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3-D Acrylic Brands Rademaker’s Lobby

 
Doug, at Rademaker’s, strikes a happy pose, after Sign Artist installed his new
entry sign at the Lombard, Illinois office of this Dutch-based company.

Rademaker’s logo lends itself perfectly to a 3-d format! Simple lines, but
attractive and well-designed, the striking navy art strip nicely suits this bright
entry space. Sign Artist adhered the art to the wall with studs, for secure and
long-lasting impact.

Our studio also fabricated and installed an aluminum composite doorbell sign,
and bold adhesive vinyl lettering for the back “man door.”

A bonus for the Sign Artist crew? A friendly meeting with “Indiana,”
the Australian Shepherd office mascot (named after adventurous Indiana Jones)!

Interested in how 3-d acrylic or other signage can spruce up your interior or exterior
business space? Give Ed a call at: 630-594-4185.

 

     

Gallery of signs

Graphics Present Equipment Depot’s Values

As people devised New Year’s resolutions for 2022, Sign Artist installed multi-media signs to help inspire staff and visitors at Equipment Depot in Itasca, Illinois. An out-of-town sign company contracted Sign Artist to install their graphics. Signs ranged from die-cut vinyl and vinyl on acrylic panels, to dimensional wood letters and accent bars.

Workers at Equipment Depot are “equipped to serve.” One glance at these carefully-selected images and text communicates the nature of Equipment Depot’s niche, as a provider of large scale rental equipment. Incorporating core values and the mission of service into office decor, adds a nice motivating touch to the work environment.

An added bonus, was when Equipment Depot staff put on Christmas music and decorated their office tree nearby, setting a festive install mood for Sign Artist’s crew. Happy Holidays!

If you have a vision for your business that you are seeking to convey in 2022, let Sign Artist help you make this a reality! Inspire your staff with beautiful signs. Give Ed a call at 630-594-4185.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brushed Metal Lobby Signs Set the Tone

   

Sign Artist fabricated and installed custom brushed metal lobby signs for a hub of medical associations in Chicagoland. The Musculoskeletal Tumor Society, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, The Hip and Knee Societies, and other medical associations at the  sleek Schaumburg Corporate Center (above right), opted for brushed aluminum seals to display their identities and specialties.

   

The six seals boldly catch the light, and are visible far down the hallway. Artistic black logos on silver finesse these signs, and deliver essential graphic messages. Any observer can see at a glance the wide scope of specialties represented by the associations at this site. By their nature, such brushed metal seals instill confidence in the viewer, that these are associations that are professional and respected.

   

Need lobby signs or art to express the expertise of your business or association? Call Ed at Sign Artist, 630-594-4185. We have a fine artist/graphic designer on staff, who can work with your logo and branding, or develop for your business, a whole new look!

Grocery Store Awning is Good Advertising

Sign Artist installed this vivid awning at the new 3N’s Oriental Groceries, Foods & Markets Store in Broadview, Illinois. Awnings help traffic identify businesses.

 

The printed canvas signage makes the business a standout along busy Roosevelt Road. The store celebrates its Grand Opening this Saturday, March 6, 2021! It officially opens to the public at noon, so go check out this great groceries/carry out food destination at 1422 West Roosevelt Road in Broadview!

To install the 25-foot-wide awning, Sign Artist designed a custom carrier. Our crew defied the weather, bringing a bucket truck and braving 1.5-foot-high snowdrifts to remove the old awning, with its faded canvas. After Sign Artist cut the old canvas from the steel frame, we mounted the frame on our truck, and carried it away, to be covered in bright, printed canvas. A fresh-looking storefront makes any shop pop.  3N’s Oriental Groceries will be an appealing destination for all who love oriental cuisine. The awning is a great aid for directing customers to the shop, and for attracting new clients.

With Spring coming, it’s time to put on a bright face and let an awning identify your business! Whether it’s an awning, wayfinding, exterior or lobby sign, give Ed a call: 630-594-4185.

