Monster Signs

My buddy’s father-in-law is obsessed with motorcycles. He’s never owned a bike, and is convinced only idiots ride them, but he loves "choppers." Ever since he saw "Monster Choppers" on the Discovery Channel, he can’t get enough of them. He loves the handmade frames, pipes and tanks; the fine detail of a paint job; and, perhaps above all, the chrome — mirrors, rims, etc.

Adcraft owner Matthew Rolli envisions the sign world being portrayed the same way. To him, the Discovery Channel simply needs to add "Monster Sign Shop" to its prime-time schedule. That’s why Adcraft stepped out of its comfort zone last October to pursue this project. The shop’s work will be featured this spring on the Discovery Channel’s Home Savvy, which is hosted by Joanne Liebler. The project’s interior designer was Liebler’s friend, and she was eager to include the job on the show.

Drooling over the opportunity to showcase our work, and the sign industry in general, on national television, we stopped by its pre-makeover incarnation, the Rustic Hut. We had a few drinks, schmoozed with the owner and left a few business cards. But, she forgot about us. So much for being aggressive.

However, a few weeks later, we got a phone call from Hugh Casement, the lead designer in charge of rehabbing the restaurant’s image. He’d been impressed with two or three of our signs around town. After having met with him, Adcraft Sign and Design became the lead signmaker for what would become Connolly’s Pub and Grille.

The concept

We collaborated with the designer to formulate a signage program. In the original layout, a 5 x 5-ft., monument sign would stand near the roadside entrance. The design featured the Connolly’s shield situated between two stone pillars. It called for dimensional letters, goldleaf and a smalt background. All things considered, it was a nice design.

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However, the existing sign posed a problem. It stood more than 14 ft. tall and 8 ft. wide. We guessed the owners wouldn’t understand the significant size difference. As such, we used a side-by-side photo rendering of the two signs. The owners then realized the size of the proposed sign wouldn’t work.

Our solution entailed installing the shield from the original proposal above the front-door entrance. Then, we enlarged the same shield, knight’s head and flourishes for use as the dimensional aspects of an 8 x 10-ft., contour-cut, roadway sign. This solution satisfied the original designer, but, more importantly, it also satisfied the owners’ need for signage with substantial square footage. They were used to a huge sign, so we gave them one.

All about the rout

Once the design was complete and approved, we used a Gerber Sabre CNC router to cut out the Dibond