Tag Archive for: Trade show

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.

Getting an edge on your competition

When your product and service offerings are changing to meet the fast pace of today’s business, one thing that might prevent you from purchasing signage is the fear of having to do it all over again within a few years, or even a few months. How do you stay current without breaking your budget?

A photograph of SEG graphic ads in a subway

Illuminated silicone-edge graphics attract attention and are easily changeable.

Just take a walk through your local mall and notice how many retail stores are using silicone edge graphics, or SEGs. These are large, usually internally illuminated fabric display cabinets that grab your attention using bright colors, bold graphics, and lighting. And they change regularly, sometimes multiple times within a season. These displays are made up of three elements: a plastic or aluminum frame, strategically placed LED lights, and a dye-sublimated fabric print.

Close up image of how to insert the silicone edge into the frame

The silicone edge easily slips into the frame for one-person installation.

Dye sublimation is a process in which heat bonds ink into the fabric so that the color is bold and long-lasting. Your graphic is printed onto and INTO the fabric, and then a strip of silicone is sewn into the edge of the fabric. This silicone strip slides securely into a channel that runs around the outside edge of the frame, holding it firmly in place so the graphic is taut. The LEDs are permanently affixed to the inside of the frame, so connect the wiring to your electric feed and voila! Your sign is ready for display. There’s only a small sliver of frame visible around the edge, so your graphic takes center stage.

Why are these signs so popular? Changeability and price. Once you have your frame, updating your fabric graphic is as easy as sending a new art file over to Signwave (or having our experienced design staff create one for you). We’ll have a new graphic printed and ready to install in no time. Even better, it doesn’t take a sign professional to do the installation. You or a member of your staff can remove the old graphic and install the new one in a matter of minutes, saving you money.

Trade show display 2

Silicone edge graphics can be illuminated (from interior or exterior sources) or displayed with no lighting.

As perfect as this technology is for retail, it works just as well for trade show graphics and office/showroom decor. An entire tradeshow display can be built from SEG signage, and it can be illuminated from behind the frame or using attached lighting at the top. After the show, the fabric can be removed and folded away, and the frames can be disassembled for compact, lightweight travel and storage. The graphics will last for years and are washable. Another option is to recess the frames into the walls of an office or showroom for an elegant and impressive way to showcase your products and services. Changing the graphics as your business evolves is simple.

Call Signwave and let’s discuss how you can integrate silicone-edge graphics into your marketing plan!

Tag Archive for: Trade show