LED sign

LEDs Light Up Lobby Signs

 Eggology earns Grade A for this creative illuminated lobby sign design! Backlit with LEDs, and custom fabricated and installed by Sign Artist, this new restaurant sign in South Barrington, Illinois, is hung and ready to roll. This fresh branding sports a playful yet elegant shape and color scheme, that pop from the anchor wall. Photos below show the final stages of fabrication at Sign Artist’s studio. Our crew took special delight in the creativity and finished product of this sign! Materials include brushed-metal and translucent vinyl, and LED lights, fitted into a custom cabinet built at the Sign Artist studio. The result is a contemporary take on restaurant signage, and an unforgettable branding. With its economy of lines, this 3-D sign shows that simplicity can be ultra-creative, eye-catching and chic. Sign Artist was happy to see Pete, restauranteur and owner of eggology, post his enthusiasm on Instagram, with the comment, “Illuminated sign turned out better than we imagined!” His replies featured a thumbs up and “so cool!!!!” Another post on Pete’s Instagram reads: “Create a vision that makes you wanna jump out of bed in the morning.” Sign Artist is happy in the part we played in adding to the visuals of Pete’s creative and tasty vision! We wish eggology much success!

Posted on eggology’s Instagram: “Illuminated sign turned out better than we imagined.”

Look for the opening of this Chicagoland restaurant Spring of 2021! If you have a unique design in mind and would like help in seeing it hatched, give Ed a call at Sign Artist: 630-594-4185.  

Putting on a Fresh Face – Replacing Aging Signage

post and panel signEvery Day Management called Sign Artist for a new sign to make a good impression and to replace an aging sign. A little investigation and discussion led Sign Artist and their new client to agree, that the old sign was past saving. Our designer, Erin, presented a fresh color scheme and a new graphic, to update the vibe of this residential community’s branding. The new post and panel structure is metal, and won’t deteriorate in the harsh Midwestern climate. Sign Artist fabricated the sign in-house, printing on hi-tech vinyl substrate.Aging and rotting sign

reflective vinyl for signs   building a new signinstalling a new sign

Install day brought biting temperatures and a winter storm, but the install went on as planned. The result? A vivid, durable sign to appreciate, and to attract new residents for this Chicagoland neighborhood. It’s clear that new signs make a good impression.

ISA Award for Sign Artist, USA!

Time to celebrate! Sign Artist USA received a 2020 Illinois Sign Association Award!

The ISA Sign Design Awards Program  is a signature recognition program of Illinois Sign Association. This annual industry competition showcases the best of the best in Illinois. The program provides recognition in nine categories for design and installation, showcasing the expertise of sign companies, designers and technicians in Illinois.
Sign Artist was recognized for refurbishing and rebranding the historic Elmhurst University wrought iron archway, in Elmhurst, west of Chicago.  Sign Artist headed the mammoth process of dissembling, sandblasting and painting the iconic 19th-century arch. Our studio arranged for the fabrication and soldering of new gilt letters. Sign Artist designer Erin, painted the decorative cartouche, topping the arch. We worked with master ironworkers, Chicagoland’s All Metal Group, and contracted two theatrical companies from Chicago, to unveil the renewed arch in a special automated “kabuki drop” ceremony at Elmhurst University, Summer of 2020.
Illinois Sign Association noted the breadth of this project in its Illinois Sign Association (ISA) Annual Meeting and Election of Directors, that convened via zoom Tuesday, December 8. Top leaders in the sign industry discussed the state of the industry in 2020, and projections about 2021. A highlight of the ISA event was the Illinois Sign Industry Awards, presenting the Sign Design Awards and the “Best of the Best Award,” with live polling. Illinois sign industry professionals and allied tradespeople from across the state attended.
Sign Artist joined the live event, and was pleased to be awarded the Third Place Award in the category of “Restored or Rehabilitated Existing Sign.”
The overall vibe was hopeful regarding 2021 operations, technology & industry trends, while acknowledging the deep and difficult impact of 2020, professionally and personally. Sign Artist is honored to be part of the team of talented sign studios across Illinois, who are  helping businesses prepare for better times in 2021.

