Focal Point Signs Blog. Signage And Branding Advice For Businesses

Posted on August 27, 2013June 3, 2015 by Brad Nichols

Why signage is so important to Orange County Businesses. Focal Point Signs in Costa Mesa specializes in business signs!

Burger King attributes as much as 40% of their sales to signage

Focal Point Signs & Imaging in Costa Mesa celebrates with friends and family with a Grand Opening photo taken under their exterior business sign surrounding a car wrap they did in Matte Black

Signs can be informative, they can be direct, they can be humorous and they can be fun. Signage in any fashion is meant to capture your attention, make you think about the message being portrayed and ultimately make a snap decision upon viewing it. In a culture where first impressions are everything, it is more and more important for businesses that their signage is portraying the correct message in a creative way that will create a favorable emotion for the viewer.

For any company, signage is necessary for success, and most companies today can attribute a great deal of sales to their business signage. In fact, the fast food industry can attribute as much as 40% of impulse buys to their on-site signage according to a study done by Burger King. Business signage, when compared to other forms of advertising, also offers the lowest cost-per-impression. Signtronix, a large sign manufacturing company based in California, determined via a large study that on-site business signage costs as little as a few pennies per 1,000 adult exposures, which ultimately leads to a long-term awareness of a business as well as stimulates a repeat or brand-loyal customer.

If you need a sign, think of Focal Point where “your business is the center of attention”. Conveniently located near John Wayne Airport in Orange County, CA. 714-204-0180.

Posted on August 13, 2013December 5, 2013 by Brad Nichols — Leave a comment

Stunning custom outdoor business sign by Focal Point Signs in Costa Mesa for Brand I.D.

For some reason we seem to be working more and more with businesses in the Fashion and Apparel Industry on custom outdoor signs. If I were to guess it’s because these people are picky – in a good way. They have very high standards for design and fabrication and expect perfection of the final product. We like being held to a higher standard and producing signage that’s the best in the industry. No one in our industry wants to drive by a sign they made and not feel proud of their work.

We recently did a custom job for Brand I.D. They are an international company in the trim and accessories business and their client list is very impressive. Obviously they are designers, and as such approach their signage needs from a very specific visual perspective. Then it’s up to us to make that vision possible. This particular job was interesting because it “broke the rules” in our Industry. They wanted letters that would be no taller than 3″ flat cut from 3/4″ aluminum and mounted so each letter would stand off the building by 6″. The first broken rule? Stand off letters are to be no smaller than 5″ because each letter must support four threaded studs. The second broken rule? Stand off letters usually aren’t installed more than 3″ off the wall (at least that is the industry standard). You need to make sure whatever you are using to hold those letters off of the wall can handle the weight of the letters and stand up to the elements through time.

The reason Brand I.D. wanted the letters to stand out this far is because they planted a lovely green vine that will fill in behind the letters and create the visually stunning effect that the letters are floating in front of the vine. We accepted the challenge and went to work to create this custom fabrication.

We needed to find a supplier of 1/8″ threaded studs in lengths long enough that we could cut to 8″ pieces. We wanted to go 2″ into the wall and 6″ off the wall. Then we had to find a supplier of aluminum tubing to act as a sleeve to go over the threaded studs. Most tubes aren’t made in this small of a size. But….we found them…yep, that’s what we do.

The final and last hurdle was the wall itself. No one knew how deep the layer of rock was that is affixed on top of the concrete. We thought it wasn’t more than an inch and a half. Looks can be deceiving. It turned out to be 4″ deep. From an installation standpoint this was extraordinarily time consuming. Once we chiseled away to create a flat surface for drilling, we then had to hammer drill 38 holes through several inches of the rock and 2′ of the masonry as well.

In the end, the sign looks amazing and I smile every time I drive by. This project turned out even better than we thought it would. Now when visitors arrive to the Brand I.D. headquarters they will be greeted with the only sign of it’s kind in the world. That’s what custom signs are all about, and so are we at Focal Point Signs & Imaging. Need a custom outdoor sign? Call us at 714-204-0180

Posted on June 23, 2013December 5, 2013 by Brad Nichols — Leave a comment

Custom Monument Signs created for Orange County Businesses by Focal Point Signs in Costa Mesa

Today more than ever there are a multitude of materials used in sign making. We’ve ushered in the new age of versatile, durable, synthetic construction materials that stand up to weathering at significant savings to traditional monument signage.

