One of the many fun projects we produce are inflatable costumes. We recently worked with Larger Than Life inflatables to produce this bright and fun bible costume. First the concept was made, then the side, back and front were digitally printed and laminated to protect the print. Finally the pages were airbrushed in to complete the look. We think it turned out great!

A fun project we just completed is a 25' sphere for the Winter Olympics. "Welcome" is written in 12 different languages all around the sphere and has a color fade from dark blue to light green behind white lettering. This large project took almost 100 people hours to complete and was made for Interactive Inflatables, Inc. Watch a video of the painting process from start to finish here, Welcome Sphere

Being a brand new Green Facility...we needed an art mural that fit our interior.  So I contacted Tracey at Attention Getters and asked her to meet me to assist with our mural.  Tracey brought a team of artists to our dealership and provided 4 options to meet our needs.  We chose one and it turned out fantastic. 

Thank you,

Michelle Candelaria
Toyota of El Cajon

Toyota of El Cajon recently contracted us to design and paint a 15' tall X 65' long wall mural with Toyota sayings. They just opened their new location on Arnele Street and have the distinction of being the first LEED Certified building in El Cajon, CA. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a third-party certification program and nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings, according to the U.S. Green Building Council. We naturally chose to use paints with no toxic fumes, or low VOC for the mural.

We designed the mural to compliment the other murals and decor they have in the newly designed building. The entire facility is quite impressive with numerous factoids explaining how energy efficient it is. Children will love to play on the life size pirate ship in the showroom area.

The wall mural is in an area where new owners pick up the keys to their car and drive off. It took three artists over four days to prep, paint, and complete the work on the mural. We are happy to be part of keeping their building "green." The finished mural looks great!

Signs we've seen around and people have shared with us follow. . .

On a New York convalescent home: "For the sick and tired of the Episcopal Church."

On a Maine shop: "Our motto is to give our customers the lowest possible prices and workmanship."

At a number of military bases: "Restricted to unauthorized personnel."



On a display of "I love you only" Valentine cards: "Now available in multipacks."

In the window of  a Kentucky appliance store: "Don't kill your wife. Let our washing machine do the dirty work."



In a funeral parlor: "Ask about our layaway plan."

In a clothing store: "Wonderful bargains for men with 16 and 17 necks."



In a Tacoma Washington men's clothing store: 15 men's wool suits, $10. They won't last an hour!

Sign in the office of a Roman doctor: "Specialist in women and other diseases."



Sign at a garage in Hertfordshire: "Please do not smoke near the pumps. If your life isn't worth anything - gas is!"

Sign at a Budapest zoo: "Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty."

And lastly, honesty might pay off here...hmmm

Just wanted to take a minute and thank you both for your hard work on this....I am extremely pleased with your work.--Denise D. Golden, West Casino



Golden West Casino in Bakersfield asked for a sign they could use for an upcoming promotion with specific requirements. The sign needed to be able to attach to a large rock so it needed to be sturdy. They also requested dimensional letters to sit on top of the background of the sign. And, the letters had to be able to be removed and put back on as gamblers won different parts of the game promotion.

We produced the sign on a Laminators Plus product, plywood with a pvc laminate. We used part their supplied graphics and then modified the design to meet their sign needs. The WHEEL section on the sign was to be red while the WHEEL dimensional letters were made from 1/2" thick pvc with a metallic brushed gold face. The challenge was figuring out how to get the letters on and off the background sign effectively. We were pleased with the results-more importantly, our client likes their sign.

 

EVERYONE LOVES THE SIGNS!!!!!!!!!! Awesome job.--Shellby H. San Diego Christian College

San Diego Christian College in El Cajon is one of our clients who asked usfor help in providing interior wall signs for newly renovated areas of the college. Their Events and Publication Coordinator, Shellby, requested several types of quotes based on research for signs they had done.

They decided to go with clear plexiglas with colored adhesive vinyl for the text and design. Each sign is made with 1/4" plexiglas and has a large section of frosted vinyl on the back side that appears to look like etched glass. They are mounted with spacers one inch from the wall to give the sign a dimensional look. The finished signs look very elegant and professional, and we were able to stay within their budget.

