An Office Affair: Choosing a lobby or entrance area sign.
From Signs of Seattle.. A Seattle Sign Company
An effective lobby sign gives you Instant Prestige! Visitors can sense your integrity just from the look and feel of your entrance area. The choice of materials a lobby marquee can be made with are as endless as there are construction methods and techniques. We will explore some popular and effective reception area sign methods and materials.
 Some common considerations are:
- What treatment will make my company logo look best?
- What is my price range?
- What is my wall covering?
- Is it wood covering, dry wall, wall paper, wood paneling? Signs can be adhesive mounted to drywall, but most other surfaces require drilling.
- Am I the space long term? How long will this sign be up?
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If you want to move your sign in the future, we recommend a rigid substrate backing such as clear acrylic or brushed metal DiBond.
Not every logo can be made with every process. For example, highly intricate logos works best with laser cutting, but can be challenging using other cutting methods. Not every logo can be made with every process. for example highly intricate logos can’t always be cast or water jet metal. |
The entry level lobby sign is typically made with cut vinyl. This is essentially a cutout sticker.
This will last 3-5 years. It is removable, but cannot be reused once removed. $200 to $1200 installed
Simple Cut Vinyl Graphic It essentially looks like its painted.
This is the same principle as the simple cut vinyl only it’s a digital print. $200 to $1200 installed.
Printed Vinyl Graphic These can be made with a special low-tack adhesive for easy removal.
Technician applies then squeegees the adhesive vinyl graphic
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If you really need your sign to “pop” against a busy surface, this does the trick. $150-1000. Installed
Acrylic on standoffs with cut vinyl graphics
A hugely popular and cost effective option is Brushed Metal on Gatorfoam $400 to $1100 Installed
Brushed Metal Face on Gatorfoam
This is very similar to brushed metal faces on Gatorfoam but done on acrylic and of course for a higher price. It is more durable and has crisper edges than Gatorfoam backed signs $600 to $1900
Acrylic with Brushed Metal Face
This is PVC plastic with a custom paint match. The edges are not as crisp as acrylic and the plastic not as hard. $400 to $1100 Installed
Painted PVC
For multi colored logos a good choice is Painted and Cut acrylic $600 to $1600 Installed
Painted Acrylic
This example combines Gatorfoam Letters with Brushed Metal Face and a digitally printed background on Dibond. (Dibond is an aluminum composite that has two aluminum sheets sandwiched together with a polystyrene center.)
This is good when you don’t want to damage the wall too much. The ridged back allows it to be hung much like a paining or framed picture. It’s also good for complicated logos and seals. $800 to $2000 installed
Gatorfoam Letters with Brushed Metal Face and a digitally printed background on Dibond.
Rigid acrylic backer board with decorative standoff hardware and Gatorfoam letters, some painted black and some with brushed metal faces. $400 to $2000 installed
Acrylic on Standoffs with Gatorfoam graphics
$1200 to $2200 installed
Brushed metal Dibond (aluminum composite) back with gold metal laminate acrylic letters.
Painted acrylic LED lighted letters on a digitally printed backer
When you need it to last a lifetime, Cast Metal Letters are the best choice. These classic letters create an elegant look that adds prestige to any environment. They are available in a number of traditional finishes including brass and bronze, plus cor-10 rusted steel and copper patina.Cast Metal Letters, Logos and Symbols
Cast Bronze
For More info visit: http://signsofseattle.com/indoor_signs.php |
From Signs of Seattle.. A Seattle Sign Company
From Signs of Seattle a Seattle Sign Company
Table Top Displays are an easy and affordable way to take your presentation where ever you go….(providing there is a table there)
- Set up and tear down is easy and fast
- Easy to travel or check on airplanes
- Affordable and effective
- Professional polished look to your presentation
Typically they come in a latched cases that can are easily stored or stowed on airplanes.
The traditional way these type of displays are made is with a carpet type covering that accepts Velcro so graphics can be easily interchanged. This type of display is good for many years of service.
Even though the graphics are made on plastic sheets that are attached with Velcro, they still flood the entire area of the display for a polished professional look.
Great for
- Schools
- Hospitals
- Volunteer Groups
- Political activists
- Corporate tradeshows
- Small business tradeshow displays and faire presentations
- College campuses
- Non profits
- Municipal and government offices
Typical displays are about 4′ wide and the biggest go up to 6′ wide x 3′ tall.
Custom displays are also available.
Triangle Table Top Display
Table Tent
More info on Seattle Displays and Exhibits Here: www.signsofseattle.com/exhibits_displays.php
From Signs of Seattle a Seattle Sign Company
Wall graphics can be made in any size, from a small logo to a full mural spanning many feet of wall space. They are great for advertising, commercial décor, or even residential use. The method for creating wall graphics is almost the same as it is for vehicle graphics and window graphics.
There are key advantages to vinyl wall graphics:
- If it gets damaged, it can be replaced.
- It’s far more cost effective than problematic wall paper or hand painting
- It can easily be cleaned with a wet rag and mild soap
- In high traffic areas, It takes ordinary bare walls and turns them into a marketing source.
- The graphical content can be most anything from photographs, art pieces, cartoon clips or most any computer generated art file.
Wall Mural made with old black and white photos.
Old photographs can give your lobby a museum feel.
A Column Wrap is a great way to take advantage of the space.
Great for restaurants because you can clean it.
A cartoony look is easy to achieve and very effective at conveying your message.