If you’re a contractor, builder, or property manager read on because you’re going to love this.

What if I told you there is a monument sign alternative that will not rust, peel or delaminate. Imagine telling your client you are installing a top of the line, state of the art monument that is resistant to rot, termites and moisture? A sign superior to traditional brick and mortar structures for impact resistance. This alternative is a foam core monument signs so durable (because of the 100% aggregated acrylic stucco finish over our Poly Armor coating) they come with a 5 year guarantee.

The other great advantage to a foam core poly armor monument sign is that the footing isn’t a huge slab of concrete. Instead we use an aluminum alloy mounting system with internal painted post sleeves over galvanized steel pipe. This system allows us to dig only four holes (one for each post) and pour cement in each hole instead of laying down a costly slab. Our clients love this because it saves them money, and if for any reason down the road a change needs to be made, the signage updated or moved all together, it’s much easier to deal with; no need to jack hammer out yards of cement.

Have we sold you on this concept yet? Let’s go back to the installation. Because they are relatively light weight there is no need for heavy equipment. Lastly if there is an unfortunate accident where someone comes crashing into the sign, the sign will not be destroyed like brick and mortar, and there will be significantly less damage to the car and driver. This alone is a huge plus!

We can add panels, LED Message Centers, illuminated cabinets and more. We can add raised or recessed “in-sign” graphics and hand sculptured stone and accents. We can add columns and column caps, pediments and other architectural accents. There are 40 standard lay outs to choose from which act as the base model – from there you choose how custom you want to go. If this alternative sounds interesting to you, give us a call at 714-204-0180.

Need a monument sign? Think Focal Point “where your business is the center of attention”. Conveniently located near John Wayne Airport where Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and Irvine meet.

Posted on June 17, 2013June 4, 2015 by Brad Nichols — Leave a comment

Stylish and professional reception area lobby Sign created by Focal Point Signs in Costa Mesa for ExeQuity

ExeQuity is a leading compensation consulting company with offices throughout the US. They had just moved into their new offices in a very nice building across from South Coast Plaza; the same building the private restaurant The Center Club is located in. This is an upscale business environment and ExeQuity wanted a custom lobby sign that would reflect their professionalism as well. I wish I had a better picture to post, because the sign is truly stunning!

We started the process by interviewing the three key people in the office to hone in on what kind of “look” they were going for. Conservative, but not stuffy. Not overly traditional, but not overly modern. From the interview we came up with three conceptual designs.

Option 1) Brushed aluminum dimensional letters mounted on cherry wood and stained to match the office furniture. ( I was a bit concerned that the lobby area would look a little “heavy” with the dark wood furniture already in place, but actually when we did the rendering and showed what the sign would look like against the Thunder Blue walls, it was nicer than I thought it would be).

Option 2) Clear acrylic with the Logo mounted in dimensional letters in brushed aluminum. This would allow for the color of the wall to come through. Because ExeQuity has a logo also in blue (and very similar to the color the offices are painted) using a metallic face was a good choice.

Option 3) The one they actually chose! We made a back plate of brushed aluminum and a smaller front plate in clear acrylic. We cut the acrylic face plate 1.5″ smaller than the aluminum to create a ‘border’ effect. Lastly the logo and company tag line were back painted to match the company logo color and laser cut in acrylic.

The effect of the acrylic and aluminum lightens up the lobby area and complements the Thunder Blue paint. Rather than taking away from the cherry wood furniture, the Lobby Sign complements the surroundings. All in all this was a great success, and much to our delight, our clients were thrilled.

If you would like a custom designed Lobby Sign, give us a call. We’ll come out and do a no charge site survey and renderings as well. It would be our privilege!

Focal Point Signs & Imaging is located in Orange County, CA in the city of Costa Mesa near John Wayne Airport. (714)204-0180

Posted on June 4, 2013September 18, 2013 by Brad Nichols — Leave a comment

If you’re thinking about hiring a new sign company consider Focal Point Signs in Costa Mesa

We make signs. One of a kind signs. Custom designed, fabricated and installed, just for you. It’s a big deal to get a new sign, so choosing your sign company is important. I bet 30% of our business comes from decision makers who already have a sign company, but need a better, more responsive, more caring sign company. We thought if you are looking for a new sign, you’d probably like to get to know us a little better, so we put together this one minute video.

