Design

Best Unique Signs of 2013

It all begins “Once Upon a Time”

Published

11 years ago

March 27, 2013

Steve Aust Signs of the Times April 2013 Issue

FIRST PLACE

Fabricator
ARTfx
Bloomfield, CT
(800) 466-4278
www.artfxsigns.com
Designers
N. Paul Frishman, Mary Petrvs
Nik 606
Medina, OH
203-652-0513
John Everett
New England Design
Mansfield, CT
(860) 423-0334
www.newenglanddesign.com
Karl Norton, Architect
Mansfield, CT
(860) 423-0334
Client
Mohegan Sun Casino

Nothing evokes childhood memories like a trip to a toy store (an independent toy store, particularly), and this store probably provides a welcome respite from craps tables and one-armed bandits. Referencing designs formulated within CorelDRAW and Gerber Omega, the shop carved the mountains and trees from Sign•Foam® HDU on a Gerber Sabre 408 router. A platform built from ½-in.-thick acrylic, and laminated with translucent-blue Oracal vinyl, carries a track and Lionel G toy trains through the front of the store.CAO Group LuxemBright® 6500 LEDs illuminate various elements, such as the backwards-running clock and the oval ring that encircles it. ARTfx coated aluminum components with Akzo Nobel acrylic-polyurethane paint.

SECOND PLACE

Fabricator
Sawatzky’s Imagination Corp.
Chilliwack, BC, Canada
(604) 823-2216
www.imaginationcorporation.com
Designer
Dan Sawatzky
Client
Mighty Moose Ice Cream

Located literally down the street from Sawatzky’s shop, Mighty Moose’s owner knew where to go for a sign that would become a revered piece of public art. After having developed the 3-D files with SA Intl.’s EnRoute® 5 software, Sawatzky welded the steel frame with a Miller Weldmaster system, and fabricated the signfaces with layers of 30-lb. PrecisionBoard HDU. The moose’s body and ice-cream cone were sculpted from fiberglass-reinforced concrete, and the cherry, moose antlers and saddle were formed from Abracadabra Sculpt epoxy.

THIRD PLACE

Fabricator
Shenzhen Youking Sign Design
and Mfg. Co.
Shenzhen, China
(0755) 2888-87-669
www.youking.com
Designers
Jan Lorenc
Chung Youl Yoo
Steve McCall
David Park
Mac Liu
Lorenc+Yoo Design
Roswell, GA
(770) 645-2828
www.lorencyoodesign.com
Client
Guangzhou Vanke
Real Estate Development

Lorenc+Yoo and Youking collaborated to develop an environmental-graphics package for Fish in the Garden, a Vanke mixed-use resort property, which won Best of Show in the 2012 ST competition. This year’s award-winning project underscores that Chinese developers and architects apparently view signage and environmental graphics as entities that bolster a building’s aesthetic appeal. A fantasy-based, marketing storyline meshes with the site’s design. The ornate package includes an elaborate logo sign, sculptures, fountains, lighting fixtures and other architectural accents that captivate visitors.

HONORABLE MENTION

Fabricator
Artful Constructs
Cincinnati
(513) 260-6921
www.artfulconstructs.com
Designer
Mike Catanzaro
Artful Constructs
Client
Self

HONORABLE MENTION

Fabricator
David Smith
London, England
www.davidadriansmith.com
Designer
David Smith
Client
Ginstitute

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