class="tag"Posts Tagged ‘HDU’
No Comments 3 Dimensional Sign Manufacturing In Kitchener Waterloo – WaterlooMIN Takes It All In
Where Will We Be Found Next?
Building a buzz around Waterloo Region is something that we enjoy creating, but we’re not the only ones. WaterlooMIN re-branded and is creating a lot of sparks in the local manufacturing industry. We were excited to be included in their re-launch event and took the opportunity to make several connections with those involved in the WaterlooMIN site.
Julia Rosien of WaterlooMIN came by The Sign Depot to get a behind the scenes glimpse of the sign manufacturing industry. She took the time to create a post and video about her experience. She mentioned that our OPEN DOOR policy is very rare in the manufacturing community and appreciated by their organization. It is great to know that Waterloo Region supports what we are doing and helping other local manufactures to excel in their industry through the use of the WaterlooMIN site.
Julia’s full post can be found on the WaterlooMIN site, as well as this video describing what we do and showing some behind the scenes of the 3 dimensional sign for The Silver Spoon located in downtown Kitchener Ontario. http://youtu.be/Tdm8sttN1hQ?hd=1Our online pressence through the use of Social Networks was discussed at length. That discussion evolved into how blogging and how our twitter and facebook pages are used to amplify the posts. Julia gave us a lot of great feedback on these topics and reinforced the idea that the blog is a great tool to create a community following.
This month we’re proud to announce that The Sign Depot has been added to WaterlooMIN ‘s EXPERT BLOGGER list under the heading of Marketing Matters. There, we will be exploring blogging in the manufacturing industry and steps you can take to reach a bigger audience. We’ll be explaining the difference between static websites and blogs. We want to show manufactures how to build a following and create a community, and tips to get your message out through the use of Social Networks. We think connecting with our online audience is a Sign Of Things To Come!
What tools do you use to create a online pressence?
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.
3 Dimensional Signs – Proportion is Everything
Raising The Sign Stakes
We are always looking for ways to push the envelope here at The Sign Depot. The more creative the project, the more enthusiam there is to see how it will be constructed and finished.
What’s that? You need giant flames? We can help.
How about kitchen utensils built for a giant? We’ve made those too.
Looking for a life size moose? You haven’t stumped us yet.
Designing 3 Dimensional Signs
Many local residents made the trip to Sign Depot workshop this summer to see the MASSIVE Pirate Display that we have been talking about quite a bit. It evolved from small foam sculpture and scaled to proportion of large pirate ship and crafted from High Density Urethane. To see more about how this artistic sign structure was created make sure to read our post about Creating A Pirate Crew. What seems like a sign of epic proportions here in The Sign Depot workspace, ends up looking quite different as this 3 dimensional sign is raised to new heights.
Sign Proportion And Height Perception
Although this 3 dimensional sign structure became quite a showpiece in our sign shop here in Kitchener Ontario, the Pirates were created for a different locale altogether. Yesterday crew made the trek to Niagara Falls Ontario where the pirate display became a focal point for those visting Clifton Hill. As you can see the height of this showpiece sign distorts your perception of how large this artistic sign structure truly is.
See what happens when you take into account the height the sign structure will be secured to. To understand more about sign height and proportion make sure to read our post on Visibility and Custom Signs.
******************** Proportion is Everything ****************
3 Dimensional Signs – What Will They Be?
Maybe it’s a Question Mark ?Finding Signs Of Mystery
Normally we here at The Sign Depot keep the guess work out signage for you, but for this post we thought we would give you a sneak peak of some of the 3 dimensional signs we are creating for a rather large project. Most of the custom signs shown above look like dimensional props for film, but they all will fit together to make on massive sign display. Can you guess what The Sign Depot is constructing next?
Four Sign Making Technique Features
Here is a quick overview of how these sign components will incorporated into 3 dimensional sign display
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The first photo is wood sign structure that will serve as a base and High Density Urethane panels will be attached to replicate distressed wood.
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The second example show how we can instantly rust an object with a modern masters sign finishing technique
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The third photo demonstrates how professional sign maker create dimension with artistic sculptures
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The fourth picture is a custom carved sign finished in 23 Karat Gold Leaf through a processes known in the sign industry as guilding
Together these custom sign elements will be brought together to make a enormous sign structure solution for a business wanting to catch the attention of those passing by. The use of 3 dimensional signs will make sure this custom business sign stands out from its surroundings and will create a lot of buzz for the company.
Update
Still curious about how this all came together to make one giant custom business sign? We won’t keep you waiting any longer. We have posted pictures of our custom sign display. Take a look at our post 3 Dimensional Signs – Proportion Is Everything to see the final results. Did you guess right? We hope you are impressed by this impressive sign!
3 Dimensional Signs – Creating A Landmark Sign
Creating a Landmark – Souvenir City Vase
The handles were made from High Density sign foam and covered in fiberglass fior extended durability
Next a welded steel super structure was manufactured to keep the dimensional sign centred and rigid. This was attached to a fabricated mounting plate.
The turned vase was then installed onto the steel post and surface coated in two layers of 6oz. woven fiberglass cloth to begin the custom sign finishing process
A complete sanding and filling to smooth the surface
Finally, a crack paint job by Dave to replicate the character of translucent glass. A clear UV top coat to hold the colour, and wax to accentuate the shine on our latest sign prop.
Once this 3 dimensional signs was done and installed it was hard to miss. This is where custom sculptural signs come into play for your company’s findability and wayfinding sign solutions. They become a focal point for passers-by. These 3 dimensional signs get you noticed and make your business memorable.
Even while we were installing this signs folks were stopping by getting their picture taken in front of the vase. They would then make their way into the store and exit with bags in hand. The 3 dimensional vase was already proving to be a worthwhile advertising investment.
Carved High Density Urethane Signs
Restaurant Signs For Charcoal Steakhouse
Manufacting custom business signs for the restaurant industry gives the expert sign makers at The Sign Depot the opportunity create artistic signs with several different sign materials and sign finishing techniques. When it came time to create this outdoor lit sign we knew that a Carved High Desnsity Urethane (HDU) sign would be the best choice for this locale. HDU is our material of choice when it comes to 3 dimensional signs. It is a very versitile material which gives us lots of options for designing signs. After the HDU has been carved on our CNC router, it is then layered to add dimension and finished to add durablity and visibility.
The three colour palette of matte black, matte white and 23kt gold leaf guilding was selected to keep the sign clear and easily noticed in this high traffic area.
By adding a lit sign option to this sign package The Charcoal Steakhouse’s roadside sign serves as a 24 hour advertisement for the restaurant.
From Restaurants To Retail
When it comes to Carved High Density Urethane signs, be sure to contact the sign professionals at The Sign Depot. They can offer signs solutions for everything from Restaurant To Retail signs. To see more examples of our custom business sign solutions, take a look at our portfolio page on The Sign Depot website. Be sure to let us know what caught your eye! Leave us a comment, send us a tweet or post on our facebook page. We always look forward to hearing your comments.
