Signs of the Times - April 2012 - (Page 62)

Times Square: EMCs, blade signs, LEDs and neon all debut By Louis M. Brill Crown Jewel of Manhattan’s Skyline New Times Squarea signage installations continue at spectacular pace, with new advertising voices that visually connect visitors and local office workers to its ongoing makeover. In this year’s electronicsign roundup, I found the usual abundance of new signage, including a backlit, channel-letter sign; several massive, LED, full-color platforms; a blade sign, and, holy mackerel!, even a new neon sign. Times Square bookends The crown jewels for both Sherwood Outdoor and Times Square are One Times Square and Two Times Square – two world-class buildings that serve the area’s “book ends.” Brian Turner, president of Sherwood Outdoor, noted, “Both buildings, day and night, have become beacons and symbols of Times Square and New York City’s skyline. Through the LED signs on these buildings, they provide wonderful colors and illumination, and bring a tremendous level of energy and excitement to Times Square that people love to look at and photograph. With each building’s recently acquired new signage, their glowing front facades continue to shine their iconic presence as the cornerstones of The Crossroads of the World.” One Times Square At the bottom of One Times Square, known for its annual New Year’s Eve Ball drop, the familiar Yahoo! neon and LED sign (2006-2011) blinked its last light, before being replaced by a new D3 (Rancho Cordova, CA) LED sign (10mm SMD with a 576 x 1088-pixel resolution). The 19 x 36-ft. display offers highly improved viewing angles, as explained by project manager Barry Winston (Winston & Co., Teaneck, NJ): “The use of a wide-angle POV was important because, at that building location, nobody was able to walk directly toward the sign. They could only see it from oblique angles as they passed it on either side of Broadway. Thus, with the wide-angle viewing presence, advertising messages were easier to spot and more appreciated.” Dunkin’ LED sign chimes in Midway up One Times Square, the empty sign space (previously the Chevrolet spot) has now become the home of Dunkin’ Donuts. The initial, static, full-color, 40 x 61-ft. vinyl sign is now being replaced with an equally sized, LED, 20mmpitch video spectacular, to be manufactured by Toshiba International Corp. (Tokyo). Two Times Square now the King LED building Two Times Square’s unique signage calling card is often used as a meeting spot by global visitors, as in “I’ll meet you by the Coca-Cola sign in Times Square.” Its sign has become its de-facto address. But Two Times Square has added several other world-class distinctions to its famous front facade. At the Two Times Square building base, Hyundai has replaced Pontiac (2005-2009) as the building’s anchor sign. The new, innovative display structure features two signs separated by the 10-ft.-tall windows of the R Lounge restaurant. However, 62 SIGNS OF THE TIMES / APRIL 2012 / www.signweb.com http://www.signweb.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - April 2012

Signs of the Times - April 2012
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Electric
LED Update
Technology Review
Software Update
Sign Museum News
New Products
Times Square Update
That Sign is Fine (Art?)
Victory at Yorktown
Temporary, with Permanent Appeal
The Value of Signs
Anatomy of an M&A Failure
Industry News
Advertising Index
Editorially Speaking

Signs of the Times - April 2012