We were asked by the Premier Chevrolet dealership in Buena Park, California to assist them with some signage at the dealership they had recently purchased. The previous dealership had removed their name from most of the signage, leaving blank areas where the old dealer’s name was. Our assignment was to add the “Premier” name to existing signage, and to add some exterior directional signage for customers.
We started with the lobby sign as it was the most prominent when entering the showroom. The existing lobby sign was dimensional lettering with black acrylic faced gatorfoam 11.5” tall and ¾” thick. The sign read “Welcome to _______ Chevrolet”. We took the blue from the Premier logo and used it to make the replacement letters for the empty spot on the sign. Using identical materials and the italicized Premier font, we designed the letters slightly taller to make the name really pop. The finished sign greets visitors and now highlights the dealer name. It looks like it was originally designed that way!
Next we refaced two corner monument style signs at the entrance to the parking lot. The existing signs also had a space where the previous dealer name was and had not color. We relocated the wayfinding arrows to more clearly direct customers, added the Premier name in Chevrolet blue with the familiar gold Chevrolet bow tie logo. These signs now have a brand, and not only can they direct customers already determined to pull in, they can help attract customers that were not planning to stop.
Our next challenge was to help direct customers once they had entered the parking lot, with directional signage. The current situation was that customers that entered the lot were confused as to where the service and parts department was located. People would drive around the lot adding congestion, or end up parking so far that the walk was inconvenient. We added two simple pole signs, using the same design theme that the customers just saw on the monument sign when they entered.
The sign materials we used were chosen for appearance, and durability. We used a sign face made up of two pieces of aluminum sandwiched around PVC for strength, and mounted it to a U-post that was anchored into the ground with a concrete footing. The printed sign face was laminated with a UV resistant coating that was also moisture resistant. The first pole sign pointed them left and the second directed them right into the service island. There at the service island we added vinyl lettering to the drop boxes (for keys and paperwork) identifying each.
The folks at Premier Chevrolet were very happy with our work – not just the signs and materials, but also the timely responsiveness to each of their needs. The finished work looks good and we expect it will lead to more business with Premier and other car dealers in the future!
