Featuring his album covers.

Keeping with the theme of our last two blogs, wanted to share the most recent “custom” corn hole board prints we produced for Jimmy Buffet this week!

Ah, brought back sweet sweet memories from my days at Franklin Bank in Southfield, Michigan.  I had a good friend who had season tickets to the then Pine Knob outdoor theater and every year he gave me his Jimmy Buffet tickets!  So a bunch of us from the bank would get together, grill cheeseburgers in the parking lot, and in general just enjoy the “sights” of the other tailgaters and how they had their vehicles decorated prior to the concert.  Henry Mayers if you’re still out there, thanks again for the tickets!  Ah but I digress . . ..

"Nothing remains quite the same . . . "

On to unique canvas applications!  I promised to share with you this recent canvas “memento” print that was given to participants in the 150th Anniversary Bacardi Marathon just run on January 29 in Miami.  Nellie Knowles and Takashi Nakamura of Bacardi here in Jacksonville (http://www.bacardilimited.com/) contacted us looking for something classier than just a vinyl poster so we showed them our canvas options and they had these produced for the runners. 

Taylor Swift Custom Corn Hole Board

The other of Taylor Swift's Custom Corn Hole Board Prints

If we can do it for Taylor Swift and Bob Seger, we can do it for you!

That’s right, why not customize your Corn Hole Boards and Beer Pong Table with your own digitally printed images?

We printed a set of Corn Hole Table prints for Taylor Swift and Bob Seger to be presented as a gift when they performed here in Jacksonville.

So I got to thinking:  How cool would this be as a personalized “gift” idea if folks asked us to create a customized, digitally printed and laminated print for their own Corn Hole Boards or Beer Pong Tables?

If you’re like me, you LOVE it when someone takes the time to create a unique, specific only on to YOU, gift.  You could decorate your boards and tables with a person’s hobby, hi resolution photos that commemorate a special event like a wedding or family reunion, really, as long as the image is not copy written of course, you would be limited only by your imagination.

"Just take those old records off the shelf . . ."

If you can envision it and provide us with the images, or want us to design it for you once we’ve discussed what you want to see, we can create a customized set of Corn Hole Boards or a Beer Pong Table that will be one of a kind for you to regale your friends or give as a gift!

Corn Hole Boards of the Rich and Famous! We can customize a set for YOU!

Just another creative use of a sign!  Print it and stick it!  Call us at 904-398-3993 if we can help you with this.

We have printable canvas that is beautifully compatible with our wide format Roland CMYK printer. If you love the look of canvas but cannot quite afford an oil or acrylic version of your art, you may be quite pleased with this alternative.

Our Monet Canvas is a heavyweight 10 oz coated canvas with a prominent tooth that is ideal for giclee art reproductions. It is also used for eye-catching POP signage, museum displays, interior decorating, and store signage. This strong, yet flexible, canvas features a uniform matte texture and its specialized coating allows for vibrant, photo-realistic printing and a wide color gamut. Processed with a DigiCoat, these textiles have a coating which assures a sharp, crisp print quality while maintaining the texture and feel of the original fabric.

Art reproduced on Monet Canvas and Tru Color Historic Canvas.

We also have a product named Tru Color Historic Canvas which achieves a warmer, more “worn” look due to its more beige hue.  See the above art printed on both.

Our thanks to Heather Anne Sams, MA, MBA, President and “Creative Inspiration Officer” at HAS Art Solutions for providing us with the above art for demonstration purposes.

In early January, we are producing 18″ x 24″ posters for a marathon keepsake from a very well known Jacksonville company on the Monet Canvas.  Once they’ve been delivered, we’ll share with you how those turned out as well.  The company decided they very much preferred the “look” and texture of their print on the canvas versus a more traditional keepsake poster on laminated vinyl. 

“Different strokes for different folks!”  Talk to First Coast Signs when you’re looking for a creative alternative to your sign/poster/wide-format digital print projects.

Real Estate Signs with Real Curb Appeal

As Carlton and I drove from our office to San Marco for some lunch this lovely, sunny afternoon (Hurricane Wings–the BEST!), I made it a point to look at real estate signs there and back.

Lots of them. But unfortunately, they kind of “meld” together.

Why? Think you can’t stand out from the crowd with your real estate signs? Well think again.

Maghen Wells, CEO, Broker, Realtor, SFR, BPOR of Peninsula Properties Realty was definitely NOT into boring signs that blend in with everyone else.

So when she came to First Coast Signs looking for ways to make sure her signs had “curb appeal” we were all over it!

Maghen’s ensemble included an AGENT ON DUTY sign that actually ended up being another signcade similar to her OPEN HOUSE signs, multiple FOR SALE signs for her listings and a pair of vehicle magnets for herself and two additional agents.

