Examples of Sign Projects in Virginia

Allow us to help your next sign project stand out!

#14…Connects Federal Credit Union, Chesterfield

Connects Federal Credit Union relocated to an existing building located at a highly visible yet challenging crossroads in that roads came from several directions and it was difficult to determine the best locations for their signage for greatest impact.  The article explains how a Holiday Signs project manager was able to help…

Chartered in 1950 as the C&P Telephone Employees Credit Union, Connects Federal Credit Union has offered over a half century of unwavering commitment to its members. Last fall the organization purchased the former BB&T building on Midlothian Turnpike and chose Holiday Signs to re-brand the location, taking advantage of the high visibility of the site at the convergence of two main traffic arteries with eight lanes of potential business.

“We needed help branding ourselves as the leading credit union in the area,” said Danielle McLaughlin, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Connects. “The new location offered tremendous potential to connect our brand with the community, but the challenge was covering all the viewing angles so people passing the branch from all directions had ongoing… READ MORE

#13…Lifepoint Church, Fredericksburg

Lifepoint Church is growing like gangbusters! They needed another whole church so they built one inside the spacious Central Park retail center. Once they had construction underway they needed to connect with a reliable vendor who could take care of their signage. We were referred by their interior architect to make a proposal for all the custom interior branding and wayfinding signs she had custom-designed for the new location. Since we could also take care of their exterior sign needs at the property, we were selected to take care of all the signs inside and out!

Lifepoint Church, a Fredericksburg-based church with three locations just off I-95 recently utilized Holiday Signs for all of its signage. Holiday Signs collaborated with KBS Construction of Richmond and Pye Interiors of Charlottesville to provide both the exterior and interior signage for Lifepoint’s brand new building located in a section of Central Park, a modernized retail center in Fredericksburg.  

The church name on the building’s radial entrance canopy is striking as you make the approach on foot or by vehicle.  Additional exterior signage marks the main entrance off the church parking lot, and a complete customized interior signage system supports the positive exterior branding impressions while directing members and visitors where to go once inside the large worship facility…READ MORE

#12…Shenandoah University- Northern VA Campus, Leesburg 

The marketing arm of Shenandoah University is the formulator and caretaker of the university’s brand. The logo was re-worked several years ago and incorporated into a fresh new look on the school’s website. Then in print. And now into their signage. Along with brand identity and wayfinding changes being planned or made at the main campus in Winchester, their satellite campuses are also being re-branded.

Several of our college and university clients are utilizing illuminated channel letters for building identification at their college campuses. Last month, we designed, fabricated and installed a new custom-built electric sign for Shenandoah University’s Northern Virginia Campus located in Leesburg, Virginia as part of a comprehensive re-branding initiative at their main Winchester Campus and all satellite locations.

The building that houses one of the college’s Northern Virginia locations next to Inova Loudoun Hospital is set back from the main road, and the University’s entrance is around to the left as you approach the 3-story building.  The existing branding was a set of dimensional letters attached directly to the wall, high and just under the roof line, and non-illuminated. Collaborating with the organization’s marketing directors and facilities managers, Holiday Signs provided a better solution with illuminated channel letters. The logo and letters are individually crafted and installed on common raceways, allowing for less disturbance to the exterior wall, and easier maintenance…READ MORE

#11…Grace Church, Dumfries

How do you spread the word of God? Signs can help.

In recent years, Grace Church has seen phenomenal growth, one of the fastest growing African American Churches in the nation and among the top 100 fastest growing of all churches.

Holiday Signs plays a part in helping the church bring in new members. A few years ago the church moved into a larger building, updated their branding, and hired Holiday Signs to produce their exterior and interior signage.

“The signs have helped people know that we are in the community,” said Teri Milton, Executive Ministry Coordinator with Grace Church.

Holiday Signs provided a large custom monument sign, two building-mounted signs and interior signs for the new location immediately off Route 1 in Prince William County, in Northern Virginia. The main identification sign has an eye-catching decorative aluminum top, the church name, new logo, and a full-color graphics panel that reminds the community they are not ethnic-grounded and open to everyone.

“Our signage helps us reach everyone: all cultures, all ages, families and singles…READ MORE

#10…Burger Bach, Glen Allen

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 bounced off the wall behind the letters to produce a neat halo effect around the letters. READ MORE

#9…Kings Dominion, Doswell

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.

“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.

 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…READ MORE

#8…Luck Stone, Manakin-Sabot

Some say luck is all you need. Holiday Signs contends that when executing an effective entrance sign for a corporate headquarters, skill and planning are the most important factors of success. Utilizing prototypes for conceptual sign designs ensures brand quality and consistency in the finished product and can help get your point across in the sign permitting process.

