We are always excited to work with customers who recognize the value of utilizing their logo and brand colors in unique and creative ways to increase exposure and recognition within their communities. When 12-Point SignWorks is able to partner with companies to develop ideas that expand our imaginations as creators, as well as capture the imaginations of those who will enjoy the displays, it really energizes our team!
Ascend Federal Credit Union is one such partner. We have worked with Ascend FCU on a number of signage and branding projects over the years, including adding an airplane to the beautiful glass rotunda entryway of their building, which has a 25’ high ceiling. The airplane, an artistic 3D representation of the brandmark in the logo, is the centerpiece. The bright red wall behind the hanging art, painted in the brand color for Ascend, creates a great backdrop that highlights the art and frames a second set of doors that lead into the branch.
Ascend FCU provided a CAD model of the airplane that we used for fabrication, and we made the 11’L X 5’ W model (wingtip to wingtip) with foam, then covered it with a hard urethane coating.
We then sanded the top portion of the foam structure until it was perfectly smooth. For the bottom, visible portion of the structure, we applied a skin of 1/8” PVC to create a smooth-as-glass appearance. To anchor the airplane to the ceiling of the rotunda, we attached cables to it by embedding fasteners into the plane’s body.
Once the fabrication was complete, we transported the airplane from our shop to the Murfreesboro location for installation. Our owner used his engineering skills (and a scissor lift) to hang the airplane at the same dimensional angle represented in the logo. There were strategically placed canned lights in the ceiling to highlight the plane once it was in place.
Ascend truly incorporated some amazing details into this new facility, and this plane was like icing on the cake — we were happy to be a part of it!
Another “outstanding” Ascend FCU project that really “sticks out” in our minds is the wall mural we installed in their headquarters in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Ascend’s whole history there in Tullahoma is associated with Arnold Air Force Base, and they wanted something that tied to this heritage. They had secured and refinished a real propeller from an airplane, and had located a photo of a war era plane that they reproduced in correct proportion to the propeller.
We printed the graphic on a canvas-like material that was then stretched over a false wall that we fabricated, and then trimmed with some architectural aluminum.
The wall was about 4” deep, and the overall mural is 7’ tall by 11’ wide. The propeller does not spin, but is fixed in place to a block in the middle so it can remain flat and rigid. It took two men to lift it into place. We hauled it in a U-Haul from Franklin, and as a crowning feature, installed the propeller after the mural was on the wall.
It ended up being a beautiful display of environmental graphics that adds to their company culture and the heritage of their corporate headquarters. We loved being a part of this project and many others with this partner who knows how to use a variety of dimensional signage pieces to brand their locations!
If you are ready to combine some environmental graphics with some ‘off-the-wall’ ideas and dimensional eye-catchers, we are ready to help you! Contact us at 615-595-6564 or send us an email. We are located in Franklin, TN, and serve customers in the Middle Tennessee area (Nashville TN, Franklin TN, Spring Hill TN, Murfreesboro TN, Hendersonville TN) and across the nation.
