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I Saw The Sign HDU Letters Contest – High Density Urethane

 

Did You See The Sign?

Heading into The Sign Depot workshop today I noticed a lot of of High Density Urethane  (HDU) sign letters had been routered on the CNC table.  It looked like quite a letter jumble to me, so I figured this would make a great contest for our online community. Get your thinking caps on! What do you think it says? Give a guess of what this HDU sign letters will end up spelling. 

HDU Letter Jumble 

Now we don’t have anything spectacular like a new car or a dream cruise, BUT who wouldn’t want a SIGN DEPOT SANDBLASTED WOOD BLOCK????

Try and win one by figuring out our HDU Letter Jumble with white  sign letters in the pic above.  Send your answers to accounting@sign-depot.on.ca with CONTEST in the subject line (hints will be posted on our facebook page and twitter).

Let us know that you saw the sign and what your HDU letter jumble answer is! You could be the proud owner of of a custom cedar block. Be the envy of all of your friends! Boast about your letter jumble skills and be the master of the HDU letter contest!

Look at how happy our cedar block makes Dave! 

 The winner will be notified Friday February 25, 2011 

Note the winner must be able to pick up their SIGN DEPOT BLOCK at 51 Borden Ave S. Kitchener Ontario.

We look forward to all the answers, but only one winner will be picked for this contest. 

Update

Darren White of Makebright is the winner of our HDU letter jumble contest. He was able to decipher the answer as  THE PURPLE ROOM. To find more info on our High Density Urethane signs be sure to stop by our sign shop or contact us here at The Sign Dept to see how dimensional HDU sign letters will help you stand out from the competition.

Artistic Sign Makers And Their Late Night Art

Artistic Sign Inspirations

Last week we hosted our first Art Event. Late Nights And Blue Collar Mornings was a huge success. I wish we could thank each and everyone of you individually, but this post would be awfully long! So hopefully this simplistic THANK-YOU TO ALL covers each person that took part. This local community event  could not have gone any better. The atmosphere was outstanding, several pieces are now with their new owners and everyone left happy. Just when you thought that the amount of community support we rallied up for the event couldn’t get any greater…. it did.

The days following the event were just as exciting. Some of the area’s most popular bloggers were writing about the event. Each had different takes on what they saw and what took place within the walls of our artistic workspace. _______________________________________________________________________________________

Darin White of Makebright, Michael Stark of 365-KW ,Hilary Abel of RQ Magazine & Amy Vandenburg of CurlyBlue gave the show rave reviews and were kind enough to mention us in the mix. Here’s how our BIG space contributed to Dave’s show.

We are on our way to another BIG project but in a different form all together. Make sure to watch for the twitter hashtag #GIANTbeerCap to see what is being constructed next.

Have you been to The Sign Depot workshop? Did you notice something gave you some artistic inspiration? We would love to hear about it.  We are often in awe of the artistic community we are situated in, and want to do our best to support the amazing local artists in our community. For more information on how we are involved The Region Of Waterloo please read our post about The Sign Depot’s Community Involvement. We would love to hear about how your get your workplace involved in your community!

How To Keep Custom Wood Signs In Tip Top Shape

Time for Some Spring Cleaning!

As mentioned in our newsletter http://mim.io/179ed

 Once you have invested in a great looking custom wood sign you should take a few steps to keep your cedar sign looking great

• Twice a year wash and wax your sign. Use a mild dish soap and soft brissle brush ( paint brush ) to gently loosen surface dirt – follow with a though rinse with clean water. A light coat and buff with typical spray on car wax will help repell water and keep your sign looking good.
• Remove any weeds or vines that are crawling up your cedar sign posts.  They may look interesting, but they can do a bit of damage to the finish
• After about 7 years (depending on sun exposure) bring it into The Sign Depot workshop for refurbishing. It will leave looking brand new.

Now that we’ve had some warmer temperatures make sure to get outside and take a look to see if you’re Curb Appeal is still APPEALING. If not try the tips above.  Your custom sandblasted sign is made from rot resistant western red cedar which means with a little TLC your wood sign will last for generations. Traditional personalized signs are great heirlooms for family members and they can display signs of your rich family heritage.  They have a historic quality that is unquie to all other types of residential signs.  For more examples of our custom signs make sure to visit the Portforlio on The Sign Depot website.

Stay In The Loop

Want to receive monthly tips? Make sure to sign up for our newsletter The Sign Depot Signage Signal in the right side bar. You’ll learn tricks for better business branding, see the custom sign projects here evolve and stay in the loop about upcoming community events just like this one Late Nights And Blue Collar Mornings

Artistic Signs Late Nights and Blue Collar Mornings @ The Sign Depot

Artistic Signs Start With Artists

Next week is the February Long Weekend. Since it’s been too cold to do anything outside we decided to host something indoors. Our first Art Show is happening on Saturday Feb 19th from 6:30pm to 11:30pm here at 51 Borden Ave S. Kitchener. All details can be found at this link OR click the pic at the bottom of this post to see an enlarged version.

OR follow the hashtag on twitter #sdART Some fantastic artists make Kitchener Waterloo their home and we hope this region will support all that they do enrich the artistic culture here.

