Smart business owners know the value of well-designed signs. They capture the customer's attention, provide the first impression and communicate the type of business. Sign Gallery 7 offers a wide ...
A roundup of the winners in the unlit-monument contest category.
By Steve Aust
FIRST PLACE
Fabricator
Custom Craftsman Signs
Sevierville, TN
(865) 429-1934
brozank@comcast.net
Designers
Brother Zank
Custom Craftsman Signs
John Madewell
Auntie Belham’s
Client
Auntie Belham’s
In the east Tennessee region, and particularly in the cities of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, tourism drives the local economy. Brother Zank and his team helped this cabin-rental enterprise stand out with this 16-ft.-tall monument. Bush Builders installed the stacked-stone and faux-slab-rock monument, and Custom Craftsman handcarved the HDU letters, gable, frame and secondary-text panel. The message display features Foam Visions cast-urethane panels. To project the “Auntie Belham” copy off the monument surface, Zank stud-mounted the letters on 3/8-in.-diameter, flat-cut-out, aluminum plates. Dave Lavoie carved the black bear from a single 900-lb., sycamore log.
SECOND PLACE
Fabricator
Dan Sawatzky
Imagination Corp.
Chilliwack, BC, Canada
(604) 823-2216
www.imaginationcorporation.ca
Designer
Dan Sawatzky
Client
Dhillon Farms
In rural Canada, farm signs still represent a key portion of signshops’ business. Sawatzky built this handsome sign from Coastal Enterprises’ 30-lb. Precision Board on his MultiCam 3000 Series CNC router. He mounted it over a welded-steel frame, and coated it with acrylic-latex paint and 23k goldleaf. Sawatzky developed this rustic scene using SA Intl.’s EnRoute 4 3-D software.
THIRD PLACE
Fabricator
DeNyse Companies
Douglasville, GA
(770) 942-0688
www.woodgraphics.com
Designer
Joe Ballew
DeNyse Companies
Client
Harbor at Lake Howell
An elegant acrylic face and integral water feature give this sign curb appeal. DeNyse fabricated the aluminum cabinet with plumbing for the water feature, and installed custom, prismatic letters that are mounted to an acrylic sheet that “floats” over the waterfall. To accent the monument sign, DeNyse also refurbished the wall and installed new masonry tiers and pools.
HONORABLE MENTION
Fabricator
Shahekou District Government
Dailan, China
Designer
Development Design Group
Baltimore
(410) 962-0505
www.ddg-usa.com
Client
Yida Group
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