Signs of the Times - September 2012 - 77

recently restored the Joy Theatre signage on a building that had been declared an historical landmark. The original signage, built by Pelican Signs in 1947, featured a tower that used neon to “paint” the 8-ft.-tall letters from top to bottom. Then they’d constantly burn together while the letters stayed continuously halo lit with green neon. Simultaneously, the sign would chase Novial Gold II bull-nose neon units up and down the sign’s edge. Frank Gray Jr., president of Brightway Signs and S1 Gaming, said he began the project by researching the building and signage in local archives, and even purchased old photos of the sign in its original state. Next, his crews disassembled the sign and brought it to his facility to make shop drawings. They then began rebuilding the sign a piece at a time to ensure accuracy. The parish where the sign is located has a green initiative similar to other cities, counties and townships across the country. Because neon has been declared energyefficient by UL, Brightway has been allowed to keep all sides happy by restoring it with original product and meeting the green initiative as well. Frank said, “We have all this new green technology, fluorescent lighting, compact fluorescent lighting and LED lighting, with a lot being imported from China. We now know that we have been manufacturing a green alternative in the U.S. for more than 100 years.” Another sign company, Coast Graphics and Signs (Stafford, TX), made its customers happy when restoring the Alabama Theater tower sign in Houston. The customer discovered, not only was the sign being restored to its original state, but it was being done with the most effective medium to convey their message, while still allowing them to claim usage of a green product. This brings up an interesting sales concept. Perhaps in today’s internet-shopping, lowest-pricepossible marketplace, the sign industry would benefit by selling

its expertise, rather than getting in a race to the bottom with the lowest-price-possible approach. Neon, unlike other light sources, requires someone with skill and experience to manufacture, install and service the product. That, in turn, should make the product more expensive, and raise the level of competition to only include qualified sign companies, which should translate into a more stable sign market and increased profits. To maintain our customer bases, shouldn’t we separate ourselves as dependable, knowledgeable sign professionals, rather than relishing that, with other lightsources, it’s so easy that cheap labor off the street

can do it? When lighting-product manufacturers tout their brands as being so easy to use that anyone can do it, they in essence have reduced the sign industry from a skilled set of professionals with unique capabilities to just another group of people who sell commodities as if they’re loaves of bread. And when a group is perceived as commodity sellers, the only way they can differentiate themselves is by lower prices or increased service, both of which cut profits. In essence, this completely dismisses the sign industry’s skills in design, fabrication and installation. Remember, if anyone can do it, they probably will. I often wonder

When owners of the Alabama Theater in Houston, TX, were planning to have their tower sign restored, they were doubly happy. Through the use of neon, not only were they able to have the sign restored to its original state, but they would also enjoy the positive benefits of being able to say “green” products were used in the process.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES / SEPTEMBER 2012 / www.signweb.com 77

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Signs of the Times - September 2012

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