Blog
No Comments Vintage Look Dimensional Signs For Abe Erb
Showing Kitchener Waterloo’s Heritage With Signs
When the owners of Abe Erb first contacted us about their new Pub that would be opening, they mentioned they reached out to us because of the artistic signs we display on our Sign Depot website. They were wanted dimesnional signs with a vintage look and Peter Moir (owner of Sign Depot) said our distressed finished signs would fit the bill.
Custom Dimensional Signs With A Throwback Thrown In
The Abe Erb project included an exterior entranceway sign for the restaurant, a store front sign for their beer shop and copy of historical map of Waterloo Ontario. Because all three signs are for outdoor use they needed to be able to withstand the conditions of all four seasons. The dimensionalcutout letters and custom crafted hexagons (manufactured to look like bolt heads) for the entranceway and store front sign were cnc cut from high density urethane (otherwise known as HDU). The HDU items were affixed to an aluminum panel backer.
The signs were given our faux rust finished to achieve the look of a vintage sign.
The map which you can see a detailed look on the CONTACT section of the Abe Erb website, was a fabricated on to an aluminum panel.
Building A Brand Buzz
During the weeks leading up to the opening of Abe Erb they used their signage as a means to promote their new establishment. Brand buzz was built on the Abe Erb social media channels. They ran contests asking future patrons to tweet out pics of themselves with the signs. This increased exposure for their company and ramped up brand buzz about Abe Erb’s involvement in the community.
@abe_erb Beer is his middle name, I want to win! Sorry! I was doing it as fast as possible 😉 you guys are awesome! pic.twitter.com/zVGZay5ujb
— Valerie (@Val3ri328) October 13, 2014For more examples of the types of signs we make for dining establishements, be sure to visit our Restaurant Signs gallery. If you are looking for dimensional signs then contact us first!
Gold Leaf Gilding Gilt
Although the above terms are the same by definition according to Wikipedia
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as “gilt”.
Here at The Sign Depot it meant we would be Gilding a Sign for Gilt Restaurant with Gold Leaf.
Getting Ready To Glisten
The dimensional sign for Gilt Restaurant began with CNC cutting the structure for the custom sign
and then the gilded finish was applied to the sign give it the shine that can only be acheived by 23 karat gold leaf.
Not only does gold leaf attract the attention of passers-by, it is an finish that withstand the elements which makes it a great choice for an outdoor sign.
Additionally the custom sign for Gilt Restaurant was equiped with LEDs to ensure that the sign would glisten both day an night.
Once assembled the exterior sign was prepped for installation
After the sign was affixed to the building exterior, temporary signage was displayed in the window to build buzz about the restaurant for downtown core.
For more examples of the types of signs we make for dining establishements, be sure to visit our Restaurant Signs gallery. If you are looking for gold leaf sign then contact us first! I think you’ll take a shine to us!
Thanks @TheSignDepot we absolutely love our sign! #amazing #kwawesome #openingsoon pic.twitter.com/zxbavv6mVq
— Gilt Restaurant (@giltrestaurant) August 26, 2014Signs That Canada AM Likes The Kitchener Waterloo Community As Much As We Do
Creating Community Involvement
Last week Canada AM came to the Kitchener Waterloo area to broadcast their television program from the St. Jacobs Market. The majority of that episode focused on the community involvement in this region, whether it be at the rural community, or the technology sector. Here at The Sign Depot we are thrilled to be part of both of those communities as well.
Crafting Custom Signs For The Market Community
We have been involved in the St. Jacobs community for years, whether it be businesses within the St. Jacobs Village, for farms in the region or at the St Jacobs Market itself.
Communitech Community Spotlight on Canada AM
While Canada Am spoke a lot about the local market they also stopped by the Communitech Hub to see how the technology community has evolved over the years. We were thrilled that many of the custom signs that we have created for the HUB were featured in their video tour of that section of The Tannery Building.
