Epic Signs & Graphics Blog

If you are in need of new office signs around the building to identify offices, meeting rooms, departments, people, and even break rooms, ask us for a consultation to help plan and design building signs for effective visual commuications.

Office signs can be custom made in an infinate number of ways. The example to the right required a special shape to go along with other signs within the organization. The base layer is 1/4" black acrylic, laminated with 1/16" brush aluminum. The top layer is made with 1/8" thick clear acrylic with the text routed out on the back. The routed letters were filled with paint and the entire back was painted with a different color to differentiate the letters. The top layer and bottom base is seperated with 1/4" offsets. The whole assembled unit is mounted to doors for classy professional look.

The same project required something with the same shape (almost) but for a different application. The customer, Crossroads, wanted to have their associates represented in their boardroom. The idea was to have a thick plaque that stood out from the wall 2". We decided to use hard foam painted black. There is a 1/4" thick acrylic layer applied over the face with printed vinyl applied to the back. The shape was adjusted a bit to accomodate the logos involved. These were applied to the wall with double stick VHB tape.

Don't forget about ADA signs as you evaluate your office signage needs. We can produce restroom, stair, emergency, and evacuation signs with braille. We will design and install so that you are up to snuff concerning the requirments for ADA compliance.

Office signs are needed in just about any industry and we can help with hospitals and medical buildings, law firms, CPA firms, manufacturing and we service property managers in many areas around NorthEast Ohio.

If your company is moving or perhaps rebranding or just need to have updated signage, call Epic Signs & Graphics. We will consult on all the possibilities by considering your brand message, culture of the organization and style of decor. When you decide you need new office signs, we will come in, take inventory of the current signs and work through each type to determine design, cost, and install plan. We know how important it is to get the look just right so call for a free consultation today.

Recently, The Columbus Dispatch have been rolling out new distribution trucks with new vehicle wraps applied. When they signed an agreement for new trucks, they gave us a call and we were more than happy to install graphics for this project. Take a look and read below about truck wraps to see why it is a good investment.

 Why Have Graphics On Your Fleet Of Business Trucks?

If the truck in the picture above did not have graphics, no one would know how much The Columbus Dispatch gets around each and very night .... and day for that matter. Vehicle marketing provides one of the best returns on advertising budgets. Think about the number of eyes (also known as impressions) a single truck will get each day and night. Whether rolling down the highway, idle at a red light, or stopped for a drop or pick-up, the truck wrap is working constantly to show the brand that gets the news out out each and every day regardless of weather conditions or holidays. There really is no other medium that keeps working non-stop every day (besides newspapers of course!).

What Are My Options To Fit My Budget?

The project for The Columbus Dispatch was done with a wrap of 3 sides and a decal on the front bulk head as seen below. We used premium cast vinyl from Avery, printed with a latex inkjet printer and covered with a clear protective Avery cast laminate. Cast vinyl was used because of the long term lasting power and because it conforms around the rivets easily.....and in this case, there were a ton of 'em! Typically on flat surfaces, it's ok to use a calendared vinyl, however when there are rivets involved, it is best to use the cast since it is thin and can be molded and set around curves with post heating applied. There are times when a partial wrap is fine and it can help reduce the budget since less area is designed, printed and covered. If the design is done with that objective in mind, it could still look like a full wrap.

Depending on the project budget and graphics involved, it may not be neccessary to use a full vinyl wrap. Some fleet graphic projects are fine with vinyl cut lettering and well positioned decals. There can be savings in cost and the exposure in the market place would not suffer since it would be just as effective if done properly with a clean, uncluttered design. What ever you decide, we do not reccomend trimming costs with lower grade vinyls, we feel that defeats the purpose of your branding. Use premium products for a premium look and performance for long term.

How Can We Help You?

If you have vehicles that go out every day to serve clients or deliver products, consider using vehicle graphics to add more impressions to your advertising strategy. The market place will begin to see how much you are in the community. Clients will feel safe when they see your branded vehicle approaching their house or business since they will know who is pulling up. As mentioned above, this type of branding continuosly works as long as the vehicle is out and about. If not, there is nothing like strategic parking to help out the cause! Call Epic Signs and Graphics for a free consultation. We can help with design, printing, and installation. We will survey your project, offer ideas and work out a plan to minimize truck down time so you can stay rollin' down the road!

Clear Vision called us when they decided it was time to add signage to their welcoming area. We were very happy to get the call and help. After listening to what they wanted, taking some measurements and checking the walls, we reccomended the use of acrylic dimensional lettering. We also made sure the logo was one that is conducive to this type of application. We suggested 1/4" thick acrylic routed in the shape of their logo and letters. We then printed the colors on high quality vinyl and a laminate was applied to add protection and give it a polished look.

