Xpressive graphiX: Lighting up the Sign Industry with LED Part 2

Have you considered the benefits of using Precision Board HDU to make a dimensional LED sign?  According to Xpressive graphiX in Zanesville, Ohio, the advantage of using HDU over a metal cabinet is that you can add textures and 3D elements and get a lot more creative. To get design tips and learn more, we talked to buisiness partners David Mattingly and Tony Rose. Their company has designed and fabricated some award-winning illuminated signs using Precision Board HDU and LED components.  In Part 1 last month, Tony told us about fabricating LED signs for a pizza joint.  In Part 2 he tells us about designing an eye-catching sign for a real estate agency using Precision Board and LED lighting.

Olde Town Realty is a business located on the main street in town. They asked Xpressive graphiX to make them an attention-getting sign. Tony incorporated their existing logo into the bottom half of the sign and then carved a three dimensional house into the top half.  He added LED to the sign, making the windows in the house and the company name all light up. Tony cut two pieces of PBLT-18 and fit them together like a clamshell, leaving a two inch opening inside to make room for the LEDs.  Using Precision Board HDU Tony was able to make parts of the house on top of the sign set back deeper, which added more character and depth.

“We follow UL code standards,” Tony said. “All Components are UL Rated, exterior grade, so they can be exposed to wet locations. The boxes to hold the power supply are on the outside, but hidden.  An LED cabinet sign would put all that stuff in the sign. We don’t do that with HDU. All that is in there is wiring and steel.”

Xpressive graphiX glued the sign over a steel frame, ran the wiring inside and down to a box on the bottom of the poles. They embed their wiring, but make sure that connections can be reached for maintenance or in case something goes wrong.

“One of the most critical things is access to the electrical,” says Tony Rose. “Olde Town Realty is a traditional sign incorporating LED and electrical components that are still accessible if you need to get in there and fix them,” he added.

Tony and his team do great work and we couldn’t be more impressed. Xpressive graphiX is a full service sign company specializing in all aspects of strategic visual communication. If you’re looking for creative dimensional signage using Precision Board HDU and LED lighting, give David and Tony a call at 740-452-6804 or visit their website at www.xpressivegraphix.com to see the other types of sign work they offer.

You can read Part 1 of our Xpressive graphiX spotlight here.

Xpressive graphiX: Lighting up the Sign Industry with LED Part 1

Have you ever wondered about the advantage of using Precision Board HDU with LED?  According to Xpressive graphiX in Zanesville, Ohio, you can get far more creative with Precision Board versus a standard aluminum cabinet.  Push-through letters can always be added, but it will be extremely hard to get something dimensional.  The advantage of using HDU over a metal cabinet is that textures and dimensional elements can be added. To get more information and design tips, we talked to Xpressive graphiX partners David Mattingly and Tony Rose. Their company has designed and fabricated some award-winning illuminated signs using Precision Board HDU and LED components.  Tony gave us the lowdown on a recent LED project they completed using Precision Board.

LED on HDU

This part of Russo’s pizza paddle sign is 8′ x 8′ and 20′ tall when fully installed.

Russo’s Wood Fired Pizza contacted Xpressive graphiX to design their graphics, including logo, menu boards, wall wraps, and signage. They created three different dimensional signs, including two exterior (one on the building, one on a pole by the street) and one interior. This business is on a main street and wanted a 3D illuminated sign to really stand out and draw customers in. Another challenge was that the sign needed to be built over the existing structure of the sign for the previous business. Tony created a giant wooden pizza paddle design based on the size of the pole and kept it within the square footage of the previous sign at 20′ tall and 8′ wide. They left the existing structure, but cut the cabinet off at the top and used PBLT-15 as a skin on the front.

“We built a square cabinet and covered it in Precision Board to get the shape of the paddle. To get it to fit over the pole we had to make it sixteen inches deep. We mounted aluminum to the steel structure and then machined acrylic brackets for each letter and added them as mounts for the letters,” Tony said.

The lettering on the logo is white acrylic. The center logo looks like a cattle brand burned into the paddle, and at night, the center glows orange.

Xpressive graphiX also designed an exterior wall sign for the building, using cantilevered barn style lights. The sign was built on a frame with a smaller pizza paddle and backlit with glowing LED lights.

