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Dimensional Signs

Charting a New Course

Business has slowed for Avila Signs

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Many longstanding maxims exist, and many offer conflicting advice – anyone who cites “A new broom sweeps clean” may be promptly rejoined by “Old shoes fit best.” The message: There’s more than one way to live a productive, purposeful life. Although some go-getters might bristle at intentionally downsizing, signmakers who’ve forged a successful, 25-year career need not apologize for their life decisions.

For Robin and David McDonald, proprietors of Grover Beach, CA-based Avila Sign and Design, their careers started as a merger of sales and signmaking talents that grew into marriage. After years of having thrived in a highly competitive West Coast market, they’ve decided to smell the roses, become more selective with work they undertake, and retire within the next several years.

However, this transition doesn’t preclude adopting new techniques and methods to create unique, durable signage. And, their professional success demonstrates it’s quite possible, even helpful, to mix business and pleasure.

A stroke of luck

David maintained a lifelong interest in art and began his signmaking when a nearby married couple hired him in the late ’70s. He apprenticed there three years, and, after also working for a woodworking mill, his overriding passion chose signage. Also, he can credit his neighbor with, ahem, inspiring him to look for regular signshop work.

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“He was a rough-and-tumble Harley guy, and the houses were very close together,” David recalled. “He was becoming irritated with the noise of hammering and spraypainting fumes, and the occasional stray hardware and material that ended up in his yard. He told me if he heard or smelled any more signmaking coming from my garage, he was going to kick my butt. I got the message.”

Concurrently, Robin had just bought Avila Signs from its namesake owner, Ricardo, who was retiring. Shortly after the transaction, David walked through the door, and a match was found.

“I didn’t have any experience in the sign industry; I just knew how to sell,” Robin said. “It was fortuitous that David walked through the door at just the right time to look for work.”

Initially, David was reluctant, but Robin convinced him that operating that signshop while she ran the office and pursued new business would yield a successful arrangement. After years of building the business, and forming Avila as a partnership, their relationship evolved as well – they married 15 years ago. They now have four children – Becky, Amy, Lukas and John.

Growing the shop

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The bulk of Ricardo’s work had entailed handpainting metal or wood signs, with a modicum of vehicle-graphics work. The McDonalds incorporated David’s woodworking knowledge and oriented the business towards dimensional signage. In those early days, his fabrication primarily entailed sandblasted redwood panels (he outsourced blasting locally), which he painted or screenprinted and glued together.

Of course, those simple days have long since passed. Necessity partly dictated innovation – his reliable sandblaster left town in the early ’90s, and replacement vendors proved insufficient.

He’d heard about CNC routers’ capabilities and invested in a Gerber Sabre 408. Initially, David persevered with redwood panels, which he fortified with planers and joiners. However, machining wood created excessive debris and increasingly presented problematic knots that burned out even the stoutest bits. He switched to HDU.

“Because it lacks a grain, HDU is a very routable and versatile substrate,” David said. “However, not all HDU is created equal. Some is more prone to generate a lot of dust, and the surface strength isn’t uniform between different vendors. Given our experience, [Sign Arts Products’] Sign•Foam has proven to be the best product.”

In contrast to many HDU-sign fabricators, the McDonalds primarily use 10-lb. Sign•Foam. David believes 15- and 18-lb. varieties are over-engineered for most sign projects, and 10-lb. routs more easily.

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“In my 25 years in the sign industry, I’ve only had a couple of issues with HDU signs being destroyed,” he said. “In one case, someone backed their truck into the sign. When that happens, no urethane will withstand the impact. Regarding vandalism, signmakers should write into their contracts that they’re not responsible for graffiti or other damage to the sign panel.”

To fortify HDU, the McDonalds use marine-grade plywood to fortify their signfaces because it expands and contracts much less than PVC, and, therefore, it provides more surface stability. To bond multiple-panel signs, the McDonalds prefer West Systems’ two-part, epoxy adhesive. David employs the slow-curing epoxy that sets overnight.

