TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Month’s SBI Trivia Question Stumper:
The SEGD (Society for Environmental Graphic Design) is how many years old?
For the answer, scroll to the bottom of the newsletter.
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Industry News
[[HOT TOPIC]] WAC Lighting Donates Fixtures
As we try to do with many editions of SBI Update, this month we highlight a sign industry company that is giving back to the community. Some give back to the planet via green product initiatives, and some give back to the sign builder family. But WAC Lighting recently announced a wonderful project that gives directly back to people who need their product.
WAC Lighting has contributed nearly 100 lighting fixtures to Happy House, a New York City-based emergency shelter operated by the New York Asian Women's Center (NYAWC). The NYAWC is the exclusive resource in New York with special Asian language, culture counseling and shelter capabilities to help Asian victims of violence and human trafficking.
WAC Lighting donated and arranged the installation of energy efficient ceiling fixtures and wall sconces from W2 Architectural Lighting's "Norfolk Series" to illuminate the shelters' rooms and hallways. Bulbrite Industries, a leading light bulb manufacturer, donated all of the compact fluorescent lamps needed for these fixtures. WAC Lighting's energy efficient luminaires cut the energy costs by more than 50 percent, reducing total wattage from 7380 to just 3192 watts.
The NYAWC shelters serve families in the Queens Community and provide a human trafficking recovery program called "Project Free." Project Free recognizes the many similarities between domestic violence and human trafficking. Of the 17,500 slaves that exist in the U.S., many come through New York, and over 80 percent are women and children sold into the sex trade.
Every year the NYAWC receives thousands of calls to its hotline in various languages and assists battered women and their children. Of the women they serve, most come to the center with incomes below the poverty line. More than 70 percent enroll in Vocational or English language training through the organization's Emergency Shelter Program.
The NYAWC helps Asian, Pacific Islander, and South Asian women and their children in the New York metro area to overcome violence and govern their own lives, free of abuse. The Center also works to raise public awareness about domestic violence, advocate for the rights of battered women, and create an agenda for social change.
With the tagline, "Responsible Lighting," WAC Lighting has contributed to social progress with responsible manufacturing practices, energy saving technology and community involvement. As progress is measured in quality of life, WAC strives to address important societal issues by working with such organizations as NYAWC.
ANC Sports Adds Big 12 Conference Tournament to Roster of Courtside Signage Partners
ANC Sports Enterprises provided its rotational courtside signage system to the Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, which was played in Oklahoma City March 11 - 14.
Additionally, ANC Sports renewed courtside signage agreements with five other conference tournaments, providing the premium televised advertising inventory in college basketball. The Big 12 joins the Big Ten, Conference USA, MAC, PAC-10 and Southern Conference that partner with ANC's courtside signage service for the end of the year single elimination tournament.
The Big Ten and MAC Men's and Women's games featured ANC's ground-breaking DLP Courtside Digital Signage System, which is currently used by nine NBA teams and two collegiate programs, offering in-game entertainment with full-motion animations and unique sponsorship opportunities. ANC Design also created all sponsor and conference graphics displayed on the digital signage platform during the Big Ten and MAC Tournaments.
"We are excited to partner with the Big 12, as well as to continue our courtside signage relationships with the Big Ten, Conference USA, MAC, PAC-10 and Southern Conference," said Colleen Duffy-Brace, vice president of sales at ANC Sports Enterprises. "Additionally, we look forward to introducing the state-of-the-art DLP Courtside Digital Signage System to new collegiate programs, sponsors and fans."
ANC maintains and operates both the DLP and courtside signage systems for each game during the individual tournaments, including printing and installing all sponsor and conference banners.
Meyda Establishes Custom Lighting Division
After many years of creating custom lighting solutions to meet the most demanding lighting challenges in the marketplace, Meyda Lighting has established MEYDA CUSTOM LIGHTING, a division that specializes in custom lighting fixtures, lamps, stained glass windows and more.
