Posted by Tom Humphries on Sun, Jul 18, 2010 @ 02:43 PM
The sign in your lobby is often the first impression your business makes on a potential client. It can creatively communicate that you take pride in the aesthetics, personnel, and overall vision of the company or it can leave a client unsure of the direction and capability of your organization. A well designed and fabricated lobby sign can ensure that the first contact you have with clients, vendors or potential employees is positive.
A lobby sign is a dimensional piece of art and one of the least expensive ways to advertise your brand and display the name of your company. It conveys that your business is dynamic and progressive. An attractive, quality lobby sign can improve the perception of your product or service and differentiate you from the competition.
The options for creating this valuable communication tool are endless and are completely customizable to your organizations needs whether that is brightly colored dimensional letters, acrylic, glass, or brushed aluminum. Your directory signs are like a welcoming greeter and should be plannned and constructed with care. Let 360 Signs guarantee that your business conveys a postitive message by providing you with a well designed, well made lobby sign. We look forward to working with you!
360 Signs in Austin, Texas can help you with a wide variety of custom signage. Give us a call at 512-442-2900 or visit us at
www.360signs.com.
Posted by Tom Humphries on Tue, Jun 01, 2010 @ 09:47 PM
Flag banners are a great way to get your business noticed. Your artwork is printed onto a lightweight banner material for vibrant colors that are eye catching and attention grabbing. The print process allows your graphics to pass through the lightweight material easily. The fuller, wider curve at the top also allows for larger graphics and more vivid branding opportunities than other event banners and can be used as permanent or temporary commercial signage.
Flag banners are highly durable under windy conditions, and don't fade in the Austin sun. Because they are able to stand up to the types of harsh conditions that can cause conventional banners to fail, there is substantial upside to using Teardrop Banners. Their design ensures that the high impact branded message is always visible. They can be used on the grass, sand, or on any hard surface with a ground stake, hard surface stand or refillable weight bag; the number of potential uses are endless. These flying banners include several sizes with heights of up to 14 ft. With durable single, double or triple-layer polyester fabric and the highest quality UV treated full color dye-sublimated imprinting. You can get versions with prints on both sides with a blockout layer inbetween each side.
The set up and take down of these flying banners is fast and easy the complete banner system folds neatly for storage or transport.
Teardrop Banners are the perfect marketing tool for both indoor and outdoor events including retail & automotive sales, grand openings, special events and sporting events, just to name a few.
360 Signs in Austin, Texas can help you with a wide variety of custom signage. Give us a call at 512-442-2900 or visit us at
www.360signs.com.
Posted by Tom Humphries on Wed, May 19, 2010 @ 09:18 PM
Installing Pad Mounted Dimensional Letters
When installing dimensional letters to the exterior of a building you normally have two options in regards to how to secure the letters to the surface; stud mounting or pad mounting. For this particular installation, the landlord required us to have their installation pad mounted to the face of their building. Pad mounting is beneficial for several reasons, the main benefit being that there's no drilling required. We installed this dimensional letter building sign in Austin, TX for a client who chose to use .25" thick lettering giving their logo sign a stronger dimension and depth.
Step One: When pad mounting dimensional letters to the exterior of your building, you first want to layout your pattern to insure that your letters are well spaced and level guaranteeing the highest quality results.
Step Two: Once you have your pattern securely mounted to the building, cut away 75 percent of your pattern leaving only the bottom section as a place holder. Then apply a silicone adhesive to all pads of the first letter. Position the letter on the wall where indicated by your pattern. Once the letter is secured to the wall reinforce the letter with several strips of masking tape to ensure the letter does not slide giving the silicone enough time to dry.
Step Three: Continue with the remainder of the letters, allowing the silicone to dry for at least 60 minutes before removing the masking tape.
Remove the pattern and you are finished!
This Corporate Identity sign in Austin, TX is securely mounted and will look beautiful for years to come.
360 Signs in Austin, Texas can help you with a wide variety of custom signage. Give us a call at 512-442-2900 or visit us at
www.360signs.com.
Posted by Tom Humphries on Fri, Feb 19, 2010 @ 09:36 PM
Vinyl letters give your sign a 2D look because the letters are thin layers of vinyl material mounted directly to an mounting panel or directly to the wall.
MATERIALS
Vinyl letters are typically cut from solid colored vinyl. There are many colors of vinyl and you can usually find one that comes close to the color of your corporate logo. However, if you require a specific color that is not one of the standard colors, the letters can be printed on vinyl and then cut out and applied to the wall or panel. Since lobby signs are indoors, intermediate vinyl will perform well in these applications. Cutting, weeding, and applying vinyl takes some skill and practice.
GRADIENTS AND IMAGES
If your logo has color gradients (color varies within a letter or logo element) or contains images, then the only choice is a printed vinyl solution. The printed vinyl can be your logo on a printed background or the logo can be printed and then cut out and applied to the wall or panel.
