1998 Commercial Sign Design Competition

Signs of the Times magazine conducts a commercial sign design competition each year, held the day before the United States Sign Council’s (USSC) annual Sign World USA show. This year’s contest featured twelve categories.

Judges for the contest were Joe Broxterman, Speedway Graphics, Denver, CO; Bruce Gough, BG Graphics, Meriden, CT; Dan Dillon, Dillon Design Assoc., Valhalla, NY; Elaine Wallis, Signature Signs, Niagra Falls, ON, Canada; and Ron Malotech, Central Jersey Sign Ad, Neptune, NJ.

Signs of the Times publishes the contest results in its February issue; you can find the top five winners from each category right here. We’ll be publishing a category per week, so watch this spot to see what’s winning awards in the sign world.

Below is a list of First Place winners, for each category. To view a full list of winners, purchase the February 1998 issue of Signs of the Times magazine here.

Flat Signs: Freestanding or Ground

First Place

Fabricator

Louise Macaulay

Custom Signs

Lancaster, ON, CANADA

(613) 347-7405

Designer

Louise Macaulay

Custom Signs

An utterly fantastic cow pictorial, rendered in 1-Shot enamels, graces this 3 x 4-ft., $850, single-sided sign. The sign is made of 3/4-in. MDO and features painted finials.

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Flat Signs: Mounted on or Projecting

First Place

Fabricator

True Identity

Denver, CO

(303) 321-5985

Designer

Mark Oatis

True Identity

A 48 x 120-in. aluminum panel serves as the substrate for this sign. Acrylics are used for the "Mmm mmm good" photo-realistic pictorial; enamels are used for the lettering.

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Dimensional Signs/Freestanding or Ground

First Place

Fabricator

Peter Poanessa

Keene Signworx

Keene, NH

(603) 358-1003

Mary Morse

Chesterfield, NH

Designer

Unknown

A tubular steel frame, MDO panels and a bowl made of 15-lb. Sign*Foam high-density urethane are the ingredients in this saucy, $2,500 sign. Heated and shaped 1/4-in. Intecel PVC is used for the fettuccini.

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Dimensional Signs: Mounted on or Projecting

First Place

Fabricator

True Identity

Denver, CO

(303) 321-5985

Designer

Mark Oatis

True Identity

Bill Hueg (pictorial)

Denver, CO

Were she painted on canvas, you’d expect to find "Rosalita" hanging above a mantle, or perhaps, in a museum. Yet this lifelike rendering — designed by Bill Hueg — makes its home on a sign in Sunset Station Hotel & Casino. In addition
to its pictorial, the 48 x 58-in. MDF sign features carved and gilded Sign*Foam high-density urethane and compo roses.

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Window Lettering/Graphics

First Place

Fabricator

Sign Design

Wooster, OH

(330) 262-8838

Designer

Ken and Stephanie Stiffler

Sign Design

Computer-cut vinyl letters and "sponged" highlights
make up this 3 x 4-ft. window graphic. The selling
price is $185.

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Wall Murals and/or Super Graphics

First Place

Fabricator

Eric Grohe

Eric Grohe Design

Marysville, WA

(360) 653-5821

Designer

Eric Grohe

This 46 x 38-ft. mural was commissioned to honor the high-school football tradition in Massillon, OH. Every element of the wall, including the ivy, is painted. Eric Grohe uses Sherwin Williams Super Paint and Triangle Coatings, Inc.’s (San Leandro, CA) Trilon™ overcoat.

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Commercial Vehicle Identification Graphics

First Place

Fabricator

Bert Graphix

Pompton Lakes, NJ

(973) 835-2040

Designer

Bert Graphix

This vehicle-identification graphic is hand-painted and airbrushed; "Paving" is rendered in goldleaf. The Mack-Truck cartoon is customized.

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Banners

First Place

Fabricator

Shawcraft Sign Co.

Machesney Park, IL

(815) 282-4105

Designer

Jay Allen

Shawcraft Sign Co.

This 3 x 6-ft. Regal banner incorporates One-Shot paint with Spar-Cal vinyl used in other areas. |2438| 22 is added to the letters "Class of," and the numbers are beveled and airbrushed for a brassy look.

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Glass Signs

First Place

Fabricator

True Identity

Denver, CO

(303) 321-5985

Designer

Mark Oatis

True Identity

True Identity got the bid to do this glass sign for the Station Casino in Kansas City, KS. Measuring 4 ft. high x 17 ft., 4 in. long, the sign incorporates stage blasting, glue chipping, abalone inlays, watch crystals, dimensional burnish, split-blended shades, cast-resin oak leaves and beveled glass.

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Sign Systems

First Place

Fabricator

True Identity

Denver, CO

(303) 321-5985

Designer

Dan King

Mark Oatis

True Identity

This sign system was created for the Sunset Station Hotel and Casino. The main sign measures 47 in. wide x 52 in. high and incorporates hand-carved SignFoam™ for the main copy on varigated leaf field; Gerber-router incised secondary copy with varigated leaf finish; "wax" fruit and vegetables; and a faux-grained "cabinet."

Other signs in the system include: a sandblasted redwood sign with hand-painted pictorial for the Capri Lounge; a crackle field sign for the Pizza Main Room that features a gilt border, solid timber pole with faux-rusted metal bracket and uplight sconces; a menuboard made from MDF panels with maple veneers and gilt borders, faux-rusted bracket spacers, and vinyl on magnetic sheeting; and eight 11 x 16-in. sub/ support signs with painted borders and vinyl copy.

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Entry Monuments

First Place

Fabricator

Woodgraphics

Douglasville, GA

(770) 942-0688

Designer

Woodgraphics

This synthetic stucco monument sign is supported by a base and columns of cultured rock. The sign background consists of dark green marble tile squares. The lettering and drop shadows consist of 3/8-in. Sintra™, with a satin gold anodized aluminum overlay. The logo panel consists of sandblasted Sign Foam™, a Black Beauty background and a hand-carved prismatic logo with 23K gold leaf finish.

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Temporary Site Signs

First Place

Fabricator

Graphic Services, Inc.

Manassas, VA

(703) 365-5578

Designer

Graphic Services, Inc.

This 4 x 8-ft. MDO sign with stock wooden columns incorporates "edge print" logos with vinyl lettering and One-Shot™ Gold-painted accents. SignGold

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