Who Makes Theme Park Signage ?

 

April 2014-Newsletter- Branding- Kings Dominion TEST

WHO MAKES THEME PARK SIGNAGE ? We DO!

Branding Kings Dominion’s 40th Anniversary

 

www.holidaysigns.com-kings-dominion-virginia-signs

Kings Dominion Communications Manager, Katelyn Sherwood at the new 40th Celebration sign.

CELEBRATING A LONG TRADITION

Kings Dominion wanted a colorful sign to help its guests feel a fresh and exciting energy in the air as they step through the park’s gates and onto International Street this year. They chose Holiday Signs to help brand their 40th Celebration by building an iconic entrance sign.

The new sign icon, essentially a set of ground-mounted channel letters emphasizing the 40th Celebration in bright and festive colors, was part of many enhancements made to the park’s entryway. Re-energized lighting at the park’s iconic fountain and repainted buildings lining International Street also now greet visitors as they enter the park.

 

CENTERPIECE

“The new sign has become the centerpiece for the celebration,” said Katelyn Sherwood, Communications Manager for Kings Dominion.

“Everybody stops and takes pictures of it as they come in the park,” she said.

 

ON-GOING SOLUTIONSwww.holidaysigns.com-kings-dominion-richmond-virginia

When working for theme parks, hospital systems, shopping centers, retail chains, etc., Holiday Signs collaborates with a variety of administrative staff involved with marketing and facilities management. 

I asked Steve Blissert, the Sign & Paint Shop Supervisor for Kings Dominion, how we have been able to help him throughout the years.

www.holidaysigns.com-centerpiece-signage-channel-letters-richmond-va“I have been working with Holiday Signs well over 30 years, and 20 years here at Kings Dominion.  It’s easy to sum up how Holiday Signs has helped us over the years,” Steve said.

Holiday Signs is one of the few organizations in the area that we can repeatedly call on to assess our situation, ascertain the best way to get the job done within our budget, and then complete and install the project prior to our deadline,” he said.

We are happy to be able to help Kings Dominion promote and celebrate its 40th anniversary amongst its many guests in 2014!

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-virginia-channel-letters-kings-dominion

 

April 2014-Newsletter- Branding- Kings Dominion footer sized right

 

Contact:

Mark Hackley, Account Executive

(804) 796-9443

 

To kick off its 40th Celebration, Kings Dominion will debut its inaugural Spring Bloom Festival

from April 5th through May 18th, 2014. The special event will transform International Street

into a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors with thousands of blooms.

Guests will be able to taste unique spring foods and beverages, enjoy toe-tapping entertainment,

and participate in hands-on activities Saturdays. You won’t want to miss it! 

SEE www.kingsdominion.com for more information.

 

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Tidewater Developers Enjoy Annual HRACRE Oyster Roast

 TIDEWATER DEVELOPERS ENJOY ANNUAL OYSTER ROAST

I had the opportunity to spend the evening with hundreds of people involved in commercial real estate in Virginia’s Tidewater Region at the HRACRE‘s 13th Annual Oyster Roast and Economic Development Appreciation Event in Cheasapeake, Virginia.

It’s the second time I have enjoyed a vast selection of grilled seafood with this group. I noticed twowww.holidaysigns.com-chesapeake-va-custom-electric-signs-HRACRE things were the same as last year and two things were different. Similarities: 1)The music was great like last year! This year, Nate Sacks (son of HRACRE’s 2013 president) led a duo from Honey Badger, a Norfolk-based acoustic trio specializing in original music and classic folk rock & alternative covers. It was a great night to enjoy a few games of corn hole while listening to songs of the Grateful Dead. 2) It didn’t take very long at all for the fried oysters to disappear, just like last year. Differences: 1)The weather was much warmer than last year and no rain like I heard battered the group several years ago. 2) I realized I knew more people than last year. One of the big advantages of HRACRE membership is networking with others in the commercial real estate industry, and I realized that through attending events and committee meetings over the past year, I had met lots of new people.

If you are interested in joining HRACRE, please contact them here: CONTACT HRACRE.

Here is a partial list of the sponsor’s of the HRACRE Oyster Roast:

AES Consulting Engineers

WPL

Belfor

Timmons Group

Virginia Beach Economic Development

Kimley-Horn

Kaufman & Canoles

 

Ideas for Loss Leader Marketing

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-va-digital-signs-watchfire-daktronicsSIX BENEFITS OF DIGITAL SIGNS

PART SIX- PROMOTE LOSS LEADERS- IDEAS FOR LOSS LEADER MARKETING STRATEGIES

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-mcdonalds-digital-messaging-sign

ALWAYS AFTER A DEAL

Have you ever brainstormed strategies to get people into your store, thinking that it’s easier to sell more products if you could just get more people to come in? There are many ideas for loss leader marketing and one frequently overlooked is using digital signs to promote loss leaders.

