Archive for the ‘community involvement’ Category

Community Involvement – Getting Involved In The Grand River Film Festival

Getting To Know GRFF

Earlier this year the artistic sign we created for Ivan’s Reitman’s Montecito Restaurant brought a lot of media attention our way during the Toronto International Film Festival, otherwise known as TIFF.  This grabbed the attention of our local film festival known here in Kitchener Waterloo as GRFF which is short for Grand River Film Festival. This film festival looked like a great partner for our community involvement projects and decided to be involved with GRFF for the first time.

Headed For The Big Screen

The Grand River Film Festival provided us with a postive experience. The films were from a variety of genres, ranging from comedic fiction to real life modern day documentaries.  Several of the screenings involved Q&A sessions with people involved in the film that was played that day. It added insight into the film and gave you a connection to the message surrounding the it. Adding artistic value and culture to our community is something we can really get behind. The Grand River Film Festival gave our local area a reason to celebrate the great events that happen in our community and displayed a true sense of all that goes into creating a film project.  Finding out about films that are not mainstream (yet) gives you a great idea of what is coming next in the film making industry. It was an exciting festival and we were glad to be involved. We were even more excited to see our logo on the big screen!

 

Grand River Film Festival Attendees We Want To Hear From You!

Did you attend the Grand River Film Festival this year? We want to know what films you viewed and what your enjoyed most about your experience! Leave us a comment on FACEBOOK or send us a TWEET! We are always looking for ways to connect with our community both online and in person!

   

Signs 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.

 

Signs Of Community Involvement – TEDx

Connected Community

We want to ensure that our community involvement brings people together for a common good and this new event was something that was recognized as a positive change for our local area. With our past community involvement in TEDx Waterloo we were thrilled that TEDx Kitchener came to us to bring their branding to centre stage, especially since the theme for this event was Fostering Connectivity.

 For highlights from the event be sure to check out their #TEDxKitchenerED hashtag to see what those in attendance thought of the conference.

Grabbing The Attention Of An Audience

As a way to introduce TEDx Kitchener, a dimensional sign was created to draw in the audience members.  This stand up sign stood out from the stage but did not take away from the speakers’ presentations.  It is imperative for signs to have a unique look without becoming an eye-sore, so this one was designed for modern style of the TEDx brand.  To acheive the clean look the sign letters were router cut on our CNC table.

Vinyl was applied to the letters and they were placed into a custom platform piece to hold up the sign.

While following the TEDxKitchenerED twitter feed, we noticed that the sign grabbed the attention of audience member @KWSarah when she tweeted  this pic

All set for #TEDxKitchenerED tonight ! #kwawesome pic.twitter.com/NPERJQTuJv

— Sarah Bach (@kwsarah) May 20, 2014

Community Involvement In Your Area

Community involvement has always been a part of what we do here at The Sign Depot. We want to know how you get involved in your community. There are many ways of doing so. Do you volunteer? Donate to a charitable organization? Participate in community events?  How do you give back to your community? We look forward to hearing about it! Leave a comment below, post on our facebook page or send us a tweet.  We are always looking to connect with local community as well as our online community. We think that is great way to begin Fostering Connectivity.

Cupcakes, Custom Signs And Community Involvement

Creating A 3 Dimensional Store Front Sign For Cristina’s Tortina Shop

When we were first contacted by Cristina’s Tortina Shop to make a 3 dimensional sign for their cupcake business we were thrilled.  This cupcake shop knows what it means to create a community.  See what we mean by viewing the Global News Showcasing Capabilities spot about Cristina’s Tortina Shop in Brampton Ontario.

Update – City News has also done a segment

 

Finding Ways To Stand Out In The Community

As you can see this cupcake shop is great place to stop in and grab a treat, but it is also creating community awareness about the capabilities of individuals. Being a very unique spot, they wanted an out of the ordinary look for their exterior business sign. Creating a custom sign that qualified for a sign permit under the Brampton sign regulation by-laws was a challenge that the sign experts here at The Sign Depot were willing to tackle to accomodate the client’s request.

The final decision was to create a 3 dimensional sign that would suit the business and the surroundings. The sign needed to stand out, but not be viewed as an eye-sore. It was customized with vinyl graphics with the store name and logo affixed to the LED illuminated sign.

The end result is a sign that reflects the heart-warming cupcake business and provides the owner with a way to stand out from the surroundings.

If you find yourself in Brampton Ontario, we suggest you stop by Cristina’s Tortina Shop. The atmosphere is wonderful and cupcakes delicious! How do we know that the cupcakes taste so great? Let’s just say we’ve sampled the goods from Cristina’s Tortina Shop

Community Involvement Where You Live

Are you involved in creating a better community? We would love to hear your story of community involvement.  Leave a comment and link below and we will be sure to check it out!

