Design

Best Electric Building Signs of 2016

Classy java and sign restorations

Published

8 years ago

April 7, 2016

Steve Aust Signs of the Times April 2016 Issue

First Place
Fabricator/Designer/Installer
Golden West Advertising
Boise, ID
(208) 345-4343
www.goldenwestsigns.com
This wasn’t the most ornate sign in the category, but the judges remarked on how its simplicity made it so inviting. Golden West fabricated the metal coffee cup and saucer on a MultiCam 3000 CNC router and created the steam from acrylic and Graphtec FC8600 plotter-cut 3M vinyl with GE white LEDs enlivening it. The open-pan channel letters feature exposed, clear-red neon, and the Daily Grind cabinet contains an acrylic face and reverse-cut vinyl copy that’s LED-illuminated.

Second Place
Fabricator/Installer
YESCO
Salt Lake City, UT
(801) 464-6470
www.yesco.com
Designer
Christian Vaughon Biersdorf
Client
Fisher Regan Enterprises LLC

Ogden, UT’s historic 25th St. regained a gem when the famous dragon that identified the Star Noodle Parlor returned to where it was first installed more than 60 years ago (the property is now a hotel). The 10 x 12-ft. sign features more than 250 linear ft. of neon powered by 12 transformers. The sign’s aluminum components were restored with mill-finish aluminum using a MultiCam 3000 router, an Accurshear and Roper Whitney Autobrake 2000, a Millermatic 252 MIG welder and sandblasted to create a weathered finish. A Time-O-Matic flasher animates the neon, and 1Shot® lettering enamel yields the splashy colors.

Third Place
Fabricator/Installer
Poblocki Sign Co.
(414) 453-4010
www.poblocki.com
Designer
Greg Moerner
Client
Riverside Theater

Poblocki Sign Co. made its mark on the industry via its fabrication of iconic movie marquees during the Golden Age of Cinema. Although the company’s other contest winners prove Poblocki has hardly rested on its laurels, this indicates the shop hasn’t forgotten its roots. The marquee’s Optec electronic-message center cleverly replicates an old changeable-letter marquee in this shot. Electronic timed chasers create running lights along the perimeter and underneath, while white LEDs replicate old-fashioned incandescents just overhead. The aluminum structure was constructed over a steel frame, and Akzo Nobel Grip-Gard acrylic-polyurethane paint makes the background shimmer.

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