TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Month’s SBI Trivia Question Stumper:
In the first quarter of 2008, revenue generated by out-of-home advertising (signage) posted 3.0% growth. How much money in advertising expenditures did it generate in the quarter?
For the answer, scroll to the bottom of the newsletter.
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Industry News
[[HOT TOPIC]] Public Interaction With Signs
Sign builders must take many things into consideration: size, substrate, tools, location, installation time, and the list goes on. However, until recently, sign builders may not have thought to consider unexpected ways in which the public may interact with their signs.
Over the past few weeks, three men have scaled The New York Times Building's sign and facade. Alain Robert and Renaldo Clarke climbed all the way to the top of the 52-story skyscraper on June 5, and David Malone climbed up a series of stories on July 9. Now, The New York Times Company is considering ways to discourage future would-be climbers, something they had not thought to consider earlier. The problem lies in the way the building and its sign were constructed; it's a "perfect target" as Robert told the New York Times.
The 110-foot long sign was designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and is made up of a series of ceramic rods that continue past the sign to curtain the entire building. These rods were chosen to provide a sort of "sunscreen" for the building as they let sunlight through but limit heat, allowing for efficient energy use in a time when "going green" is a major priority.
According to Pentagram.com, the problem of how to display the newspaper's name on the sign was solved by splitting each letter into black strips, 959 in all. These strips were then affixed to the building's ceramic rods. The website went on to say that the result was a 15-foot-tall New York Times' logo in 10,116-point Fraktur font written across the grid of rods.
These rods may be innovative but they are also providing a ladder to potential climbers that just begs to be scaled. In fact, the three men that have already climbed the building didn't require any special equipment to complete the feat. According to the New York Times, they simply climbed onto the glass canopies surrounding the building and then began their ascent up the ladder of rods.
"I'm frankly quite worried about this new fashion of going up on buildings," Renzo Piano, the architect behind The New York Times Building, told the New York Times. "This is what I call an inappropriate use of the building."
So, what's an architect and sign builder to do? Come up with preventive measures that will stop any future climbers. This process can be complicated, however, as those involved would like to keep the integrity of the building's sign and structure intact.
"We're going to sort this out within the design sensibility of the building," Michael Golden, vice chairman of The New York Times Company, told the Times.
So far, the solution has been to remove the ceramic rods closest to the street, and in their place erect glass panels that cannot be easily scaled. Final alteration plans are still being debated, but already a few feet of the rods have been removed.
Let The New York Times Building be a warning to sign builders -- "expect the unexpected" should be at the top of your "things considered" list.
-- Ashley Bray
Advertisers Compete at the Olympics
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, starting on August 8, are not only the gathering of the world's greatest athletes, but the world's advertisers as well. The Olympic Games give advertisers the chance to reach a large, diverse population of people, and everyone wants in on this unique marketing opportunity. However, advertising at the Games will be an exclusive right, and the government and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (Bocog) are only allowing official Olympic sponsors to participate.
This crackdown is an effort to protect sponsors from ambush marketing -- a strategy in which non-Olympic sponsors post ads that take consumers' attention away from official sponsors. According to Advertising Age, the restrictions affect mostly outdoor advertising, especially billboards, in a 12-mile zone around the main Olympic Games' venues. Through the end of September, all major advertising spaces will be monitored and unauthorized ads will be removed. More than 30,000 outdoor ads have already been taken down, the publication says.
"All prominent advertising space in Beijing, including at the airport and on subway lines, will be controlled, giving official sponsors priority," said Chen Feng, deputy director of marketing for Bocog, according to a report in Xinhua, the Chinese state-run news agency.
The constraints have even trickled down to banners in the stadiums during the Games. Spectators are not allowed to bring in banners supporting or protesting certain issues, and companies, even official sponsors, cannot hang banners promoting their products. Some advertising platforms such as television and print media are unaffected by the restrictions, but they are still being urged to run only ads from official Olympic sponsors.
Beijing's advertising limitations, while primarily intended to protect sponsors, are also aimed at reducing clutter in the city. According to the New York Times, advertisements on buses have been banned to accommodate Beijing's goal of a cleaner-looking city.
Not everyone is pleased about Beijing's tight controls on advertising, however. Some of the official sponsors are complaining that supply and demand is not being met now that Beijing's controls have resulted in less advertising space with an increased demand.
"There used to be massive super sites on the freeway to [Beijing's] airport, but they've all been torn down," George Gallate, Shanghai-based CEO of Euro RSCG, a global advertising agency network, told Advertising Age. "They're really into controlling the visual pollution."
