World Sign Associates Names 2021 Coolness Sign Design Competition Winners

Best in show/freestanding sign (< 100 square feet): City of Superior Gateway

The City of Superior, Colorado was looking to upgrade its signage, so it turned to DaVinci Sign Systems Inc, located in Windsor, Colorado, for a solution.

Casey Easton, senior designer at DaVinci Sign Systems, produced the design based on the concepts the town suggested for three different gateway signs. After multiple revisions, a Tetra PowerMAX 5000K was chosen for illumination, creating a warm white glow. Because the multidimensional signs were being installed alongside a highway, Colorado Department of Transportation regulations stipulated that the materials used had to be highway-grade. Everything from the rebar to the ties had to be coated in epoxy and the team put plywood down to protect landscaping. DaVinci professionals excelled, in spite of the highway locale and installation challenges.

Freestanding sign (> than 100 square feet): Pinkbox Pylon

Pinkbox Doughnuts came to Hartlauer Signs looking to make a pylon sign with a top cabinet that resembled an actual Pinkbox Doughnut. The top cabinet has internal framing with printed panaflex faces.

The “Pinkbox” letters are individual channel letters mounted on a backer panel that spans the cabinet’s retainers. The cabinet retainers are custom fabricated to resemble drips of icing with RGB rope lighting to outline the cabinet at night. The cabinet returns are painted with a gradient to give the returns a rounded look to mimic an actual doughnut.

Wall sign: Elements 616

Elements 616 was a large apartment complex in need of more curb appeal. This rehab consisted of a complete ADA package, custom parking garage screens, and a monument cover. The owners worked with Lisa Bennett of ReDesign to create an original concept that was ultimately massaged and executed to create a truly unique and bold wall art system to grab the attention of all. This project included a custom aluminum subframe with .25″ brushed Dibond CNC cut to hide the structure. Bitro BLUE LEDs bring the art to life when the sun sets on Redondo Beach, California.

Potpourri: Veteran’s Parkway Folded Flags

Nagle Signs Inc. partnered with Shive-Hattery and the City of West Des Moines, Iowa to create an illuminated art installment enhancing the roadway and honoring the nation’s veterans. The 15 individual folded flags consist of single-sided painted aluminum cabinets with pan-formed faces. The reverse side features matching reflective 3M vinyl stars.