What Story Is Your Brand Telling? Is It A Sign Of Community Involvement?

Signs That Your Brand’s Community Is Looking For The Story

It has been almost two years since Budweiser created an impact through community involvement. By speaking to their community’s love of hockey through the 2012 Super Bowl commercial, they let their audience know they understand community spirit and comradery.  Since then many brands have began to realize that it’s their stories that resonate with their audience.  New messaging has become about emotional intelligence and brand images instead of the “buy now” ads of the past. Consumers are purchasing from brands they trust and are looking to see how companies understand their needs.

Duracell’s latest ad is great example of this. Duracell makes hearing aid batteries, but at no point is it mentioned in the ad

Duracell chose to let Derrick’s story take the forefront, ending the ad with their brand image.  To many, a logo is just a way to represent a company, but brands know that images provide a respresentation for reputation of their business. They are what make businesses easy to recognize.  Being memorable is the best way to stand out in your industry.

So What’s Your Story?

What does your company do to get involved in the community? Those are the stories that your audience is looking for.  Perhaps you sponsor an event or are involved in community awareness campaign. By making the world a better place you are letting your community know you are eager to be involved in what is important to them.  That is what makes you stand out.

Refresh Your Brand And Make An Impact

If you’re not sure how to involve storytelling into your brand messaging start with your company image.  Does it make an impact? Does it stand out from others in the industry? Is it good representation of what your company stands for? If not, it may be time to refresh your brand. Rebranding your company’s image to align with your new messaging can change the way consumers see your business.   For ideas on designing a new brand image be sure to check out our post on artistic sign design and start the new year off right.

Do You Notice The Signs? A Community Involvement Project

The Sign Depot Survey

The Sign Depot Survey was created to see how signs are perceived. We posted our survey to online community and responses were complied into the infographic below.  As you can see the importance of a clear sign has an impact on how your business is viewed and how memorable your establishment is. This is our interpretation of what the responses mean.

How Often Do You Notice Signs On Your Daily Travels? Very Often was the response that ranked the highest.  To learn more about getting noticed by the traffic in your area make sure to read our post You Want To Go Where Everyone Knows Your Name

Does The Size Of The Sign Make It More Noticeable? The popular answer to this question was Yes.  There are many different measurents involved when it comes to letter size and installation height. Find out more by reading Visibility Is Key

How Likely Would You Enter A Store That Had A Sign In Poor Condition? Business owners take note! Most said it would they would NOT LIKELY visit your location if your sign is in poor condition.  Think of your store front sign as your first impression.  Custom business signs are very important to your company’s brand.

How Do you Find Out About New Businesses In Your Area? We asked those participating in the survey to choose all the answers that apply.  It was no surprise to us that A Coming Soon Sign, Social Media and From A Friend were at the top of the list. We believe the best way to build buzz about a new business is with signage, social media and referrals!

When You Give Directions Do You Use Landmarks? The majority answered yes that they do use landmarks to give directions.  Having a memorable landmark on your property is another way to get your name out there.

What Is Your Favorite Colour? This was more just for curiosity sake, but you may want to keep the colours in mind when it comes to your company logo.

Thanks to everyone answered our questions we appreciate your community involvement!

Valentine’s Sign Part 2 – My Valentine

Ode To Valentine’s Signs

Last year when @TheSignDepot tweeted out Valentine’s Sign https://sign-depot.on.ca/valentines-sign/ it took quite a few by surprise when they didn’t see a custom made sign on the page.  Instead they saw the American Sign Language symbol for Valentine.  In keeping with this tradition this year we want to show you Paul McCartney’s song My Valentine complete with American Sign Language contributions from Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp.

 

Custom Business Signs For Blackberry – Signs Of Good Things To Come For Waterloo Region’s RIM

Business Signs For Blackberry

The Region Of Waterloo is know as being the technology hub of Canada.  In more recent years The Tannery Building in Kitchener Ontario has become quite a think tank for the tech industry.  The Sign Depot was selected by several of The Tannery’s tenants to provide custom reception signs that fit their businesses as well as the re-purposed building where they now reside.  A few names you may recognize are Desire2Learn, Cutegecko, VeloCity Garage, MFX Partners and Mad Hatter Tech. Beyond reception signs we have been a regular supplier of custom business signs for The Communitech Hub located in The Tannery. The Communitech Hub is a collaberative workspace for tech based businesses.  The most well known tech company in Waterloo Region is Research In Motion, who is about to launch the latest Blackberry.  To promote RIM’s upcoming release Communitech came to The Sign Depot to create a sign to coincide with the Blackberry launch.

