Tag: signs costa mesa

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Reception area lobby sign glitters in gold for Marshall Financial Services by Focal Point Signs

Custom Interior Business Lobby Sign Costa Mesa

Jason and Monique Marshall are lovely people. They are approachable and professional, tasteful and down to earth, caring and wise. I was immediately engaged by Monique’s style and business vision and decided within .30 milliseconds we were going to give them the most elegant lobby sign they could possibly imagine.

Their new office is exquisite. Rich tones of burgundy and cherry wood abound. It looks like they hired a very talented interior decorator, but that’s not the case. They just happen to have amazingly good taste and wield it with restrained opulence. Even though the space they created is luxurious and rich, it’s also quite comfortable and welcoming; just like they are. That’s what we wanted this lobby sign to be as well.

The lobby sign we would make for Marshall Financial Services would be as gold as the bars in Fort Knox and as elegant as the Burgundy signature that is her logo. We felt the key to making a powerful first impression through this signage would be in simplicity of design but using rich tones and reflective materials.

I have to say, “Mission accomplished”. This lobby sign is stunning. I only wish photos could really show how impressive this sign is. We used a brushed gold back plate that we further enhanced with another layer of gold spray. The gold plate acts to reflect the over head lighting and gleams on the wall. The clear front plate of acrylic allows the gold light to shine through, and the logo’s script lettering of burgundy and black floats effortlessly in the center of the piece. This is a lovely, lovely lobby sign. Almost as lovely as the Marshall’s themselves.

We were so pleased with the outcome of this custom project that we made a video of the “birth of this lobby sign”. Everything you see on the video was done in house; concept, design, fabrication, and installation.

More importantly the Marshall’s are thrilled with their new lobby sign. If you’re looking for some financial advice, call Marshall Financial Services at 714-541-4180.
If you’re looking for a one of a kind custom lobby sign, call us at 714-204-0180. Focal Point Signs & Imaging where your business is the center of attention!

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

Custom Business Signage

Custom outdoor sign 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

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

exterior business Monument Signs

Custom monument sign
Custom monument sign

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.

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

Custom Interior Business Lobby Sign

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

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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

 

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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.