Well Deserved

It often seems that those in the sign industry toils in thankless anonymity. Clients or their surrogate project managers almost inevitably bring signshops into the fold on new construction or renovation projects during the latter stages, and then issue change orders that exert further pressure that compounds already tight deadlines. And, then, shop owners too often need to do everything short of hiring Mafia goons to get paid. All the while, customers expect signmakers to oblige them with free conceptual designs before being hired to complete the job.

Yet, signmakers press on. The vast majority fabricate high-quality work amidst a volatile market that requires many shops to frequently adapt their capabilities and the markets they serve. Given the challenges sign businesses encounter, when a shop earns recognition from organizations outside the sign industry, it’s reason for widespread celebration.

ShawCraft Sign Co. (Machesney Park, IL) earned  a 2011 National Scenic Byway Award for interpretation at the National Scenic Byways Conference, which took place August 24 in Minneapolis. ShawCraft and its owner, Jay Allen, earned the award for its Lincoln Highway Mural Project for the Illinois Lincoln Highway National Scenic Byway. For the Lincoln Highway’s centennial in 2013, ShawCraft will paint up to 16 more murals along the “grandmother road.”

Joe Diaz, who works in his family business, Diaz Sign Art (Pontiac, IL), with father William, mother Jane and brother Ben, emerged as the grand-prize winner of the CorelDRAW International Design Contest. Joe’s award-winning design features a mock-up for a wall mural that identifies Steampunk Stella’s, a fictitious microbrewery and restaurant. When you consider the various design disciplines that use Corel Corp.’s signature software, it’s a testament to the quality of Joe’s design that he claimed the top prize.

Congratulations to ShawCraft and Joe! And, while we’re on the subject of winners, don’t forget to check out the victors in ST’s 5th Annual Vehicle Graphics Contest, which appear in our October issue and on www.signweb.com.