Simple graphics are a very cost effective way to bring a blank wall to life.
Pre-opening/Grand opening mural graphics
Signs of Seattle Expert Technician
How it’s done:
Images are prepared on computer.
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Then printed on a large format printer
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The vinyl has an adhesive back.
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This is applied to the wall
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Heat helps it conform to uneven surfaces
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Squeegees are also used for this
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Finished Product
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For more examples of wall graphics, visit our website. signsofseattle.com
From Signs of Seattle: Seattle’s Favorite Sign Company
Tools required:
Squeegee (a credit card will work for this or a piece of plastic the same firmness as a credit card.). Tape measure and or level. Spray bottle, filled with water, and two or three small drops of dish soap (alcohol free). Masking tape.
Step One: Preparing your surface
This step is often overlooked or performed inadequately, resulting in vinyl troubles ranging from bubbles to failure to adhere. We recommend cleaning your surface thoroughly with a mild dish detergent solution, rinsing the surface very thoroughly, and then wiping with alcohol to ensure a perfectly clean surface. Shop rags are not recommended, as they may harbor small bits of lint or chemical remnants. Super-absorbent paper towels are also not recommended, as they may contain chemicals to increase absorbency that will interfere with your vinyl adhesion. Basic paper towels will work best for wiping your surface.
Step Two: Positioning Graphic
Position the vinyl graphic using masking tape on the top corners to hold the vinyl in place. Use level or tape measure to ensure the correct placement. When the graphic is positioned correctly, use masking tape on the left or right end of the graphic to create a hinge.
Step Three: Removing Backer
Pull the graphic back so that the backer is facing you. Remove the backer slowly. While removing the backer spray the adhesive side of the vinyl lightly with application spray until the backer is fully removed. Be sure not to let the vinyl fold on to itself. An extra set of hands is helpful, but not required.
Step Four: Applying the vinyl
Spray the adhesive side of the vinyl thoroughly. Now simply apply the vinyl to the surface. Do not apply any pressure yet! Do not over-stretch your vinyl during the application process. This can result in end lift. Pull the vinyl just taut enough so that there is no slack in vinyl.
Step Five: Squeegee work
Vinyl is a pressure-sensitive product, so using a squeegee creates the bond. The purpose of the squeegee is to remove the excess fluid and air bubbles from behind the vinyl. Always start the squeegee from the center of your vinyl, and use a straight up or down motion to push out the bubbles. Use a smooth motion. Do not squeegee in an arc or diagonally, as you may torque the vinyl. Allow the vinyl to set for 5 to 15 minutes. (In colder temperatures, you may have to wait one to three hours, or apply heat) Do not yet remove the application tape.
Step Six: Removing the application tape
When removing your application tape, always pull it slowly, back onto itself, at a 180-degree angle. Bubbles should be punctured using a pin. Do not slit the vinyl to release the air. If the vinyl is slit it will spread or gap. The cutting or trimming of any graphic should be done using a very sharp knife and very little pressure.
Step Seven:Finished Product
Visit Youtube for how to videos from Signs of Seattle a Seattle Sign Company
From Signs of Seattle: Seattle’s Favorite Sign Company
What is Vector art?
In a vector file the computer remembers the shapes of the lines.
What is Raster art?
In raster, (sometimes called bitmap) the image is comprised of tiny dots that
when viewed as a whole display the image.
Photo Editors are Raster Based. A raster image is made of thousands of
little dots, or pixels. Creating or editing an image with dots allows you to
provide for rich detail in an image. Because every dot can be a different color,
you can allow for any kind of color change. Raster images are wonderful for
rendering rich, full-color images, like photographs. Raster-based programs do
have some drawbacks, though:
* Raster images are file-heavy. All of the zeros and ones that are used to make
up each pixel result in large files sizes. Your computer must keep track of the
zeros and ones and must change each one when editing. This is memory-intensive
and may cause slower editing.
* Rasters do not resize well. When you resize a raster image, the pixels just
get larger, making the image appear distorted and chunky/grainy.
Photo editors, like Adobe PhotoShop, use raster-based images to allow for
precise editing and total freedom in image appearance.
Illustration Programs are Vector Based
Vector-based programs approach image creation in an entirely different manner. A
vector-based program does not render images on a pixel-by-pixel basis.
In a raster-based image creation program, a square would be made of thousands of
pixel dots.
In a vector-based program, the same square would be made of only four dots, one
on each corner. These “vector points,” basically allow your computer to play
Connect the Dots. Each vector point has information in it telling your computer
how to connect each point with straight or curved lines, and with what color to
fill in the closed shape.
In the printed image, the vector points would be invisible.
Because the computer only has to keep four points in its memory, it is much
easier for the computer to edit vector-based images.
If you resize a vector-based image, it loses little or no detail. The vector
points spread out and the computer just redraws the image. You can easily color,
or recolor, a vector-based image very easily using a drawing program. Vector
images can also result in smoother lines because the lines are not hand drawn.
Vector images do have some drawbacks, however. They are generally filled with a
solid color or a gradient but can’t display the lush color depth of a raster.
They also work better with straight lines or sweeping curves.
Drawing programs, like Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw, primarily use a
vector-based drawing mode to allow for scalability and clean lines.
Perforated vinyl has tiny holes all over it which allow the driver to see through rear and side windows. This design allows for safe visibility from the inside of the vehicle, but limits visibility from the outside to ensure privacy.
Video: How Vehicle Wraps Are Done