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.