Signwave Founder Honored

From the very outset of starting his own sign company, Dan Simon determined that his vision would be to create signs that were both practical for businesses but also beautiful for the community. You may hear him exclaim his signature phrase: “No ugly signs!” at one of his networking events or at a meeting of his HIA-LI subcommittee. Dan has never wavered from the tenet that companies should exist not merely to profit and grow but to serve, both the clients and the greater good. He spends a large amount of his personal time working for local volunteer organizations and building the HIA-LI Business Acceleration Committee. He donates Signwave’s time and resources to help out nonprofit Long Island organizations such as Stage the Change, The INN, and local high school theatrical productions.

The team at Signwave is proud to share that Dan’s efforts are being recognized at a luncheon on December 13, honoring him along with three other community members who make a difference. We see first hand how well deserved this recognition is.

Those interested in registering for the virtual celebration, please click here or contact Halle Grossman at hgrossman@hia-li.org. For sponsorship opportunities, email Anthony Forgione at aforgione@hia-li.org or call 631-543-5355. 

 

About HIA-LI

HIA-LI helps Long Island businesses prosper. For over 40 years, they have been one of the recognized voices for business on Long Island and a powerful force and economic engine for regional development. They provide a forum for business leaders to network, problem solve and obtain advice on critical issues facing their businesses. Their member companies represent tens of thousands of business professionals. They’re headquartered in and support one of the largest industrial parks in the United States. HIA-LI programs and events promote strategic partnerships, targeted networking, information sharing and business advocacy. Members benefit from their committees, educational programs, career resources, research capabilities, mentoring opportunities and business advisory services. For more information, visit http://www.hia-li.org or call 631-543-5355.

Signwave Supports STEM Education

The Signwave team

Smithtown High School STEM Trade Show 2022

On October 27, 2022, Signwave was proud to participate in the annual STEM Trade Show hosted by the Smithtown High School Career Center and the Smithtown Industry Advisory Board. The goal of the show was to present students with a broader understanding of how STEM education can lead to an unexpectedly wide variety of fulfilling careers. Represented at the show were over 30 Long Island companies that value science, technology, engineering, and math skills in their employees. Smithtown students were given the chance to try hands-on learning activities, ask questions, and make connections that could lead to higher learning or internship opportunities.

Signage as Art and Science

Students try their hand at applying two-layer vinyl graphics

When thinking about STEM careers, your mind might not immediately jump to sign making as an example. However, creating a good sign involves a combination of materials science, engineering, fabrication skill, and computer-aided design. At the Signwave booth, students were given the tools and materials to apply a two-layer cut vinyl design that represents an iconic image in Smithtown: The Bull. Our design & fabrication team, Brian and Jake, were there to walk the students through the techniques required for a clean vinyl application, and to answer questions about what their jobs entail and what led them to the positions they hold now. Dan was on hand to talk about the business side of the coin, and how digital marketing and finance are important to success.

The applied sample graphic

How You Can Participate

The future of STEM is integral to the future of Long Island business, and the students of today will hold the key. If your company would be interested in participating in next year’s STEM fair, contact Philip Como, Smithtown IAB Executive Director at (631) 382-2977 or (631) 382-5210.

Welcome our new sign maker!

Lexi DeCamp our newest team memberSignwave is extremely happy to announce that our team has grown by one sign maker!

Alexis DeCamp recently moved to Long Island from Rhode Island where she was born and raised. Lexi is the very definition of a “maker:” she’s a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design where she studied sculpture. From there she moved through various industries including jewelry-making and baking, all of which fulfilled her lifelong passion for creating. Her attention for detail and ability to quickly learn new skills has carried over into her new career as a sign maker.

Lexi recently told me, “My goal is to have the skills to fabricate anything I need in my life, to my own specifications. I’m passionate about building a personalized experience for myself and the people I create for, and about creating beautiful, practical things for everyday life.” Pretty obvious how we knew she’d be a good fit here!

Lexi was kind enough to share some photos with us of her favorite art projects:

clay sculpture brown coral monster house cardboard fired clay painted dish floral blue clay mug cup tea set

 

 

 

 

We’re so happy to welcome Lexi to Signwave, and we look forward to giving you the opportunity to witness her enthusiasm, skill, and good humor in person at your next sign install.

lexi lgbt network vinyl install

Safety Signs

Safety Signs

The Robert J. McMahon Children’s Center, part of the SCO Family of Services, is a residential center for children and adolescents with special needs. As part of their recent capital improvement program, they installed playground equipment throughout the grounds to provide a fun recreational outlet for their residents. The equipment went in without a hitch but one thing was missing – the signage to help ensure that the residents would enjoy a safe and injury-free environment.

