DESTINATION: YOUR CITY

How do people perceive Austin, Portland, and Las Vegas? Isn’t part of the lasting brand of a destination the impression of the skyline and bright city lights? How can we brand Virginia Beach? Richmond? Charlottesville? Culpeper? These were some of the discussions at this year’s Virginia-1 Summit in Northern Virginia.

Tourism is a $21.5 billion industry in Virginia, employing 213,000 Virginians across the Commonwealth. Virginia’s hospitality industry thrives on the growing flow of visitors to our mountains, valleys, cities, farms and seashores. Our hotel and restaurant customers rely on bright, eye-catching and inviting electric signs to lead this inflow of people through their doors, and many attended the Tourism Summit at the Hyatt Regency Reston this week.

The conference was held at a luxurious hotel located in the Reston Town Center, just a few miles away from where the new Silver Metro Line now connects Reston to Washington, DC. As I looked out my 10^th floor hotel room Sunday night, I could see the bright lights from the Reston Bowtie Cinema, one of our recent sign projects; and during a luncheon video presentation highlighting Norfolk’s skyline, I noticed the high-rise electric sign we made for the Dominion Resources Building shining bright. It’s neat to see our signs at work! There is just something about the way a city street lights up at night that really leaves a lasting ambiance. It is kind of a romantic feeling and it makes me remember the area and I want to come back. It’s all a big part of destination marketing, which was a topic of this year’s summit.

The three-day conference offered many great workshops about new ways to boost Virginia as an attractive tourist destination, and the group became energized during a lunch session yesterday by Governor Terry McAuliffe. The Governor said that the Virginia tourism industry has become very important, especially in light of sequestration.  

Here are portions of an official press release from the conference:

“We’re unified by one common goal: to make Virginia a better place to live, work, play, and raise a family,” said Governor McAuliffe.

VA-1, the Commonwealth’s annual summit that focuses on ways to maximize Virginia’s tourism potential, had more than 400 people from all sectors of Virginia’s tourism industry in attendance this year.  The summit also aimed at identifying new and game changing ideas to stay competitive, leveraging new opportunities through networking and relationship building, and advancing Virginia’s prominence as a premier, global travel destination.  Breakout sessions included topics such as “The Power of Creative Communities,” “Building Major Music Festivals,” “Marketing Virginia Weddings” and “Eco Travel & Tourism.” 

Also driving home the importance of tourism in Virginia, Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones said, “Tourism has consistently proven to be a sound investment for Virginia. “It is an instant revenue generator, channeling millions of dollars into the Commonwealth’s coffers and into the revenue stream to local governments.” 

For more information on Virginia Tourism, visit vatc.org, virginia.org and vhta.org.

 

Branding & Wayfinding Signs:

• 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

Digital Messaging Signs:

6 BENEFITS OF DIGITAL SIGNS:

• 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
• Part 6- Use Them for Promoting Loss Leaders

Contact: Mark Hackley

Account Executive

mhackley@holidaysigns.com

540-416-3154

Our Approach to Selling Signs

Part 4: Sign Viewing Distance & Sight Lines

DOWN TO A SCIENCE

  There are reasons for selecting certain sign products, and the best solutions can only be accurately estimated once you determine what’s best for your particular site.  Our approach to selling signs is a process. Throughout what usually ends up being a series of meetings, our project managers educate customers about effective sign design, asking important questions to “scientifically” develop each sign proposal.

  Two important sign design considerations in choosing the right sign for your site are:

• What’s the best height relative to the roadway elevation and obstructions?

• What’s the optimum sign viewing distance from the road?

STEPS TO MAXIMIZE VISIBILITY:
1.Determine Obstructions

  First, you need to determine any viewing obstructions that could prompt raising the overall height of your sign. Crowded visual environments detract passers by from reading low-to-the-ground signs, so elevating signs can enhance their visibility in certain areas. Sometimes, simply because of a low grade, you have to elevate a sign just to get it in the proper sign viewing zone for motorists. In cases where signage fronts interstates or other high speed thoroughfares, the higher the sign the better for maximum exposure.

