Design

Best Electric Freestanding Signs of 2011

Idaho signshops claim the top two spots.

Published

13 years ago

March 24, 2011

Steve Aust Signs of the Times April 2011 Issue

FIRST PLACE

Fabricators
Mike Bollinger
Chris Brockett
Matt Conlin
Sean Gregory
Tim Inman
Rocky Keim
Greg Llewelyn
Matt Martin
Bobby Moore, Jr.
Golden West Advertising
Boise, ID
(208) 345-4343
www.goldenwestsigns.com

Designer
Brodie Niendorf
Golden West Advertising

Client
Kid Gloves Body Works

Selling Price
$18,700

The fabrication team built the custom cabinet from sheetmetal that was primed and painted with a glossy-black finish using Matthews acrylic-polyurethane coating. They overlaid the cabinet with a digital print produced on 3M Scotchcal film with an HP DesignJet 9000S printer. To produce the exposed neon, the shop fashioned EGL’s 60mA 6500K and 2800K white neon, as well as horizon-blue and clear-red tubing.

Golden West fabricated the glossy, black cabinet from sheetmetal with custom moldings. The face comprises white Evonik Industries Acrylite SG acrylic, and the outer ellipse and “Body Works” copy were decorated with blue, Gerber 230 translucent vinyl. The main, “Kid Gloves” text was prismatic-cut on the shop’s Gerber Advantage 600 CNC router from 1.5-in.-thick HDU. The cabinet features internal, fluorescent illumination. “Kid’s” bowtie was routed from 0.125-in.-thick aluminum and decorated with atomic-red, cast vinyl, with the moldings and bowtie overlaid with 30mA, red neon. The address numerals were routed from white Evonik Cyro’s Acrylite acrylic that’s decorated with cast, black vinyl and mounted with Gemini installation pads.

SECOND PLACE

Fabricators
David Whitehead
Eric Jones
Jeff Hill
Lance Greenelsh
Mike Glissmeyer
Geoff Gilssmeyer
Bruce Gardner
Sign Pro
Idaho Falls, ID
(208) 523-8540
www.gosignpro.com

Designer
David Whitehead

Client
Ray’s Chevron

At most drive-through car washes, $6 will barely dampen your vehicle. Thus, this sign provides appeal on many levels. Whitehead designed the graphics using CorelDraw, and created files for the CNC router using Gerber’s ArtPath. The shop fashioned 3A Composites’ brushed-silver and ultramarine-blue Dibond® composite material, Evonik’s Acrylite GP acrylic and 0.040-in.-thick aluminum on its Gerber Sabre 408 CNC router. Gerber’s 230 Series translucent vinyl decorates the components.

To illuminate this fun, Googie-style sign, Gardner formed Voltarc neon tubing, which is powered by Transco transformers, to illuminate the sign’s single-stroke letters. To create a halo effect, Sign Pro installed SloanLED blue modules. The LEDs reflect off the background to create a sparkle effect. The “Free Vacuums” text required 1-in.-thick, clear acrylic that’s pushed through Dibond with second-surface, orange vinyl. Universal Lighting fluorescent ballasts brighten the cabinet. SloanLED red modules illuminate the small, “$6” cabinet. Sign Pro fabricated the arrow with 6-in.-diameter, steel, flatbar, and skinned it with aluminum.
Whitehead said, “Because of the arrow, all electrical components had to be accessed through one door. We created the sign to show very little visible hardware. We used rigid couplers to connect the channel letters, and housed the GTO inside them.”

THIRD PLACE

Fabricators
Sandy Hoyle
Shannon Taylor
Sign Systems Inc.
Hickory, NC
(828) 322-5622
www.signsystemsnc.com

Designer
Tucker Hines
Sign Systems Inc.

Client
Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers

Mellow Mushroom and its iconic, smirking mascot, Mel, grew from a small restaurant in Atlanta in the mid ‘70s into an operation that’s spread across 17 states. Sign Systems’ C.J. Hines said, “The graphics depict the brand’s desire to present the logo with continuity, yet provide unique customer presentation at every location.” The 20-ft.-tall, double-sided sign features an aluminum, hand-routed and custom-formed logo, and an illuminated sign topper is decorated with 3M vinyl and printed on a Mimaki JV-33 printer. EGL’s 6500K neon tubing illuminates the channel letters, and fluorescent down lighting, powered by Lighting Components electronic ballasts, creates a dramatic effect after dark. Tucker Hines designed the system using CorelDraw.

HONORABLE MENTION

Fabricator
Harmon Sign
Toledo, OH
(800) 338-9773
www.harmonsign.com

Designers
Gary Alumbaugh
Tyler Houts
Harmon Sign

Client
Loma Linda

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