Imaginality Designs’ Monument Sign for Minnesota Apartments

IMAGINALITY DESIGNS (Golden Valley, MN) has worked with Minot, ND-based property management company Centerspace on new signage for a portfolio of Minnesota properties that they have been rebranding for the past few years. This prior collaboration — and the fact that Imaginality has provided signage for some properties recently purchased by Centerspace — led the client to once again reach out to the signshop, this time for the Sunset Trail Apartment Homes in Rochester, MN.

The Centerspace marketing team provided the brand logo, fonts and colors, while their architectural and interior design partner supplied the plans, materials and specific finishes. It was up to Imaginality to conduct research on codes, site evaluations, GIS (geographic information systems), and develop design concepts using Adobe Illustrator with CadTools, plus Adobe Photoshop and SketchUp.

The core framing structure comprises a structural and 6061 architectural aluminum angle and tube, 4mm bone-white ALUCOBOND ACM for the base planter over an aluminum frame, a 6063 2 x 4-in. unequal leg aluminum angle for the planter cap, laser-cut aluminum faces for the accent boxes and fins, and steel supporting posts within the ground footings and structures. The sign cabinets are crafted from bronze DIBOND with 3/4-in. clear acrylic push-through letters routed on Imaginality’s Gerber SABRE 408 CNC router.

“Generally I do not like to see the cut edges of the ACM, and to reinforce the strength of the oversized faces we had a solution that took care of both at the same time: We scored and folded the ACM back on itself to lay flat, gaining a double layer of material while maintaining a nice finished edge look,” recalls Imaginality owner Myrna Orensten.

By strategically using translucent white polycarbonate for the top of the box, the team was able to cast more light on the center accents via two Principal Sloan Long PosterBOX 3 strips. They tucked IP68 Waterproof LED COB continuous roll lights behind the oversized faces to accentuate the fins and highlights. The team applied 3M vinyl to the website and Fair Housing icon on the planter, 3M reflective white vinyl to the phone number and “Apartment Homes” on the sign face, and 3M frosted vinyl — cut on the shop’s Mimaki CJV150-130 — to the sunburst logo on the accent box. A power-coated finish was applied to the fins and sunburst to match PMS yellow, while the planter, cap and cabinet were coated in Sherwin-Williams paint to match the bronze Dibond. Imaginality coordinated multiple projects with Centerspace through weekly meetings over Microsoft Teams.

“We had to figure out how to make and support the sunburst,” Orensten says. “Drawing it conceptually is easy. Making it stand up and last for possibly decades outside through Minnesota seasons is another.” The sunburst consists of 18 1/4-in. 6061 aluminum plate laser-cut pieces welded on two 0.25 x 4-in. rolled aluminum bars. Because the design is asymmetrical, the team cleaned up one unit, repeated then flipped it so that the final pieces could all align. They concealed the tube support legs behind two of the long ground-facing bursts and used a couple of side supports to stabilize the center box. Allanson LED Saber 2 46-in. light bars recessed into the planter base were added to uplight the sunburst.

Imaginality had to operate within the constraints of city codes in addition to considerations of visibility, sight line conditions, property identification and existing footprint. They convinced the client that an existing monument sign — a brick wall with letters facing the street — should be demolished to make space for the new sign, which needed to be perpendicular and closer to the road to be seen.

“To stay within the very limited square footage allowance of 12 sq. ft., we needed to max out the letter-name configuration,” Orensten says. They disconnected the sunburst icon into a sculptural element so it wouldn’t count as part of the sign’s square footage. The disconnected center boxes were also not restricted by code and could stay within the overall height allowance. The brand colors did not harmonize with the material sites on the site, however, so the shop updated the palette to better blend in with the environment.

Imaginality always tries to locate utilities before digging, working with clients on private locales to find sprinklers, landscape lighting and other elements. This time, they missed a conduit, only learning about it much later when Centerspace called for repair. The shop owned up to the responsibility and honored the repair cost. “Thankfully it wasn’t something worse or dangerous,” Orensten says.

The crew buried the steel support posts directly in the ground, then deployed a Toro Dingo 427 track loader with bucket, a concrete mixer, Sonotube concrete forms and QUIKRETE packaged concrete for installation. Despite the challenges, Centerspace was pleased with the final sign, one that residents and visitors could take pride in while elevating the look of the community, Orensten notes. It helps when clients have confidence in a signshop’s work, trust their creativity and integrity to get the job done well, and have the patience to go through the process of custom work. Beyond signage, Imaginality is not afraid to make recommendations for their clients, be it something the shop can handle themselves or refer to others.

“It was a validation that it’s worth pushing the limits on presenting design options that are fun, eye-catching, beautiful and effective. It can open the clients’ minds to possibilities and checkbooks to invest in better solutions for real ‘curb appeal,’” Orensten adds. “Figuring out how to make it happen is secondary. There is always a way — and even if we have to invest in some testing and homework along the way, it’s satisfying to see the vision realized.”