2.Chart your Visibility Zone

  Once you determine the right height, you need to map out your “sign visibility zone.” The optimum visibility zone is in the area where the line of sight drawn at 45 degrees from the sign in each viewing direction intersects the center of the roadway extending back to a place on the highway within the driver’s cone of vision without visual obstruction to a point where the sign can be designed to maximize the local code. 

3.Design Your Sign

  After you have figured out the maximum line of sight, you need to plan the minimum letter height for readability from that distance. (As a general rule of thumb, calculate about 1 inch of letter height for every 36 feet of sight distance based on average letter contrast and 20/20 vision on a clear day.) Keep in mind that LED-lit signs actually have a greater visibility distance at night and LED message signs have better readability 24 hours a day because of the sign brightness. In addition to sign height and letter height, other factors like viewer reaction time, viewer reaction distance, color contrast, and negative space also play a part in the overall scientific sign design for optimum visibility.  Now you can design an effective sign sized correctly, designed for best contrast and readability, maximizing code to do the best job of turning traffic into customers.

 

OUR SERVICE AREA

Contact a project manager to discuss a sign project at your site!

 

If you liked this, you may also enjoy:

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

MeadWestvaco: Why Use Sign Prototypes?

Virginia Iconic Signs

Case Study: Hotel John Marshall

Historic Restoration Case Study

ACAC Fitness Centers

 

Watch our Video

 

 

 

Don’t Underestimate the Value of Signage in Repositioning Commercial Property

4 Cases of Successful Virginia Electric Sign Upgrades

HOT  TOPIC
   Perhaps the changes in Washington will affect economic outlook moving forward, perhaps not. One thing is clear: There are proven ways to improve commercial vacancy rates in any economy, and upgrading signage is one of them.

  
   Much has been written and discussed about vacancy rates throughout the Virginia commercial real estate market. New ways to attract and keep good commercial tenants in the office, industrial and retail sectors has been a hot topic in our region for some time now. Just a few weeks ago, the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP) Northern Virginia Chapter hosted a program in Falls Church, Virginia called: “Case Studies of Successful Leasing Strategies- from Vacancy to No Vacancy.” Many of the area’s building owners and property managers shared creative and successful ways they filled their spaces and repositioned projects. Signage is one aspect of developers’ repositioning plans that gets left out of these discussions, and it’s a big perk that can be used to attract strong tenants right along with targeted leasing programs, enhanced amenities, spec suites, and other good marketing ideas.

   What does the future hold for the retail industry? Throughout Holiday Signs’ service area of Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and North Carolina, our malls and shopping centers are being transformed to meet the different ways consumers buy goods and services. The NAIOP group points out that new “lifestyle” centers are popping up throughout the region. To be successful, brick and mortar retailers and their landlords must find ways to stand out over competing e-commerce and changing social trends. Just today in McLean, NAIOP of Northern Virginia hosted another expert panel discussion comprised of retail owners and developers, a retailer and a retail futurist and consultant, who discussed the ever-evolving retail industry.

   Perhaps enhancing retail signage is one topic for Virginia developers to consider as they plan future marketing concepts. The following four sign case studies may help as guides…

 

CASE # 1- ROCKWOOD SQUARE

LOW-COST, HIGH-IMPACT
   We worked with AREA Properties, LLC of Rockville, Maryland, who recently renovated the Rockwood Square Shopping Center in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The center had a high vacancy rate, but after all the renovations it is close to 98% full, much of which is attributed to the new signs according to Gary Modjeska of AREA Properties. “Signs were a very, very important part of the repositioning of the property,” he said.

   Since the property was not a high end shopping center, the client wanted signage that would not be real expensive to potential tenants. Gary worked with Holiday Signs project manager, Allen Twedt to come up with a new design for the center’s signs. Before renovations, the center had plain, rectangular-shaped box signs with flat faces and poor hodge-podge designs.  The client originally planned to replace everything with channel letters but asked us what we thought.  We told him we could come up with a nice design for box signs that would include some architectural amenities. If a tenant changes, all that needs to be done is swap out a new face, keeping a new tenant’s costs down in the future versus them having to come up with money for a new set of channel letters.