Collaberation Is Key When It Comes To Community
If you watched the episode (if you missed it just click the image above) you would have heard them speak about collaberating within the community whether it be rural community, the urban area, the educational sector, regional governement or the business community. The key to this community is collaberation. It’s what gets things done. It also encourages giving back to an area that is rich is culture and heritage. That is what creating a community like this is all about. Seeing how everyone can come together to evolve the area.
Our next Sign Depot collaberation project is with the Grand River Film Festival happening next month. Keep watch on Facebook and Twitter feeds for information about this year’s event. We look forward to this new sponsorship project for the company and hope you get a chance to attend this event and other arts and culture activities in the Kitchener Waterloo Ontario area.
Custom Sign Letters For Velocity
Creating A New Custom Sign For Velocity
While many of you are familiar with the custom sign we created for Velocity Garage in 2012, they decided to rebrand their technology incubator to encompass all of their facilities. Their original sign was created with individual cutout high density urethane letters (otherwise know as HDU or sign foam),
so it HDU was the logical choice when it came to choosing material for this new batch of custom signs.
The custom sign letters were cut on our CNC router table but this time they were finished in black to give them a sleek and sophisticated look. The letters were prepped for pin mounting and different wording was used for each location.
Velocity Four Ways
Even though University of Waterloo’s Velocity had a different focus for each area, it was important to show that Velocity Garage, Velocity Residence, Velocity Science and Velocity Foundry are all connected and they used signage to establish this connection. You can see the similarities in the posts below. Each image shows the signs as focal points but lets the text speak for the space.
It's packed in the Velocity Science Open Lab! Don't worry, everyone will get a chance to see/hear about the new lab. pic.twitter.com/uqHpythejb
— Velocity (@UWvelocity) May 27, 2014Custom Signs Are Great Ways To Grab Attention
Velocity understands the importance of standing out in the startup community. Grabbing the attention of entrepreneurial leaders is always an important factor when it comes to creating a new business. Finding what makes you unique from others in your industry can get you well on your way to success. We specialize in attention grabbing custom signs. We want ensure your business stands out. Our custom signs create impact without looking intrusive or out of place. When you are opening a new establishment or rebranding an existing business always look for ways to grab attention in a pleasing manor.
Velocity managed to grab our attention by including The Sign Depot installers at the end of this video. They have certainly made an impact!
Signs That Cottage Season Is Over For Another Year
Signing Off On Cottage Season
Being a company that makes custom cottage signs, we thought this news may come easier from us. We wanted to let you know that cottage season is once again coming to close. While you may not want to believe it, we have proof.
Signs That Cottage Season Is Over For Another Year
Normally the signs that cottage season is ending and fall is beginning include leaves turning red
and geese flying south for the winter.
This is not the case this year. In case you missed it, The Weather Network posted this image on their facebook page yesterday (Sept 10 2014) of the conditions happening in Calgary.
We think this is one of the biggest warning signs we have that it is time to prepare the cottage for the winter. Last year we provided you 5 Websites To Help You Close Your Cottage For The Winter and with the unpredictable weather we thought it would be best to give you some more places to look for information on winterizing your cottage.
More Websites To Help You Close Your Cottage For The Winter
- Cottage Closing Electrical Safety Tips
- Cottage Closing Checklist From Hydro One
- Seasons from The Practical Cottager
- Winterizing Your Cottage from Trusted Pros
- Winterizing Your Summer Cabin Or Vacation Home
The tips above are give you a good idea about the workload ahead of you when prep your family cottage for the winter season. Our tip is to protect your exterior custom cottage sign from winter damage by following these steps
-
Wash it with soap and water. A mild liquid dish detergent will do the trick
-
Let it dry
-
Give it a polish with a spray car wax (ie Turtle Wax)
This will add luster to the wood sign and serve as a protectant against the winter elements.
So while we have you thinking of winter, we just want to remind you that Personalized Cottage Signs make great Christmas Gifts and it’s never too early to CONTACT US and get your order in!
