Trailer Wraps: Your Driveable Billboard

More and more contractors and tradesmen are pulling enclosed “Franklin” trailers (www.franklin.com) along for the ride each day. They are becoming a very popular and economical solution for transporting or storing equipment and tools. While they are great for storage, they are also great for mobile advertising. They have evolved from their origins as horse and race team trailers because of the potential of 50,000 advertising impressions per day in a metro market like the San Francisco Bay Area! Trailer wraps are a very cost effective way to grow your contractor or trade business.The most common two types are:

Trailer Wraps: Like the name implies, a trailer wrap is the design and installation of vinyl graphics that turn an enclosed trailer into a portable work-of-art.  A company’s branding and message can be combined with Attention grabbing graphics that will last 4-5 years.  At a cost of roughly $2-3 dollars a day you will have a very affordable advertising solution.

 

Temporary Trailer Advertising Solutions (or Promowraps): When only the sides of a pull behind trailer are covered with billboard style advertising panels, this temporary advertising is referred to as a Promowrap. These temporary promowraps last only 3-4 months before the color graphics begin to fade. This allows for seasonally or special promotion advertsing of a more temporary nature. For example, a landscaper could use a promowrap to advertise grass cutting and use images of a meticulously manicured lawn along with the company branding and contact information. Once the “cutting” season ended, the promowrap could then be swithced to some other promotion. Think of it as a value-pack mailer on steroids.

Both types of trailer wrap solutions will focus eyes on your business wherever your trailer is whether it’s San Francisco, Sacramento or that longer trip to Southern California.  Does your business advertise seasonally? What would you advertise on your mobile billboard? SignWorks would love your feedback!

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Signage Education: Electrical Signs

With such a broad term as electric signage, it is easy to see why people associate neon, LED and fiber optics with electric signage. Although these all fit under the electric umbrella, to understand the term electric signage, it is first necessary to determine the basic core or what it is that powers (pun intended) them. Electricity permitted signs to be illuminated by light shining on them, but the real revolution occurred when light bulbs were used to form the images and words on the signs themselves. Light bulbs flashing on and off made new demands on the attention of people passing by. Blinking light bulbs in sequence would also be used to simulate movement. Adding these properties to the mix meant a dramatic transformation of American street scene.

The advent of the twentieth century coincided with the coming of electricity. This gave signs light and, later on, movement. Illuminated signs were not unknown before electricity. Prior to electricity signs had been lit at nighttime by candles and even kerosene and gas. But it is electricity that gave signs widespread use and a prominence they retain today. Also, moving signs were not unknown prior to the advent of electricity, but it was electricity that gave signs an unparalleled range of motion which added yet another element to the life of the street.

In the past it was easy to create a sign and install it in any manner that was deemed fit. However, because of fires, injuries, congested streets and other issues, guidelines or sign codes were developed. Most jurisdictions have adopted their own sign codes. Whether there are existing codes or new ones drawn up by the city or county authorities, these codes are meant to serve as safety measures for the public. They act as a guideline.

By keeping up to date on the latest government regulations and codes SignWorks makes sure that your sign creation will be installed correctly the first time, whether we are installing fluorescent back-lit signs, LED or neon. The placement and the physical parameters of your sign are controlled either by a section of the zoning code or by a separate “sign code” written to protect the public health, safety, and welfare.

The two main categories of governmental regulations for electric signs are:
• Material, electrical and structural
• Land use or zoning issues

Material, electrical and structural
Electric or internally illuminated sign are wired to receive power from an electrical utility source and must meet certain weight and wind load standards. Also, most sign manufacturing companies will laboratory test the electrical features of the sign. The laboratories used for testing include Electrical Testing Laboratory and Underwriters Laboratories. A label from a testing laboratory on the sign means that it has met electrical standards.

Land use or zoning issues
There are many different ways to handle zoning issues and most jurisdictions are amenable to a variance that would permit the renovation or retrofit of a building façade in order to enhance a district theme. At SignWorks we try to help our customers overcome certain variances by illustrating the overriding benefit the particular sign would bring to the land-use planning scheme.

Once installed, an electric sign is a semi-permanent fixture. Except for some minor routine maintenance (bulb changing, letter changing, etc.), the installer may never visit the sign again. For example, neon signs can last 50 years, although 20-25 years is more typical. 

