custom design | Sign Company Long Island NY

Posts

The Power of a Professional Designer

November 8, 2022/0 Comments/in Office & Campus Signage, Signs, Wall Graphics & Lobby Signs /by Cindy

Business owners walk a fine line trying to present a professional face to their clientele while still keeping costs down. Oftentimes we look for ways we can do things ourselves rather than paying someone else to do them, to save some money. But there are times when paying a professional is money well spent, like with electrical work or tree removal. The risks there are unacceptably high for a DIY-er. So what risks do you incur when you don’t spend enough on your design budget? Now we’re not saying that doing your own graphic design can be hazardous to your health. But it can be costly in terms of how your business is perceived, if your marketing is aesthetically below standard.

That’s where a sign company with full time, experienced graphic designers can help.

Logo Design: The First Building Block

Take, for example, our friends at Hauppauge Integrated Wellness Group. They contacted us in need of a new lobby sign using their new logo, and we were excited to take the job. But like many business owners they didn’t have (or even really know they needed) a high resolution vector file that we could use for production. Here is the image they provided, a jpg which is “rasterized” which is why the lines are all jagged and pixelated. This file was not useable for a final product.

Luckily, our designers are experienced in taking a raster file and converting it into the type of file we need–a “vector” file which has smooth edges and can be infinitely enlarged without losing resolution. The software we use, Adobe Illustrator, can even do this for us with a click of a button. But this is where the difference in a professional versus an enthusiastic amateur is clear. The software can only do so much, and as you can see below the automated process rendered text that is oddly lumpy, and has letters attached to one another. Could we use this as a production file to make a sign? Certainly. But would a customer be happy with the finished result? Unlikely.

Close up of the initial render

The Value of Experience

Our designer wasted no time trying to pass this vector off to production. Instead, he dove into his resources to find a font that was as close as possible to the one used in the logo. Many times we can find the exact font and recreate the text easily. But in this case he had to utilize a font that had similar letters and custom adjust them as needed to match the logo font. This is a painstaking, time-consuming process that was absolutely crucial for a professional finished sign. The letters are now crisp, individual, and ready for production.

The completed vector file

See the end result and judge for yourself:

For a good sign, start with a good design.

What Are the Real Costs?

The next time you need signage, you can put yourself and your business in the hands of a sign company like Signwave that refuses to compromise on the importance of good design and visual impact. Or you can take your chances and potentially have to live with a sign you don’t love, or that you have to pay to have redone.

Custom Gallery Prints

April 19, 2021/0 Comments/in Office & Campus Signage, Retail & Restaurant Signs, Textiles, Wall Graphics & Lobby Signs /by Cindy

Your business is unique, and when your office is the “face” you present to the customer you want it to showcase that unique quality that makes you stand out from your competition. One good way to do that is to have one-of-a-kind decor in your office space. A custom-made canvas gallery print is a budget-friendly way to decorate your office. We can use your logo, photos of your staff or facilities, artwork that you have the rights to use, or any other graphic you can imagine to create a custom-sized, bespoke piece of artwork that fits your exact needs.

Custom canvas prints can be displayed in a variety of ways

Signwave has talented designers on staff that can create the custom artwork you want, and size it to fit the space you want to fill. We custom build each sturdy frame using exacting methods, and have a variety of options for canvas styles on which we can print your design. Once complete, the canvasses can hang directly on the wall for a minimalist look, or they can be framed or placed on an easel for display.

a graphic print on canvas displayed on an easel

Displaying your custom canvas print without a frame gives a minimalist and clean look

Gallery prints are more than just business decor. They would be welcome as part of a year-end award ceremony for meeting fiscal or production goals. Encourage outside creative efforts among your employees by having their artwork turned into a masterpiece, either the art itself or a photograph of the results, and hang them in your facility for other employees to enjoy.

One Signwave customer used a custom gallery wrap as a memorial to his father, using photographs and text. It will hang in his home for all the family to see and remember their loved one.

We sized this customer’s artwork and printed a lovely memorial to his father, with a custom-built frame

They also make wonderful gifts if you have a treasured family photo you’d like to showcase.

When you’re ready to turn a special photo or piece of artwork into a gallery wrap for your home or office, call Signwave to help you get started. We’ll create a durable custom piece you’ll love.

Why do I need a custom sign shop?

April 26, 2019/0 Comments/in Building & Property Signs, Digital signs, Office & Campus Signage, Retail & Restaurant Signs, Signs, Textiles, Trade Show & Event Signage, Vehicle Wrap, Wall Graphics & Lobby Signs /by Cindy

No matter what industry you work in these days, you have to be aware of who your competitors are and what they’re up to. What services and products are they offering? What are their price points? What have they got that you don’t? Increasingly, we have to be aware of the growing competition from companies whose entire business is operated online.

This isn’t news to anyone, including your customers. As the economy shifts and changes, customers are constantly searching for vendors who can work quicker, cheaper, and better. Or they’re figuring out ways to do the work themselves using how-to videos and suppliers. How does a brick and mortar business survive in that world?

As a company that services businesses, we try and help our customers navigate the paths of brand visibility while dealing with that exact scenario in our own industry.

Brushed aluminum veneer on acrylic

What’s the point of a custom sign when I can get it online?

It’s inevitable. We get a call from a potential customer who wants a particular sign, and they want us to match the price they saw online. What do we say to that? We say, “By all means, if the internet store has the exact size and color and wording that you want, buy that sign.” We don’t want to waste your time or ours proposing something that we both already know you can get elsewhere for less.

BUT…

What if the sign you saw online doesn’t include the required ADA components? What if you want your sign in a very specific Pantone color to match your logo? What if the size of the sign you saw online is just a tiny bit too large to fit the space you want it to go?

What if you simply don’t know what you want yet and need an expert to guide you through the process?

Now, you need a custom sign company.

Signwave has the knowledgeable sales staff to walk through your physical space with you, and listen carefully to your needs. We can advise you on sizes, materials, and construction. We have talented designers who have worked with innumerable sign-making materials, with the creativity to develop a project that is unique to you. We walk you through all the steps of making that design a reality, working within your budget. We work with your town to ensure all signage is legal and permitted, taking that burden off your plate.

We have the industry contacts to coordinate all aspects of your branding project, from an illuminated sign on top of a 10-story building, to the etched lettering on your office doors, even to the branded napkins you set out for your corporate events. And we have skilled installers to put everything together for a finished project that potential customers can’t ignore, no matter how distracted they are by their mobile devices.

WE are a custom business, to help YOU stand out in the crowd as a custom business. Attract the customers you want so you can keep them with your stellar service, unmatched by any faceless internet company. It’s working for us, and we can make it work for you too.