With little space available, the official sponsors are scrambling for advertising locations. This rush has intensified as the government has canceled previous existing media contracts for outdoor advertising spaces, according to Advertising Age. Now, many companies who should have had their pick of locations are finding themselves settling for whatever they can get.
Official sponsors have their work cut out for them as they navigate through an Olympian-sized net of advertising restrictions.
-- Ashley Bray
SEGD Announces Compensation & Billing Survey
SEGD (the Society for Environmental Graphic Design), an international nonprofit educational foundation, recently announced the publication of the SEGD Compensation & Billing Survey.
As early as 1987, an SEGD survey revealed that 89% of member firms were having difficulty hiring qualified entry-level environmental graphic designers. And, in 1994, an SEGD Design Practices Survey provided the first glimpse into average EGD salaries and firm profitability.
Two decades after the first survey, the availability of EGD talent is still an issue, and discussions continue to focus on EGD compensation, how it tracks with allied design disciplines, and how to ensure that new and seasoned EGD practitioners develop the competencies required to practice EGD effectively today.
The SEGD Compensation & Billing Survey sprang from these issues, and was conducted to develop:
* Salary and compensation data that would allow EGD employers to benchmark EGD salaries with those of architects, industrial designers, graphic designers, and other closely allied professions;
* A set of EGD competencies that could serve as a guide for recruiting and hiring environmental graphic designers at all levels of experience;
* Information about typical EGD billing practices and profitability, the relative profitability of EGD firms vs. other allied disciplines, and data linking profitability to compensation levels in the field.
The survey was conducted in late 2007, employing the unique approach of including both individual designers and EGD firm principals. More than 100 firms and 160 individuals participated in the survey. Analysis beyond the survey is based on the opinions of SEGD members, gathered during personal interviews with design firm principals.
A PDF of the survey is available for purchase on the publications page of the SEGD website at www.segd.org. The cost is $150 for SEGD members and $250 for non-members. The SEGD Compensation & Billing Survey was sponsored by the SEGD Job Bank.
Coastal Enterprises' "Green Signage Initiatives"
Coastal Enterprises, a manufacturer of Precision Board HDU (high density urethane) based in Orange, California, is proudly participating in the growing trend of environmentally friendly signage production with a new product, the Precision Board Plus.
Precision Board Plus HDU has been reformulated with special eco-friendly, green, components. It is now a state of the art formulation that reduces environmental impact.
"For the first time in HDU manufacturing there is a more environmentally friendly HDU board available to sign makers," said Coastal Enterprises President Chuck Miller. "This is Precision Board Plus."
As a business, Coastal Enterprises, as part of its ongoing commitment to the environment, has also:
* Replaced all lighting in its manufacturing and office areas with the most energy efficient, low voltage, lighting system available. This has significantly reduced energy consumption.
* Removed all hazardous solvents from the manufacturing processes and replaced them with non-hazardous, non-toxic, products.
* Converted scrap and trim sheets into protective pallet wrapping material. This has resulted in a major reduction of discarded waste material.
* Coastal Enterprises is committed and will continue striving to implement eco-friendly improvements in all existing products, new products, and all manufacturing processes.
SBI Update will continue to highlight companies that are striving to go green and benefit our environment. "Thank you for allowing the signage industry to become aware of our environmental efforts," said Miller.
It's our pleasure.
New Appointments
Alliance Metals
of West Chester, Pennsylvania, named Martin Bullen Director, Inventory Management. Martin will manage inventory operations while reporting directly to President and CEO Jim Geddes.
Schreder Lighting USA
announced Brian Keilt's appointment as Eastern Regional Sales Manager. Schreder Lighting USA, the newest of the 40-member Schr�der Group G.I.E. located in 36 countries on four continents, is marketing the Schreder brand in the fields of public lighting, floodlighting, tunnel/transit lighting, industrial and urban lighting. Keilt is responsible for overseeing the firm's sales force in the eastern section of the U.S. In addition, he will work with the specification lighting community, including lighting designers, architects, engineers, departments of transportation, and municipalities, to fulfill their commercial outdoor lighting needs, specifically in the area of public and urban lighting, tunnel and transit lighting.
Meetings and Events
JULY
July 29 - 30: ISA Supplier and Distributor Conference, Hilton Lisle Hotel, Naperville, Illinois. Visit www.signs.org/tradeshows for more information.
July 31 - Aug 2: Central Sign Show, Hilton Lisle/Naperville, Lisle, Illinois. For more information visit www.signs.org/tradeshows.
