2022 Sign Contest: Best In-House Design and Fabrication, Non-Illuminated

FIRST PLACE

This 24-ft.-tall cover subject and Best of Show winner took about two months to construct; however, because it was fabricated in four sections, it only took Ross Johnson Design (Rapid City, SD) a few short hours to assemble on site. Visitors can climb the themed, welded-steel staircase for an Instagrammable moment.

Fabricators
Imagination Corp. | Chilliwack, BC, Canada
Michael Ulrich, Ben Keller | imaginationcorporation.com

Designer: Dan Sawatzky

Installer: Ross Johnson and team, Ross Johnson Design Co.

Client: Sprockets Fun Foundry

Fabrication Equipment/Tools: MultiCam Plasma cutter, MultiCam 3000 series router, Miller welders and hand tools

Materials/Components: Welded steel, 30-lb. Coastal Enterprises Precision Board HDU, fiberglass reinforced concrete, Sherwin Williams acrylic paint

Software: Adobe Photoshop, SAi EnRoute Pro

SECOND PLACE

Staying within strict size parameters, the team translated the company’s picket-fence-style logo into an aluminum accordion shape, then mounted it on a concrete footer. A CNC router, Accu-Bend Model 26, plasma cutter, MIG welder, Roland VP-540 plotter, Multicam 3000 and BestCutter 2000W fiber laser were integral in the making of this piece. A slightly darker shade of green creates a shadow illusion on one side of the “pickets” for additional depth, while the business’s name and logo float horizontally in front of the folds.

Fabricator
Ion Art Inc. | Austin, TX | ionart.com

Designer: David Boulton

Installer: Ion Art Inc.

Client: Urban Simple

Fabrication Equipment/Tools: CNC router, Computerized Cutters Accu-Bend Model 26, paint booth, plasma cutter, MIG welder, Roland VersaCAMM VP-540, Multicam 3000, BestCutter 2000W Fiber Laser

Installation Equipment/Tools: Crane truck, ladder truck

Materials/Components: Aluminum, Matthews Paint, concrete

Software: Adobe Illustrator, Rhino5, CorelDRAW, SAi EnRoute

THIRD PLACE

Five individual custom cabinets painted dark teal, fixed to a custom 2-in. raceway and mounted to an existing concrete base are the basis for this project. Each of five layers of ¼-in. aluminum, custom-painted flat cut-outs (FCO’s) was individually painted a different color. Stencil painted grass adds a natural note.

Fabricators
RiNo Sign Works | Denver
Joe Banks, Nnamdi Ray | rinosignworks.com

Designer: Audrey Cramer

Installer: Ryan Zabrauskas

Client: Castle Rock Development Co.

Fabrication Equipment/Tools: Multicam CNC router, various Milwaukee power tools, paint booth

Installation Equipment/Tools: Various Milwaukee power tools

Materials/Components: Aluminum, AkzoNobel sign paint

Software: Adobe Illustrator, SAi Flexi, SAi EnRoute