Many managers come up with good ideas for loss leader marketing programs. They’ll drop the price of a specific sale item to act as the carrot needed to get more movement into the aisles. Then, hopefully the new bodies will linger a bit considering other full-price items too. It’s a good strategy that often works!

It happens to me all the time with McDonalds. I will go in for the $1.00 iced tea and end up tagging on a burger or bag of fries, even though I really just wanted to spend a buck on the drink initially.  Getting me in the door also enables me to see all the cool items available, and I subconsciously lock those away for future buying decisions.

WHAT MEDIA WORKS BEST?

The big issue is not whether a loss-leader strategy works, the question is, “What is the best way to promote it?”

Many try special newspaper and radio ads to lure people in but, when you consider the broad reach of newspaper and radio, many dollars are wasted not hitting the true target: the drive-by market.  Some people, correctly understanding their targets, will hang custom banners out in the front lawn to promote the special items each month. They pay lots of money and create lots of work, plus frequently the banners droop and get dirty, or blow away in the wind, making it even tougher for consistent and effective promotions.

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-virginia-drive-by-marketThe best way retail marketers can promote loss leaders to increase store traffic is by using digital messaging.

  • Easily changeable- Special promotions can be scheduled in advance;
  • Gets attention of the market most likely to respond- those directly passing your store;
  • Promoting a loss leader can be rotated in with other ads including co-op ads, community bulletins, time and temperature, other non-promotional items and services.

 

Read about the Other Benefits of Digital Messaging below and consider your own best options for going digital!

 

Part 1- They Connect With The Community

Part 2- They Can Be Paid For By Your Vendors

Part 3- They Grab Attention of the Masses

Part 4- They Allow You to Own the Media Channel

Part 5- They Have a Long Track Record of Getting Attention

 

Contact: Mark Hackley, Account Executive  540-416-3154

 

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“TMI” and How to Prevent it from Happening on Your Signs

SIGNAGE “TMI”

Just like calories in your diet, “less” is often better on your signs.  One common problem in signage advertising is lack of focus of the message.  As a result, the intent of the message becomes unclear and garbled and may go unread.

As an example, let’s look at a typical corporate entrance sign.  The customer wants to identify the company to customers, potential customers, shippers, employees and applicants, emergency response personnel, etc.  First, does the company use a logo?  If so, the entrance sign could simply be a logo produced in a large, effective format that will get the proper attention.  If a logo is not used, the company should strongly consider developing a www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-va-sign-designers-virginiagood visual brand. Colors, type, borders, overall shape, etc., should all be kept simple and easy to see and read.  Some people would opt to include an address number. Others may want to include the website address.  Some may value the importance of including a slogan or a short, bullet point list of products and services.  Most partnerships or professional groups would probably want to list the names of the partners or other professionals in the firm in addition to the main name of the practice.

The point being: “Keep it Simple”.

This seems easy, but it may require the help of a professional sign company to recommend the best functional design that suits your specific marketing goals. Take a good look at your signage program. If it suffers from TMI (too much information) now is a good time to fix it! 

 

Contact: Mark Hackley, Account Executive

540-416-3154

 

 

 

Here are some other articles of interest about signage in VA, MD, DC and NC:

 

  • Technically Challenging Sign Projects

Virginia Iconic Signs

Why Use Sign Prototypes?

Case Study: Hotel John Marshall

Historic Restoration Case Study

Powerful Entrance to a Virginia Mixed Use Development

 

  • Branding & Wayfinding Signs

What is the Cocooning Effect?

Shopping Center Repositioning

Roanoke Airport’s new Wayfinding System

Re-Branding a Retirement Community

Turning Eyeballs into Smiles

 

  • Digital Messaging Signs

Case Study: Towne Center West’s Digital Advertising Sign

Case Study: Green Top Sporting Goods’ Electronic Message Center on I-95

Using Co-op Dollars to Fund Digital Signage

Using Digital Signs to Connect with the Community

10 Reasons to Upgrade to On-Premise Digital Advertising

 

  • General Signage

6 Reasons to Retrofit Neon to LED

Consideration of Sunlight and Shadow in Signage Design

Consideration of Viewing Angle in Signage Design

Sign Illumination Choices

How Can Specialty Sign Lighting Techniques Position Your Brand?

