On Wisconsin!

Twice, I’ve ventured to the Badger State for Letterhead Meets – one was in Waukesha, an outlying Milwaukee suburb; the other took me to Tomahawk, a fairly remote city in the state’s rural Northwoods region between Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Each journey offered ample testament to the vitality of the state’s sign industry.

Whether the handiwork of a behemoth, full-service shop such as West Allis-based Poblocki & Sons., or smaller entities such as Wausau’s Wausau Signs or Hudson’s Adcraft the Signmakers, we’ve been privileged to feature stellar Wisconsin signage and graphics before.

Now, ST proudly offers a Dairyland mother lode – winners from the Wisconsin Sign Assn.’s (WSA) Sign Design Awards. Announced during the WSA’s annual meeting, held October 4, in Mosinee, the winners cover 11 diverse categories: Pylon, Exterior Monument, Non-Illuminated Exterior Monument; Directional/Wayfinding Systems; Vehicle; Individual Letters; Unique (Neon, LED or Sculptural); Interior Identification; Mural/Banner/Awning Display/Digital Graphics, and Silly Signs.

Three judges – Jodie Thill, who works for Harley-Davidson’s Retail Environment Group; Debi Zeinert, a self-employed calligrapher and stationery designer, and Melissa M. Rudolph, project manager for Workshop Architects, which devised wayfinding and graphic identification for academic and professional environments — sifted through 101 submissions from Badger State companies to determine winners and runners-up in each category. We’ve selected some of our favorites amongst the first-place winners, as well as the Best of Show. Good work, aina?

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