Best in Show Award - “Signs of the Times” 2009 International Sign Contest

We met the challenge of bringing Cooper Carry’s uniquely original design for Forest City’s, “The Shops at Wiregrass,” Tampa, Florida to glorious reality winning “Signs of the Times” highest recognition in their International Sign Contest.

Working with the Design and Development Teams, Art Display Company fabricated a beautifully detailed comprehensive sign system. From 25 foot tall fibreglass sheathed “blades of grass” illuminated by changing multi-color Kinetic Light Systems to full-color, translucent directories framed with cut-out, welded aluminum accent blades, to internally illuminated pole supports mimicking growing grass stalks, the range of detail and depth of professionalism compares favorably to the finest
craftsmanship in our profession.















The Shops at Wiregrass is an open-air retail and entertainment destination located in Wesley Chapel, Florida.It is Pasco County's newest Shopping Center, encompassing 800,000 sq. ft. of retail, restaurants and entertainment on 67 acres of land.

The main identification consist of a 25ft tall sculptural “W” that looks like blades of grass and iInternally illuminated channel letters. The “W” has welded aluminum frame covered with white painted fiberglass skin. The sculpture is illuminated by changing, multi-colored Kinetic Light system. The letters are mounted onto two separate curved raceways. “The Shop” sits 4ft behind “at Wiregrass” allowing landscaping to be installed around, between and behind the sign.

The directory sign's unique 10ft tall pole is fabricated from 6 pipes with different diameters and a light fixture built into the concrete footer. Light shoots up between the staggered pipes emphasizing the “grass shoots” growing. The directory is a double sided internally illuminated cabinet with decorative 1/2in thick painted aluminum “grass blades” welded to the post.

Soaring High in Baltimore Harbor

Legg Mason awarded Art Display the contract for their new, International Headquarters Identification in Baltimore’s “Harbor East.” The all glass curtain wall presented some interesting challenges for the installation of the channel letters.

With LED providing the illumination for Legg Mason’s 12’ 9” and 10’ tall letters, the service on these letters will be minimal and our team of designers worked closely with the developer, Streuver Bros. Eccles and Rouse in devising
a method of attaching the letters to the glass mullions that brought out the best in our teams’ inventiveness.

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

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...

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!