REVERSE CHANNEL LETTERS- RICHMOND, VA

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-virginia-channel-letters-burger-bache- Burger Bach tright size header

UPSCALE SIGNS FOR UPSCALE BURGERS

CASE STUDY: BURGER BACH, RICHMOND, VA

 

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-va-burger-bach-downtown-signage-channel-lettersMake A Statement
 
  When you think of signage for hamburger places you often think of bright red and yellow electric signs. But when a hamburger restaurant is different, so are its signs!
   Back-lit letters are often used to define a unique brand of exceptional quality. Burger Bach features New Zealand-grass-fed beef burgers, fresh salads and even mussels as sides. Since stellar burgers require stellar signs, Burger Bach recently hired Holiday Signs to create the new custom signs with reverse channel letters for their West Broad Village location in Glen Allen, Virginia.
   Back-lit letters are produced by custom forming letters to match a company’s logo style and are lit from behind. There are many materials available for the letters depending on the exact look the customer wants to project about its brand. The lighting is produced with LED modules that are fastened to the backs of the letters. Light is www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-va-back-lit-letters-signsbounced off the wall behind the letters to produce a neat halo effect around the letters.

Flexibilitywww.holidaysigns.com-richmond-va-LED-channel-letters-burger-bach

  The landlord at their new location wanted to make sure the existing canopy was not damaged in any way. If their tenant moved on, they expected it to remain in its original condition. But since Burger Bach needed back-lit letters to make a bold statement and match its existing branding in Carytown, the existing canopy was too small for what was needed.
   Holiday Signs‘ project managers recommended an ACM canopy to cover the existing canopy that could be easily removed without damage. Aluminum Composite Material (ACM) consists of two aluminum cover sheets with a plastic core. The products are lightweight and are the material of choice for many architects and industrial designers involved with corporate signage projects.
  By recommending an ACM wrap with no exposed fasteners or seams that could be readily removed in the future, the landlord signed off on the idea and really likes the end result.

 

Contact:

Mark Hackley, Account Executive

Holiday Signs

mhackley@holidaysigns.com

(800) 229-9443

 

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April 2014- General Signage- Burger Bach

 

 

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Colonial Type Signs

www.holidaysigns-williamsburg-sign-contractor

In colonial America, tradesmen would hang symbols of an object of their trade in front of their business like the shoe for the shoemaker shown above. Photo from Williamsburg, VA, 4/4/2014.

 

 

Last week I was in Williamsburg with folks from the Virginia Credit Union League. It was interesting to attend meetings so close to a restored piece of American history, and it was especially neat to see how signage was presented in Colonial times. Colonial type signs were everywhere!

When you think about it, commercial signage goes way back. Much farther into the past than most think. If you’re interested in the history of signs, here’s an excerpt on their history from our friends at The American Sign Museum and Signs of the Times Magazine:

“The earliest advertising medium was probably that of a “crier” or “barker.” As trade developed, the producer had a fixed location and called attention to the merits of his goods by hanging out identifying insignia. The use of on-premise, i.e., at the place of sale, advertising as a medium was inaugurated. There are definite records of advertising executed in stone and on bricks as early as 3000 B.C.

From 3000 B.C. and for more than 4,000 years thereafter during the Egyptian, Grecian and Roman civilizations, and on through the Middle Ages, the use of advertising displays at the place of business constituted the only important and effective advertising medium. Tradesmen’s signs were prevalent in ancient Egypt and Greece. They were widespread in early Rome — sometimes painted, sometimes carved in stone or designed in terra cotta. One of the most widely used signs in Rome was a bush of ivy and vine leaves, associated with Bacchus the God of Wine, and attached to a pole to identify a tavern. Most Roman shops displayed a sign of some sort, and many were uncovered in the ruins of Pompeii and other cities.

After the Dark Ages, exploration and trade expeditions clearly enlarged the commercial world. It was a prosperous era in business. Wealth encouraged the arts, and talent found expression in painting, architecture and literature. Merchant’s signs in England, France and Italy began to come under artistic influences and reflected novel designs and colors. The signs were a means of expression for many artists, and involved elaborate carvings, gilt and paints. It is important to note that from the beginning of tribal life up to the middle of the 18th century there is no record of any advertising medium in use except that of criers and on-premise signs and displays. Advertising was strictly an outdoor medium used to designate the point of sale and the types of goods sold. In addition to the economic value of signage of all kinds as we know it today, signs have reflected man’s culture since these earliest centuries…”  Read the whole story at http://www.signmuseum.org/a-brief-history-of-the-sign-industry/

 

LOOKING FOR COLONIAL STYLE SIGNS FOR YOUR BUSINESS OR CHURCH WITH BRICK AND COLONIAL COLORS AND SHAPES? Click here for some examples and ideas.

 

  • Other Sign Stories of Interest:

What is the Cocooning Effect?