With years of designing and manufacturing expertise, Meyda has developed innovations and technologies that transcend architectural lighting in today's residential and commercial markets, including retail, hotels, restaurants, offices, theaters and many other spaces. An extensive team of in-house designers and engineers collaborate with clients to develop custom lighting solutions that meet exact specifications. From ADA wall sconces and customized Chandel-Airs (integrating fan mechanisms with lighting fixtures) to the world's largest LED Chandelier, Meyda designs fixtures for decorative- or task-specific applications depending on the project.
Lighting diffusers are crafted of stained glass, steel, sandcarved glass, fused glass, blown glass, acrylics, fabrics and more.
Fabricators work with steel, iron, aluminum, bronze, brass and copper which are welded, forged, formed and plasma cut into appealing lighting fixtures.
Many finish textures and colors are created using a variety of techniques including electroplating, hand painting, powder coating and gilding.
Conventional lamping options include incandescent, LEDs, compact fluorescents, halogen and others.
Not just limited to lighting, Meyda creates custom stained glass windows, decorative embellishments, steel structures and more.
Meyda Lighting is a Meyda Tiffany Company, a manufacturer and designer of Tiffany lamps and decorative lighting. Although founded in 1974, the firm's roots actually date back to the early 1900s, supplying Louis Comfort Tiffany and Tiffany Studios with lighting products, and creating the original Coca-Cola stained glass lamps and chandeliers.
Pentagram-designed SEGD website leads the way with effective design and universal accessibility
The community of professionals who advocate for effective communication in the built environment has a new Pentagram-designed website that lives its mission of accessibility through information design.
"We specialize in helping people navigate the built environment, so we knew our website had to walk the talk," says Steven Stamper, president of the SEGD Board of Directors and principal of fd2s Inc. "It had to set the standard for excellent design of complex information and universal accessibility to all users."
The website at www.segd.org launched March 13, at 10 a.m. Eastern. The site stars a new visual identity for the 36-year-old nonprofit organization, a new blog, interactive archives of the SEGD Design Awards Program, digital editions of SEGD's quarterly magazine segdDESIGN, and commerce functions for SEGD learning events and its vast library of educational materials.
"It was designed to do what members of the SEGD community do every day: provide clear access to information in an interesting, creative way," says Michael Gericke, the Pentagram partner and SEGD director who led the redesign team. Clarity, functionality, and accessibility drove the redesign. Pentagram designed the site using only HTML scripting, making it accessible for the visually impaired. Even the animations were done in HTML instead of Flash. "This was important to SEGD because, as a professional community, we often advise our clients about legibility and accessibility to all users," says Gericke. HTML scripting can be read by widely available software that translates text to audio for the visually impaired.
The Pentagram team designed a new mark that not only conveys the graphic nature of SEGD members' work, but mirrors the site's architecture. Four colored graphic panels bearing the letters "SEGD" are animated as a series of vertical color bars containing pull-down content menus. "The new mark is the interface," says James Keppel, another SEGD director and managing principal of 33K'. "It's really a brilliant tool for helping users navigate through the site."
The new website is the latest result of SEGD's Strategic Plan, which lays the groundwork for the organization's growth over the next five years. "We envision our website as our most important communication tool," says Stamper. It also supports SEGD's goals to increase international membership, build awareness of environmental graphic design, and continue its leadership on design issues including universal accessibility, sustainability, and dynamic environments.
The new website debuts a decade after the original SEGD website went online thanks to a donation by The Design Office of Steve Neumann & Friends. Pentagram, also a longstanding SEGD member, generously donated its team's work on the redesign. The Pentagram team consisted of Michael Gericke and Lisa Strausfeld (partners in charge); Seong Yang and Jennifer Rose (designers); and Gillian DeSousa (project manager). Rubenstein Technology Group provided programming and software development.
SEGD (the Society for Environmental Graphic Design), founded in 1973, is the global community of people working at the intersection of communication design and the built environment. Through educational programs, research, and publications, SEGD's mission is to increase awareness of the environmental graphic design community, promote the importance of the discipline in establishing place, and continue to refine standards of practice for the field.
