Synergy Sign & Graphics: A New Angle on Branding

These days, branding comes in more varieties than you can shake several sticks at. There’s a dizzying array of social media outlets, email marketing techniques, and online advertising tactics that all promise to bring unparalleled exposure to your business. Now, there’s nothing wrong with pursuing new and exciting branding strategies, but they can make it easy to forget about tried and true methods. A professionally constructed exterior sign is a one-time investment that provides constant advertisement. Night and day, 365 days a year, a good sign heralds your brand to the world passing by. No monthly service fees or web development skills required; all you need is the right sign company and the right material.

A New Angle Wellness Spa and Salon in New Philadelphia, Ohio found themselves in need of some fresh branding efforts, so they approached Jim Dawson and his team at Synergy Sign and Graphics to see how they could bring a little spice to their advertising strategy. Check out Synergy’s blog to see some of their other impressive projects, and visit their website to commission a sign of your own!

In process: After routing, during the beginning stages of painting

For this project, the Synergy team chose to use our PBLT-30 material, one of the higher densities commonly used in signage. The high density of the material gives the finished product a higher strength profile and allows it to hold edges better than lighter weight materials, allowing for greater detail to be carved into the sign.

The crew used Enroute Pro 5 CNC software to create the tooling paths, which were then carved out with their Multicam CNC router. For this sign, the team went with a raised border and lettering to really make it stand out from the background. They also used their router to mill out a grain pattern, giving the entire sign a faux wood effect. All the classic aesthetic of a sandblasted wood sign with none of the downsides! They then used Modern Masters metallic latex paints for all surfaces, finishing off the sign with a cream, black, and gold color scheme that really gives the sign the pop it needs. A local mason installed the cultured stone pillars, and the Synergy team attached their finished sign with a steel frame and bolts. Another job well done by Synergy! Check out their gallery of custom carved signage to see some of their other professionally constructed displays.

ISA Sign Expo 2016: Free Passes!

Visit Coastal Enterprises at Booth 272!

In just 5 short weeks, we will be shipping out to Orlando, Florida to host our booth at the ISA International Sign Expo 2016. This is one of the most prestigious gatherings of sign and graphics professionals in the world, and has been for nearly 70 years. The best part is, we are offering FREE PASSES to anyone who would like to attend! That’s right, free admission to one of the largest sign and display conventions in the world! Just click here, fill out your information, and receive your free pass. The expo will be held April 20-23, in the South Building of the Orange County Convention Center. Don’t forget to visit Coastal Enterprises at Booth 272, where you can see this incredible display piece from Dan Sawatzky, up close and in person.

In addition to the Coastal Enterprises booth, be sure to check out the 2016 Sign Invitational at Booth C16. Here, some of the most talented sign makers in the country will go head to head to find out which displays will reign supreme! Some of our favorite sign makers will be competing this year, like Imagination Corporation, Synergy Sign and Graphics, and Xpressive GraphiX. This is a can’t miss event, so be sure to stop by the Sign Invitational booth at the Expo.

For a behind-the-scenes look at how the masters make their pieces, don’t forget to check out MultiCam Inc. at Booth 525 and SA International Enroute at Booth 2527. The high quality CNC routers and mapping software made by these companies are indispensable for modern sign makers, who rely on high-tech tools to push their designs to the limit!

And just to reiterate…CLICK HERE FOR FREE PASSES!

Sweet Phoenix: Cal Poly SLO’s Triumph at HPVC West

At Coastal Enterprises, we like to look at the composites industry as a fully collaborative effort. Every fresh new development by an individual is really a contribution to a collective knowledge base. Like any scientific pursuit, the most potent advancements are made when information is shared freely between likeminded groups of people. For this reason, we feel obliged to do everything we can to enlighten and empower the future community of composites professionals. In our experience, this new generation can often be found in university engineering programs, like the Cal Poly SLO Human Powered Vehicle team. Coastal has supplied the team with Precision Board for many years now, and every year they’ve shown up to the ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge with a design that really showcases the capabilities of our material.

The driving force behind the team is George Leone, student shops manager and technician, a man with over four decades in the composites industry in one form or another. George has been building composite streamliner HPVs since the 80s and is one of the foremost authorities on the design and construction of human powered vehicles. His philosophy for guiding the student team members is to provide them with the necessary tools and instruction, then turn them loose to create an individual project that stems from their own ideas and hard work. By maintaining a positive, constructive environment where students can learn by doing, he ensures that senior students can eventually step into leadership roles and help guide their younger teammates.

For last year’s entry into the HPV competition, the team created a carbon-fiber/Kevlar composite streamliner they dubbed the “Sweet Phoenix”. Coincidentally, when George Leone built one of his first streamliners back in 1980, he named it “Phoenix”. Risen from the ashes indeed. The Cal Poly team started by enlisting the help of Zodiac Aerospace to create the molds, thanks to the inopportune breakdown of their aging Shopbot CNC router. The team used PBLT-8 and machined out two halves of a negative mold, meaning that the carbon composite material would be pulled down into the recess to create the sleek teardrop-shaped body.

Students prepped the molds by sanding thoroughly before applying Duratec sealer and primer. The quality of the PBLT-8 was paramount to the end result. As George put it: “The consistency of the foam and it’s impressive ability to hold a sharp edge, even with inexperienced handling, made us glad we chose Precision Board.”

At the 2015 ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge West, the Sweet Phoenix performed admirably, despite a puzzling last-second drive train glitch. Complications aside, the SLO team took home first prizes in both the Design and Men’s Speed categories, a crowning achievement for such a prestigious event. The 2016 team plans to use the same leftover molds, thanks to the durability of the Precision Board. Even after being stored outside for nine months, the molds only required some light sanding and priming to restore them to pristine condition.

