One Cool Watering Hole

In October, Julian Wright opened Canteen, which bills itself as a “modern tequila bar,” in Tempe’s trendy Mill Street entertainment district, where Arizona State University students mingle with Phoenix-area hipsters to create a festive, energetic atmosphere. Inside, a sleek bar that stocks more than 100 brands of tequila, Talavera tile floors and spherical sconces that encase lightbulbs within an agave-plant pattern create an über-chic ambience sure to attract as many patrons as the carne asada and tamales that emerge from the kitchen.

To create similar curb appeal, Wright hired Tempe-based Airpark Signs & Graphics to fabricate Canteen’s exterior-sign program. Airpark had previously fabricated a sign program for Wright’s other Mill District restaurant, La Bocca Pizzeria. Gretchen Cherrill, the shop’s owner, sought to create sleek signage that matches Canteen’s ultra-modern motif. Wright hired Havice Design, also of Tempe, to create the sign’s design, which artfully synthesizes Latin-infused artwork and typography with a sleek, modern look.

Because of the three signs’ skinny profile, the Airpark team quickly settled on LEDs to accommodate the tight space. To create the sign’s backdrop, the shop shaped several, raw-steel panels on its Flow waterjet cutter (according to Cherrill, Airpark is the only Arizona signshop that owns a waterjet machine). The untreated, gunmetal-finish gray soon developed a natural patina that yielded the desired sophisticated, yet rough, look. Then, Airpark illuminated the sign with 130 linear ft. of JT LED red and amber modules. Because the letters and graphics were cut away from their backing, rather than the second-surface, the sign features a slim profile that makes them appear as part of the original architecture.

Cherrill said dealing with Tempe city officials created the biggest project hurdle. Finally, the city approved the signs’ steel backers as an architectural feature. Thus, only the actual letters and artwork counted against the signage square footage permitted by Tempe’s sign code. This enabled the implementation of three signs into the program.

To complement the exterior program, Airpark waterjet-cut interior letters from raw steel and installed them on steel studs. The sign translates a Spanish phrase that embodies a truly content life: “I don’t have lots of money, but I have many friends.”