Business Management

Best Sign Systems of 2014

It’s a clean sweep for the Pacfic Northwest — two for Washington State, one for Vancouver

Published

10 years ago

March 31, 2014

Steve Aust Signs of the Times April 2014 Issue

FIRST PLACE/BEST OF SHOW

Fabricator
Pablo Guerrero
Amigo Arts
Monroe, WA
(425) 443-4444
www.amigoarts.com

Designers
Pablo and Melina Guerrero
Dan Hoang (neon art)

Installers
Amigo Arts
Berry Sign Systems
Everett, WA
(800) 488-2430
www.berrysignsystems.com

Client
Cal’s Classic American Kitchen

Jeff Chandler, the son of Cal Chandler, a 40-year veteran of the Seattle-Tacoma restaurant scene, honored his father’s legacy by opening this gastropub (the new, hipster term for bar and grill) in Kent with upscale presentations of such traditional favorites as grilled cheese and beef stroganoff – and even such down-and-dirty grub as pork rinds and corn dogs. Traditional homestyle food practically begs for signage steeped in Americana, and Amigo Arts delivered.

Pablo said, “No element of design, right down to the sculpted ice cubes, was overlooked in developing Cal’s theme. He wanted vintage, industrial signage that functions as art and tells Cal’s story.”

The Guerreros devised most of the experiential elements and signage using Adobe Creative Suite software, and then rendered the concepts with Rhino 3-D software to ensure precise angles and dimensions. Pablo said the integration of MIG- and TIG-welded steel and aluminum, wood frames and warm lighting emitted from 4,500K LEDs and clear, ruby-red neon creates warm, inviting ambience.

SECOND PLACE

Fabricator
Sawatzky’s Imagination Corp.
Chilliwack, BC, Canada
(604) 823-2216
www.imaginationcorporation.com

Designer
Dan Sawatzky

Client
WhistlePunk Hollow Adventure Golf

Featuring Dan Sawatzky’s work in the contest gallery is always a pleasure. He constantly expands the possibilities of signage; his work doesn’t just identify a space, it defines and becomes the space. Signage for miniature-golf properties, where over-the-top environmental graphics are standard procedure, represents a significant part of his business, and his latest project provides a textbook example of onsite theming.

After having developed the concept art using Adobe Creative Suite 4 software, he prepared the files for production using SA Intl.’s EnRoute 5 Pro 3-D-fabrication software. Sawatzky and his team fabricated the 3-D panels using Coastal Enterprises’ 30-lb. PrecisionBoard® high-density urethane (HDU) that’s CNC-routed with the shop’s MultiCam 3000 machine, and they MIG-welded the steel components in place. To create the support structure, Imagination Corp. sculpted fiberglass-reinforced concrete. They coated the signface features with General Paint acrylic paint, and created the rust-colored backdrop with Modern Masters reactive-iron, patina-finish coating.

THIRD PLACE

Fabricator
Tube Art Group
Yakima, WA
(509) 469-8186
www.tubeart.com

Designers
Rossetti
Southfield, MI
(248) 262-8300
www.rossetti.com

Tube Art Group
Milwaukie, OR
(503) 653-1133

Installer
Tube Art Group
Bellevue, WA
(206) 223-1122

Client
Seattle Seahawks/Sounders

Ensconced by the Cascade Mountains and Big Sky country to the east, and bordered by an ocean to the west, Seattle is arguably the most isolated major city in the U.S. However, the rest of America viewed much of the Emerald City via the Seahawks’ dominant run to victory in Super Bowl XLVIII. With a cast of colorful characters such as running back Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch and the Legion of Boom, possibly the most dominant defensive backfield ever, they made mincemeat of the NFL.

The Seahawks’ championship also introduced the Seattle 12th Man, possibly the most boisterous fans in the league. Playing together at Century Link Field, whose architecture was designed to make it the NFL’s loudest stadium, the fans and players symbiotically raise each other into a frenzy.

You can’t show up to that kind of a party without team gear, and Seahawks officials wanted the stadium’s pro shop to fuel fans’ passions – and entice them to buy merchandise. A combination of LED-lit channel letters, concrete-wall supergraphics and digitally printed, internally illuminated column wraps provided the required branding.

Using Rossetti’s original concept design, Tube Art prepped the files using CorelDRAW X5 and SA Intl.’s FlexiSign® 8.5 software. The shop shaped the letters using its Mastercam CNC router and metal-bending, shearing and braking equipment, and used GE Tetra mini LEDs to illuminate the forms with the team’s signature, bright-green color.

Using the shop’s Roland DGA SolJet XF-640 eco-solvent-ink printer, Tube Art printed the wall wraps with 3M™ Scotchcal™ IJ 8624 rough-texture media, and produced the column wraps with 3M Scotchcal translucent film that’s applied to polycarbonate.

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