To finish off this beauty, we used 1/2" offsetting mounts to give it some depth. We also suggested using opaque white acrylic to go along with the blues and greens and help provide a tie-in with the South Florida color scheme and decoration they have around the office area. The above pictures capture the results. 

Clear Vision is a marketing and sales organization focused on building relationships and continuous development of it's people. They foster innovative thinking and a high level of professionalism for their clients and partners. Through business development, marketing, data analytics, and systems development, Clear Vison provides custom services to drive orgamizational and business results. Cleveland is one of 10 offices around the United States.

When it's time to bring in the sign hardware for the office environemnt, such as lobby signs, office plaques, directories and even wall murals, call Epic Signs & Graphics. We have innovative ideas, designs and services to help your organization decorate and deliver brand messages wether for interior or exterior signs. Give us a call for a free consultation today!

This is why I love this business....something new to work on all the time. The Library gave us a call not too long ago, and wanted to know if we could wrap a book drop. I thought about it and asked for a picture. She sent me the picture along with the art under consideration. While visiting on the survey of the box, we determined that it was something we could easily do, so after we listened to the customer's goals we provided a quote and a rendering....Voila', we were off and running before the snow starts to fly! Below are pics and the rest of the story for this business sign.

The librarian that contacted us said they wanted people to see the box easily as they drive up. They are trying to get people to use this box rather than the other one, so this would be a good way to get this box noticed....I have to agree! They also wanted to let people know the hours they are open so that message wer eaily incorporated into one of the panels and can be seen as you pull up to drop off books.

This type of project really has a lot of flat areas to work with, so applying vinyl is not a problem. We used 3M premium vinyl with a gloss laminate applied. Four rectangular panels were printed plus a panel for the top. On each of the corners, the vinyl wrap is over lapped so that the seems are concealed and barely noticable so that the image looks continuous.  The other plus is that we applied this to metal, just like a vehicle wrap. So the direct adhesion is the same. The vinyl wrap will last for years delivering the message to many library users in the future. That is the goal of a business sign, delivering messages over a long period providing many visual impressions.

Full color vinyl graphics has many uses besides for vehicle wraps and truck decals. You really need to think out side the box.....sorry for the pun. For example we have provided a local manufacturer with new control panels for their machines since the ones they had were worn out after 20 years of use. Since it was something usually bought from OEM, the prices were really high since it was a "custom" part. An astute engineer at the manufacturer gave us a call and asked if we could replicate the images on the control panel. We we're able to and provided a heavy duty floor laminate over the vinyl print and they saved money since they no longer needed to buy from the OEM. Full color graphics are available every where these days.

As I mentioned above, I really enjoy every day because new challenges are always the norm and we at Epic Signs and Graphics are always ready for the challenge. Give us a call to check on your project idea, there are many materials available to get your message out there wether it is on a vehicle as a wrap, decals for machines or cut vinyl letters on equipment, we may a solution.

Morgan Management called Epic Signs & Graphics not too long ago and wanted to see alternatives for directory signs and window lettering. One challenge they had is the apartment complex is confusing to walk through since it has a lot of twists and turns. The building is one of those cool brick factory buildings converted into apartments located in downtown Cleveland in the warehouse district, so it lends itself with unique layouts. We came in with some ideas and they settled on cut vinyl wall lettering as a way to point people in the right direction, and then we settled on some nice designs for their windows based on their brand guidelines.

In the above picture, they chose a specific color for the business signs on the front leasing office windows. Because of that, we printed the letters and logos in full color, laminated and then plotted out the shapes. In this process, we transfer the plotted out images onto transfer tape. The transfer tape is then brought on-site for application to windows or walls. Our installers take careful measurements to make sure the graphics are centered or positioned as intended on the agreed upon proof.

When we first started this project, the managers were thinking about using a substrate base to apply the vinyl onto such as PVC or acrylic. After providing an estimate and a rendering, it was decided to go in the direction of direct vinyl applied to the wall. We used the same process as the window graphics, that is print and cut. Same install as well by bringing the images on location with transfer tape so they could be applied direct with ample latitude to position as needed.

The same type of graphics were applied to their pet spa area and other walls to dress up the building through out. Below is a picture showing their logo.

Using cut vinyl lettering and logos through out a facility or even on front windows for a retail store is very effective way to brand your image. There are many ways we can apply graphics within a particular budget. There are vinyls that do not require printing which eliminates a couple steps in the process so it will save on costs. We can also create shadowing affects or a dimensional look and we can also use many types of fonts. Keep in mind, the more intricate the design, the more work involved so the design will need to be one that can be converted without hindering production.

