Facilities Budget or Marketing Budget? Why not both?

I've been asked by one of my clients for some preliminary budget numbers for signage on a facility remodel.  There are huge expenditures in demolition, expansion, and construction, but the signage requirements are relatively minimal.

In a situation like this, it is sometimes best to ask, "Why go through all this trouble of a remodel, and try to save on signage?"  Isn't the purpose of a remodel ultimately to improve the customer experience or increase capacity, both of which are means to an end of more profit?  Isn't that what signage is aimed at?  It is the equivalent of producing a really great radio ad, with no phone number, website, or business name.  Great ad, but it's not going to profit you...

Of course, this client understands all this, and is open to suggestions on signage.  One of the first things we discovered in our investigation was an exposure to a high-density freeway.  There was a sign there, but it was half the size that the city's code allowed.  This will require quite an expenditure, as a new excavation, foundation, and support pole will be required.  However, in the scheme of building a huge expansion to grow the business, a freeway visible sign is worth 10 times it's expense.  It is the most valuable long-term marketing expense.

What makes the property so valuable?  Exposure to traffic.  What is the traffic exposed to?  A brand new facility.  What is this beautiful new facility?  I don't know.  Isn't there a sign there?  Oh, I can't read it.  It was too small.  It was hard to tell because of the color.  I didn't even notice it, because I was looking at the catchy sign next door.

Signs are not just the necessary evil of a construction project.  They are there for the same reason the project is getting done in the first place: to attract attention to that facility.

New company - Heath Northwest

my final project with National Sign Corporation...



First of all, I'd like to say thank you to Tim and Steve Zamberlin, and the entire team at National Sign Corporation in Seattle, WA for 4 years of a great experience.  I am proud of the time we spent together and the beautiful projects we were able to help our customers with.  National Sign Corporation is in its 99th year of operation, and I wish them the best of success as they approach their centennial.

I am excited to announce that I will be joining the team at Heath Northwest in Seattle, WA starting March 3rd, 2014.  Heath is a customer first organization which has been helping companies with distinctive electrical advertising in the Pacific Northwest since 1967.  At one time in its history, it was the powerhouse signs company in the region with the largest manufacturing plant in the area.

Currently, we have a great sales, design, support staff, as well as a full fleet of service and installation vehicles, with a top-notch crew of service techs and sign journeymen.  The current owner of Heath Northwest is Ramsay Signs in Portland, OR.  Ramsay is the oldest sign company on the west coast, having been in continuous operation since 1911.  Because of a large footprint and multiple sign companies in the region (including 3 additional companies in Oregon), we are able to offer the highest level of design, service, and overall experience to our customers.  We are also able to design, permit, and manufacture signs and ship across the country at large quantities for corporations and national franchisers.

I look forward to continuing to serve my customers, and hope to help more companies in the Pacific Northwest attract more attention to their locations with distinctive and beautiful signage.  If you have any questions or needs, or if you would just like to comment, feel free to call me at 360-259-2178 or leave a comment below.

Shipping out a sign package

It's exciting when one of our exterior sign packages goes out the doors on its way to Louisville, Kentucky or somewhere else around the country!

   

I'm not sure exactly where this sign is going, but I know some restaurant in the MidWest is going to get a very attention-getting display!

Overlake Medical Clinic

Hospitals need signs for a few reasons.  Similar to any business, they need branding imprinted on the local demographic.  They also need to market to new customers and patients, especially with such an abundance of health clinics and hospitals in King County, Washington.  But hospitals also need to serve the public by having clear, visible identification.

That's where we come in:  helping hospitals with clear, visible exterior signage - that also portrays a beautiful, on-premise brand.

Marketing Display or neon sign?

There are lots of sign companies.  There are lots of graphic designers.  However, the rarity of on-premise exterior marketing displays is a testament to the artistic talent, craftsmanship, and experience that is required to create signage at this level:

To create a display, that is both artistically compelling, and yet has the raw marketing draw required for a local business - that is truly challenging and rewarding when done right.

That is what makes the difference between a branded experience and a sign.

National Sign means we do signs in Sacramento, and Kansas City, and Denver, and Boulder, and...

