With a college education now considered a virtual requirement for professional employment, competition for visibility among institutions of higher learning has become fierce. The task is especially challenging for small, private colleges that lack name recognition. Leaders at Rush Univ., a small, private college on Chicago’s west side, wanted to boost campus aesthetics with an historical display that touted its history to prospective students. Mary Katherine Krause, Rush’s associate VP for university relations, contacted Kim Rasmussen, owner of Oak Park, IL’s It’s a Sign (a member shop in the Sign Biz network), about creating the program to celebrate the school’s 40th anniversary. It’s a Sign’s past work for Rush included banners, tradeshow displays and table coverings.
“The school’s marketing team presented the concept of creating a display that celebrated prominent milestones in its history,” she said. “It was our idea to bring the display to where students and visitors would already be, rather than directing traffic to a specific location.”
For the job, It’s a Sign produced more than 1,500 sq. ft. of graphics, which entailed covering eight elevator banks over six floors at the school’s student center. The shop produced the graphics with 3M™’s Scotchcal™ IJ35C-10, a 3.2-mil media with an air-release, permanent, pressure-sensitive adhesive. It’s a Sign decorated the panels on the shop’s Mimaki JV-3 printer with eco-solvent inks.
“Thorough site prep was essential for a successful installation,” Rasmussen said. “For example, the emergency-key access on the door exterior was important to note; we didn’t want it to interfere with the graphic. Keyholes weren’t the same on each door, and some doors generated more friction than others. We needed a material that would adhere firmly to doors with surface imperfections.”
She contacted 3M directly prior to production. At its suggestion, she used 3M’s 8914 optically clear tape to help secure the perimeter of each graphic around the doors.
“We helped transform the campus into a museum of sorts,” Rasmussen said. “The client plans to continue with updated panels so it remains relevant beyond the 40th anniversary.”