Vehicle Graphics Grow Visibility For Local Business


We enjoy spotting our Sign Artist signs out in the community. Here’s one we sighted, rolling north along York Road in front of us! We managed to snap a quick photo from our passenger seat. Sign Artist fabricated and installed this branding and contact information for JPL Property Services, LLC. Clean and simple, the graphics and text transformed their box truck into a rolling advertisement. Wherever JPL landscapers drive to serve clients, they take their advertising with them.

Sign Artist is honored to help spread the good news about this local Elmhurst, Illinois company, that has been cutting lawns, snow shoveling, doing seasonal cleanups and landscaping, around Chicago suburbs since 1969. Founder and operator Jim Lithas (photos below) has put top priority on running a professional, family-oriented business. His goal is to beautify the community, by offering top landscaping services. He wears other important hats in the neighborhood, as a firefighter and an emergency medical technician. Sign Artist wishes the best to Jim and JPL, and is happy to help speed them on their way — with visuals that will help build their business!
 
(Photos courtesy of Jim Lithas, JPL Property Services, LLC, Elmhurst, Illinois)

We can lead you through the process of designing a vehicle wrap that can be a valuable tool in building your business! We are a one-stop shop for vehicle graphics, with our in-house designer, fabrication and install team. Call Ed at: 630-594-4185.

Learn more about vehicle graphics, here.

Directional Signs Show the Way

Directional signs, also called wayfinding signs show us the way. They help us navigate in new situations. There’s an artistry and logic to every wayfinding sign.  Sign Artist often installs these interior and exterior signs, including the ones shown here.

 building directory

directional sign

 

 

Every client looking for directional signage has basic decisions to make, including:

  1. Message
  2. Materials
  3. Colors and design
  4. Optimal placement

Sign Artist will collaborate with you in obtaining impactful directional/wayfinding signs. Your clients will appreciate your professionalism, when they see your attractive and effective signage, guiding them to the correct parking spot, level or suite.

Sign Artist printed these residential unit signs below, for Sandburg Village, in Chicago’s Gold Coast. Our studio applied high-tech vinyl  onto aluminum composite sheets, to withstand the harshest elements. The sign is secured onto the exterior brick face via concrete anchors. Our client attended the install and was pleased by the result.


The “Do Not Enter” sign below at the North Lincoln Parking Garage in Skokie, was manufactured at Sign Artist’s Bensenville studio. We  mounted this sturdy, 8-foot-wide directional using concrete anchors.

Also installed in the Skokie garage and fabricated at Sign Artist Studio, the sign below is a standout, due to its bold font and attractive color. Sign Artist made signs for Levels One through Six. Incorporating a rainbow of colors, helps visitors recall the location of their parked vehicles.


Another look for directional signage, this parking sign below was installed by Sign Artist at  Canal Plaza, a South Archer retail building near Chinatown in Chicago. This digital print on a brushed aluminum substrate makes a refined statement.

This framed evacuation plan, installed at The 1201 North Clark building at Clark and Division in Chicago, is a crucial wayfinding sign. Every directional sign is important, but some provide information that clarifies a life and death decision for the viewer. Sign Artist also erected more than 200 ADA braille, directional signs at this landmark building.

Overall, directional/wayfinding signs ease stress. They guide clients to the correct location efficiently. This results in fewer late arrivals, and a better customer experience. Call Ed to discuss your signage needs: 630-594-4185.

 

Branded Parking Signs for Drivetrain


Drivetrain Service & Components, Inc. in Bensenville asked Sign Artist to install branded signs that reserve parking for Drivetrain visitors only.  Fabricated from an aluminum sheet and Engineer Grade Reflective (EGR) vinyl substrate, the sign displays the Drivetrain logo.  This connects the sign more clearly to the Drivetrain business. Sign Artist also installed entrance signs (below), a lighted cabinet sign, address and Covid directional signs at Drivetrain. The parking signs are another form of branding that re-enforce the identity and professionalism of this Chicagoland semi truck transmission and hydraulics specialist, while ensuring visitors have a clearly-marked spot reserved for them.

