Coordinating ST’s International Sign Contest annually provides one of my most enjoyable job duties. The opportunity to review hundreds of top-flight projects that arrive through the transom –mostly on our FTP server and via email – always delivers an exhilarating experience.
Given the quality of entries we receive, it’s always unfortunate that some very worthwhile signage doesn’t make the winners’ circle. But, just because an entry doesn’t earn recognition in the contest gallery, it may still appear on our pages. This month, we’ve culled through several submissions left in the field and compiled this gallery.
As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe you’ll like some of the signage presented here more than those that earned glory in last month’s issue. In any event, ST proudly offers the “best of the rest.”
Built circa 1760 in its namesake, New Jersey town, the Rocky Hill Inn needed a sign that provided historical flair reflective of its history as one of the Garden State’s oldest restaurant/taverns still in operation. Larry Plummer, proprietor of Design Works Custom Sign Studio (Hillsborough, NJ), built the 4 x 6-ft., double-faced, handcarved sign, which comprises Duna’s Corafoam HDU. To create a period look, he carved the gooseneck, crown molding, raised shield and ribbon, and distressed and airbrushed them to resemble antique-wood planks, panels and moldings. Plummer created the text with carved, 23k letters for the primary text, and painted-black, incise-carved letters for the flowing banner. He relief-carved the knife and fork, and decorated them with aluminum-leaf blades. He installed the sign on twin, 6-ft.-tall, stained-wood posts with copper caps and painted, aluminum-ladder brackets.