Sponsored Links
DPSBanners.com --
DPSBanners.com offers large format digital printing on vinyl banners, mesh banners, magnetic car sign and flatbed printing on foam board, Gator Board, Coroplast and more! Wholesale to the trade, best prices! Order Online! 1-888-790-2665. www.dpsbanners.com
This Month's Trivia Answer:
$1.6 billion
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For in-depth coverage of these topics and other
sign industry topics, check out
www.signshop.com
ATTENTION ADVERTISERS and SUBSCRIBERS:
Coming up in the August 2008 issue of
Sign Builder Illustrated,
feature articles on:
Dimensional Engraving
Fluorescent Lighting
LED Message Centers
Vinyl Magnets
Tri-face Installation
Vinyl Application Fluid
ATTENTION ADVERTISERS and SUBSCRIBERS:
Coming up in the September 2008 issue of
Sign Builder Illustrated,
feature articles on:
Awning Installation
Dimensional Sandblasting
Extrusion Fabrication
LED Power Supplies
Vehicle Graphic Paints and Pinstriping
Vinyl Tools
Contact your ad sales representative to reserve your space today.
As the premier e-newsletter for the sign industry, SBI Update encourages readers to send feedback on what you like, what you'd like to see, and any other comments you might have. To do so, send an e-mail to Managing Editor Chris Ytuarte at cytuarte@sbpub.com.
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© 2008 Simmons-Boardman Publishing
345 Hudson St., 12th Floor • New York, NY 10014
212-620-7200
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Steel Art Company
"Exclusively to the Sign Trade"
Letters and Logos Waterjet cut or Channel Style. All metals. Standard and Custom Finishing. LEDs, Raster Braille in Metal, Etching.
Most solid cut ship in 8 - 10 days.
....at the start..consider the finish...STEEL ART COMPANY
www.steelartco.com
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PlasmaCAM Cutting Systems Easily cut your custom signs! Use the included software to design and cut elegant signs using plasma cutting technology. Visit us to get a FREE demonstration video at www.PlasmaCam.com
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Ad-Tech International, Inc. manufactures a wide range of high-quality wholesale signage products for indoor, outdoor, sports, and on-premise markets. WE ARE YOUR FACTORY! Same Day Quotes: call 800-327-0150 or sales@adtechintl.com. Local delivery within 180 miles of Atlanta, GA or by common carrier for longer distances.
www.adtechintl.com
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Stimpson Fasteners: Made in the U.S.A., Shipped Worldwide Stimpson Company, Inc., has developed 3,800 different styles of eyelets, grommets, and washers to meet the requirements of our customers. Established in 1852, we are celebrating our 156th year in business and ship over 3 billion parts annually. Please call one of our Customer Service Representatives at 877-765-0748, or click on: www.stimpson.com
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Mimaki's JV33 is the perfect wide-format solvent inkjet printer for those who want to stretch their budget without cutting performance. The JV33 has taken the best of the JV3 and made it better with 54" and 64" models for all types of applications. It's fast, it's solid and it's loaded with features. For information, click here: Mimaki USA
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An Affordable Cold Laminator Laminate or mount your prints quickly and easily with the Quikmount 4 cold laminator. It has all the features found on more expensive laminators, but costs thousands of dollars less. Ruggedly built from steel and aluminum, features include a heavy-duty motor, automatic take up shaft, and silicone rollers. For more information, click here: www.Daige.com
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Sign Builder Illustrated presents:
Vehicle Graphics 101 Check out this special SBI supplement for all the information you need to get started, get good, and get profitable in the world of vehicle graphics. From wrap schools and required tools, to marketing your skills and paying the bills, this How-to supplement has it all. Check out the digital version here:
Vehicle Graphics 101
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Sign Builder Illustrated:
The How-To Book Vol. 1 Learn secrets to fabricating neon, illuminating with LED, sandblasting signs, applying paints, cutting and printing vinyl, and more in this 288-page, full-color reprinting of Sign Builder Illustrated's trademark How-To articles. To visit the How-to Book Web site, click on: SBI How-To Book
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Sign Builder Illustrated
Buyer's Guide 2007
Published twice per year in March and September, the Buyer's Guide lists manufacturers, distributors, and sign companies that comprise the industry in the U.S. and Canada. SBI Buyer's Guide
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Sign Builder Illustrated
Goes Digital With live hyperlinks to video clips, advertiser information, and other features, SBI Digital offers the newest online technology with the familiar layout of a hardcopy issue. To view an example, click on:
SBI Digital Magazine
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Olympic Signage