10 Reasons to Choose Sign Artist


Ten Reasons to Choose Sign Artist

  1. Repeat Customers: We have a great rapport with customers, who return to us time and again. We keep clients updated on milestones regarding their sign design, fabrication, city code application process and install information.
  2. One-Stop Sign Studio: Businesses typically need more than one type of signage — simultaneously! It’s standard fare for Sign Artist to fabricate and install a monument or pylon sign, lobby and reception signs,  office numbers, ADA Braille signs, branded privacy film and applied vinyl signage, for a new or established business with evolving needs.  We’ve even helped provide business cards and brochures, plus A-frame signs and banners, and wayfinding signs in parking lots and garages.
  3. Our Materials Cover the Gamut: You want high-density urethane that resembles brick and mortar? No problem! Need ADA-compliant signs for your new business or residential building? Absolutely. You’d like an LED illuminated backlit, neon-look, or menu-board sign? Fine! Perhaps applied vinyl on windows, walls or floors? Certainly. Acrylic 3-dimensional letters or a logo carved in wood? Yes, we’ll do it! Let your imagination run wild, and then contact us to explore a variety of materials and substrates to make your creative, stunning sign.
  4. Family-Run Business: Our reputations and livelihoods are on the line, so you’d better believe we’ll do top-quality work for you!
  5. Five-Star Rating: See #4! Our customers rate us highly because we’re passionate about marrying function and beauty in signage, to make our world a more visually-pleasing home for all.
  6. Graphic Designer/Fine Artist/Photographer on Staff: Need a consultation regarding your space, and how signage will make your brand and message pop?  Our designer will happily assist you, and is available to design your logo and signage.
  7. On-Location Service: Sign Artist will come to you if applicable, to do a pre-install visit, so all will go well on fabrication and install day.
  8. Well-Connected: Sign Artist is a member of a consortium of 350-plus sign studios in the U.S. and Canada. This support through Sign World is invaluable, and provides a network that enables Sign Artist to serve clients outside the Chicago area. Sign Artist also taps into a vast network through the Illinois and International Sign Associations, Better Business Bureau, Blue Book Builder’s Network, and Bensenville and Oakbrook Chambers of Commerce.
  9. Contemporary and Curious: With appreciation for all kinds of signage, architecture and design, Sign Artist keeps abreast of the latest materials, applications, and style trends, while respecting time-honored traditions in sign-making, that result in fine, impactful signs.
  10. Healthful Processes: Our high tech printer uses extreme temperatures to bond ink to substrates, instead of old-school solvents that outgas. With special regard for those who suffer from respiratory or environmental sensitivities, Sign Artist is resolved to make our signage as safe as possible. This is especially appreciated in this Covid era.

So many reasons to choose Sign Artist! Our central Chicagoland location, solid client pool, our enjoyment in working with a wide range of businesses, from neighborhood pubs, boxing gyms and veterinary clinics, to city commercial and residential skyscrapers…the list goes on. Is there a special reason not mentioned here, for why YOU choose Sign Artist? Let us know, and we’ll include it in a future post!

Now, how might we serve you?

Pole Sign

Sign Artist Installs Dimensional Letters at The University of Illinois at Chicago

staff smile for photo by dimensional letters installed for the university - Sign Artist
Above, happy team members at the TRIO Program, at UIC,
appreciate the new dimensional letters for the university.

Creating a vibrant and professional environment requires signs that: 1) Work well with surrounding art. 2) Blend beauty and function.

installing the dimensional sign for the university - Sign Artist

Sign Artist installed 3-dimensional acrylic letters at the University of Illinois in Chicago. The letters reflect one of the University’s branding colors, and work well against the stark white wall and bright mural below.  Benefits of using 3-dimensional letter signage? They are long-lasting, easily-readable and bold, stating their message clearly. They’re also available in a wide variety of materials, such as wood, cast metal, die-cut metal, gator foam, PVC, or stacked materials, that give a metallic finish effect at lower cost.