George Leone and the Cal Poly HPV team are prime examples of the spirit of invention and collaboration that are deeply engrained in the composites community. All of us at Coastal wish them luck and speed in this year’s competition! Click here for a free sample of Precision Board and spearhead your next composites project!

Coastal Enterprises Free Services: Let us help you create!

There are no natural limitations on creativity. Anyone with the inspiration to conceive something new should have the means to follow that spark through to its completion. At Coastal Enterprises, we are fully committed to helping your creativity flourish and take shape. One of our driving philosophies here at Coastal Enterprises is the concept of open-source knowledge: providing the materials and technical know-how so you can create something incredible. Precision Board Plus isn’t just for commercial tooling operations or professional signage contractors either; it’s for everyone with a bright new idea and the drive to make it a reality. We offer a range of free services to help individuals and businesses get the most out of their Precision Board, and to make something they can truly be proud of.

Technical Support: Coastal Enterprises is entirely unique in the way we operate and go about our business. We manufacture all of our material in the same facility that we sell and ship it from, something that no other high-density urethane company can claim. This makes us the absolute primary source of information about Precision Board, and it shows through our expert technical support team. We have a full staff of Precision Board experts available from 8AM-5PM PST, Monday through Friday to answer any questions you might have about our material and its applications. Even if we’re stumped by a question, we can literally walk out to the production floor, pick up a piece of material, and find out for ourselves. What other manufacturer can do that? It pays to go right to the source, and it doesn’t get any closer than Coastal.

Sample Program: There’s only one way to really understand how Precision Board can work for you, and that is to see it in person. You need to hold it in your hands, route it, carve it, run a lay up mold with it, heat test it, even smash it to bits. Those are the kind of in-depth tests that give you a total understand of the material. Lucky for you, it’s never been easier to get Precision Board for testing, and all for free. Just ask! Coastal has a robust sample program designed to put sample-sized material in your hands very quickly. We provide the Precision Board, we typically pay the shipping, and all you have to do is request the sample. What are you waiting for? Click here to request your free samples today!

Click here to visit our distributor listings!

Distributor Registry: Coastal has an expansive network of trusted distributors that stretches all across the US, Canada and areas of Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. Our distributors are an integral part of our mission at Coastal, and we work closely with them to ensure that our orders arrive on time, every time. This means that no matter where you are, you’re never far away from Precision Board. In addition, all of our distributors carry thousands of other products that can probably meet your needs in other areas. Each and every one is a versatile one-stop shop for both industrial and signage applications. Our detailed Trade Resources Directory can help you instantly locate your nearest distributor and source the material for your next project.

Gibbs Graphics: The Weatherproof Sign Experts

It’s no big secret that some sign makers have it harder than others. It’s one thing to construct a sign for sunny, mild southern California, and quite another to make a sign that can stand up to harsh weather conditions and extreme temperatures. So many more factors come into play: Will it resist moisture? Will the added weight from a more durable material make the mounting process harder? Will it need upkeep in the event of weather damage? Luckily, true signage experts know the right techniques and the right material for any job, no matter the weather. Gibbs Graphics is one such team, a full-service marketing source that began as a dimensional sign maker. Founders Rusty and Amanda Gibbs have a stellar track record of crafting signs that are equal parts form and function: Not only are their signs artistically inspired, but they have the structural backbone to weather the snow, sleet, and bitter cold of Northern Washington. Using Precision Board Plus gives them the freedom to design anything they want and still have the assurance that it will last for years. Click here to learn more about Gibbs Graphics and commission your own dimensional masterpiece.

The last few months have been busy for Gibbs Graphics. The word is out that they’re making the best weatherproof signs in town, so they’ve had ample opportunity to use Precision Board in their dimensional sign projects. One is this sign for Tamarack Public House, a new restaurant in Spokane. The owner knew the Gibbs’ reputation for high-quality signs and murals, and turned to them to make an eye-catching display for his new eatery.

The Gibbs Graphics team used two 1” sheets of PBLT-18 for the double-sided sign, glued to either side of a 3’ diameter glue laminate. Using their CNC router in conjunction with meticulous hand carving, they shaped a highly detailed silhouetted tree design, along with raised lettering at the top and a sweeping crescent moon motif. They wet out the surfaces with our FSC-88 WB primer, painted it with both latex and Ronan metallic gold paints, then mounted with a custom metal bracket.

Another one of the Gibbs’ recent projects is “Fresh Coffee”, a single sided sign for a local coffee lounge. They chose 2” thick PBLT-15 for the 14” diameter sign, and routed out bold raised lettering along with a jagged starburst background.

They used Ronan sign paint for the cool shades of green and black, along with Modern Masters metallic for the bright silver border.

A sign that really meshes with Gibbs Graphics’ expertise in weatherproof signage is their “Let it Snow” display. For this project they used 2 layers of 1” PBLT-15 in conjunction with Plexiglas, vinyl lettering, and expanded PVC. The red ornament was made from the leftover PBLT from the hole in the snowflake, a creative repurposing of extra material.

Winter is far from over, but don’t let the cold get you down. Gibbs Graphics is standing by to make you a sign that can shrug off the bad weather year after year. They’re more than just a sign maker, however: Gibbs Graphics is a full-service marketing conglomerate that designs logos, websites, email marketing, banners, and more. Anyone in the Pacific Northwest looking for a one-stop shop for all their marketing needs should contact Gibbs Graphics at mail@gibbsgraphicsart.com, or click here to see their extensive signage portfolio. Want to make your own weatherproof dimensional signs? Click here for a free sample of Precision Board and get ready to carve those winter blues away.