Waste Management recently opened a new state-of-the-art sorting and recycling facility at their El Cajon location. They had us design and fabricate two large murals for the outside of the building. The mural facing Bradley St. measures 20' tall by 22' wide, while the other one measures 20' tall by 18' wide. Each mural was sized properly in an illustration software program and then adjusted to meet Waste Management's requirements. They were digitally printed and laminated on an adhesive backed vinyl and applied to aluminum faced sign panels. Each mural consisted of at least ten 4' X 8' panels which were then installed onto the building wall.

Take a drive by Waste Management on Bradley Ave., El Cajon, to see the largest mural. If they ever have another tour of their sorting facility like they did last Tuesday, be sure to check it out. Almost everything in the trash people throw away at construction sites is now being recycled in some way, shape, or form. Eventually, this will expand to commercial and homeowner's trash. It's their way of living green and creating a sustainable world. We are very glad to have a small part in letting people know about the great work they do.

You can see a video clip of the process here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7cLNlMttDk

You guys do such great work, top of the line. You have done 5 murals for us and each one looks amazing. I got so many complements on them--I even heard the Waste Management Senior Vice President of the western group was amazed on how they looked. Thank you for all your hard work and making it in such short time frames we always throw at you.  Thank You, Thank You , Thank You.--Heather M. Waste Management

You folks made me a big*** sign that can be seen from 3 freeways.
                                      --Tami, Tami's Tender Touch Pet Grooming

One of the most common questions we are asked is what size should I make a sign, banner, or letters for my business? Well, we can make things just about any size. There are many variables to consider that will help you get the best possible business visibility for the location. Here is a short list to get you started.

Who is your audience? Drive by traffic, walking traffic, or a combination of both? At what distance will people be viewing your message?

Are there regulations you must adhere to? The location of your business i.e. strip mall, property manager, and/or city may have sign guidelines and codes you have to comply with. Most property managers include this information in your lease or will let you know what you can and can't have. All cities and counties have sign criteria which varies widely. Some of this information can be found online, but we can help you figure out exactly what is allowable. Better to know this before having any type of signage designed and fabricated to be safe.

How big should the lettering be? We recommend answering the first two questions before considering this. If the letters are part of an overall banner, sign, or vehicle graphic, then letting us create a design that works within an established size criteria is much better than trying to determine what size they should be. Think about your most important part of the message and we willing corporate that into your overall design. A general rule of thumb is a letter is a wide as it is tall so quite often you will have to limit the amount of words. We like the KISS rule to design, Keep It Simple Stupid, so your message will be concise and the design can make it pop and sizzle. Individual letters on a building can be determined with an onsite evaluation done by us. We will then create an overall design for your business location with concept art to scale. This is the best way to see how it will look prior to fabrication and installation.

Go here to download our FREE Visibility Chart (top right hand side of the home page) for more guidelines on how to determine the best size and color combinations. We will discuss color combinations that work for signage in a future issue. In the mean time, feel free to call or e-mail with any questions or comments you have about determining the size you should use for a sign project you are considering.

One of our latest creations was a giant, 15' x 32', digitally printed banner for Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns. They just updated their name and wanted to have a banner cover the new letters for an opening ceremony. We worked with the event company, Pacific Events, to come up with a pink bow graphic to print onto the banner. It was a great success and we think it looked fantastic.

You can see a video of the event here -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upcOQZkgstY

Boyce Kitchen & Bath purchased property in La Mesa, CA for their new showroom a few years ago. The location had two areas for billboards grandfathered in the city of La Mesa for sign use. Jeff Boyce wanted to use that space to advertise his business and asked us to design and fabricate new billboards for them. We designed and printed onto banner fabric. Our installer tied them onto their existing frames. The final product is one that has brought attention to their business in an attractive way.

If you're looking for some ideas for a new kitchen, be sure to check out their showroom at 7034 University Ave., in La Mesa. Their kitchens are beautiful!