3-dimensional letters do require finesse in installing, due to the perfect measuring and placement needed for a sleek result. Such signage is one of Sign Artist’s specialties, available in fonts and letters, as well as custom logos and graphics.

Our Sign Artist crew collaborates atop a ladder, for perfectly-placed results. Below, the sign-maker and the mural-painter at work, creating results that convey beautifully the purpose of the space.

dimensional sign is completed by worker - Sign Artist

To learn more about 3-dimensional letters installed by Sign Artist, see here.

 

Dynamic LED Signs — A Bright Idea!

Dynamic LED signs scroll and/or flash important messages! Easily programmed, they give a business a custom, eye-catching  design element for little fuss. Sign Artist headed to Chicago’s Finest Beef and Brew in the city’s bustling downtown. We installed a dynamic LED strip that flashes multiple messages: “Chicago Beef and Brew,” “Italian Beef, Burgers,” “Hot Dogs, Salads and More,” and “Now Open!”
Pulsing with color, the sign efficiently highlights key attractions that make Chicago’s Finest Beef and Brew stand out among its competitors. Taking up minimal real estate on the front picture window, the dynamic, LED sign choice is a winner for this hangout on 234 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago. The sign provides an immediate point of interest to captivate the attention and stir the appetite of passersby.
Swiftly and cleanly installed by Sign Artist, the sign required no laborious permit applications. The sign may be easily relocated, if needed, and also re-programmed, with whatever messages this restaurant requires.
If you’re looking for a modern, bright signage solution that’s a riff on neon, then consider a dynamic LED sign! They’re sturdy and reliable, fun and functional. Give Sign Artist a call and ask for Ed, 630-594-4185, to explore LED options for your business.  Sign Artist also offers neon-type modular signs and digital menu boards, plus the full range of A-frame, vinyl-application, mural, monument, environmental, wayfinding and 3-dimensional signs that restaurant-owners crave. Looking for traditional neon? We can provide that, too!
Explore exterior sign ideas here:  https://signartistusa.com/outdoor-signs/

Multi-tenant Signs for Westwood Financial

  
This week, Sign Artist completed our largest project for Westwood Financial, a national commercial real estate developer. Our crew fabricated multi-tenant sign panels for a 16-foot pylon sign at Elk Crossing Shopping Center, Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The applied vinyl on polycarbonate panels replaced old signage that was faded, peeling, and with outdated logos.

The reveal of the new sign includes a striking image of an elk, apropos of the shopping center’s theme. Well-known signs and logos from Panera Bread, Jewel-Osco, Great Clips, T-Mobile, Auto Zone, Citibank and Doctors of Physical Therapy, filled our studio this week, until thepanels were successfully installed yesterday. The result is a nice, clean look for Elk Crossing!

Before our Elk Crossing project, Sign Artist was asked to arrange for a Covid-19 curbside pickup base and post sign for Elk Crossing Shopping Center. Sign Artist installed this colorful trio of directional signs Westwood Financial, clearly marking curbside service for the shopping center visitors.

The project was unique, in that the foundations of four signs needed to be filled with 600 pounds of sand, to keep them stable! That put a new twist on the sun and sand concept, for our father-daughter crew that day.


Westwood first contacted Sign Artist pre-Covid era, after finding us online. This management corporation asked us to install a small directional sign for shops at picturesque  Elmhurst City Center in downtown Elmhurst, Illinois.

Our favorite thing to do, is to provide multiple signs of all varieties to our happy repeat customers. Now…how might we serve you?

Sign Artist Draws Repeat Customers, Installing Business Signs With “PACE”


In Sign Artist’s early days, we developed a model of operation we called “PACE.” It’s an efficient and effective strategy to keep clients happy, as we fabricate and install their commercial signage. We’ve stuck by it ever since:

P roductivity: We create and install great signs, that turn heads and generate business
A daptability:  We work flexibly with each unique client and project
C reativity: We blend striking designs with distinctive materials to make signs that inspire
E fficiency: We value clear communication and goals, reliable turn-around, high quality and clean installation

   
Yes, at Sign Artist, we “PACE” ourselves with these values and goals. The end result is loyal customers who turn to us time and again. For example, Drive Train Services in Bensenville, Illinois is a repeat customer, who benefits from a Sign Artist original Covid A-frame sign, vinyl application exterior directional signs, large exterior acrylic business signs mounted on brick, and dock signs.

