EVEN AS NEW LIGHTING solutions offer sign-makers an increasing number of ways to "light up our lives, nothing can replace the glow of neon. When it comes to nightlife, this classic light form offers an endless array of shapes, colors and animation possibilities.
It’s no small surprise, then, that electric-sign companies are finding new ways to incorporate this lighting medium into signage. From pedestrian areas in cities to entertainment complexes, neon sculptures, displays and signage serve as bright markers in an otherwise dark milieu. Here, we showcase a few electric-sign companies’ innovative and traditional uses of this classic sign medium.
High-scoring signage
These days, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a themed restaurant owned by a big-time athlete, model or superstar. This surge of star-studded restaurants, however, is a boon for the sign industry.
The World Sports Cafe is a themed sports bar owned by the San Francisco 49er’s free safety Tim McDonald, who lives in Fresno, CA. When he decided to open his own restaurant, he commissioned Fresno-based Commercial Neon Inc. to design, fabricate and install an electric-sign system that would prove as stellar as his football team.
Commercial Neon used plenty of aluminum — one of the company’s specialties — for this project. The globe-shaped, aluminum sign measures 10 feet in diameter, and 12 feet overall with the background gridwork. "World Sports" comprises open-face channel letters illuminated with 13-millimeter, classic-gold neon, and "Cafe" is lit with 10-millimeter, 6,500K white neon. The circular tube rounding the perimeter is also 15-millimeter, classic-gold neon.
The center globe section is constructed of vacuum-formed Lexan.
PHOTO GALLERY (9 IMAGES)
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