BIG RESULTS FROM SMALL DETAILS
  Allen and the Holiday Signs design team utilized an interesting lighting sconce detail for the box signs and the main pylon that tied all the signage together. The detail appears on the front pylons as well as the storefront and under-canopy signs. The owner also liked the idea of keeping all the tenant signs consistent and uniform regarding colors and layout.  The sign backgrounds are opaque; so at night all that is seen is the copy and the lighted sconces giving the retail center a classy look instead of the typical image portrayed by standard illuminated white background box signs. Adding the simple architectural details and keeping all signs consistent in design supports a unified theme that is attractive to customers and has helped the center grow and thrive again after re-imaging.

   This was the first project we provided for Gary at AREA Properties, LLC, but he said he will use us again on future projects because he was so pleased with all aspects we provided him.

 

CASE # 2- HOTEL JOHN MARSHALL

NEGLECTED PAST
   The sign on top of the Hotel John Marshall in Richmond, Virginia, was a historic landmark. It needed work to restore it back to its original vitality. Built years ago and abandoned in 1988, it became a ghostly reminder of its neglected past. It was rusting away. The lighting in the 34 large, 7 foot tall letters was the old incandescent bulb type. There were some 1,400 light bulbs per side which were major energy hogs always in need of maintenance. They regularly burned out and there was a big safety concern involved with changing them.

   When new owners took on redevelopment in 2009, they needed to make substantial energy improvements to obtain HUD funding. Holiday Signs was chosen as the best firm qualified for the sign restoration. We worked for Choate Interiors, a part of Choate Construction, the General Contractor. Even with the developer’s 3-year relationship with another sign company, we got the job because of our technical expertise. Looking at the large sign project from an owner’s point of view, we wanted to make the investment in the sign renovation economic over the lifetime of the sign: both initial cost, and operating costs of energy and maintenance. We also had to make sure the new cost-efficient signage was historically accurate.

NEW LIFE
  Our creative solution replaced old incandescent bulbs with low-voltage LED lighting that looked historically correct by using modern digital printing technology. We recommended closed face letters with printed covers that would make them look like the old open-faced bulb letters while offering the LED lighting components protection from the elements of the harsh rooftop environment. We demonstrated prototypes and then met with the Chief Architect for the National Park Service (since the hotel overlooks Richmond’s Slave Trail it is under NPS jurisdiction), and representatives from the City of Richmond and the General Contractor to tweak the digitally printed bulb designs and LED lighting placement to where all parties were satisfied with the effect.

   By utilizing LED, power consumption for illumination was reduced by 70%! As an added value service, we worked with Dominion Power to get the General Contractor a substantial rebate for the huge energy reduction. Today, the renovated sign casts an accurate image of Richmond’s bygone era while utilizing many of the benefits of modern-day sign and lighting technology in its day to day operation.

 

CASE # 3: TOWNE CENTER WEST

LIMITED VISIBILITY
  Holiday Signs added two large full-color Electronic Message Centers (EMC’s) to an existing double-faced entrance pylon at Towne Center West, a Lifestyle Center owned by Breeden Companies. It is located next door to a 1.3 million square foot Super Regional Center, so competition for shoppers is intense.

  Prior to the addition of the EMC’s, most of the inline tenants had limited visibility to the 25,000+ cars that pass by the center each day. Tenants had spent countless advertising dollars to draw customers into their shops, but that only produced limited results. Breeden, anxious to help their tenants increase their visibility and draw in new customers, hired Holiday Signs to evaluate their center.

  Holiday Signs specializes in helping developers and shopping center management revitalize the signage for their centers. Many times we recommend updating signage with updated design, new graphics, tenant panels or fresh paint but in this case the main identification sign was only a few years old. A thorough analysis suggested the addition of two new EMC’s to the existing pylon would give the tenants their much needed visibility.