Latsko Enterprises contracted Sign Artist for 200-plus interior and exterior signs for its Clark and Diversey high-rise residential property, including: ADA Braille directional signs; 3-dimensional, LED-illuminated entryway address numbers; brushed bronze, branded intercom panel; and framed evacuation map.

   

Sandburg Village in Chicago is a repeat Sign Artist customer, asking for several fabrication/install sessions for vinyl directional signs.
   

Chicago Cred asked Sign Artist for a cityscape wall mural, and is now asking for office nameplates.

Granite Transformations is a regional business, that has benefited from Sign Artist retractable signs and vehicle graphics.

retractable banners    logo window perf on work van
The DUMP furniture store in Deerfield, IL, asked Sign Artist to install a large, illuminated channel letter sign for its showroom, and an applied vinyl mission statement that covered a full wall, 20 feet above the floor. Our studio was asked to return, to apply more text to an interior showroom wall.
Cut vinyl at furniture store    Back-Lit sign at the DUMP furniture
Integrity Exteriors has returned time and again, for a Sign Artist banner and to apply company branding to its fleet of vehicles.     integrity graphics
Elmhurst University in Elmhurst and University of Illinois in Chicago are also repeat customers, returning to Sign Artist for an array of sign needs, such as monuments, directories/maps, wall murals, vehicle graphics, 3-dimensional acrylic letters, brushed bronze plaques, and more.

   
Elmhurst Auto Care: After fabricating and installing new sign panels and a message center in an exterior pylon sign for this customer, we designed and provided business gift certificates and business cards.
Pole Sign
Often, customers approach Sign Artist with one or two sign needs. After having a great experience with our team, and seeing the professional, striking results in their newly-installed signs, customers get creative and return with a full basket of branding and signage needs. Signs of all kinds are a great way for businesses to get their message across, and attract new customers! How might we help you?

Making Great Signs To Last

     
What makes signs great? Let’s look at the MTC monument sign Sign Artist just fabricated and installed. Our crew clipped “darts” into the high-tech printed vinyl wrap on this Myers Technology sign back. They also brushed on a translucent sealer. Both tactics resulted in a high quality sign for this Elk Grove, Illinois machine company. Myers Technology started with a bold, eye-catching design in vivid tones. Sign Artist fabrication methods complemented the design, assuring that the sign would be smooth and durable.

With sun, wind, rain and snow beating on monument signs day in, day out, top fabrication values play a key role in making a sign last. A worst-case scenario, would be sign edges curling and fraying in the breeze! But Sign Artist standards make such a disaster highly unlikely.

This well-crafted MTC sign on our Sign Artist fabrication table, struck us as a work of art. The designer who accomplished this precision cutting and application, has her degree in fine arts. She is adept at working with a wide variety of media. She also collaborates with clients to design their own unique logos and branding. We couldn’t resist showcasing her work!

Overall, this striking sign reflects the pride Myers Technology takes in the machines it offers. It also reflects Sign Artist’s pride as creative and competent sign fabricators/installers.

     
The MTC monument sign was affixed onto a classic brick and mortar substrate. Another 21-st century option, is to install monuments made of cutting-edge, synthetic materials, like the Orion sign below. Mixing materials makes signs polished in appearance, and reduces costs. When clients prefer, Sign Artist installs high-density urethane monument signs. The base is a high-tech urethane that contracts and expands with the weather. This keeps cracks and other indicators of age at bay. With no masonry work needed, costs are decreased. Such signs can be adorned by 3-dimensional letters and graphics, or printed vinyl, on an acrylic panel,

Whether classic brick, urethane, acrylic, or applied vinyl, your monument sign can shine! Check out more exterior sign ideas here. Call Ed at 630-594-4185, to discuss your monument options!