Del Dente To Dels Dimensional Signs
Adding Dimension To The Dels Enoteca Pizzeria
If you have visited Kitchener Waterloo Ontario there is a very good chance you have noticed the Charcoal Restaurant dimensional signs on the exterior of their building.
The Charcoal Group, known for their foreward thinking in the food industry, made the decision to rebrand their Del Dente Restaurant to Dels Enoteca Pizzeria. As described on their website the new logo was born out of the idea that our cuisine is an art form. The shape behind the word dels is a graphic representation of a hand-made pizza dough as well as a spot of sauce that might have splashed onto the chef’s coat when they took the first taste-test. Or, it is the splash of paint from an artist’s paintbrush. The customized font to represent ‘dels’ reminds us of spaghetti or linguine noodles and it exudes a fun and approachable feeling. The logo and identity will embrace that feeling that will flow into all touch points that the guest might see or touch. To bring the brand identity to the forefront during the establishment’s renovations, our expert sign-makers created dimensional signs to reflect the restaurant refresh.
Rebrand, Remove, Renew, Refresh and Repurpose During Restaurant Renovations
There were several steps involved in the Dels Enoteca Pizzeria Signage Package. Once the rebranding renovations began, time was of the essence to change over the Del Dente dimensional sign to #TheNewDels signs.
Removal of the iconic sign
Installation of temporary signage
Construction of new dimensional signs
Refurbishing of previous sign pieces 
Installation of the new signage package 
If you check out the video below you will see that several artistic signs were fabricated for Dels as well as some of their other signs were repurposed for the project.
Although they are no longer in their original spots they have been installed in new locations around the building. If you happen to see any of these dimensional signs while you are at the restaurant, be sure to tweet us a pic!
Custom Crafted Beer Signs – International Beer Day
The First Friday In August Is International Beer Day
Being located in Canada’s Home of Oktoberfest, we know how popular beer is in Canada. With Oktoberfest just being a few months away, International Beer Day is a great way to gear up for our local Bavarian festival. Here at The Sign Depot we are very familar with lots of Canadian breweries both big companies and small local crafted beer, along with the restaurants that serve their beverages. We decided today would be a great day to display some of the custom crafted beer signs we have created over the years.
Crafted Beer Signs
When it come to the big beer brewers in Canada the most well know brand is Molson Canadian.
We have crafted several beer signs for Molsons over the years, but one of the most recognizable one would be the one situated in Air Canada Centre.
Smaller craft breweries also come to us for signs that will help then stand out from their competitors. Recently Innocente Brewing Company opened it’s doors in Waterloo Ontario and a custom wood sign was one of the tools they used to brand this new beer company.
Restaurant and Pub Signs
When it comes to establishments that serve ale and lager, there is quite a variety of crafted beer signs that fit the bill.
To learn more be sure to read our post Custom Pub Signs – Traditional VS Modern. There you will learn why custom crafted and personalization of pub signs is of tremendous importance.
How You Celebrate International Beer Day
Do you have plans for International Beer Day? Celebrating could mean checking out a local patio or gathering friends at the cottage! Grabbing a pint is custom on long weekends and being that International Beer Day falls on the Civic Holiday Long weekend here in Ontario Canada we raise a glass to you, however you choose to celebrate. Cheers everyone!
An Artistic Sign For Director Ivan Reitman’s Montecito Restaurant
Need An Artistic Sign? Who You Gonna Call?
We were thrilled to get the call that we had been chosen to manufacture an artistic sign for Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman’s Montecito Restaurant in Toronto Ontario.
As mentioned in the Ottawa Citizen article Montecito, it is named after his production company, and can be found in the heart of Toronto’s entertainment district. It will be located close to the Toronto International Film Festival hub the TIFF Bell Lightbox. With TIFF releasing their 2014 film lineup earlier today the timing is just right for the opening of Montecito.