They are many ways the community can get involved to support local artistic talent.  Attending a local art show is just one of the ways our artistic sign makers find inspiration for the unique sign work that they do.  Finding different ways to sculpt signs, produce stand out memorable landmarks and experiment with finishing techniques such as distressed rust finishes or gold leaf guilding are just some of the artistic ways they create custom signs.

As you can see some of these artistic sign techniques have crossed over into the art world and are now being used to create artistic pieces for the masses.  You are never sure how your work can influence others, but in this case sign work inspired a full scale art show.

 Sign Up To See The Art

See what The Sign Depot looks like after dark.  It may just surprize you.  We want our custom signs to be part of the artistic landscape of our community.  Come by and see what you would like to see more of when it comes to artistic signs.  We appreciate your input and look forward to hosting you in our Sign Depot workshop. Perhaps you will see a piece that speaks to you. 

How Our Heritage Signs Deemed Us A Museum of Signs

 

Museum Of Signs

… that was the quote of the day last week at our Designers’ Demo Day/Open House aka #designDAYsd from the one of guests Mr. Matt Scobel

We welcomed the Design community to stop in have a drink from Ridge Road Estates Winery and a bite to eat from Little Mushroom Catering while learning all the different ways they could incorporate signage into their clients portforlios. By reaching out to the design community we found a way to connect with artistic designers looking for unique items that they could offer their clients.  By holding this open house in our workspace we were able to let them know about many sign materials and substrates that we work with along with the artistic sign finishing techniques we use.

There was a Router Table/CNC demonstration, a gold leaf guilding application and a power point presentation highlighting the scope of work we can produce.

Heritage Heirloom Signs

We were so happy that many out of town, as well as local designers were able to make the trek to visit us in January.We received many remarks about our custom signs, but it was our traditonal  personalized wood signs that caught eyes of many.  They appreciated the craftsmanship that goes into making heritage signs and wanted to learn more about the sandblasted sign making process. The process of creating custom wood signs was a popular topic for the majority of design demo day and we were happy to answer all the questions we could in regards to custom sandblasted cedar signs.

First Round Of Feedback

Although we will be following up with the designers to hear the feedback from our first Sign Depot Designers’ Demo Day we were thrilled by the compliments we received on site!

To hear what some of our Designers’ Demo Day visitors thought of what they saw here in the The Sign Depot workspace take a look at this video, where we were deemed a Museum Of Signs.

Artistic Signs For Restaurants – Happy 50th Wayne Gretzky

Proud To Be Canadian

Today a National Hero turns 50!

Did you know that The Great One trusts only THE SIGN DEPOT to take care of his Restaurant Signage?  The artistic signs we create here at The Sign Depot are often sought after by the restaurant industry because our unique approach to business branding.  Finding ways to incorporate logos and text in creative ways, just like we did for Wayne Gretzky’s restaurant, makes our custom signs stand out from competitors.  Sign Depot’s professional sign crafters use only professional grade signs materials and artisic sign finishes to manufacture custom restaurant signs for many companies in the Canadian Restaurant and Food Service industry. 

 Types Of Restaurant Signs We Make

• Custom entrance-way signs
• Artistic interior design elements
• Interior Wayfinding signs
• Exterior Wayfinding and Parking Lot signs
• A-frame menu displays
• Window decals
• Promotional Vehicle graphics

Have A Vision? We Can Help

The professional signs makers here at The Sign Depot have a talent for taking your vision and constructing it to meet and exceed your sign expectations.  Being purveyors of artistic signs, we take pride in creating a customized sign for your business.  A stand out sign that will show just how unique your establishment is.  When you choose to be original then only a one of a kind sign will do.  We want to endusre that your custom business signs leave a memorable first impression.  One that impresses customers and adds to the welcoming atmosphere of your location. 

Get In Touch 

To get in contact with one of our artistic sign makers make sure to visit our contact us page.  We will happy to answer any questions you may have in regards to custom signs.  Why not reach out to us? As Wayne Gretzky says

You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take

 

Wholesale Wood Signs – Featured In SignMedia Canada

Sandblasted Signs To The Sign Trade

The Sign Depot was thrilled to featured in the January 2011 Edition of SignMedia Canada.  The article profiled the company starting from it’s humble beginnings and following how The Sign Depot evolved into a full service sign shop with a sandblasted wood sign wholesale department that wholesales to the sign trade.  This is want makes us unique to many other sign shops.  We are able to manufacture wholesale cedar signs here in our workshop.  Our wholesale wood signs have been shipped all over North America and our clients come back over and over. Hand-carved wood signs have lots of options so that sign retailers can customize the look they wish to achieve

The Five Steps To Wholesale Wood Signs

We always want to give our clients the best possible service and in order to adhere to the quick turnaround times required for our wholesale we ask that they follow these 5 steps.