They typically begin painting their dimensional signs with Coastal Enterprises’ WB primer/filler because its high-solids content provides a solid coating. Next, they’ll usually topcoat with acrylic-latex housepaint before imparting fine details with 1Shot® lettering enamel.

When gilding, David typically begins with LeFranc Charbonnel’s slow size, which holds tack for 24 to 72 hours. If a job requires quicker turnaround, he’ll mix in an equal part of 1Shot quick size and start gilding six to 12 hours after size application.

“For us, selling goldleaf isn’t especially challenging,” he said. “The brilliance it provides often sells itself for those inclined towards an upscale sign.”

To design its signs, the shop uses Adobe lllustrator and Photoshop, CorelDRAW® or CADlink’s SignLab® version 7.1 or Gerber Omega. For vector-based art, Signlab tends to be the program of choice, while Illustrator or CorelDraw serve as proofing programs prior to artwork submissions to clients. David experiments with color combinations using Photoshop, and uses Graphics Advantage with his Gerber Edge. On the shop’s router, Artpath tooling software synthesizes image files to plot the course.

Through experimentation, David has developed an unusual coating technique. Using aluminum leaf, David proceeds through the standard sizing and gilidng process before applying Alodine as a chemical treatmehnt to aid adhesion. Next, he mixes automotive Kandy color with DuPont® automotive clearcoat. The process creates a chemical, quasi-etching reaction that yields a brilliant, neon-like coating.

“Some people think of gold as the only suitable metal leaf for signage,” he said. “It generally lasts the longest, but you can create some unique effects with other products.”

Play to your strengths

The McDonalds ply their trade in a somewhat secluded region; they’re four hours south of San Francisco, and three hours north of Los Angeles. The closest significant urban area is Santa Barbara, approximately 100 miles away. Grover Beach claims approximately 13,000 residents, according to the 2000 Census.

It’s nestled within San Luis Obispo County’s San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles wine-producing regions; tourism fuels much of Avila Sign’s trade. Although they don’t receive frequent demand for winery signage, hotels, restaurants and boutiques that cater to this trade offer ample opportunities.

Building codes in Grover Beach and surrounding towns generally preclude high-rise buildings, so signage and environmental graphics must be built to a relatively modest scale. One neighboring municipality, Arroyo Grande, a historic town laden with resorts, requires approval from an architectural review board. However, the McDonalds don’t directly deal with permits; they outsource this to a specialist and comply with local stipulations. Also, they don’t install their signs; a capable friend in Arroyo Grande undertakes this task.

“It helps your business immensely to have reliable subcontractors,” Robin said. “I think you enjoy your work most when you don’t wear too many hats and do what you do best.”

That goal entails keeping their operation relatively small. Avila comprises approximately 2,500 sq. ft. and, with the exception of occasionally hiring temporary help to meet tough production deadlines, it’s always been a husband-and-wife operation. David said, “Delegation and administration aren’t my strong suits. It would be a disservice to an employee to ask him to perform a task without appropriate direction.”

Planning a getaway

Although the McDonalds enjoy their signshop, their interests have taken them in other directions. David has become a digital-photography aficionado, and he hopes to transform his shop into a full-service, photographic studio within the next several years. Alternatively, they also own property in Colorado and may move operations there as they transition toward retirement.

Through their career, the McDonalds have learned to say “no.” David said, “If someone is visiting us or our website (www.avilasign.com) and wants a quote for a cheap, fast project, I’ll send them somewhere else. That market isn’t our goal; I don’t want to sell Helvetica to slap on a wall.”

Also, they no longer keep themselves on call 24/7, and Robin said they readily lock the doors for a long lunch or a horseback ride when the workload is light and the mood strikes: “We’ve worked hard, and I think we’ve earned the right to enjoy and take control of our lives.”

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