IMMEDIATE IMPROVEMENT IN SALES
  Once the EMC’s were in place and the messages started rolling, tenants began to see an immediate increase in traffic to their stores: “The advertising sign is working great for us,” said Kathy Crawford co-owner of HoneyBaked Ham. “HoneyBaked Ham has seen double-digit increases since the digital sign was installed,” chimed in her husband and co-owner, David Crawford. He said it’s even better that the HoneyBaked Ham corporate office provides digital content for the sign.

  Adding an EMC to your signage package is a great way to attract new tenants while retaining existing ones. Many retailers see value in having their messages prominently displayed to potential customers and most will gladly contribute a portion of their marketing budgets to reach them. Landlords understand the value of utilizing EMC’s as revenue generators because they are now able to charge their tenants for the number of messages they run each day, week or month. Most importantly, when compared with radio, television and direct mail, the cost per thousand is lower and infinitely more effective than other forms of advertising.

 

CASE # 4: BROOKHILL-AZALEA SHOPPING CENTER

DO THE RESEARCH
   Research shows that grocery-anchored retail centers have the best survival rates during the toughest economic times and that is one good reason moderate investments in facade and signage upgrades at supermarket-based centers make sense for developers. Economic development officials understand the importance of healthy retail centers and don’t want commercial properties in their areas to reach the point of decline.  

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT VIEWPOINT
   Here are some good points about how upgrading signage at declining centers helps from Mike Davidson, Economic Development Director, of Campbell County, in Central Virginia:

   “Renovating and retrofitting existing shopping centers makes good economic sense,” he explained.

  “Refreshing the visual appearance of properties gives consumers the feeling that something new has happened and helps to retain and improve traffic into those centers.”  

   Mike recommends re-purposing centers when they become vacant with new or different uses to revitalize existing property that has already had considerable investment in installing infrastructure, and he referenced a recent success story of this kind from his area.  

   “This also helps to prevent blight from creeping in to areas,” he pointed out.  

   “Having something nice & appealing rather than worn and old always enhances the opportunity for consumers to want to visit and see what is being offered in those centers,” he said.

   Neglected retail centers are often viewed as one of the top culprits of crime and the decline of neighborhoods, conditions that lead to lower property values and tax revenues.  Offering their help for ailing commercial developments, cities and counties across our service area have special matching grants and tax credit programs in place for signage and storefront renovation.

 

SEE OTHER INTERESTING CASE STUDIES HERE

 

Contact:

Mark Hackley, Account Executive

(540) 416-3154

or Sales Staff at:

(804) 796-9443

 

Watch our Company Video!

 

How Do Highway Distance Signs Measure Mileage to Cities?

What a beautiful time of the year to be driving Virginia’s highways, especially in the mountains, as I was doing yesterday on Interstate 64 near Charlottesville. As always, I notice signs everywhere I go, and so do you, but you probably just don’t realize it because you’re not a sign blogger like me!  But if you own or manage a business, or are a customer out there looking for a store or hospital ER or church, or place to stay the night, or place to eat, or…the list goes on and on…then signage and its marketing value become important, and you are probably interested in it more than you know.

Most of the time I write about bright, custom electric signs that light up business names all over Virginia, but this time, I am answering a question I’ve had for years: “How do highway signs calculate the mileage to the cities listed?” I became determined to see just how they come up with the posted mileages to cities. Is it to the city limits, some point in the center of town, or some other point? And also, is the distance measured from the sign location to that point, or from the point back from where you first see the sign? 

So I called the Director of Communications for VDOT for answers. The Director was out, but the Assistant Director, Shannon Marshall, was very eager to help. She said VDOT follows the federal Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), as published by the Federal Highway Administration, that states: “The distance displayed should be selected on a case-by-case basis by the jurisdiction that owns the road or by statewide policy. A well-defined central area or central business district should be used where one exists. In other cases, the layout of the community should be considered in relation to the highway being signed and the decision based on where it appears that most drivers would feel that they are in the center of the community in question.”  