Bringing Something Unique To The Area
Restaurant co-owner Jonathan Waxman took a unique approach to the fare being served and will focus the menu around Canadian sourced ingredients. We also took a creative approach and created a sign as unique as the restaurant itself. Finding a way to bring artistic elements to a metal sign can be quite a challenge, but by using a few creative sign-making techniques the project came together nicely. It began with a metal sign with a dark distressed-look finish to resemble patina (otherwise know as a weathered material).
The restaurant’s graphic logo resembles the trees in this ariel shot of Montecito California
and in order to make it a focal point for the sign the image was hand engraved into the metal sign.
Additionally the name Montecito was cut out of the sign to leave room for the amber lit LEDs to shine through. The sign was then installed on the exterior of the building to let customers know that they are now open for business.
Recipe For Success
The upscale atmosphere for the restaurant in the artistic entertainment distric of Toronto will be a great fit, but they aren’t taking themselves too seriously. See what we mean in the Toronto Star article where you can see a Ghostbusters inspired recipe for a Staypuff dessert.
Looking for an artisitc sign for your business? Be sure to visit our CONTACT US page and let us know we have peaked your interest! By sending us the size, shape, text you require we can get a custom sign quote off to you right away!
Five Things To Avoid When Designing A Custom Sign
Stop Making These Mistakes
Just drive into any busy downtown area and you will see a variety of custom signs. Some signs look great and others would fall in the “needs improvement” category. Below are five things mistakes to avoid when creating a custom sign design.
-
Too Much Information If your sign has too much information it will look too busy
-
Several Fonts Choosing to use several different fonts can make your sign look like a jumbled mess
-
Ignoring Zoning Requirements If you ignore the local bylaw zoning it could result in your sign being removed at your expense
-
Not Thinking About Letter Height If you don’t think about letter height your message may not stand out
-
Forgetting To Consider Traffic If you forget to conside the type of traffic in the area, you risk a lack of visibility.
Things To Remember When Desiging A Custom Sign
Now that you what to avoid, we have a list of what to consider when designing a custom sign
-
Check the local sign permit requirements
-
See if your business quailifies for any grants or funding
-
Know the budget you have to work with before you start creating a signage package
-
Design your custom sign to be visable from its location
-
Choose a font that represents your brand
-
Think about those passing by the sign. Will they be on foot, in a vehicle or both?
-
Remember your sign is a 24 hour advertisement for your business
Are you still not sure where to start with all of this? That’s where a professional sign maker comes in. They have the ability to make the most of your budget and while designing a signage package that best suits your brand. Once they have everything in place all that is left is your approval of the sign quote!
Business Sign Grants And Funds
Investing In Local Businesses
Many businesses are looking for economical ways to raise awareness of their company in hopes to increase profits. Mashable suggests that brick and motar businesses should act like startups when it comes to funding. That is one of the many approaches that businesses should look at when it comes to their finances. Another way is to look into grants and funds that the local area has to offer. Many City Halls and Business Improvement Associations offer Facade Grant Programs to revitalize areas in their communities.
Facade Grants And Funds
Many Facade Upgrade programs see business signage as a big part of improving storefronts and streetscapes. They will want to know that you are working with a professional sign maker before the approval process can begin.
Steps To Sign Up For A Business Sign Upgrade
There are several steps in acquiring approval for a Facade Grant. These are some starting points to find out how much your business qualifies for when it comes to funds and grants.
-
Talk to an expert sign maker about what type of sign you will want to have placed on your storefront
-
Let them know if they should request the sign permit or if you will be taking the task on yourself
-
Contact the administrator of the grant/fund program to find out about any stipulations and/or timelines you need to meet
Although this may seem like a big task to undertake, a grant can take your business from this
to this
You can read more about this Business Sign Project on our post about giving Downtown Kitchener A Facelift
Below are list of 10 areas in Ontario that are offering Facade Upgrade Grants. If you think your company qualifies for a new business sign, be sure to Contact Us and we can help start the process!
