Bubbles Off Plumb » case studies

The World’s Coolest Dimensional Logos, in the World.

Craig — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:05:11 +0000

Every so often I confess to Bojan that I dream of selling widgets. Imagine if we only had three products: an A, a B, and a C. We could focus on being the world’s best A, B, and C provider, in the world. Further more, imagine that we only sold those widgets to Zoos. Then we could further focus on being the world’s best provider of A, B, and C’s to zoos, in the world. Doesn’t that sound easy?

Easy but incredibly boring. Instead we get to sell all sorts of things to clients in just about any industry. Makes the job exciting but is it ever hard to focus. As an example lets look at dimensional signage, specifically logos.

One of the things we do best is dimensional logo work. We produce logos in lots of different materials, finish the materials in different ways and then install them on all kinds of surfaces. We make logos out of things like router cut Sintra (a pvc material), laser cut acrylic and waterjet cut aluminum. We then finish those logos with paint, or laminate or polish. Finally we mount the logos directly to the wall, pin-mount them to the wall, or mount them to some sort of panel which can be metal or acrylic or wood. As you can imagine the possible combinations are infinite (approximate not actual).

That sounds a bit complicated so let’s just say we can take your logo and put it on the wall and make it look just about however you want it to look.

Recently we finished a project for Surgical Specialists of Charlotte which consisted of producing and installing lobby logos and custom ADA signage in three of their recently rennovated locations. The project was brought to us by a talented local interior designer named Chris DeSantis with Studio1616. We’ve worked with Chris on numerous projects in the past and he came through again with a really cool project. If you are in need of an architect or interior designer we recommend you contact Chris.

For this project Chris specified one of the finer dimensional signage materials: waterjet cut aluminum (WCA). WCA letters are the Caddy of dimensional letters in terms of fit, finish and price. One of the primary advantages of WCA letters is the finish, especially the edges. When you cut letters out of aluminum and then polish them, the surface as well as the sides look the same. It’s expensive, but the final product is sharper looking than just using a metal laminate on sintra and painting the edges. The finish pictured here is the anodized clear finish which is one of our favorites.

Install was really trick because of the rough stone finish, lots of holes to drill in all sorts of cracks and crevices. Getting everything level and plumb takes some skills. Remember that the next time you are shopping for a logo. Pretty concept pictures are one thing, the finished product on the wall is another. We rock at installs.

To compliment the lobby logo we also did some additional dimensional letter work above the check in and check out areas as well as some custom ada signage for the offices and exam rooms. Once nice touch on the ada signage was going with two stand offs instead of four. That really lightened up the visual weight of the signs and as an added bonus, reduced the cost. We might try that again.

The Dude Abides: A Bit of Boutique Branding

Craig — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:58:17 +0000

One could argue (as my friend VonSchtiffler is so fond of saying) that Gladiator is one of the greatest movies of all time. Starring Russell Crow, with the late Richard Harris, directed by Ridley Scott, featuring men with nets and tridents trying to kill men with swords, exotic locations, wild animals, a chariot scene, a vexed bi-polar antagonist and a forbidden love interest. I mean, really, what more could you ask for? Gandhi? Chil’ please.

One of my favorite lines from the film, besides “Hello, my name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, you killed my family, prepare to die” is when Cicero (Maximus’ valet) says: ”Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to do.” It’s a great line and I often use it on my children when explaining why my idea of time management may differ from theirs. It also turns out to be a useful way to categorize incoming client requests. Let me explain.

Most of the time, our clients call because they need our help with something they have to do. Sometimes, they call because of something they want to do. Once in a great while they call with something they both have and want to do. That’s when we get excited because usually that means something cool.

Case in point is a project we recently did for Blink Eye Care. It’s worthy of attention for the finished product alone but I bring it up because it all started with somebody seeing something they thought was cool. The something was something they both wanted and had to do and the somebody was Dr. Charlene Henderson.

Dr. Henderson was in the process of starting an eye care practice here in Charlotte with her long time friend and fellow optometrist Dr. Tracy MacIntyre. While surfing the web, she somehow came across what we have come to call the “dude.” The dude is a three dimensional sculpture designed by Skills Division for a retail application in Belgrade, Serbia. She thought it would be a perfect icon for the new practice. We loved the dude, and since Bojan (the Held in Hand Held) is a Serb, we knew we would get on with the design firm like a goat with a glass of red wine. (That’s actually a Serbian idiomatic expression that loses a little something in the translation.)