Shopping Center Repositioning

Roanoke Airport’s new Wayfinding System

Re-Branding a Retirement Community

Turning Eyeballs into Smiles

 

 

Signs for Radius Walls- Attracting Business by Adding Signs to Unique Building Features

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-virginia-va-acac-sign-design-channel-letters

Case Study: Signs for Radius Walls

ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers- Short Pump, VA

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-va-radius-wall-signage-acac

REACHING ICONIC STATUS IS HARD WORK

Building signs for radius walls is always a challenge. Many times a unique architectural feature of a building, if properly exploited, can become an icon gaining immediate attention while making a lasting impression on all who see it. One such feature is a radius wall that was part of a recent project at Short Pump’s new ACAC Fitness and Wellness Center. We exploited it with signage.

But it’s never easy. Since what’s built may differ from what’s designed, we had to wait until the EIFS and window mullions were in place to make sure our signage matched up with the finished radius wall dimensions.

We couldn’t just rely on the construction drawings because the EIFS shape might change during the application and shaping process. That put us on a fast track to construct the signs and have them ready in time for the opening.

 

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-short-pump-retail-signage-virginia

 

BRAND AWARENESS PLUS CALL TO ACTION

Making signs for radius walls is certainly a technically challenging endeavor to complete and the customer was very happy with the final product. Not only did it look amazing, but right from the start it did a tremendous job in attracting new business.

“Our sign can be seen from the freeway, and I can’t tell you how many people have called to tell me they’ve seen it and would like to become  www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-va-channel-lettersmembers,” observed Chris Craytor, Vice-President of Development for ACAC.

The ability to reproduce a company’s logo on an elevated radius wall, and then safely install it at a busy urban intersection is not an easy task for most sign companies. Even more important is that our clients’ signage does its job in attracting new customers.

“We are very pleased with the results,” said Craytor.

Holiday Signs worked around a very tight schedule and some serious technical complexities to come up with a really great finished product that works!” he said.

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-va-acac-channel-letters-architectural-signage

 

Contact: Mark Hackley, Account Executive

540-416-3154/ 804-796-9443

 

CLICK for other TECHNICALLY CHALLENGING SIGN ARTICLES

 

If you liked this, you may also like:

 

  • Other Technically Challenging Sign Projects

Virginia Iconic Signs

Why Use Sign Prototypes?

Case Study: Hotel John Marshall

Historic Restoration Case Study

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Historic Virginia Theater Gets Digital Marquee

 

 

 

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“Plumbness” Matters

 

Don’t Allow Your Brand To Be Out Of Plumb

 

“Plumbness: the quality or state of being plumb or vertical.”

 

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-virginia-sign-adviceI was attending a conference a few weeks ago in Charlottesville, Virginia, and noticed an important detail missed by the sign company who installed the main identification letters for the conference center where I was learning about bank marketing.

 

After seeing the words on the wall, I realized just how bad sign letters out of plumb can look, (especially on a bright, crisp, sunshiny day when imperfections are noticed ten times as much as on a cloudy day.)

 

It’s generally easy to see when signage is out of level, but “plumbness” is a detail that can be sometimes overlooked by the customer. Be sure your sign company has a reputation of excellent quality and service to ensure your signage looks great. It’s okay to inspect their work as it progresses, checking for important details like levelness and plumbness.  The rule of thumb is: If you can see anything out of line from where your customer sees it, then it’s a negative impact on your brand in the eyes of your customers. Attention to detail is extremely important to the Holiday Signs team of designers, estimators, installers and project managers. “Plumbness” is just one of those details! 

 

Contact Holiday Signs at (804) 796-9443.

 

Here are some other articles of interest about signage in VA, MD, DC and NC:

 

  • Technically Challenging Sign Projects

Virginia Iconic Signs

Why Use Sign Prototypes?

Case Study: Hotel John Marshall” href=”https://holidaysigns.com/restoring-a-richmond-landmark/”>Case Study: Hotel John Marshall

Historic Restoration Case Study

Powerful Entrance to a Virginia Mixed Use Development

 

  • Branding & Wayfinding Signs

What is the Cocooning Effect?

Shopping Center Repositioning

Roanoke Airport’s new Wayfinding System

Re-Branding a Retirement Community

Turning Eyeballs into Smiles

 

  • Digital Messaging Signs

Case Study: Towne Center West’s Digital Advertising Sign

Case Study: Green Top Sporting Goods’ Electronic Message Center on I-95

Using Co-op Dollars to Fund Digital Signage

Using Digital Signs to Connect with the Community

10 Reasons to Upgrade to On-Premise Digital Advertising

 

  • General Signage

6 Reasons to Retrofit Neon to LED

Consideration of Sunlight and Shadow in Signage Design

Consideration of Viewing Angle in Signage Design

Sign Illumination Choices

How Can Specialty Sign Lighting Techniques Position Your Brand?