Taking Signage to a New Dimension
by Nancy Beaudette and Noella Cotnam
Signs of the Times, November 1998
Over the past few years, there has been a lot said about dimensional signs. Thanks
to the pioneering efforts of sign crafters like Mike Jackson, Gary Anderson,
Noel Weber and many other letterheads, the sign industry has grown in leaps and
bounds. Just take a look at sign publications from ten or fifteen years ago and
compare them with current issues and you'll see what I mean. Of course computer
technology has had a tremendous influence on the craft, with the evolution of
cutters, routers and printers, but beyond that, there has been a change in our
mentality. We are beginning to understand the inherent value of the products
we make; it's not just about time plus material. It is about finding the best
possible solution for our clients, and creating a sign that will represent them
appropriately.
Let's face it; the world is not
flat…it's imaginary, at least that's
the lesson I learned from Walt Disney. I ventured into his world of make believe
in the early 90's and got pulled into the fairytale just like everyone else.
One minute I was in outer space, the next I was rubbing elbows with the Swiss
Family Robinson. Disney's attention to the smallest detail enabled me to buy
into the story, and if only for a moment, those stories were real. All this
to say that our job as signmakers is no less important. We are part of a collaborative
effort to create an environment that is inviting and believable to shoppers,
tourists and bureaucrats alike. The flip side of the coin is that we deal with
limited budgets, tight deadlines and by-law restrictions…that's the
'real world' challenge. The fact that we've been able to accomplish as much
as we have is a credit to the industry.
When we have an opportunity to make a statement with our work we jump on it.
That's where dimension comes in. It is one more design element that we can
manipulate, like shape, colour, positive and negative space, and line value,
that will increase the intrinsic worth of our products. The advent of high
density urethane has revolutionized the way we approach dimensional signs in
our shop. Almost a decade ago, we began attaching carved dingbats or raised
letters to sign panels. Today the choices are endless. Acrylic, HDU, fiberboard,
foamed PVC, MDO, redwood and many other materials can be used to create multiple
layers and interesting textures. Selecting the right materials for a particular
job will depend on a signs final application. We use medium density fiberboard
for interior signs because it carves beautifully on the router and sands so
nicely. High Density Urethane is our first choice when doing any kind of sculpture
because of its consistency when carving with hand tools. It's important to
experiment and have fun, and at the same time understand the manufacturer's
performance guidelines.
We've been in business since 1982, and I have to admit
the concept of 3-D signs was a bit intimidating back then. Most of what we
attempted to do was all trial and error, but to our delight, many of these
signs are still up doing their owners proud. Really, our whole business revolved
around our hidden abilities…that
which we had yet to discover…and enough gumption to say, "We can do
that" even if we didn't have a clue. Sound familiar to anyone? We sold our
first carved, gold leaf sign to an insurance agent in our city before knowing
how to carve or lay gold. In fact, we didn't even know what gold leaf looked
like. Fortunately there were willing teachers waiting in the wings, like Jay
Cook who still offers carving courses to the industry… ( thanks Jay
). We have applied the skills learned on that weekend to countless jobs through
the years. Many other silent heros exist within the sign industry…we
meet more of them at every letterhead gathering we attend. If you want to add
dimension to your signs, just do it. Pick up a chisel, file, jigsaw, router
or whatever, and go for it. At the risk of sounding like the old cliché, "you'll
never know 'til you try", well, you'll never know 'til you try.
It's been a philosophical kind of year here at Sign
It. We moved into larger quarters last winter, had a change over in staff,
new exciting job opportunities and time to reflect on our beginnings. It's
been quite a ride. When all is said and done, we love the craft…passion can take you a long way. In
closing, I think we'd simply like to encourage you to try new things and continue
to grow as an artist, craftsperson and business person in this ever changing,
dimensional world.
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