When first impressions count!
We recently had the opportunity to work with the outstanding company POS Visual Solutions on a project at the retail outlet centre Harbour Town, here in Adelaide. This was an exciting project to be a part of for many reasons - the fabrication, the LED wiring, the 3D letter set and logo and, importantly, the opportunity to work with a new company. Reece from POS initially approached us without really knowing anything much about us. Luckily, he allowed us to have a look at what was required for the new store fit out and agreed to let us put the job into production. There were 3 main elements that needed to be tackled.
First and most importantly were the 2 hero pieces... the LARGE Under Armour branded boxes mounted in both the window display and behind the cash register. Second was the illuminated 3D letter-set and logo mounted above the entry doorway. Third was replacing the existing blade mounted light box.
The HERO pieces
These "boxes" were a bit of a different animal to the usual type of fabricated signage that we produce, mainly due to the size. At 2236mm square across the face and having a return edge of 127mm, they are very much a stand out piece. These were fabricated in 2 sections of 2mm aluminium laser cut and then the edges folded. These were then welded together and ground back to a smooth finish. Next these boxes were sent on a trip to the painters. They needed to be further reinforced with panel bond, then again sanded back to a smooth finish. After that a primer coat is applied and baked before the 2 pack red is applied. Finally a matte red clear coat is applied for the final finish.
They also have a 20mm opal acrylic logo pressing through the face of the sign that is rear illuminated by a large array of LED modules mounts to a backing plate. Matt, our lead installer, is an absolute gun when it comes to LED placement, wiring and installation. Not only does it look amazing when lit up, but the little bits of attention to detail are what really make the job. These things are super tidy inside, every wire is specifically placed right where it needs to be, every connector measured and glued in just the right spot.
Because of the sheer size and weight of the fabricated boxes, we needed to have a framing section made up that could be fixed into the framework of the wall as well as create a seamless floating effect for the boxes. We used a 75mm aluminium angle welded up with cross bracing to support the LED transformer and LED backing plate. After fitting the frame sections to the walls, hooking up the LEDS and making sure they illuminate well, we then lifted the boxes into position and fixed them in place over the frame and LEDs.
The ENTRY piece
No entry is complete without a bit of bling!
Some 25mm thick opal acrylic letters with LEDs behind, 2pack painted edges and a matt finished folded boxed backing certainly added that.
We fabricated a 25mm frame section that fixed above the shop front entry where the boxed section slid over the top of.
This sign gets the main exposure from the entry to the shopping centre so the illumination is definitely a draw card and looking at it now completed, you can see exactly why it had been spec'd that way.
The Light Box
This isn't anything that is hugely impressive or required a massive amount of engineering like the other elements of the installation, but a critical part none the less for anyone walking down the mall who is looking for the specific red colour and the unique logo that represents the Under Armour brand. So that's exactly what we provided using new opal acrylic inserts and premium translucent vinyl.
The completed job is something we are very proud of. Working with Reece from POS and the shop fitters, Under Armour Management was a pleasure. We are looking forward to the opportunity to do more with the POS team in the future.
Hopefully this shows a little bit more insight into what goes into all of the signage that lights up the shops in ALL of the shopping centres all around the place! Nothing is off the shelf, its all a one-off, it all has its own pitfalls and complications and there is someone behind the scenes that has spent days thinking about it, designing it and obsessing over every single detail of it!