What we didn’t include in the video are all of our services and products. But we hope at the end you’ll get an idea of the people who make this company, and the values and mission we honor. Thank you for considering Focal Point Signs! Call us at 714-204-0180.

Cynthia Ferguson

President and CFO

Posted on April 25, 2013June 4, 2015 by Brad Nichols — Leave a comment

Orange County’s Saddleback Business Park gets an Elegant Reception Area Lobby Sign from Focal Point Signs in Costa Mesa

Custom Interior Business Lobby Signs Orange County by focal Point Signs & Imaging Costa Mesa 714.204.0180

Saddleback Business Park’s custom Lobby Sign by Focal Point Signs; one of our favorite types of signs to work with customers on are lobby signs. Partly because there is a tremendous sense of pride knowing that the first impression of an Office Building is often the Lobby Sign. It sets the tone and creates expectations of what the experience in the building will be. The Lobby Sign is an extension of the buildings’ personality and the companies’ brand. The sign can be lovely and solemn like a beautiful high-brow woman or fun and colorful like an exuberant child. Every Lobby Sign is its own custom, one of a kind creation. Like Michelangelo working on his David, we get completely entrapped in the creative process excitedly passing back and forth ideas on the materials we can marry to create the overall “theme” and feeling. Yes! Lobby Signs are a passion!! Let us render in Illustrator the object of our obsession. Give us aluminum and acrylic and let our hands begin to play the instruments of our trade! The panel saw, router, and flame polisher! Ah, the smell of substrate being molded to our very desire. Carpe diem!

On the, albeit, selfish side, it’s also just plain fun for us to work with Lobby Signs. On installation day the energy is palpable in the air. Employees find reasons to linger a little longer to watch the new creation go up. Everyone is happy. It’s like getting a new car, or new jewelry for the office walls! I am blessed to be in a trade that gives me and all of our employees a sense of pride and accomplishment. We actually get to see the end result of our labors, and know that for years to come our creation will grace the office lobby and like a silent stalwart, greet all who enter.

We recently had the privilege of making an astonishingly elegant Lobby Sign for Saddleback Business Park, and I have to say it really is the center piece of the office. The elegance is in the simplicity of the design and how well it works with surrounding colors. I thought it would be interesting for anyone considering a similar approach to their lobby sign to see the process, so we made this video. If you are looking for a new Lobby Sign and want to work with people who get excited about projects and really want to work with you, then give us a call at 714-204-0180.

Posted on April 24, 2013June 4, 2015 by Brad Nichols — Leave a comment

This Auto Body Shop needed a quick turnaround on their Outside Business Sign. Focal Point delivered!

Custom Exterior Business Signage Orange County

Auto Body Restoration in Costa Mesa needed a 48 hour turnaround on an outdoor sign. Focal Point Signs & Imaging in Costa Mesa delivered!

Signage is of huge importance to businesses. It’s really simple. If your customers can’t find you, they will take their business elsewhere.

Good outdoor signage needs to communicate who you are, and what you do very quickly. Think of it as a billboard where some basic design rules come into play. If you have more than 6 words, do not put them in all caps. Make sure your lettering is at least 4″ tall for every 100 viewing feet away. Finally, use art work that supports your message or business identity. In this case we needed to turn around a good sized outdoor sign very quickly and our client didn’t have any art work in any format. Without a logo or other art work to use, we turned to Shutter Stock to download two types of cars our client enjoys working on; a Mercedes and a Muscle car. We chose a simple design because the goal of this sign was to get it up quickly and identify the new location. It’s very simple signage, but for the purposes of telling customers their Auto Body Estimating Center had moved, it made sense. We also created an A-Frame for the side walk to further help mark the new location.

Frankly, I can’t think of a sign shop off hand that would have turned around this project in two days without art work. For materials we used only 3M vinyl and laminate, and pvc compressed in two sided aluminum for the substrate for a solid, long-lasting sign. We are pleased we were able to help this business out “in a crunch”. We feel good about ourselves when we can add a customer service component few others in our space can offer. It’s one of the things that makes us distinct from others in the Signage Industry, and we’re proud of that.

