Featured Project: 3A Composites’ Materials Used for Ugly Christmas Sweater Store Signage

Davidson, North Carolina-based rigid substrate manufacturer 3A Composites announces that its Dibond aluminum composite material played a major role in the signage for the new San Diego location for Tipsy Elves, which is primarily an online-based company that sells unique clothing, including tongue-in-cheek and purposefully-ugly Christmas apparel.

Tipsy Elves has been working with Los Angeles-based Nonstop Signs since 2015 to create pop-up store signage and graphics that Tipsy Elves suse in temporary stores it opens to sell its outrageous Christmas sweaters.

This past summer, when Tipsy Elves decided it want to open in a new location at the Westfield UTC Mall in San Diego, Nonstop Signs used Dibond material for exterior signage that would weather the elements.

Nonstop Signs used 3mm black Dibond 4′ x 8′ sheets to fabricate a two-layered Tipsy Elves exterior sign, which was cut with a CNC router. Black Dibond panels forming the base layer were seamed together to create the 14′ x 27″ tall sign.

An Oce Arizona 460 GT flatbed printer was used to direct-print Tipsy Elves’ lettering in both white and colored UV inks on black Dibond. The CNC-routed cutout lettering was adhered to the black background Dibond layer with 3M 4919F VHB self-adhesive tape. The finished sign was installed directly above the store’s exterior entryway with concrete screws.

Nonstop also used 3A Composites’ graphic display boards, Sinatra PVC, for the interior signage. And 3A Composites’ Fome-Cor was used for a 9 ½’ x 28″ wide interior sign that guides shoppers to a kiosk where they can access Tipsy Elves’ online store.

The sign designs were done by San Diego-based 858 Graphics.

“They needed everything from interior wall graphics to basic interior signage and exterior lettering,” says Cole Canedy, chief operating officer for 858 Graphics. “Dibond was perfect for the exterior of the store due to its economic pricing in comparison to channel lettering as well as its ability to withstand weather and to create nice dimensional signage.”