1. Change all fonts to curves or line art
2. Send us vector file formats – .ai – .eps – .dxf – .cdl or .cdr
3.  Confirm overall dimensions
4.  Let us know if the wholesale sign is to be Single sided or double sided
5.  We will need to know if the sign is to be Finished or unfinished

By receiving the digital artwork design and following the guidelines for ordering with our wholesale sign department, the process is streamlined and your should receive your quote within one business day.  Please send the required info to sales@sign-depot.on.ca or visit our contact us page

*NOTE If you are a Designer and wish to learn more about The Sign Depot  request an invite to The Sign Depot Designers’ Demo Day happening Wednesday January 26th 2011 from 3-6pm.  We’ll be having live demos of how we manufacture signs here in our sign workshop and will be happy to answer any questions you have about out sign making processes.

How Artistic A-Frame Signs Build Brand Buzz For Businesses

Eye-catching Signs

Here at The Sign Depot we often talk about a uniform look across the board.  We think consistent branding makes your company recognizable and your business memorable. Custom business signs that stand out get your company noticed and help you reach potential new customers. A great mix for a store front is a custom business sign, bold window graphics and an A-Frame sign advertising what your specialty service is. 

 

What You Need To Know About A-Frame Signs

A-frames, sometimes known as sandwich board signs,  date back to the 19th century as a form of advertising and have stood the test of time.  Their unique ability to attract customers into shops is well work the investment. A-Frame signs are available in many different styles.  They range from a metal frame with coroplast inserts to artistic A-Frames made from wood.  The come in several sizes.  Smaller sized A-Frame signs are often used by Real Estate Agents to advertise an Open House, mid-sized A-Frames work well outside storefronts and large A-Frame signs are great at capturing the attention in heavy traffice areas. Here are a few things to consider when thinking about A-Frame signs.

Five Things To Consider When Ordering A-Frame Signs

1. Where will the A-Frame sign be placed?
2. What will it be advertising?
3. How big does the A-Frame sign need to be?
4. What branding elements will be displayed?
5. Does it require coroplast inserts, a chalkboard surface or a whiteboard?

 

Adding artistic elements to your A-Frame makes your sign noticeable.  This is great way to reach potential clients that are in your area. A-Frame signs create buzz about upcoming events, in-store specials, menu items and so much more.  Make sure to speak to one of our professional signs makers here at The Sign Depot and they can help you find what works best for your business. Designing custom business signs and knowing what works best in which area is just the beginning of their expertise.

 

 

We Take The Same Approach To Custom Projects As We Do Custom Wood Signs – Fine Canadian Craftsmenship

Let It Snow

This year we had an abundance of snow and chose to take advantage of it while it was still here.  The team at Sign Depot decided to hit the local toboggan hill to test out the handcrafted toboggans.

Below is a slide show of Sign Depot getting ready for the Christmas Season.    Thanks to everyone who pops in to see us, or checks us out onlline! 2010 was really fantastic & CHEERS to continuing it on in 2011   

As you may have noticed the MOIRS toboggans are a feature of the slideshow above. These custom wood toboggans are often inquired about when visitors pop by for one of our community events.

Proud To Be Canadian

These man made toboggans are a tribute to Canadian heritage.  They are handcrafted from re-purposed materials that may look familiar to Canadian sports enthusiasts. The MOIRS toboggans are made from recycled skis. Talk about your Green Economy!  Being know for our creative approach to signs and design projects, it was not a far stretch when these skis became a quite a show piece in The Sign Depot workspace. After before the final product was assembled there were lots of intricate steps elements involved including sanding to an ultra smooth surface, high gloss finishes, sturdy hardware as well as vinyl decals displaying the logo.  After the toboggans were fully assembled they required a test team and we were eager to see how well they worked. The staff at The Sign Depot trekked up the city’s highest hill in the name of market research. Lets say that  the test run for these wood toboggans grabbed a lot of attention, just the way our custom signs do and as you can see from the video below, fun in the sun was the theme for that Christmas Party!

 

 

Commnunity Involvement Year In Review 2010 @ The Sign Depot

Ever Notice How Quickly Things Change?

This time last year we headed in a new direction. This direction happened to take us across the street, with a few detours along the way. Thank goodness we are masters in the art of wayfinding signs, or should I say in the artistic way of wayfinding?

We had just moved into the Access Storage Building formerly known as Doon Twines/Canada Cordage.  There were a few hurdles along the way.  Our move went in two parts.  The shop was being setup downstairs, but the office would not be ready in time, so we had a “makeshift” office upstairs.  During that time we learned a lot about this building and all of it’s passageways, elevators and mishaps that can happen with a heritage building.

Early spring the office was completed and setup began.  After that we hosted a public Open House and Food Drive to welcome the community to our new location.  It was a great event filled with friends both old and new.

Summer came and it brought a new employee, new business and a new project.  Besides our day to day operations, a Pirate, his ship and a trusty first mate we constructed.  We visitors almost daily to watch this project evolve.

Since then we’ve had several projects both locally and Toronto based.

Now with this whirlwind year winding down, we’re happy to announce the launch of our new site, a Designers’ Day event in January & an Art Showing coming in February.  Want to keep up with us in 2011?  It’s easy, just sign up for our Monthly newsletter in the right side bar of this page.  We really enjoy our location and are looking forward to more community involvement projects. We promise to keep you in the loop.

Happy Holidays From Everyone at The Sign Depot!