If you need a sign turned around quickly, give us a call! 714-204-0180

Posted on April 1, 2013June 4, 2015 by Brad Nichols — Leave a comment

The best alternative to neon on the market today. SpellBrite Signs distributed by Focal Point Signs & Imaging in Costa Mesa

LED Signs are extremely popular today, and the newest most creative alternative on the market today is the SpellBrite System. This is so simple and so affordable, it makes the once cost prohibitive neon sign now in the reach of any business owner. You simply order the letters you want and snap them into place. Voila! A neon-like sign that is cool to the touch. Looking for a special gift? How about a custom sign for that special someone’s man cave?

What we love about this product for the small business is that you can change the signs’ message at any time. Let’s say you are running a lunch special for $6.95 and need to change it to $7.95 later, all you need is to switch out the number 6 for the number 7 and you have a new neon-like sign. We also love that this sign uses half the electricity of neon and has the long lasting LED technology.

In addition to being a distributor for the SpellBrite System, Focal Point Signs & Imaging is known for our custom lobby signs, banners, custom wall wraps and wall paper, and vehicle wraps. Need a sign? Think Focal Point “Where your business is the center of attention”.

Posted on March 26, 2013June 4, 2015 by Brad Nichols — Leave a comment

Introducing the eco-friendly HPL26500 large format latex printer by Focal Point Signs & Imaging in Costa Mesa, CA

HPL26500 latex printer

It may seem counter-intuitive to think of eco-friendly commercial printing, but the HP L26500 printer we use is exactly that. This new technology not only is capable of reproducing photographic quality images in spectacular full color, but also uses inks that are not chemically based, but rather are water based. Interestingly enough, the inks used by this technology last longer than those used in the past and are more durable too. We also have the flexibility of printing on a multitude of materials including banner, vinyl, poster, polyester, nylon, and wall paper. What is more impressive is that the HPL26500 prints on PVC Free wall paper which is perfect for hospitals and schools and because this is latex based there is no residual ink or chemical smell. HP even makes a biodegradable banner material perfect for Green Companies.

Yes, I do sound a bit like a geekazoid getting all excited about what this “mother of all large format printers” can do…but, the color quality she rips out is absolutely stunning. Recently I received a phone call from the property manager of a large business park here in Orange County. She’s been using the same sign guy since Moses brought the tablets down from the mountain, so her guy is comfortable making her post and panel signs, but he’d not yet encountered this project. She wanted a facelift for the leasing office which included a new lobby sign – which is to be the center jewel of the remodel. Imagine the classy look of polished acrylic on a large scale, affixed to the freshly painted walls with 3/4″ brushed aluminum stand offs, and full color graphics of the complex with their logo proudly blazed across the bottom….a vision of loveliness. However, her sign guy was using old technology that couldn’t reproduce the colors she wanted. A big Lobby Sign (the first impression of the professionalism of the organization) is a big deal and this lady wants it right! That’s where we came in. We were able to exactly reproduce the gradient colors she needed and in such high quality, it was perfection. So – it’s a happy end to the story all because we use the HPL26500.

If you need super high quality graphics for your signage; lobby signs, vehicle wraps, banners, or any other sign – call us. Focal Point “where your business is the center of attention”. 714-204-0180

Posted on March 26, 2013June 4, 2015 by Brad Nichols — Leave a comment

Landmark Real Estate in The Block at Orange gets custom Lobby Sign from Focal Point Signs in Costa Mesa

Custom Interior Business Lobby Sign Orange

I remember years ago sitting in a corporate meeting where our Trainer, Jack King, held up his business card and asked, “What is this?” Of course everyone in the room responded, “A business card” to which Jack replied, “Is it? Is it really?” Jack went on to make a poignant speech suggesting that we view our business cards as debit cards used to make withdrawals from the bank of our reputation.

In many ways your signage is an extension of your business card, and reputation too. What does your signage say about you? What would you like your signage to say about you? We recently completed a project for a very professional Real Estate Company which was just opening their office. They had a very clear vision of what they wanted to convey, not only through their interior design work (very elegant, very professional), but in their signage as well. We were delighted to have been selected to create and install this custom lobby sign and window graphics. Congratulations to Abe and his team at Landmark Real Estate on their grand opening of their new office located in the Cashkill Building at The Block at Orange, and we thank them for the opportunity to do this project.