Signs of the Times - April 2012 - (Page 77)

also provided a wealth of knowledge. Representatives of Arizona’s professional sports teams also provided key assistance.” Along the way, Cowgill learned of several “firsts” Arizona has achieved, despite being the 48th U.S. state. It’s home to the oldest U.S. rodeo nationwide. Arizona is known as the “Softball Capital of the World.” Many of its players joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, active during World War II, which was depicted in the 1991 movie, A League of Their Own. JRC Design developed all of its exhibit content using Adobe Illustrator. Cowgill marveled how evolved printing and software technologies made a “silk purse from a sow’s ear. “We had to work with many low-resolution files, yet Icon was able to use Photoshop® and make them look like high-resolution images while printing at only 100 dpi,” Cowgill said. Douglas Knab, Icon’s director of sales and design, said the shop has maintained a 20-year relationship with Entertainment Solutions; past collaborative work has included signage, banners and stage graphics for college football’s Fiesta Bowl. “Ken [Koziol, Entertainment Solutions’ owner] knew that I understood the graphic needs for a traveling museum,” he said. “We’re proud to play a part in showcasing Arizona’s wonder and glory for the centennial.” Icon’s pavilion-wall panels were constructed from luan plywood and then coated with a smooth, white laminate. The shop printed the graphics on 3M’s Controltac repositionable vinyl on its HP DesignJet L65500 latex-ink printer. Arlon’s Series 3200 clear, matte-finish overlaminate, applied with a Seal 62 Pro laminator, will keep the colors vibrant as the exhibit traverses the Grand Canyon State. Icon also fabricated several life-size cutouts by printing images directly onto 3A Composites’ 13mm-thick Sintra® composite material on the shop’s EFI-VUTEk QS 3220 hybrid printer. Then, the figures were cut to shape on a MultiCam 3000 CNC router, and the figures were edgepainted black with Matthews acrylic- polyurethane paint. Icon also accentuated the façade exteriors with 3-D signage similarly fabricated to the figure cutouts. For the entrances, Icon created 30 x 18-ft. facades from 1-in.-sq., tube steel. The graphics were printed on 13-oz., frontlit banner material, stretched over the customfabricated steel structures, and mounted with screws and Velcro® adhesive strips. The graphics were printed on an HP Scitex XLJet solvent-ink printer and laminated with an Arlon topcoat. Icon also created side and rear, exterior wall graphics applied to frontlit banner material and installed with pole pockets and conduit attached to the tent exteriors. “There was a tremendous challenge in distilling a tremendous amount of information and imagery down to a manageable size without compromising the whole story,” Knab said. “We signed the contract in July of last year, and the pavilion graphics had to be ready in time for the Prescott Best Fest, which took place in September. It was a proud moment for all involved to play a role in educating Arizonans about the history of our great state.” SIGNS OF THE TIMES / APRIL 2012 / www.signweb.com 77 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