Sign Superheroes: The Spectacular Six

NOT ALL HEROES wear capes. The everyday superheroes walk among us, their secret identities concealed until exceptional circumstances — sign emergencies, for example — spring them into action. Here we chronicle six signmakers who are superheroes in their own right. They might not have fancy gadgets, hidden fortresses or bespoke spandex suits; what they do possess are a flair for leadership, uncanny problem-solving skills and sheer force of creativity.

Which superhero are you and why?
As a kid, I was a fan of Nick Fury, Marvel’s ex-military superspy who recruited and organized the Avengers. Never thought about it, but in our little B2B company, I still act as coach and mentor to several in-house and subcontracted sign ‘superheroes!’

What “sign superpower” do you possess?
As a former ad exec and creative director, my approach is to see the big picture first, then work backward through site work, fabrication and design. We’re in the visibility business; signs are just the means to achieve that strategic client goal.

What superpower do you wish you possessed?
The mad scientist, I am not. We don’t do cutting-edge work, promote innovation or push against existing boundaries. I miss such ideation here compared with previous careers.

Who or what is your nemesis?
We have a ‘work hard, play hard’ mindset here. Sometimes, I find my light-hearted, light-handed attitude goes too far. So, The Joker from Batman might be an appealing nemesis who threatens to push us off our more serious duties.

How I’m like a superhero.
A venerable jeweler finally invested in a new large LED sign from us after years of waiting. Then a planned rapid transit station forced them to change retail locations. The new town’s sign code required a smaller sign than what they’d just bought. The jeweler couldn’t afford to buy an all-new sign. So our in-house ‘superheroes’ figured out how to remove 15 channel letters, tighten the kerning between letters, remount the same letters on a shortened raceway to satisfy code and save the jeweler 75% of the cost of an all-new sign!

Which superhero are you?
I am Super Channel Letter Guy.

What “sign superpower” do you possess?
My superpower is transforming brands into eye-catching channel letters.

What superpower do you wish you possessed?
I wish I could look at clients and tele-transport them to a planet where quality is more important than cheaping out on signs.

Who or what is your nemesis?
Small serifs. They wake me up at night.

How he’s like a superhero.
In the darkest hour, when chaos reigned, a hero emerged, his power unchained. With an illuminated sign held up high, he brought hope and peace to the night sky.

Which superhero are you?
Superwoman.

What “sign superpowers” do you possess?
The ability to juggle a million things at once.

What superpower do you wish you possessed?
The ability to foresee all potential site obstacles.

Who or what is your nemesis?
Only 24 hours in a day.

Which superhero are you and why?
I definitely wouldn’t consider myself as a “superhero,” but in keeping with the theme, MultiTask Man. Having started 30 years ago in the trenches as a sign production, designer and install specialist, I’ve worked for several different-sized graphics and print companies in multiple roles in different states. For the last 17 years as the CEO of my own fast-paced graphics firm, I’m intimately aware of how many hats there are to wear in the industry.

What “sign superpowers” do you possess?
The power of multi-tasking and multi-thinking — including the ability to be super flexible, stretching to meet and make all deadlines, projects, meetings and more in a single pass. This also allows me to take care of our incredible Super Staff at Atchley Graphics. MultiTask Man would not be where he is without his amazing team.

What superpower do you wish you possessed?
The ability to also teleport from one jobsite or meeting place to another would be incredibly helpful.

Who or what is your nemesis?
Certainly the anti-hero Murphy and his hammer called “Law.”

How he’s like a sign superhero.
When Atchley Graphics had a grouping of three key staff members (Production, Installation and Press Op) all out at the same time for six weeks, MultiTask Man had to help out the stretched-thin ranks to fill in these areas, as well as all the duties he’s normally tasked with as the company CEO and business developer.

Which superhero are you and why?
The heroes I was inspired by when posing for my photo were Street Fighter’s Ryu fireball, Marvel’s Dr. Strange and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (or TMNT). I was an ’80s kid who grew up with comics and video games.

What “sign superpower” do you possess?
Every project comes with its unique challenges. From design concept to install I solve problems with unconventional ideas and approaches.

What superpowers do you wish you possessed?
I wish I had the project management and people skills that are essential to keeping a project running smoothly.

Who or what is your nemesis?
“The Creeper.” Scope creep is the biggest culprit in a project not meeting timeline or budget. Too many ideas and not enough time or money to execute but somehow we are expected to make it happen. I might be a superhero but I’m not a wizard.

How I’m like a sign superhero.
A project out of state required a quick and affordable solution. What started out as printed and plotted vinyl on storefront glass to both advertise and hide the interior renovation, had to shift when they found out that the property owner might be replacing all of the exterior glass in the next coming months. Our client needed to tell the community they were coming but could no longer use their storefront glass.

We shifted to banners mounted on the exterior brick. But instead of a static single banner, we developed a series of banners that would build upon one another creating a new message every so often. This was not only more affordable and easier to implement but created a much more dynamic and engaging experience.

The problem: An unexpected renovation with no clear timeline.
The solution: A series of banners that updated the message and created a fun Instagram-worthy social campaign that will last the duration of the exterior renovation.

While I might have been the only one on the team bold enough to pose for this article, the real heroes at Studio Dzo are my wife and business partner, Elizabeth, and the entire Studio Dzo team.

Which superhero are you and why?
John the Sign Guy-y-y-y-y (that’s my mountain-top echo). I get called this all the time by clients that cannot pronounce my last name when introducing me.

What “sign superpower” do you possess?
Foresight. With experience in everything from manufacturing to permitting to current material costs, most of the time I have the ability to think quickly on my feet to either resolve an issue beforehand or adjust according to daily issues.

What superpower do you wish you possessed?
Flight.

Who or what is your nemesis?
Inexperienced plan reviewers and untrained project managers.

How I’m like a sign superhero.
I’m currently undefeated on board facing variance approval, and have helped countless projects navigate through various municipalities throughout the country.

I find myself more of an educator than a salesperson. I’ve realized that educating the client on the what’s and why’s rather than just selling them on what they want builds trust and nurtures a long-standing relationship. Remember, the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.

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