Signs Of Celebration  

 Research In Motion is a highly visible company in this area and RIM is well known for their Community Involvement. To celebrate the upcoming launch of RIM’s latest Blackberry smartphone they are holding celebrations in three separate parts of The Region Of Waterloo.  Below is the information about the upcoming community Skating Parties being hosted by Research In Motion on Wednesday January 30, 2013 in The City Of Kitchener, The City Of Waterloo and The City Of Cambridge.

• Waterloo – Public Square/City Hall 75 King St S Waterloo, ON 5:30pm – 8:30pm
• Kitchener – City Skate Rink/City Hall 200 King St W Kitchener, ON 7:00pm – 8:30pm
• Cambridge – Central Park Skating Rink 615 King Street, Cambridge, ON 5:30pm – 7:30pm

These free community skating parties also include include free hot chocolate, cookies, and music. We think this is a sign of good things to come!

 

The Sign Depot Presents TYPEFACE

TYPEFACE Explores The Custom Typography Community

We are thrilled to be partnering with The Princess Cinema to present the TYPEFACE screening happening Monday October 15th in Waterloo Ontario. Find out more about typography, type setting, lettering and it’s role in the information age.  Designers and artists will enjoy the idea behind this movie and it will be interesting to see how it many will have a connection to this unique film.

There is a lot of buzz about this movie and we want to share excitement by giving away a pair of ticket to the screening! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway Want to ensure you get to see the film?  Then grab a ticket over at the Event Page.

Want to know more about TYPEFACE? Interested in typography and letter setting? Perhaps you are just looking for a different kind of film based around history and its influence on modern day techniques. Take a look at the  info listed from The Princess Cinema’s event page.

 Typeface focuses on a rural Midwestern museum and print shop where international artists meet retired craftsmen and together navigate the convergence of modern design and traditional technique.

A Part of the Art, Design & Architecture film series in September & October at the Original Princess. All seats $10. A special series pass that offers admission to all 8 films in the series is available for $70. The discussion of this film’s arrival is causing quite a stir in a community filled with design/art and culture.  We hope you will join us Oct 15th at The Princess Cinema as we introduce the TYPEFACE film to the Kitchener Waterloo area.  Let us know if you are attending by sending us a tweet, or posting on our facebook page.  This film is bound to influence the audience.  Make sure you are part of it.  

Green Economy and The Sign Depot Workspace

 

How Do You Define Green Economy?

That was the question that Sustainable Waterloo Region asked via twitter

best practices for both your company & your surroundings #GreenEconomy

As you can see my answer my answer earned me a spot at their forum.

The forum was held at CIGI.  As many of you know The Centre For International Governance Innovation is a prestigious “Think Tank” located here in Waterloo Region.  The Sign Depot has worked with CIGI on several signage projects over the years, and I was looking forward to see their completed building.  Being invited by Sustainable Waterloo Region made me think more in depth about how The Sign Depot functions and what green initiatives we have in place.

Keeping It green

When Sustainable Waterloo Region’s Mike Morrice spoke about how many local business, including Quarry Integrated Communications set goals as a company and were able to get others companies such as Mercedes Corporation (another company we work closely with) on board,I began to jot down ideas about how Sign Depot as a company is working to be earth-friendly.

Location is everything

First off we are located in a re-purposed building.  Our building situated at Charles St. and Borden Ave. in Kitchener was originally home to the Doon Twines Rope Company.   The initial move it took some adjusting to the building and its quirks, but we feel the brick and morter showroom fits in quite nicely with the look of our sandblasted wood signs.

Making It last a lifetime

Our sandblasted custom signs are made from western red cedar, known for its rot resistance.  Signs made from cedar require little maintenance other than the occasional fresh coat of paint every 7-10 years.  The longevity of wood signs make it a great choice for those who try to keep items out of the landfill.

Let there be light

In recent years there has been a real change in the way signs are lit.  In our more recent projects, Beertown and The Rustic Lofts LED lights were featured as a replacement for marquee sign bulbs.  This is not the only use for LEDs when it comes to sign lighting.  We have used them in several projects.  The Frugal Decorator and The Purple Room are a couple examples of how halo lighting can be achieved through the use of LEDs

Keep in house, hospitable

Inside our work-space there are many things we strive to achieve while still keeping this business sign company on track.  It wasn’t until the temperature hit 32 degrees Celsius that our air conditioning was turned on.  Utilities are often not thought of when talking about Green Economy issues, as was brought up at the forum.  Finding ways to create your products while still thinking of the environment are often brought up in staff discussions.

Some other ways we have chose to green up the company are

• reuse of our sandblast grit
• recycling of substrates deemed no longer useable
• shredding paper to use as packing supplies
• using materials for other projects altogether

Craig Haney asked the attendees to “Think about your circle of influence” and use it to bring environmental issues to the forefront.  I hope this post has done that.

Now I am turning the question towards you, the reader of this post.  What green initiatives have you implemented as an individual and/or as a business?