Enter Signwave. We consulted with the facilities staff and did a complete site survey to determine the optimal placement, size, color, and content of all of the safety signage for their playground equipment throughout the property. We designed the iconography and text for maximum readability while assuring the look would be complementary to their existing site signage and branding.

We fabricated the signs using .040 aluminum with rounded corners to assure that there would be no sharp edges to snag on people or clothing. We printed with bright, long-lasting latex inks on calendared vinyl, and laminated it to assure protection against the harsh outdoor conditions. We acquired the specialty hardware needed to secure these signs to the chain link fences, posts and walls at the facility. Our installation crew was onsite and the project completed in a week from initial engagement.

Need to post rules for safety? Let’s make sure your signs take all of the details into consideration. Schedule an on-site review and ask us to review materials and mounting options with you.

Signwave’s John Hollingworth Selected to Paint Town Mural

Islandia, NY – John “Jonny Mike” Hollingworth spends his days fabricating complex and beautiful signs at Islandia sign company Signwave. But in his off hours, he can’t seem to stop creating art. This spring, Jonny’s mural design for the Patchogue Arts Council’s “Arts on Terry” street festival was chosen selected out of over a dozen entries as the centerpiece for the growing festival, the theme of which this year was “Summer of Love.”

A 15-by-45 foot spray-painted marvel, Jonny’s design swirls with colors and motifs that harken back to the late 1960s. The mural adorns the back wall of the Patchogue Town Library, where people stop to enjoy and take photos regularly. Jonny began work on May 13, and the project was completed in time for the yearly festival on June 4. The upbeat design quickly became a landmark in the Patchogue area, where Jonny has been an Artspace resident for many years.

“When I found out my design had been selected,” Jonny says, “I was super stoked. I wasn’t around for the summer of love, but I know what it means to love music, love art, and love people.”

Photos and information about more of Jonny’s creations can be found at facebook.com/docarazzi. More information about the PAC arts festival can be found in this article from the Long Island Advance newspaper: https://www.longislandadvance.net/4455/Mural-for-Summer-of-Love.

Signwave is a full-service custom design and fabrication company for signs, wall graphics, and vehicle wraps for corporate campuses, buildings, retail locations and restaurants.

 

Cindy Simon of Signwave

Signwave Proud to Announce the Addition of Cindy Simon

Islandia, NY – Signwave is proud to announce the addition of Cindy Simon to our management as new co-owner and Creative Director. Cindy started with Signwave in March 2017 and is now full time to help find signage solutions for various business challenges.

Cindy comes to Signwave after nine years working in packaging design and quality assurance in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to that Cindy designed products for the crafting industry and worked in print management for the University of California, San Diego. In addition to her design and project management skills, Cindy has had extensive training and experience in digital imaging tools, proofreading and editing, and is committed to ensuring each project is perfect down to the last detail.

“Long Island needs great signs,” said Cindy, “and I’m thrilled to be able to help the businesses and organizations in our community, while helping to make Long Island a beautiful place to live and work.”

Signwave is a custom signage, display and vehicle graphics company that serves all of Long Island and New York City.

Welcome to the Signwave Blog

We are in the business of helping organizations prosper through the use of excellent signs. Our tagline is “Amplify your message.” We want to help business get their message out to their prospective customers. We hope to educate them on the importance of the right signs as part of their marketing strategy. With our design skills, production quality, and customer service we want or community to be able to send their messages loud and clear.

But enough with the elevator pitch – there is plenty to read on other parts of our website about why you should call us right now. This blog is a chance for me to post interesting musings and information, primarily sign-related, but I do like to go off on tangents. My background is quite varied – I have taught high school Social Studies, and done independent consulting for many years, in New York, North Carolina and San Diego. I have had jobs in large and small companies, doing IT support, developing websites, creating smartphones, launching software products, defining manufacturing processes, negotiating agreements, and managing international teams, always with a keen eye for design and a passion for getting it right.

So I expect the articles on this blog will run the gamut of sign-related topics from how to design and manufacture great signs, to how to make signs an effective marketing vehicle for pretty much any business. We will look at specific sign types and how to use them best, and we will discuss the importance of color management to get the sign right. But I also expect we will spend a considerable amount of time looking at the history of signs, and revel over some exquisite sign designs of past and present.

So thank you for visiting, and please join in the conversation in your comments.