CONCLUSION
Cut or printed vinyl is more cost effective than dimensional letters for a lobby sign. Some logos are such that a printed solution is the only way to accurately capture the logo. Nice vinyl letter lobby signs can run anywhere from several hundred dollars to over a thousand of dollars depending upon size and installation method. Your lobby sign is the first impression that your clients and employees see every time they walk into your office. What kind of impression do you want to make?
360 Signs in Austin, Texas can help you with a wide variety of custom signage. Give us a call at 512-442-2900 or visit us at
www.360signs.com.
Posted by Tom Humphries on Thu, Feb 18, 2010 @ 07:44 PM
A key component of many great lobby signs are dimensional letters. Dimensional letters give your sign a
3D look because the letters are made of thick materials. You have to choose the material, what the letter is made out of, and its thickness, how much do you want the face of the letter to be raised off the surface of the sign. Letters can be formed by
routing, sandblasting, water jet cutting,
laser cutting, casting, among others. The fabrication method will be determined by the size, shape, and finish of the letter in addition to cost targets.
MATERIALS
Dimensional letters can be made from a wide variety of materials: metal, acrylic, PVC, plastic, signfoam, gatorfoam, wood, and others. The letters can be cut and painted or f
inished to match your exact color specifications. Letter costs can vary dramatically. Solid metal letters have a substantial look, but are the most expensive option. A metal look can be achieved at a lower cost by putting a metal laminate face on acrylic or PVC letters. Acrylic, PVC and gatorfoam are less expensive options for letters, but finished properly can give you a quality look.
THICKNESS
Letters can be fabricated in thicknesses from 1/8" to 4" or more. Your choice of thickness will be determined by the size of the letters, size of the overall sign, budget and personal preference. Too thin and you won't be able to perceive any depth to the letters; too thick and you may find letters with small openings, such as an "e", hard to read.
SIZE
The size, height and width of the letters is really up to you. Certain materials, such as aluminum and acrylic, can be routed into letters less than 1" tall. Letters can also be several feet tall. It really depends upon the size of the wall in your lobby and the size of your budget.
CONCLUSION
Having a budget will help you and your sign designer make the best tradeoffs regarding materials, thickness, and size of your lobby sign. Nice signs can run anywhere from several hundred dollars to many thousands of dollars. Your lobby sign is the first impression that your clients and employees see every time they walk into your office. What kind of impression do you want to make?
360 Signs in Austin, Texas can help you with a wide variety of custom signage. Give us a call at 512-442-2900 or visit us at
www.360signs.com.
Posted by Tom Humphries on Wed, Feb 17, 2010 @ 12:37 PM
If you are responsible for getting the corporate logo or company name on the wall in your office lobby, you have some decisions to make regarding the fabrication and installation of your new custom sign. One of the first decisions is whether to have the logo and letters attached directly to the wall or to mount the letters on a flat panel that stands off the wall.
DIRECT MOUNT
Even with direct mount there is a decision on whether to flush mount the letters, i.e. having the backs of the letters 
touching the wall or to have them mounted on spacers that will hold them ¼" to ½" off the wall. Flush mounting can be achieved by mounting the letters with studs (metal posts that go into holes drilled into the wall) or using two-sided tape and adhesive. Spacer mounting must be done with studs and small metal spacers that go over the studs and sit between the back of the letter and the wall. The spacer ensures that each letter is the same distance from the wall.
The thickness of the letter will have an impact on the amount of shadowing that comes off the letter. Letters on spacers will have even more shadowing.
PANEL MOUNT
The entire logo can be directly mounted to a rigid panel that is mounted directly to the wall. Panels are typically mounted on metal standoffs that hold the panel approximately 1" off 
the wall. Standoffs come in many sizes, shapes and material finishes. There are also many choices for the mounting panel. If you want to be able to see the wall though the sign then acrylic is the best choice. But even here there are many options: clear, light frosted, frosted, acryglass and each of these come in thicknesses from 1/8" to 1" thick. For solid color panels, opaque acrylic panels work well, as do metal panels. Polymetal panels (aluminum face, plastic center, and aluminum back) are lightweight and very rigid so ideal for sign panels. Wood and synthetic materials such as PVC can also serve as sign panels.
The letters are mounted directly to the panel. Dimensional letters are mounted with two-sided tape and adhesive; vinyl letters are mounted directly to the panel. On-site installation time will be less with panel mount because all of the letters can be mounted prior to delivery of the sign; installation consists of drilling the holes and mounting the standoffs.
CONCLUSION
There is no right or wrong answer for how you should mount your lobby sign. Typically very large signs will look better mounted directly to the wall. My recommendation is to look at examples of business lobby signs on the web and to walk around and observe other custom lobby signs to see what really grabs you. Your lobby sign is the first impression that your clients and employees see every time they walk into your office. What kind of impression do you want to make?
360 Signs in Austin, Texas can help you with a wide variety of custom signage. Give us a call at 512-442-2900 or visit us at
www.360signs.com.