Epic Signs & Graphics prides itself on the ability to design and create custom signage for many types of applications. Give us a call or visit our web site to see our work. We would love to provide a free consultation and figure out the best options for your project.

We are often approached by clients that say they want a full car wrap. I usually ask, are you sure you want a full wrap and not a partial wrap or cut lettering and decals? I can almost hear the the deflated expression on the other end of the phone. Then I ask, do you have a budget for this project? After finding out some peripheral information about the vehicle targeted for a wrap, I give an idea what it could cost.

If it is a car or SUV, a full wrap can run anywhere from $2000 up to $3000 depending on the curves involved, if the roof has to be done, how much detail needs to be lined up, the design, and other factors. In order to do a good looking design for a truck wrap or car wrap, planning is an essential part of the process, and it takes time to do a good quality job. If a vehicle wrap plan truely supports the brand and the splash it can provide on the raod, then I am all for it!

When we discuss the goals for a business, we usually start to see the ROI benefits of a well designed and placed car decal or truck decal along with cut vinyl lettering. In many cases, we see vehicles on the road that, quite frankly, have lost the message amongst all the fancy images....that is a wasted opportunty to get your message across affectively. Many opportunities in vehicle marketing may involve a very short amounts of time, so make sure the design and message can be seen and absorbed quickly to maximize the opportunities.

 Take a look at the sample above for iVideo. The images are simple, clean and eye catching in a fast paced invironment. Someone can quickly decipher who it is without much effort. They can get the company name, phone number and website...bammo! That is your goal....mission accomplished. In the below photo, we place decals on all new Relmec vans that arrive. They don't want anything more than what you see, since their trucks are everywhere, the branding works because it is memorable.....keep it simple!

Now don't get me wrong.....I would love to get your vehicle into a wrap, I would prefer to do it however, with an effective design that is conducive to installing vinyl that allows for stretching and bending so that images can line up easily and go around curves without losing the integrity of the image. Ultimately, you want to have a message that is readable because you only have a few seconds to make an impression in some cases. The top photo above illustrates a great truck wrap design for State Farm. Attractive and easy to read and easy to install.

At Epic Signs & Graphics, we really want you to be succesful. If we can help you do that, we'll be around togther for a while and that's how we want to build long term business relationships. Call us for a consultation and we would be happy to review your vehicle, goals and branding that provides the best ROI for your money.

Hmmm.....I would walk in on George, the proud new owner of Inforno pizza while he was seasoning his new brick oven and the aroma took me to a place perhaps somewhere in Sicily, with a earth tone brick oven and smoke drifting out of the chimmney while we prepare ourselves with what's to come while sipping a nice glass of  Nero D'Avalo wine. This is serious pizza at it's best. True Napoleona pies baked with real wood fired heat, minutes after you make your selection.  Doesn't get any better than that!

Oh...and by the way, we helped with the sign installation. That included channel letters and the vinyl letters on the wall. They gave us a call and when I heard what he was doing, I had to get over there quick and see since I too, have a passion for that kind of cooking.

In the photo above, you can see all of the words displayed on the wall. When we met to discuss this project, we reviewed what the vision was and also looked at the available vinyl colors. They chose to go with a metallic gray color. It helped that they have an eye for design and knew what they wanted so it was really our ability to listen and understand that vision, and then putting into design and implementation. Our designers were able to type set with various fonts and then vary the size of the words so they would fit within a given space. Our installer as well was able to adjust words dependent on how it was starting to actually layout so it turned into a great process from begining to end.

The channnel letters were produced with a specific color red required by the client. We compared other signs around the area and decided to include red LED light sources to further enhance the red look. The result is a bright rich looking red that goes along with the theme of the warm toasty fire roasted atmosphere. Business sign programs often include an exterior sign component and this one was done with channel letters that were mounted to a raceway for ease of installation. Channel letter signs are made with aluminum construction and translucent acrylic faces They contain LED light sources and are UL listed. They are usually fabricated within 4 weeks of art approval, however that depends on volume at the time and weather conditions can affect installation time.

George and his wife have been catering wood fired pizza's around Cleveland for the last several years and have developed a big following. Their attention to service and sticking with fresh ingredients will no doubt gain attention and I can attest to the taste! Magnifico!

At Epic Signs and Graphics we also take pride in helping clients with their sign program. We know it is a big investment, so getting all the details in-line within an expectd time frame are important factors for a succesful implementation. Give us a call as we can  help with interior and exterior signs including wall murals, illuminated signs, office signs, lobbies, vehicles and displays.

