Wiregrass - Blades of Metal

The making of this 18-foot tall sculpture in the shape of grass blades forming a "W" involved drawing each crossection of the "blade", cutting the pieces out of aluminum and welding them on the curved core post. The structure was then filled with fiberglass, sanded smooth and bolted to mounting plates. Painting was to be done on site (in Florida) after installation.




Very ornate internally illuminated directories with 3-layer posts and digitally printed graphics.

Art Display Gets a Digital Face-Lift

Art Display Co., a sign and awning manufacturer in the Washington DC metro area with more than 60 years experience, thought it was time to refresh its online presence. Customers frequently want to see the latest in technology and environmental design, compare what was designed for others in their industry and get new ideas for their next project. The previous web site was more than 6 years old and didn’t allow for quick additions of new projects and features.

New web technology has enabled Art Display Co. to keep up and deliver image-rich content that is both educational and inspirational. Pages have dynamic content, allowing newly completed projects to be added automatically at the top. The projects are organized by industry type – retail, residential, corporate, etc. If, for example, a property manager or a restaurant owner is not familiar with the various types of signage, she can check out the corresponding section for ideas and research the case studies for more.

The recently redesigned website has lots of room for expansion. Visitors will soon be able to find information on industry related terminology and fabrication insights to help them understand the process. A color chart will soon be added to the artwork submission guidelines and letter visibility chart.

Art Display Co. offers design and fabrication of environmental graphics, ranging from banners, awnings and canopies, neon and LED illuminated signage to comprehensive plans for multi-use projects complete with shopping center pylons, monument signs wayfinding and ADA signs. Recent projects include channel letters and promotional graphics for the Washington Nationals Stadium, complete sign package for the mixed-use development Park Place Annapolis, leasing center graphics for Millville by the Sea in Delaware and fabricating the structure for the Butterfly Pavilion in the Natural History Museum.


For more information contact:

Diana Cheshmedjiev, Senior Designer
240-765-1400
diana@artdisplayco.com

Arthur Goldberg, Executive Vice President
240-765-1400
arthur@artdisplayco.com

Millville by the Sea

Signweb recently featured on their Design & Gallery Channel an article about Millville by the Sea, complete with photos and Arthur Goldberg's insights on the project.

Millville by the Sea Memoirs

Useful Link

Environmental Graphic Design Organizations

From the Archives - AOL headquarters makeover

Just came upon this article in the online Interior Design magazine. This is a project we've done a couple of years ago and was met with enthusiastic praise.

http://www.interiordesign.net/article/CA6411102.html

Sign Process - Maritime Autowash

Let's take a look at a few of the steps involved in making an illuminted sign cabinet:


Custom shaped face-frame is fabricated out of welded square aluminum tube.


The cabinet is fabricated aluminum, over 10 ft x 10ft in size.


Measuring and positioning the graphics on the frame. The graphic was printed on white vinyl banner material. To prevent it from looking washed out, the image was printed flipped on the other side. This way, when the fluorescent llights are on, the colors will still appear bright and vibrant.


Stretching the digital print onto the frame.





Meanwhile... the cabinet is painted and left to dry.


These are the molding pieces that will hold the sign faces in place.


Fast forward: the sign is assembled (with fluorescent lights already in place) and ready for installation.

Hair Salon Awning

This charming little awning for the 1201 Salon in Washington, DC is currently in the shop, almost finished and waiting installation. Its unusual shape with lots of curves made it a challenge to staple the Sunbrella material to the frame.

It reminds me of a beauty salon dryer...

Paint colors to the rescue

In my experience as an environmental graphic designer I've run into the following problem quite often: a customer specifies a paint color and I don't have the corresponding fan to even imagine what the color looks like. How can I suggest colors for the signage if I'm not sure what the walls look like? Thanks to the folks at colorcharts.org that's not a problem any more.

I have a feeling that the site is primarily designed for people who want to digitally "try" different paint colors for their homes and have to purchase and download the software, but I use it to type the paint color I need, then sample the resulting color and use in my program.

Check out this great collection: http://www.colorcharts.org/

Happy New Year!

After a busy holiday season everybody's back in business and we're ready for the new challenges of 2008. Some exciting new projects are under way, one of them being the Shops at Wiregrass in Florida. The design of the signage is quite unique and will require some serious fabrication magic!