She said, for instance, a courthouse or other central landmark may be used as the measuring point for distance. The rule is to round to the nearest mile.   

So I googled “MUTCD” and read Section 2D.41-42 about “Distance Signs” and found this statement and some other interesting facts about the sign design criteria of our highway distance signs:

• Distance Signs shall be a horizontal rectangle of a size appropriate for the required legend, carrying the names of no more than three cities, towns, junctions, or other traffic generators.

• The distance numerals shall be placed to the right of the destination names.

 

(Holiday Signs makes quality signage for basically any organization in need: Custom Electric Signs for hotels, restaurants, inns, amusement parks, convention centers, theaters, banks, credit unions, insurance agencies, car dealers, grocery stores, retail stores, shopping centers, office buildings, high-rise buildings, churches, hospitals, medical centers, schools, colleges, museums, and the list goes on!)

Watch our Company Video!

OUTDOOR SIGNS VIRGINIA,  EXTERIOR ELECTRIC SIGNS,  ROAD SIGNS,  HIGHWAY SIGNS,  VADOT TRAFFIC COUNT

Our Approach to Selling Signs

Part 3: Environment

GETTING NOTICED IN A POSITIVE WAY
Environmental graphic design is a unique field within our industry – sign designers, landscapers, engineers, architects, welders, painters, masons, carpenters, installers – that collaborate to create amazing sign projects that work in generating business while blending in with the environment. Well-designed signs have the power to move people to appreciate a business and even change a person’s behavior. A person previously prone to passing a certain business is suddenly inspired to turn in!

So how do you stand out and blend in at the same time? Decisions, decisions…

It’s not too hard to stand out. I’ve met a few marketing consultants who are occasional fish-tie wearers when they need a gimmick to be remembered.  And we too have actually built a huge bass fish sign for a commercial client wanting to make a statement at the entrance to their development, so I’m not knocking the big fish idea. It’s just that generally speaking, most people aren’t so flashy and usually for good reason. The hard part is coming up with good sign solutions that blend corporate statements into surrounding environments.

MORE THAN JUST HANGING A SHINGLE
A business site has to secure a strong, competitive position in order to prevail. Your building location, and how you promote it, is crucial to the ultimate success of your business. Signs make lasting impressions that work; whether they are positive or negative is up to you.

You just can’t just throw any old sign system together and expect results. A sign purchase is important and should be well-planned. I recommend working with a reputable, established sign company whose project managers understand your unique site branding and advertising goals and the many variables working against you in reaching them.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
Here are some basic questions your sign consultant needs to ask specifically about your site:

• What fits best with the building or neighborhood?

    Are elements of the building’s architecture reflected in signage design and embellishments?
        -Colors: Historic, Colonial, Architectural, Natural?
        -Building Materials: Brick, Stone, Concrete, Stucco, Painted Metal?
        -Pitch of roof: Flat, Peaked, Slanted, Domed?
        -Special Features: Columns, Quoins, Cornices, Window Design Elements

• What fits best in both daytime and nighttime viewing? 

    What type of lighting will work best for consistent 24-hour branding?
        -Spot Lighting?
        -Day/Night Films?
        -Dimensional Letters and Shadowing Factors?
        -Reflective Films?
        -Back-Lighting Options?
        -Digital Signage Options?

• What works throughout all seasons?

• What does code recommend and allow?

 

Contact:
Mark Hackley, Account Executive
mhackley@holidaysigns.com  (804) 796-9443

Society of Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD)

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

Our Approach to Selling Signs, Part 2: Budget

HOLIDAY SIGNS VIDEO

If you liked this you may also like:

• 6 Reasons to Retrofit Neon to LED
• MeadWestvaco: Why Use Sign Prototypes?
• Virginia Iconic Signs
• Case Study: Hotel John Marshall
• Historic Restoration Case Study
• Powerful Entrance to a Virginia Mixed Use Development
• Dominion Enterprises: High-Rise Branding
• Historic Restoration-Altria Theater
• ACAC Fitness Centers
• Pioneer Bank
• Branding Grace Church