We were contacted recently about updating an exterior sign for the Waterford community in North Royalton, Ohio. The original sign was damaged so they needed a replacement. We responded with a survey of the site to take measurements, decide how to install,  and determine the type of material to use. We new we had to reccomend a solution to hold up in all weather conditions...from hot summer months to brutal Northern Ohio winters.

As can be seen in the picture above, we were able to replicate the old sign and it was a stand out. The colors were so vibrant, the customer has inquired about more signs to install around the neighborhood. The sign was produced with high density urathane (HDU) which was routed and painted. HDU is often used for exterior sign applications because they are light weight, easy to route, takes paint well, and can be used in various applications since it can be glued or secured with screws. And that's not all! Insects are not interested in HDU, it repels moisture, and does not warp or bow.

Many exterior signs you may see around look like they were carved out of wood, but if you checked closely, in many cases it was made from HDU, routed to look like wood. The wood grain texture can be simulated to look just like a beautiful wood product. In addition HDU can be sandblasted to give it a sand or pebble textured look and feel. Because of these options and its stability, HDU offers flexibility in design and installation making it a popular option.

In this case, we were able to take a picture of the original  design since we found the damaged original and we also saw how the plan for the new wall. Our knowledgable and skillful designers were able to duplicate the original very closely since the original art work was not available. Once it was approved by the customer we used 2" thick HDU board and set up digital files for routing. When the routing was complete we then applied a durable exterior paint good enough to weather years of harsh elements. We then made "Z" brackets that were secured to the back of the sign. The other half of the bracket was mounted to the brick wall with anchors and screws. The sign was then easily mounted in place and reinforced with adhesive for a very clean installation that does not show any screws or brackets.

Of course if you would rather have the real McCoy, we can also produce real wood signs as well using cedar or other hard woods. There will be cost differnces and it will also depend on the vision and scope of the project to determine the best alternatives and to justify the expense. We are hear to help you sort out the differences so that your project looks as you intended.

If you have a need for a sign to look like wood, but you need more stability or a light weight version, consider an HDU sign produced by Epic Signs & Graphics. We will customize your project to meet your goals or vision and guide the project for a successful installation. Call us today for a free consultation.

Rise Fitness is opening a new work-out facility in Medina and they used Epic Signs and Graphics for all of their signage needs. The project called for exterior channel letters, interior dimensional letters and logo signs as well as vinyl wall lettering and murals. Rise Fitness gave us a call during their planning stage and we were able to help them out every step of the way for their first store opening.

In the above photo, you can see the channel letter sign that was installed. The letters were individually produced with LED lights inside and each is mounted to a raceway.  The black letters to the right have a white acrylic face with day/night perforated vinyl applied over the top. This provides a dark gray, almost black letter during the day, but at night they illuminate white so they shine brightly for people to see FITNESS and find them easily.

The first picture above is made with routed black 1/4" thick acrylic. The swoosh has color vinyl applied, while the GX is laminated with polished chrome. The letters were applied to the base peice with adhesive and the whole sign was mounted flush to the wall using studs and VHB double sided tape. The second picture shows another lobby sign and dimensional wall letters also made with black acrylic and laminated with the polished chrome. The two pictures on the bottom are cut vinyl letters applied diectly to the wall. This was done in various places around the facility.

Rise Fitness is a new gym to get your work-outs done and at the same time help two great causes; Wounded Warriors and the Imagine Foundation. Get all your work-out needs completed here for a great price but at the same time, also helping people in real need of help. See facebook for the class schedules and and check out their great prices. If you are a veteran, you may want to inquire about special programs as well. They plan on opening more facilities around Cleveland.

When Rise Fitness called us we quickly headed to their proposed facility early in the planning stages. We took measurements and listened to their vision while walking around. We were able to make suggestions about wall murals, dimensional lettering and also about the illuminated LED letters for the front of the building. Because we were involved early in the process, we were ready when the time came to execute the plans so they were ready with decorations when the doors were opened.

As you look through the photos, notice how the theme of colors is carried out through the signs. Polished chrome letters and logo are used in various spaces and the vinyl wall letters carry the orange and black through out the facility. We were also able to install frosted vinyl for the kids play room so there will be minimal distractions of kids looking out yet allow a parent to check in through the window since they are not completely covered. We used top of the line premium vinyl on the wall quotes and on the dimensioanl busines signs for a professional lomg lasting look.

If you are re-branding, starting a new facility or are moving and looking for a fresh start, call or inquire through our website contact portal and let us help you get your facilty up to snuff with new wall lettering, wall murals, window graphics, dimensional letterts and logos, and even exterior building signs. We will work with you through every step of the way using great service and designs that work, accurate consultations, and fantastic installations.