ARA Announces Industry Award Winners
The Awards and Recognition Association (ARA) recently honored several leading retailers and suppliers in the recognition/engraving industry with a variety of awards this past February at the Annual ARA International Awards Market in Las Vegas.
The following companies were recognized in the association's Retailer Awards Contests:
Best Trophy: First place Champagne Recognition, CA; second place Awards and More, CT, and third place Awards for Anything, AZ
Best Plaque: First place BJ Trophies, FL; second place Awards of Honor, TX; and third place A-1 Awards, IN
Best Engraving: First place McCubbin Trophy Engraving, IA; second place Laser Art Creations, KS, and third place A-1 Awards, IN
Most Creative: First place Champagne Recognition, CA; second place Awards of Honor, TX; and third place, BJ Trophies, FL
Best Sublimation: First place The Trophy Shop; (location); second place Arnold's for Awards, CA; and third place Eagle Awards, CA
Best Recognition Package: First Place Champagne Recognition, CA; second place Cowart Awards, SC; and third place, ELK Promotions, OH
Best Sandblasting: Champagne Recognition, CA
ARA also bestowed honors on several supplier members in the Supplier Awards categories:
Best Supplier Catalog: First place JDS Industries, SD; second place Johnson Plastics, MN, and third place Continental Awards Trophies, TN
Best New Technology: First place Victory, Chicago; second place Plastic Dress Up, CA; and third place Netsoft Studio, NV
Best Engravable Material: First place Visions Awards, OH; second place Pacesetter Awards, Chicago; and third place Acryla Stone, CO
Best Imprintable: First place Johnson Plastics, MN; Zeit Company, UT; and third place JDS Industries, SD
ARA's 4,000 members serve both the retailer and suppliers sides of the awards and recognition industry. Established in the early 1970s, ARA is a membership organization dedicated to increasing the professionalism of recognition specialists and advancing the awards and the engraving industry. For more information, visit the ARA website at www.ara.org .
New Appointments
France
, a division of the Scott Fetzer Corporation, announced the appointment of Dennis Wells to the position of President. In this role, Wells will lead France in new growth initiatives through product development and market penetration. Prior to joining France, Wells held roles with Square D Company/ Schneider Electric and Acuity Brands Lighting. Most recently Dennis served as VP/ General Manager for the Light and Building Systems division at Lithonia Lighting. Wells has over 25 years experience in the electrical industry.
Meetings and Events
APRIL
April 15 - 18: ISA International Sign Expo 2009. Mandalay Bay Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas NV. For more information, visit www.signexpo.org.
April 27 - 28: United Application Standards Group testing. 3M headquarters, St. Paul, MN. To learn more, call 612-209-9703 or visit www.uasg.org.
MAY
May 5 - 7: Lightfair International 2009 Tradeshow and Conference. Jacob Javits Center, New York, NY. Learn more at www.lightfair.com
May 27 - 30: The Society for Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD) 2009 Conference & Expo. San Diego, CA. For information, visit www.segd.org/conference/index.html
Sponsored Links
Earl Mich Company --
Specializing in a wide variety of quality sign supplies & lightning fast wholesale graphics. Bringing you the products you need to succeed for over 76 years! Most items ship SAME DAY! www.earlmich.com
Radocy Inc --
For over 50 years, Radocy Inc has been a sign industry source for telescopic cranes that are user friendly, cost effective and dependable. www.radocy.com
Quality Manufacturing Inc. --
A wholesale industry leader in formed faces. Specializing in LARGE 3-D plastic forming and special shape illuminated UL-approved signs. 800/243-5473. www.qualitymanufacturing.com
This Month's Trivia Answer:
36 years old. The SEGD was founded in 1973.
