Frosted windows are a beautiful sign that the beginning of fall is here, for most of the country, but even in sunny Florida we can enjoy the beauty of a sign of frost. This kind of frosting does not occur naturally, but through a frosting or “etching” process. It is an exquisite look for your business’ windows, inside or out, as well as your next interior lobby sign, wall dividers or even your front doors!
Frosted signs provide a unique look and can serve many purposes. This article provides pictures and examples.
The most resent customer of Premier Signs of Tampa to request the frosted look for their sign was Reliaquest. They needed a sign for their building façade at Junior Acheivement’s Biztown. Biztown has a unique set up where a complete town is recreated inside a building. So Reliaquest needed an “exterior” business sign to be hung over the entrance of their location that is actually inside. Starting with a clear acrylic rectangle base, a layer of a tri-color digital print is followed by a frosted vinyl layer, all of which are applied from the back. Their signature symbol is in the upper right corner with their name in simple, legible black letters spanning the width. The frosting gives a simple sign a sophisticated look.
Doors and windows are also very popular surfaces to find frosting, or “etching”. Interior and exterior windows or doors can get an upgraded feel by frosting a lot or just a small section. Decorate with a bit of whimsy like Beltran Dental, where their hallway “smiles” not only evoke a smile back but serve to caution their clients that it is a glass surface and not an opening. Additionally, this law office interior window is a great example of using frosting to give privacy, when needed, in an artistic way. Both Beltran Dental and this law office meeting room divider are really cleverly designed precision cut frosted vinyl installed in reverse, creating the frosted look. 
Another Premier Sign customer, Kapernik Global Investors, front doors of are a perfect example of a more complex pattern that can be precision cut. Their doors have a duo application that includes a layer applied to both the front and the back. This gorgeous entrance allows light into their interior business lobby, welcoming clients in, but also identifies their company in an artistic way..
Another example of acrylic, vinyl and frost is shown here in this lobby reception area sign at Sport & Spine. However this time the sign started with a frosted piece of acrylic and the vinyl letters were applied to the front surface. This small sign is attached to the lobby wall by means of silver pegs. These add a touch of class and make sure the sign is well secured to the wall. Other installation methods include those that are purely utilitarian to those that serve to give dimension or other artistic additions.
This final two frosted signs are perfect illustrations of layering and dimension. Home Dialysis Services used a clear, beveled rectangle piece of acrylic and had their custom “pinwheel” design done with a frosted vinyl background and a smaller pattern on top with a solid silver. This imitates the silver in the dimensional acrylic letters applied to the front of the sign and their frosted tag line that is underneath. Adding yet another dimensional aspect, the sign is installed with silver stand out pegs that lift it off the wall.
Marcadis Plastic Surgery, another Premier Signs client, needed a frosted lobby sign that was suspended hung from brackets. Other differences include the use of an additional color for their acrylic letters and the removal of some of the frosted vinyl to created the large flowing letter in the background. The end result is equally as dimensional as the Home Dialysis sign, but the process and installation are completely different.
You can certainly go simple, or go wild when designing signs with the “etched” look. So look to the experienced professionals at Premier Signs of Tampa to get exactly the right “etched” sign, window, or door for your business. Call 813-914-7006 or email at in**@************fl.com.
