Signs of the Times - August 2016 - (Page 22)

St r ictly E le c t r i c By Patti Canady Brewing Up a Storm Patti Canady is the marketing director for Thomas Sign & Awning Co. (Clearwater, FL). Singular signage for a Florida brewpub T he local craft beer and brewpub phenomenon has caught on virtually everywhere in the US. No longer do Americans simply look to Milwaukee or St. Louis - or England or Germany, for that matter - for their beer. In the Tampa Bay area, too, craft beers have taken the region by storm. Big Storm Brewing, that is. They opened their first brewpub in 2012, and surging popularity demanded an expansion by spring 2015. One of our sales representatives, Kevin Hunsicker, observed the construction and took the initiative to stop in to see if the pub's management team had already purchased signs. Thankfully, they hadn't; Kevin became our point person as the project progressed. The Thomas team worked closely with Big Storm founder Mike Bishop, CEO Jonathan Golden, and the owners, father and son Leo J. and L.J. Govoni. The wanted signage that would reflect their distinctive brews and stand as community landmarks. As we discussed concepts with them, our design staff devised a large beer mug as the Thomas Sign & Awning Co. (Clearwater, FL) fabricated this handsome pole sign for Tampa's Big Storm Brewing Co. Details such as lighthouse windows and lightning bolts add to its character, and the dynamic-digital sign creates a powerful sales tool. sign's focal point using CorelDRAW X6. Instead, Golden suggested the signage better represent the Big Storm name. With this suggestion, we developed the lighthouse concept that would anchor Big Storm's signage. We added a polycarbonate railing that encircles the lighthouse, as well as lighted windows to enrich its authenticity. (Above) A mock-up of the design that followed Big Storm CEO Jonathan Golden's suggestion of signage that reinforces its name. (Right) The shop built the lighthouse's outer skin from 0.090-in.-thick aluminum formed on a Roper Whitney Kombi autobrake CNC machine. 22 SIGNS OF THE TIMES August 2016 From the ground up To create a foundation for the 25-ft.tall sign, we roughed out a 3-ft.wide, 12-ft.-deep base with an auger. We fortified the sign's footing with rebar before pouring concrete, and then installed baseplates and anchor bolts for securing components. There may be a "Big Storm Brewing," but this sign isn't going anywhere;

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - August 2016

Signs of the Times - August 2016
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Why You Should Invest in a Color-Management Device
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Electric
LED Update
Software Update
Technology Review - Epson SureColor S80600
Technology Review - The AXYZ Trident
Shop Ops
Sign Museum News
New Products
Digging Deep
Writing on the Wall
Dostoevsky and the Crane Truck
Penn State Study Assesses Font Legibility
A Crossroads Celebration
Advertising Index
Editorially Speaking

Signs of the Times - August 2016