Signs of the Times - August 2012 - (Page 64)

Built to Last Monument signs deliver an image of permanence. By Steve Aust Executed properly,They can provide provide a valuable service monument signs for their end users. a dynamic gateway to a city, subdivision, recreation area or other development. A sign with a masonry component creates a connotation of “I’m solid as a rock; I’ll be here forever,” and a well-considered color palette and typography can create an image that leaves a positive impression on a visitor or prospective resident. Despite their evident benefits, monument signs have been subject to a two-faced attack. First, the lingering economic calamity that’s engulfed most of the world over the past four years has moved in tandem with a sharp decrease in real-estate values. Thus, many people have been trapped in their homes with “underwater” mortgages, unable to move and absorb a loss on the sale of their house, and the market for new residential developments has stagnated. Thus, little demand remained for the monument signs that serve as on-premise calling cards. Also, many municipalities impose austere limits on monument sign heights and overall square footage. Arizona cities are notorious for reducing monument signs to “tombstones” (which publisher/editor Wade Swormstedt has often noted carries the dual meaning of signs no taller than tombstones, and the death of businesses), and city planners increasingly deal with a few problem properties with decrepit or excessive signs by stifling the positive advertisement and image building on-premise signage can deliver with overreaching, draconian codes. Amidst market struggles, several companies have adapted to changing market conditions and continued to thrive. These four diverse, monumentsign projects emphasize diverse potential solutions. Most importantly, all four achieve the common goal of providing a sense of place to the end user that transcends mere branding. Sailing Signage Stanford Sign & Awning (Chula Vista, CA) has fabricated signage for nearly four decades. The company has grown into an approximately 10,000-sq.-ft. facility and a staff of 80. The full-service, sign- and awning-fabrication shop devotes a large portion of its business to complete design/builds of monument and pylon signs. San Diego Port Authority officials solicited designs for an illuminated monument sign to identify Point Loma’s Shelter Island, known as the “Hawaiian Isle” in San Diego (it’s not a true island; a narrow strip of land connects it to the mainland). Once only a sandbank visible at low tide, Shelter Island was built up from earth dredged from the bay into a 1.5-milelong strip of land, and has been a popular tourism and recreation spot for more than 50 years. Stanford Sign & Awning’s design won approval; instead of working through a general contractor or other intermediary, the shop worked directly with the Port Authority, city officials and Shelter Island tenants. Jim Sindelar, the company’s 64 SIGNS OF THE TIMES / AUGUST 2012 / www.signweb.com http://www.signweb.com

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

Signs of the Times - August 2012
ST Update
Technology Update
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Electric
LED Update
Software Update
Technology Review
Technology Review
New Products
The Value of Signs
Casino and Gaming Signage
A Commercial-Sign Company Snapshot
Business is Blowing Up
Built to Last
Industry News
Advertising Index
Editorially Speaking

Signs of the Times - August 2012