Monument Sign for Morningside Group, Chicago, IL

The Sign Authority located in Wheaton, IL recently worked on this monument sign for Morningside Group for their luxury apartment complex in Northbrook, IL. Morningside Group recently finished their facility, offering 32 unique floor plans all with luxury finishes. This high end complex offers many amenities and upgraded features with an easy commute to the city. The Sign Authority worked closely with the contractors to fabricate and install all of the signage at this facility; this monument sign was the finishing touch.

The architectural firm designed the monument sign, Morningside’s builders fabricated the sign base and faces, and The Sign Authority fabricated the letters and logo and then installed LED back lighting on the faces. Because of the thin font on the letters, and the corrugated panel on the face, we were faced with the challenge of lighting this sign properly. When using backlit letters and logos you need to consider how the light will bounce off the backer panel. In this case, the architect designed the corrugated backer without understanding this. The Sign Authority needed to install a smooth backer panel behind the letters so the sign would be illuminated properly. Also, the original letters were specified to be black. This poses a problem with readability. Whenever you are thinking about signage readability, you always must consider contrast. The solution was to paint the letters white so that they would stand out on the gray backer panel. The end result was a well lit, readable sign for passersby.

After the sign was installed Morningside Group called us and said they needed a nice looking “topper” for the sign to advertise that they were “Now Open”. We fabricated an aluminum box and removed the decorative cap on the top of the sign to mount the “Now Open” sign. We sealed the edges so that no water would seep into the sign and cause damage. Retrofitting a sign on top of an existing sign can be tricky and you want to make sure that the sign company you hire has the experience and knowledge to do this job correctly.

At some point the “Now Open” sign will be removed and the original decorative cap will be reinstalled. For now, Morningside Group has a great way to advertise their luxury apartment complex for Northshore 770. This sign will entice people that drive by to stop in an take a look at their gorgeous facility. Maybe they will tell a friend.

If you have a sign project coming up and need some expert advise, call us today at 630-462-9850 and we can help. Visit our website at www.thesignauthority.com to see some of the other work we have done for happy clients.