We here at Coastal Enterprises think these signs are incredibly creative and appreciate the work of Tony and his team. Xpressive graphiX is a full service sign company specializing in all aspects of strategic visual communication. If you’re looking for creative dimensional signage using Precision Board HDU and LED lighting, give David and Tony a call at 740-452-6804 or visit their website at www.xpressivegraphix.com to see the other types of sign work they offer.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks when we highlight another amazing LED project from Xpressive graphiX using Precision Board HDU.

Rennovations part 2

Today I was able to slip in some programming for the entryway renovations. Here you see the beginnings of the badges that will adorn the centers of the overheads in the previous post. Enroute is an amazing tool for building 3D objects just like this. Typically we brainstorm and idea then make it happen. Today I am thankful for powerful tools and know how to use them…

Fan blades and gears…. These things are going to look amazing!!!!

Stay tuned as we start painting the beams and overhead elements along with install in the coming weeks.

-Jim

Published with permission from Synergy Sign & Graphics. Source.

Making a Splash with Pirok Design: Creating Blackberry Farm’s Dimensional Signs

Kevin Pirok founded Pirok Design in 1996 after spending the early stages of his career working with some of the most talented sign-makers in the business. Now in its 22nd year of business, Kevin’s Illinois-based company does logo design, websites, marketing materials and creates distinct signs for area businesses. He uses Precision Board HDU as one of his sign mediums and we asked him a few questions about one sign in particular that caught our eye- Splash Country at Blackberry Farm.

Kevin used multiple layers and materials to give the sign the dimensionality he envisioned.  “This sign was part of a three sign entrance wayfarer system for Pioneer Park and Splash Country, so I wanted to make them as colorful and attractive as possible. For this particular park they are located in a country setting so that’s where the rooster and the barn comes into play as a theme. It was a farm driven activity center for families before it was upscaled to a park, so one sign features a rooster and another features a train. The train would take people around the property.”

Pirok Design's Family Aquatic Center sign

The graphic was printed on vinyl and applied to clear polycarbonate, showing use of multiple mediums and materials in the signs. “We created a sign for Family Aquatic Center which featured a dolphin breaking out from the top. The splash marks the dolphin is making was carved from Precision Board.”

Kevin is a big fan of Precision Board for a multitude of reasons. “It cuts really well. It routs really nice. I can carve it and I think the big features is that it doesn’t wear down your tools as fast. Precision Board is a lot less resistant than wood or other materials. It cuts and sands very well. We can glue it together and create different thicknesses and shapes. You can use it with FSC-88 WB, a water-based primer/filler that can be used prior to paints and coatings.”

Pirok Design's Main Street Pub sign

Don’t be afraid to use Precision Board HDU to add layers and dimensions to an otherwise flat substrate and come up with a fun and interesting sign design.

Things are really hopping at Pirok Design right now as they currently have five projects geared towards electric signage, a skill set that Kevin developed from his early days as a designer.

Kevin also just finished up another dimensional sign for Main Street Pub. “This sign combines reclaimed lumber with lettering cut from Precision Board. We used PB Resin as a doming technique and applied silver-leaf to it.”

If you’re in the market for some amazing sign designs or other company branding, you can call Kevin at (630) 365-9870 or visit the Pirok Design website to see an extensive photo portfolio of their work. We think he’s a great guy and does beautiful work, but call to verify for yourself!

 

AXYZ Open House This Week in Anaheim, CA

Coastal Enterprises in Orange, CA, was a must-stop location for Noel Archie with AXYZ International, Burlington, ON, Canada, when he came to town for their Open House.  He needed some last minute training on PB Resin for his sign he’s making with Precision Board for their Anaheim location.  They’ll be running different models and configurations of machines to show AXYZ various lines of machinery.

A catered lunch will be served along with two days of educational seminars focusing on sign production, plastic fabrication, aluminum composite processing, and phenolic based cladding fabrication.  Stop by the open house on Wednesday 5/17 and Thursday 5/18- we’ll be there and we’d love to see you.  RSVP at openhouse@axyz.com or call Nicole Silaphet at 800-361-3408 x286.

Check out our training videos for tips on using Coastal Enterprises’ companion products and get a taste of what Noel got a crash course in at our headquarters!