Recently, Goochland County changed their sign setback provision, allowing signs to be 10′ closer to the road. Luck Stone planned to put a new sign on top of a nice wall they would build using some of their product and then landscape around it.

Bob Morin, owner of Holiday Signs, was at a Planning Commission Meeting representing a different client on a case before the Board. Luck Stone’s presentation was deferred because the Board requested more information. We called Luck Stone’s Project Manager the next day to offer our assistance, suggesting that it might be helpful to prototype the sign as a way to explain to the Commission what they were hoping to create. It turned out Luck Stone was working with a design firm with which we’ve done several projects through the years…READ MORE

#7…Richmond Executive Airport, Richmond

Several years ago my brother lost his job building airplanes at Piper Aircraft in Florida because of the trend in declining recreational air travel. Recognizing that a slow economy is the same culprit for declining recreational flyers in Virginia, (and that it could be a long-term trend), Chesterfield County Airport recently underwent a complete branding overhaul to reach a new target – executive business travelers.

Emphasizing its central location, a short distance from downtown Richmond and other growing economic areas south of town, Chesterfield County Airport re-branded itself as “Richmond Executive Airport” and hired Holiday Signs to update its signage.

Renovating the airport with a longer runway and better branding are two investments in the area’s economic development that will reap dividends down the road by bringing in more corporate flyers. Airport managers and the Department of Economic Development worked together on the final logo redesign…READ MORE

#6…Museum of the Confederacy, Appomattox

“Main entrances must be welcoming, particularly to first time visitors,” says Madge Bemiss, the architect who planned and managed construction of the Museum of the Confederacy (MOC) in Appomattox, VA.

Holiday Signs recently worked with the new museum in providing entrance signage and a complete wayfinding system. Due to their location, visible from Rt. 460, effective building identification signage was important. Signs for the project included one large, low horizontal wall sign that gets the attention of passing cars, two colorful signs at main turning points into the parking lot, and a sign above the main entrance visible by pedestrians entering the museum.

Just as HVAC, electric, and plumbing systems are all critical components of a building’s design and functionality, signage systems play equal roles in achieving visitor-friendly environments. We collaborated with Ansel Olson Design to produce the signage system for the MOC. The final comprehensive system included the identification signs mentioned above plus parking lot directional signs, site informational signs, historical plaques and markers, flag markers, tree markers, interior ADA signs, and display graphics in the museum itself.

The Appomattox site is one of three MOC locations. Two other museums are located in Richmond…READ MORE

#5…City of Manassas, Manassas

When customers like the City of Manassas trust you with providing over $300,000 worth of digital signage equipment that they will rely on as an important communications tool for many years to come, it reinforces your technical self-worth to know you are not just viewed as the low bidder.  Now that five gateway signs are operational sentinels for the City of Manassas, I thought I should write a follow up story to explain how they are working out for our customer.

From all directions, the bright new electronic signs are creating a much more powerful buzz about the upcoming Fall Jubilee event than last year when they didn’t have the attention-getting variable message signs.

“Our Fall Jubilee is this weekend and the new digital signs have helped us get the message out.  No one coming into or through the city can miss the signs saying “come to the Fall Jubilee,” commented Patty Prince, Public Affairs Specialist with the city.

Patty said many people have expressed they are happy to see the signs operational. They just got this post from Facebook, “So great to see our city’s new electronic signs at the gateways to the city working and sending out the news about the Fall Jubilee!”…READ MORE

#4…Virginia Diner, Wakefield

When the Governor recognizes a business in an official Proclamation, calling its 85th anniversary to the attention of all the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia, you realize its significance and reputation. Such was the case with the legendary Virginia Diner of Wakefield, Virginia that recently celebrated 85 years of serving Virginians.
 
“We read a Holiday Signs Newsletter which spoke of LED over neon,” said Christine Epperson, President of Virginia Diner. “It intrigued us enough to ask questions…particularly as we were going to have to replace some of the neon lettering which had stopped working,”she said.

The diner utilizes a channel letter sign at the building’s storefront, and a two-sided pylon sign in the parking lot out on the main street with channel letters across the top.  Both were originally lighted with neon tubing, but the neon was very faded and partially out so we upgraded the lighting to LED, which provided a fresher look for their famous brand.

“We take pride in and make an effort with the appearance of the building and grounds,” said Christine.  “The signage is a definite draw for our traveling guests, particularly at night.  If a building’s appearance is rough, it makes a customer question the care they will receive from within,” she said.

The visual results after the upgrade are easy to see: “Both the road sign and the building sign are much brighter and crisper,” said Christine.