We used laminated digital prints on aluminum substrates for the signs and magnetic roll material for the magnets. But what REALLY provided Maghen with the “pop” or “bling” she was after was actual gold leaf vinyl cut letters for AGENT ON DUTY, FOR SALE, OPEN HOUSE and the names and phone numbers on her magnets. Pretty sharp, don’t you agree? Brings to mind Manfred Man’s “Blinded by the Light” when the sun hits those letters!

Not only do Maghen’s signs provide some exciting call to action, but her AGENT ON DUTY sign also promotes her agency’s expertise in handling short sales, foreclosures and her offer of a Free Market Analysis.

So remember, it’s more than just putting your name and number out there. You need to “sell”. Explore options to differentiate yourself from your competition. Let Jacksonville know your special areas of expertise. Draw buyers and sellers to you because you do have the creativity and moxey to “stand out” and be memorable.

First Coast Signs would be more than happy to discuss options and ideas with you that will have the town talking about your gorgeous signs–and most importantly, make folks want to list with you or have you handle the buy side of their transaction.

Remember: Life is too short for boring signs!

Content Design Group and their clients, Jay and Zack Burnett, owners of Bold Bean, chose Avery Specialty Films 100 Etchmark, an etched glass film for their windows and doors.  The product provides the look of real etched glass at a fraction of the cost by eliminating the need for sandblasting.  We love working with this product since it produces such a classy, artistic look that is subtle but still makes a statement.

Avery Etchmark Creates Understated Branding

For the twelve-foot high wall graphic inside the brew bar, we were able to use our standard vinyl, Oracal 3641.  This versatile product is great for interior or exterior signage, decals, nameplates, die-cut letters and more.  Applying an overlaminate to the finished print added body and protection for ease of handling and installing.   

Digitally printed and laminated vinyl makes it SO easy to create distinctive wall coverings for any interior.

Thanks to Content Design Group and Bold Bean again for the opportunity to work on this project.  Watch for two additional window graphic projects that we hope will come to fruition in January!

Three Dimensional Look Achieved Effectively

 Alan Worley, President of the popular and effective Money Pages organization, wanted to make a statement for his new suite at Veteran’s Memorial Arena.  He brought the project to First Coast Signs and we presented him our concept to work with a piece of black max metal, 4′h x 8′w, overlaid with a second piece of brushed silver max metal that had his text custom routed, allowing the black to show through.  To provide added dimension, we mounted to his wall using over-sized stand-offs so that the black sheet is “off the wall” and there is also a separation between the brushed silver sheet and the black background sheet.  Fun project that is still receiving lots of compliments!

Whatever our budget, whatever your “style”, whatever your corporate statement needs to be, First Coast Signs would love to work with you to ensure your corporate brand is evident to your employees, clients, vendors and stakeholders!

Is it costly etched glass or vinyl?

We’ve been privileged to work with several local companies that wanted to put their walls and interior windows “to work” for them by reinforcing corporate values and identity.  Using cut vinyl, which comes in solid colors and also a marvelous assortment of products that achieve  an “etched glass” effect for a fraction of the cost of the “real thing”, our clients now keep their corporate mantras and branding attractively displayed for both employees and visitors. 

For instance, the 5′ apple on US Preventive’s lobby doors was created using etched glass “looking” vinyl.  We cut their healthy logo out of the vinyl using our Graphtec plotter and applied it to the doors.  The result was beautiful and acheived a stately look for far less than real etched glass would have cost.  Thank you Kathy Fleming for allowing us to help you with your internal branding project.

We used a combination of materials to create MarkOne’s sensational lobby branding.

When Bruce and Jason Newmark contacted us regarding branding their reception area at their new location for MarkOne Holdings, they specifically said they didn’t just want “a sticker stuck to a piece of acrylic”.  They were definitely looking for something more three dimensional and dramatic. 

Their logos for the parent company and three subsidiaries were gorgeous.  However, there were color gradients that could only be achieved using a digital print.  Our solution was to have the graphics and letters custom cut using 1/2″ styrene with a nice flat face surface.  Then we printed their letters and graphics to capture the color gradients and applied the prints to the faces of the letters.  Next we mounted the graphics and letters to rectangular pieces of acrylic and mounted the 4 acrylic signs to the wall using stand-offs.  Everyone was quite pleased with the outcome.

This colorful display greets clients and vendors as they step off the elevator at MarkOne.

We have several other lobby branding projects we want to share with you to potentially spark an idea of something you’d like in your reception area.  Watch for more to follow and we would love to work with you on a creative piece that will be unique to your business or practice.  Call us at 904-398-3993 and let us know what you think!

These first statistics come from an Arbitron 2010 study.  If you’re in the advertising industry or your position requires you to make advertising recommendations and decisions, you probably know who Arbitron is.  For those that may not be as familiar, Arbitron (NYSE:ARB) is a media and marketing research firm serving the media-radio, television, cable and out-of-home-as well as advertisers and advertising agencies.  Arbitron’s core businesses are measuring network and local-market radio audiences across the United States.