We did a big dude for the entry way, it’s acrylic in an aluminum frame and has sections inside and outside the practice, so it looks like its coming through the window. We also did a bunch of little dudes for a cityscape in a window in the rear of the space, some more little dudes scattered throughout, and a dimensional logo for behind the reception desk. The pieces are unique, fun, and really help to the brand the practice, setting it apart from your run of the mill Eyeglasses To Go.

If you are in need of new glasses, contacts or anything else eyeball related, we highly recommend you check them out. If you need a design group , with mad skills, check these guys out. If you want some help with your wants to do’s, your have to do’s, or both, check us out.

Are you not entertained?

(In the interest of full disclosure, the thing about the goats was not a true Serbian idiomatic expression. I was writing this when it was late and couldn’t get a hold of Bojanius for a real one.)

Buffing Up Some Buff Seasoned Babes.

Craig — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:57:47 +0000

Managing client’s artwork files is consistently one of our biggest challenges. The proliferation of different types of files contribute to said challenges. When it comes to understanding file types, we cheekily divide most people into three categories. Those who understand the difference between vector and raster files, those who don’t and those we call The Digitized. They think that anything that has been digitized can be blown up and printed at any size they want. (“Don’t worry, it’s DIGITIZED!”) Throw ad agencies into the mix and things get even more interesting. Multiple parties, from multiple camps, all participating in the process, all insisting they know what can be done and all sure their expectations are reasonable. Phew!

Recently one of our clients came in requesting a 20′ display backdrop from a single image. Expecting the worst we were pleasantly surprised when the original file actually seemed scalable to the size we needed. The display is a fabric backwall, and fabric tends to be a little more forgiving when it comes to resolution, so we were feeling pretty good. “One more thing,” the client added (here it comes, wait for it, wait for it…) “we want you to remove the text on the banner and replace it with different text. “No problem, I’m pretty sure we have a magic eraser around here somewhere…

Buff seasoned babes aside (Shades is my personal favorite), we set to work and the results were, dare I say… Impressive. Following are the images before, during and after the alteration.

Here is the original image with the original text:

The client requested we remove the the text from the banner and insert new text. A bit of a challenge considering the wrinkles and the shading (on the banner, sheesh). It’s one thing to do a little photoshop work on a small image that is going to only be viewed on a screen. Making it look good at 10′ X 20′ is another.

This is what it looked like once we removed the text:

And finally, the finished product with the new text:

Here are some close ups of the before, during and after stages:

We have yet to receive the show shots of the finished display in all its glory. When we do we will follow up with a post to show what the finished product looked like. It turned out really cool and the client was pleased.

If you have a project requiring digital manipulation of artwork and large format printing, please consider giving us a call.

HHS in the Catbird Seat.

Craig — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:37:20 +0000

One of the greatest things about our jobs is the fact that we have no target market. Not saying everybody needs what we sell but in just about every industry, there is somebody who needs portable visual branding of one sort or another. This can also be a major headache when we are trying to figure out who to contact next, but the cool part about it is that we get to work with people who do and make all sorts of interesting things.

Case in point is a project we wrapped up today for a company called VS America. VS America is a US subsidiary of a German company that makes, among other things, chairs for educational institutions. You can learn more about what they do here. I do not know all the technical reasons why their chairs are the bomb, but I like their design and they are actually really comfortable to sit in. Their office, in the South End area of Charlotte, has a very Teutonic aesthetic to it and staffed by interesting people with German accents. It’s like working in an Audi. Very cool.

Portable display and banner stand for VS America

The displays we provided fall into the portable category with two 10′ units that can be used separately for two 10′ spaces or together for a 20′ space. In the picture above you can see one of the displays set up with the second display, collapsed down, on the left. On the right is one of the banner stands behind one of VS’s chairs.

The displays are incredibly lightweight and can be set up in seconds. They have interchangeable graphics which can be swapped out depending on the requirements for the particular show. In this case they were designed primarily as a backdrop for showcasing the furniture. The banner stands, are also lightweight and are retractable for easy assembly, storage and shipping.

Portable display and banner stand for VS America from a slightly different angle.

If you want to spend more time at your next show selling and less time setting up (and crush the competition with your sharp looking display) then call us and we will hook you up. If you need some really cool furniture for your office or school, call VS and they will hook you up.

(For those of you still with me and interested in the etymology of the term catbird seat, click here.)