She commented that had the signs not been repaired for their special 85th Anniversary celebration it would have been embarrassing! Plus the neon was causing many service calls that took time and money away from management to work on improving other aspects of the business. They liked the fact that LED was basically maintenance-free and used much less energy than neon, but it hasn’t been in use long enough to measure the exact power savings. Christine listed four reasons why Virginia Diner chose to replace their neon signs with LED, on which they are hoping to realize a return on the cost in 3 years…READ MORE

#3…Green Top Sporting Goods, Ashland

Most retailers don’t realize the value of the customers who pass by their front door everyday.   Customers want convenience and special offers and are more likely to stop if they are in the area; especially if you give them a reason.  Electronic Message Centers (EMCs) have come a long way over the years and now the technology can provide full color high quality images; much better than the old fashioned time and temperature displays.    They are also the most effective method of advertising with a cost per thousand many times lower than other advertising methods.

“It was all about the traffic count,” agreed Bob Strepka, Director of Marketing and Advertising for Green Top Sporting Goods of Ashland…READ MORE

#2…ACAC Fitness & Health Center, Short Pump

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.

“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 members,” 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…READ MORE

#1…Altria Theater, Richmond

On February 21, 2014, the historic “Landmark Theater” got its new “Altria Theater” name in lights. For more than 85 years this iconic performing arts building in Richmond, Virginia has hosted musical performances from Elvis Presley to The Lion King.  

Utilizing a generous $10 million gift from the Altria Group, the parent company of Philip Morris, Holiday Signs designed, fabricated and installed a new 30 feet wide, 3.5 feet tall and 18 feet deep marquee which includes a full-color digital display and LED chaser bulbs.  Richmond’s mayor, Dwight Jones said this is a historic day for Richmond and lovers of the arts and culture. He said, “This will be an important anchor for the Richmond Arts District.”

“The choices were to go back with the old style manual display or go digital,” said architect, Bruce Herrmann of Wilson Butler Architects of Boston. “We are thrilled to have chosen digital.” he explained.

The new marquee will now feature the theater’s attractions in a full-color digital display containing 100,000+ vibrant LEDs.

Utilizing Altria’s corporate logo as their palette, Holiday Signs was able to custom match to their multi-colored logo and incorporate it into the diamond patterned decorative band wrapping the entire structure.  The canopy was custom fabricated and painted to match the historic ornamentation of the period.

“The most challenging aspect of the project was handling all the details with respect to warming up to what both the donors and the architect wanted,” commented Colin Robinson, Senior Project Manager with Gilbane Building Company, the project’s General Contractor…READ MORE

 

 Thanks for reading our many examples of sign projects in Virginia! Please contact us for custom electric branding for your next big sign project.  HOLIDAY SIGNS  (804) 796-9443

 

Our Approach to Selling Signs, Part 5

Sign Prototypes & Demonstrations

PART OF A PROCESS

The following examples are how we have used sign prototypes and demonstrations and involve some of the most technically challenging situations and why they were a necessity. But even when selling the more typical sign projects like electronic message centers for a church, or a set of channel letters on the front wall of a local retailer, there are benefits of smaller scale demos and mock-ups.

Here are three reasons for considering sign prototypes and demonstrations:

• ENSURING VISIBILITY
• HISTORIC ACCURACY
• COST CONTAINMENT

ENSURING VISIBILITY

The location and entrance of a client’s medical complex was hidden from the main highway. They needed help with signage that directed people to their site for services. Because of the elevation of the property and high speed of passing traffic, a sign raised substantially off the ground was their best bet.

Utilizing a weather balloon, we aided our designers and client in gaining a clear picture of just how the sign would appear from the roadway. Our customized demonstration indicated the best heights and bearing points necessary to reach the most traffic.

HISTORIC ACCURACY

When owners of an historic Virginia hotel began redevelopment, they needed to make substantial energy improvements to obtain HUD funding.  We had to make sure the proposed new energy-efficient signage was historically accurate.

The old landmark sign was rusting away. The lighting once used to illuminate its gigantic letters was the old incandescent type. There were some 1,400 light bulbs per side that regularly burned out and there was always a big safety concern involved with changing them.

Our creative solution replaced old incandescent bulbs with low-voltage LED lighting that looked historically correct by using modern digital printing technology. We demonstrated prototypes prior to final manufacture. Collaborating with the owners, architect and general contractor we tweaked the digitally printed bulb designs and LED lighting placement to where all parties were satisfied with the effect.

COST CONTAINMENT

Cost containment is a big benefit of using prototypes for signs, especially for high-rise applications. From our experience, we know it’s best to get it right on the ground before committing to build the whole thing.