In a former life, I made advertising decisions for banks and the advertising agencies making the pitch on how much to spend on radio ads were very adept at making their case using Arbitron data.

So a very serious, experienced company.

Ok, what exactly did Arbitron say about vehicle wraps advertising?

According to Arbitron, the cost per thousand ad impressions for a vehicle wrap is $0.35.  Consider the comparable costs for:

Now just do the math:  10,000 impressions from your vehicle wrap are going to cost you a whopping $3.50, compared to $237 for a television ad.  Fifty thousand impression created from your vehicle wrap would inch up to $17.60 compared to $985,000 for newspaper advertising delivering the same number.

And if you have 5 vehicles in your fleet generating an average of 50,000 impressions per day EACH (according to the Traffic Audit Bureau for Media Measurement), those 250,000 impressions would cost you $87.50 using your mobile advertising compared to $5,365 for a magazine ad generating the same number of impressions.

Besides the compelling cost effectiveness, vehicle wraps are just plain fun, interesting, fresh and very apt to bet people talking about your company.  The American Trucking Association reported that 91% of people surveyed notice vehicle graphics.  And when you consider that a vehicle wrap can’t be “fast forwarded”, “muted”,  or paged over when you’re stopped at a light right behind one, it truly is an intelligent advertising investment.

Jacksonville, Fla. Vehicle Wrap Advertising

There’s so much more I want to share with you about vehicle wraps including the process and expectations that we may be sticking with this topic for a while!

If we may answer any questions relative to vehicle wraps, partial wraps, or vehicle graphics and lettering or schedule a consultation, we certainly hope you will call First Coast Signs at 904-398-3993 for our office or my cell at 904-654-5946.

Whether your company is whimsical and creative or more stoic, displaying your logo on a reception area sign creates an excellent first impression and lets your visitors know they’re in the “right place”.

We’ve had a lot of fun working with clients on these this past year. There are endless options so you can let your creativity run wild–or, put our creativity to the test!

We’d like to share a few of these with you, let you know what materials were used, and encourage you to check out your lobby and ascertain if your reception area branding can use a makeover.

Sandra Brooks and her Big Orange "B"

If you received a holiday card from Sandra Brooks or Andres Lacayo, partners at BROOKSLACAYO Advertising, Branding and Public Relations (www.brookslacayo.com) here in Jacksonville, the lobby logo we produced for our friends was prominently featured on their card.

This material is a lightweight foam with a painted face.  Because it is so “light”, it’s applied to a wall using just double sided tape and silicon.

Shane Santiago, President of SBS Studios (www.sbsstudios.com) , admired BROOKSLACAYO’s application and used the same material for his stylish, “Disneyesque” reception logo in his very “New Yorkish” office in Sutton Park.  What do you think?

SBS Studios Lobby Logo in the Spotlight

Fun, bright and whimsical are quite appropriate for advertising/creative agencies.  However, if  you’re the managing partner of an entity like First Coast Financial Group, Inc. (www.FirstCoastFinancialGroup.com), you need a different “look”.  Tom Davis, CLU wanted a reception area logo that conveyed strength and seriousness.  So we had custom dimensional letters and a graphic element of his lighthouse logo fabricated with a gold acrylic face, then mounted those to a 20″ x 94″ sheet of black acrylic which we then mounted to his wall with chrome stand-offs.  The result was an elegant and stately reception area branding consistent with his company’s fiduciary nature.

A Stately Reception Area Sign Suitable for a Financial Planning Firm

Brenda Ezell was understandably excited about her law firm’s (http://ezellfirmpa.com) new offices in Cardinal Pointe.  After exquisitely decorating her new space, she was ready to “brand” her firm and prominently yet tastefully display her newly designed logo.  We again had her logo fabricated in acrylic and mounted to a 1/4″ acrylic panel with brushed silver vinyl first applied.  End result is a beautiful display that appropriately represents her commercial real estate law practice and compliments the silver trim of her office furnishings.

Mounted to the wall with stand-offs for a clean, finished look.

Stylish lobby logo on brushed silver acrylic background.

Diedra Chatman, director of Delberg Home Health Care Agency (www.delberghomehealthcare.com) on N. Main came up with a great suggestion for her lobby logo.  To achieve a dimensional yet cost effective look, she asked us to combine custom fabricated letters along with a digital print.  Again mounted to the wall using standoffs, we first applied the digital print to an acrylic sheet, affixed the lettering, and the result was a crisp, bright rendition of her logo that greets her clients as they walk into her reception area.

Close up of the dimensional letters applied to digital print on acrylic panel.

Dimensional letters used in conjunction with a digital print.

Be sure to contact us at First Coast Signs, 904-398-3993, to help explore the limitless possibilities for you to welcome your clients with an attractive reception area logo that properly sets the tone for the business/practice you are in!