Because of the picturesque swath of the Appalachian Mountains that dominates East Tennessee – with a major assist from a large community of artisans that has settled there – tourism remains a key cog in the region’s economy. From Dollywood to the shops of Gatlinburg to Smoky Mountain National Park, the numerous options could overwhelm a novice traveler. To help them make decisions, the Bluegreen Corp., a Boca Raton, FL-based timeshare-management company, set up a tourist-information center.
They hired Brother Zank, proprietor of Custom Craftsman Signs (Sevierville, TN), to create the property’s monument sign. He’s countered challenging economic times by targeting customers who understand the value of such signage.
“The level of confidence in our economy has impacted spending across the board,” Zank said. “I recommend sign types after careful consideration of theme, architecture and aesthetics. Whatever sales success we have stems from perceived quality of design, passion of craft and our established track record.”
When considering a monument sign’s size, height and complexity, he said sightlines, traffic flow and speed limit are primary considerations for developing designs. Also, he considers property lines, setbacks from the road, and utility locations and irrigation possibilities, because he also undertakes landscape design. He takes numerous site photos to underscore a job’s possibilities and limitations.
MidSouth Signs (Columbus, MS) fabricated the monument’s upper panels from 0.080-in.-thick alumi-
num, bent them into 3-in.-deep shapes, and then spraypainted a fade pattern onto them. The Tennessee “key” logo and its adjacent letters were MIG-welded into facelit, channel constructions. Agilight SignRayz LED modules illuminate the faces, and second-surface, acrylic faces, stars and letters enhance the sign’s detail.
Regarding what metal components he uses on the job, Zank says, “Internal saddlemounts and un-
exposed structural elements are normally made from steel, and I often use square-steel columns because the flat surfaces are easier to lay out and weld on. All visible components are usually aluminum. A large span that doesn’t have much support requires 0.125-in. thickness, or at least 0.080. For letters with shallow returns, 0.063 is usually sufficient. The ultimate goal is stout construction, with no oil-canning.”
Like a growing number of Zank’s monument signs, this installation features an electronic message center (EMC): a 16mm-pixel-pitch, 36 x 162-matrix Watchfire display. Zank said, “[EMCs] are growing
in popularity because they’re so effective; they’re almost like POP advertising for our tourist market. However, it can be a challenge informing the clients about the technical aspects. Many purveyors in that market emphasize initial cost over true value.”
Bush Builders, the project’s general contractor, hired Thomas Parrish to build the sign’s masonry components. Zank credits the dry-stack-stone base and the riveted-copper bands for emphasizing a craftsman style.
“It was a challenge to balance the sign with a highly visual EMC display,” Zank said. “Also, it requires creativity to compose aesthetic solutions that reflect our rustic mountain culture, while conforming to restrictive sign ordinances.”