We provided a Gen 1 Prototype based on the original design specifications. After critically viewing the first version of the illuminated corporate logo from the ground, a team of senior executives immediately wanted it taken down and redesigned. Both the lighting and framework were redesigned and a Gen 2 Prototype was prepared. Before this could be approved for production, a final Gen 3 Prototype was ordered because the client re-designed their logo.

Even with the extra cost in the early design stages, utilizing prototypes trimmed more than 50% off material, labor and fuel costs that would have been incurred had the three design changes been worked out later in a high-rise environment.

Just in case you missed them:

Our Approach to Selling Signs, Part 1: Deciding What’s Right

Our Approach to Selling Signs, Part 2: Budgeting

Our Approach to Selling Signs, Part 3: Environment

Our Approach to Selling Signs, Part 4: Viewing Distance & Sight Lines

 

 

Marsala is the Hot Color for 2015

 

It’s official. The color Marsala is Pantone’s Official Color for 2015. The naturally robust and earthy wine red or sort of chocolate-raspberry color proceeds Orchid (2014), and Emerald (2013).

 

Marsala enriches our mind, body and soul, exuding confidence and stability. Marsala is a subtly seductive shade, one that draws us into its embracing warmth.

-Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute

 

 

If you are involved in marketing the goods and services of your business, pay attention to the new trending color as you work out your advertising plans for the year ahead.

 

Last year’s Color of the Year:

 

2013 Color of the Year:

 

 

WE WORK IN YOUR TOWN:

(Click on a city below to see some of our work in your area!)

Charlottesville       Chesapeake       Fredericksburg        Harrisonburg       

Leesburg         Lynchburg       Newport News       Roanoke     

South Boston/Halifax      Staunton/Waynesboro      Yorktown     

 

What is the Cocooning Effect?

Shopping Center Repositioning

Re-Branding a Retirement Community

Turning Eyeballs into Smiles

Green Marketing

Site Lighting and Your Brand

Flexible LED Case Study

Custom Awnings

Richmond Executive Airport

Branding Grace Church

Shopping Center Makeovers Boosting Economic Development

Branding and Anniversary at Kings Dominion

 

Signs of Christmas in the Shenandoah Valley

Traveling up Rt. 11 yesterday from Lexington to Staunton, I noticed a peculiar similarity in the two towns. Founded about 30 years apart in the colonial era of Virginia, the two cities were both constructed on hilltops. Both have about the same footprint and both have amazingly similar looking downtowns!

Each now decorated with identical Holiday wreaths, it’s hard to tell them apart if you have never been there. Both have historic neon signs and interesting storefront signage and designs. Both have similar arrays of one-way streets making it difficult for first-time visitors to find their way around all the “one-way”, “do not enter”, and “no left turn”/”no right turn” signs.

The neat thing about both cities is their ambiance. Historic, quaint, peaceful, nostalgic are just a few adjectives that come to mind. The only thing missing is a thick layer of snow and George Bailey running rampantly across the streets shouting Merry Christmas!

Read a Few Interesting Sign Case Studies:

• Virginia Iconic Signs
• Case Study: Hotel John Marshall
• Historic Restoration Case Study
• Powerful Entrance to a Virginia Mixed Use Development
• Historic Restoration-Altria Theater
• ACAC Fitness Centers
• Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck

Top 10 CHRISTMAS MOVIES OF ALL TIME FROM THE AMC MOVIE GUIDE:

1 National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation2 A Charlie Brown Christmas3 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer4 It’s a Wonderful Life5 Home Alone6 Elf7 Frosty the Snowman8 A Christmas Story9 Miracle on 34th Street10 How the Grinch Stole Christmas

 

 

 

 

Mark Hackley is an account executive for Holiday Signs working from his office in Waynesboro, Virginia.

Holiday Signs is based near Richmond, Virginia.

Holiday Signs helps organizations with signage of all types, especially: Custom electric free-standing signs, wall-mounted signs and channel letters; Monument signs with brick, stone, stucco and fabricated metal bases; Neon signage; Electronic Message Centers, Time & Temperature Displays; Customized Wayfinding Systems; Signage for High-Rise Buildings and Technically Challenging Applications. Many of our clients are part of the following industries: Commercial Development, Office & Retail Centers, Medical & Professional Centers, Hospitals, Colleges & Universities, Public & Private Schools, Banks, Credit Unions, and other Financial Organizations, Hotels, Motels, Convention Centers, Restaurants and others Involved in the Hospitality Industry, Movie Theaters and Other Fitness & Entertainment Organizations, Sports & Athletic Stadiums, Industrial Plants, Institutional Facilities, and Retailers of all Kinds, especially Regionally-Focused Multi-Location Businesses.

Dealer of Daktronics and Watchfire and Optec Electronic Message Centers (Digital LED Signs)