I work for a local company here in the Pacific Northwest.  When I give someone my business card, and it says "National Sign Corporation", I explain to people that we are a family-owned company based in the Puget Sound region with a strong local presence.  However, we do ship signs all over the country, and I don't want to minimize the fact that we have been awarded nationally with both our award-winning designs and our complete sign projects.

Here are a few photos from a project in Roseville, CA.  When you have a beautifully designed shopping center, there needs to be signage that can both attract attention, and cohere to the aesthetics of the experience.

Lit dimensional letters, welcoming to a 'tavern in a shopping center' concept



A lighted facade integrated into an interior patio, with copy 

Night view - the facade becomes a lighted display!

Think of a caption for this photo :-)

Here is a funny sign in Roslyn, WA.  I met someone at a fund-raising event for MDA.  They took this photo.  I'm not going to even attempt a quip to accompany the photo; I'm sure you can think of a few...

Another rainy day in the Pacific Northwest

It is another rainy day in the Pacific Northwest today. 

And now is when all those beautiful channel letter signs, open-face neon, and halo-lit logos stand out among the bleak highways and by-ways of the communities throughout the Puget Sound area.  I have been in the signage business for over 17 years, and I love doing what I do.  There is something so beautiful about a well-crafted sign.

If you are opening a business in the Northwest, or if you are looking to attract more attention to your current locations, take a look at some of the beautiful signs we have fabricated over the years...

http://www.nationalsigncorp.com



Creative Mom Toys

I am quite the advocate of energy-efficient lighting.  The technological advances of LED lighting in the last 2-4 years has drastically improved in the sign industry.  The amount of brightness and energy-efficiency from LED lights is astonishing.  And they have improved, to where some brands can warranty them for 50,000 hours (about 5 years).

However, for some applications, there is NOTHING so beautiful as an open-faced neon sign.  The sign below which we just installed last week is a perfect example of such.

"TOYS" is 4 different color custom-formed neon tubing in painted open-faced channel letters.  The upper lettering of the sign is actually lit by white LED lighting housed in a cabinet behind the background.  The "CREATIVE" letters are 1/2" thick clear acrylic with purple vinyl on the first surface of the letters. "MOM" is white vinyl on an opaque green background on a raised 1/2" acrylic rectangle.

A great sign for a great place - http://www.creativemomtoys.com/ - check it out at the Landing in Renton (off SR900)  - Cheri has made a very fun place to shop for both kids and moms, with neat toys galore, an entire playhouse inside, and a fun, exciting place to hang out.

I wish her the best of success with her first brick-and-mortar location!

My first sale!

This is my first ever sale!  I sold it about 4 months ago; we've been negotiating, designing, manufacturing, and installed it last week...

Here is the before photo ▼

and here is the customer-supplied logo -----------►

 

This was a great learning experience, as I was involved in the design and permitting, as well as the project management.  We also converted from neon in the old sign to LED lighting in the new sign, so this project qualified for a utility company rebate.  I handled the pre-approval forms and the process management to help the customer get the rebate. (We're currently waiting on the recycling forms from Eco-Light, the final step!)

I will post some night-time pics which will really show how great this sign looks!

Here's a link to Cascade Arms website - they are a great gun shop - http://www.cascadearmsco.com/

PLEASE, feel free to leave any comments!

Night Pics

Here are some of the night pics of the previous blog...
I'm leearning to keep my promises. (an important part of sales)

Here's a great before / after photo:

Cleaning / Relamping - a cost-effective way to get a new image

Sometimes a simple sign / valance cleaning can do wonders for on-site marketing.  Without changing the look of your retail image(and all the accompanying critique), and without the expense of design, permitting, and fabrication,
 (breath)      a cleaning and relamping can really give a location a powerful upgrade.  It goes beyond maintenance to really enhancing the image of a location, and helping create those strong first impressions.

These last two weeks I have been temporarily on the job-site doing service / install work.  Here is a location that we have cleaned - You can see the before/after of the inside of the light band. 

The pictures below show the result - notice how the yellow pops!

We also repainted the yellow and touched up the black on this sign.  It looks brand new!

I haven't got a chance to take night shots yet, but I will once I am up in the Sea-Tac area at dark.