The possibilities are unlimited in the realm of electric signage because an electric sign is only limited by the amount of imagination it would take to create it!

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Vehicle Wraps: The Cure for Limited Ad Budgets

Want to s-t-r-e-t-c-h your advertising dollars? Well, believe it or not using a small wrapped vehicle may be the way to do it! Using this very small package, a Smart Car, with a dramatic wrap design can help you achieve high impact top of mind branding. The design can also be developed to promote your business and the unique messages and contact information that will “drive” business to your door. A well done vehicle wrap is your drive-able billboard!
Regardless of the size of your business, vehicle wraps are a unique and powerful way to gain that very coveted top of mind awareness. Data from The Traffic Audit Bureau (TAB) says that:

• 92% of people notice AND READ graphics on wrapped vehicles
• 75% of consumers develop impressions about a company based on a vehicle wrap
• 30% of consumers will make a buying decision based upon impressions gained from a wrapped vehicle

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In any economy, and especially this one, your business needs to leverage its advertising dollars. The chart above provides some very interesting comparisons about the Cost per Impressions across several different advertising methodologies.

Call me today to talk about how SignWorks (www.signworks.us.com/products_services/vehicles.html) can help you sell your message and add revenue to your top line. Whether you’re wrapping a small vehicle or an entire fleet we offer solutions that will drive business to your door (pun intended)!

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Signage Education: Neon and LED Channel Letters

Neon signs are the first thing most of us think of when anyone mentions New York City or Las Vegas. They light the night sky and bring about beautiful, brilliant colors. The concept behind them was first conceived in 1675, when the French astronomer Jean Picard observed a faint glow in a mercury barometer tube. Today many businesses use LED channel letters to call attention to their company, while others use them to promote store hours or feature specific products. For many years this type of advertisement set companies apart and brought with it business. Most restaurants, taverns, stores, even tanning salons are frequent purchasers. Today, neon signs and LED channel letters are synonymous. In fact, most outdoor signs installed in past decades consisted of covered channel-letter signs lit with neon tubes.

Channel letters are the most commonly used type of electric signs. The term “channel letter” was coined for letters containing deep sidewalls with recessed light sources that channel the illumination’s direction. And, the materials used for channel letters are improving as well. New acrylic face materials with more color choices are entering the market faster than ever before. 

LEDs represent semi-conductor materials that convert electrical energy directly into light; however, the light is very directional. This means that by itself LEDs are not a good source for general illumination. However, advancements in technology have created green, blue, red, and amber lights and the long-awaited white light LEDs.

Generally speaking LEDs can’t compete with neon in terms of lumen output per linear foot for direct light applications. But they can be competitive in certain types of signs and displays like channel lettering because of the decreased production lead times. Consequently, most leading sign supply distributors are now stocking LED components and power supplies because of the fast assembly and installation times. Also, solid-state design renders LEDs impervious to shock, vibration, frequent switching and environmental extremes.

Make no mistake, neon is not dead and will never die. A well processed tube can last for well over 20 years if not more!

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Signage Education: Monument Signs

Custom monument signs are as varied as you, their owners and SignWorks is a preferred source for monument signs. We work with our clients to develop ideas and examples of outdoor signs that make our client’s vision a reality in a stucco monument sign built with unmatched quality and durability.We specialize in manufacturing eye-catching outdoor signage that offers the client the best of both worlds – a lightweight and durable eps foam monument sign. Our exterior monument signs have a lightweight, eps foam core and are sprayed with our exclusive special coating that makes them impervious to rot, termites and moisture. In fact, these eps foam monument signs have been independently tested and approved to withstand 180 MPH Winds!

Clients can choose a standard stone design or send a photograph of their existing brick or stone. Also, faux brick and stone accents can be hand sculpted to match the existing brick or stone on the building or the custom texture of their choice. There is no need to worry about fading, peeling or ripping.

Carved and Sandblasted Panels can easily be applied to your eps foam monument sign and, depending on the size of your sign panel, can be attached in a variety of ways. Similarly, we can work with you to develop a plan to include EMC or LED lighting into your monument sign if so desired. Using hollow conduit, it is also possible to integrate backlight channel letters, depending on the style of monument that is selected.

You can choose from dozens ofl standard monument sign models or we can work with you to create custom monuments of any size, color or shape. The possibilities are unlimited!

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