a division of Vcom IMC. His work in IT may be considered “behind the scenes,” but that hasn’t kept Kannegiesser from observing the trends on the horizon for the sign industry. “The sign industry is definitely changing, and it’s going more toward the digital aspect,” he says. “You want to be able to offer and properly execute all kinds of technologies to keep customers in-house and not have them go to some competitor.” Kannegiesser points out that, thanks to their graphic design skills, sign shops have a lot to offer on the content side of digital signage. He advises shops to take advantage of the profit avenue that’s available in designing digital content, since it needs to be continually updated— whether it’s annually, monthly, or weekly. “I see that as recurring revenue,” he says. “That’s like a goldmine.” The time may be right to take advantage of all digital signage has to offer, but Kannegiesser

also knows that shops may be hesitant to take the plunge because of a steep learning curve and an unfamiliarity with the technology. That’s why, moving forward, it’s his goal to help provide support and understanding to members of the sign industry. One way he hopes to do this is by creating standardized platforms and content delivery for digital signage. “People need things to be easy,” says Kannegiesser. “It all comes down to an easy, somewhat nearly dummy-proof interface and a strong support system.” He also hopes to provide support in the form of clear communication and instructions to those who need it. “I’ve found my success in being able to communicate with the C-level and everyone underneath,” says Kannegiesser. “Where I think that comes from is respect—I have respect for every single person that does every single role.” Above all else, Kannegiesser hopes to keep learning and growing, and he encourages young people in this industry to do the same. “Any young person that wants to have a career in the signage industry and wants to future-proof that career,” he says, “should stay on the tip of technology to help them plan for emerging trends.”

Sign Builder Illustrated // June 2016

Photos: (top) joe kannegiesser; (bottom) NSSA.

Adapting to new technologies like digital signage will keep sign shops relevant. signshop.com

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