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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 April 2009 ISA Show issue of
Sign Builder Illustrated,
feature articles on:
Vinyl Adhesives
Digital Printing Hardware
Dimensional CNC Routers
LED Channel Letters/Sign Cabinets
Aerial Platforms/Cranes
PVC Sign Blanks
Lettering Paints
Vehicle Graphic Vinyl
ATTENTION ADVERTISERS and SUBSCRIBERS:
Coming up in the May 2009 Lightfair and SEGD Shows issue of
Sign Builder Illustrated,
feature articles on:
ADA Design
Architectural Wayfinding
Digital Printing Fabrics
Electric Sign Codes
Gold Leaf Marketing
LED Architectural Lighting
Neon Transformers
Vinyl Banners
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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© 2009 Simmons-Boardman Publishing
345 Hudson St., 12th Floor • New York, NY 10014
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Introducing the Oce Arizona 350 XT, a UV-curing flatbed printer featuring a large print bed (98.4" by 120"). The extra width enables continuous imaging onto 4'x8' boards. While one board is being printed, the other can be changed without stopping the printer. White Ink and Roll Media Options are available.
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Epilog's Legend EXT is the perfect combination of size and power to tackle your signage engraving/cutting needs. An enormous 36" by 24" engraving table and wattages up to 120 makes it easy to cut/engrave wood, acrylic, plastic and more! Systems have never been more affordable - learn more at www.epiloglaser.com/sbi_enews.htm
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ADA doesn't have to be boring! ASE Inc. manufactures custom wholesale signage in a wide variety of substrates. Our new RE650 signage is 55% post-consumer recycled paper, which can help your clients earn LEED points. Our Tactile Visions products add visual pop to any signage project. For a closer look visit us in ISA Booth 5036. www.asesigns.com
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Cutting out digital prints has never been easier! With the MultiCam MultiVision Digital Registration System, easily cut print files without worrying about image rotation or distortion. One of the easiest digital registration systems to use, MultiVision lets your business speed up workflow without sacrificing quality. 972/929-4070. To learn more, click here:
www.multicam.com
ISA Booth #4738
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The CaptiVue product line continues to advance as Trans-Lux develops more ways for sign companies and their customers to be successful. Yet as new features and benefits are introduced, the legendary quality of CaptiVue remains the same. Trans-Lux has made the CaptiVue line even stronger with a number of product enhancements. Find out more by clicking here: CaptiVue
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The NEW UJV-160 from Mimaki is a roll-to-roll large format UV-curable inkjet printer with an optional flatbed attachment for printing on rigid materials. The UJV-160 utilizes an environmentally-friendly, ultra-low heat emitting UV-LED curing technology to accommodate heat sensitive media like PVC. The UJV-160 is all about giving you more - more options, more software, more resolution, more media choices. For information, click here: Mimaki USA
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Gyford StandOff Systems launched our New Web Site and published a New Catalog. The new web site features Interactive Online Catalogs and downloadable PDF Catalogs. Our full product lines, StandOffs, Wire Suspension, EZ-Rod & Wire, StructureLite and Hardware Fasteners & Tools, are available to 'Bring Your Designs to Life'. Visit www.standoffsystems.com or call 775-829-7272.
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PUBLIC AUCTION & Webcast Event
WED, APRIL 8 @ 10:05 a.m. (EDT)
ImagePoint, 7430 Industrial Rd., Florence, KY Visit www.stopol.com or call (440) 498-4000 for a complete catalog and to sign up for this event! Thermoformers PVI Model, Shuman Vacuum former, 2006 Cincinnati 175 ton Press Bake, Welders, Spray Booths and Ovens, Screening Equipment, Rolling Stocks, Finished Goods and Much More! Preview day before the sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Visit MUTOH America at ISA booth #3301. See live Vehicle Wrap Demonstrations presented daily by Todd LaBrie, President/CEO of Car Wraps and Justin Pate, the fastest graphic installer in the world.
Mutoh will show the ValueJet 1614-64" Printer, "The Wrappers Choice" for Size- 64"-no seams! Speed-up/to 145 square ft/hr! Quality- (i2): Virtually no banding! www.mutoh.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 2008
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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ANC Sports & The Big 12