Nice Office Door Sign - Need some suggestions...

[neato]

I have a client requesting a "nice office door sign" for a gift for his boss. He said he want's something nicer than the typical engraved plastic signs. He even mentioned possibley wood.

I'm wondering if you experienced sign makers have any ideas for something nicer, maybe something you've done in the past.

At this point, no idea is a bad idea.

 

[Gino]

Is this to go above the door, aside of it, an outside wall as facing the elements, an inner office door, are there certain color requirements, decor requirements or considerations ??

No wonder you re coming up blank.

 

[neato]

Inner office door. No requirements. Its a very small accounting firm with 4 offices max.

Colors I can handle Just looking for some material/fabrication ideas mainly. As far as style, it doesn't matter. I'm going to present a few options.

 

[rjssigns]

Years ago I made interior office signs out of solid cherry blanks and gold leaf vinyl. Looked great and matched the existing trim and doors.

I'm no good at carving, but the OP is. See where I'm goin' with this?

 

[Gino]

We used to do a lot with granite and later...... corian. Nice, elegant looking signs.

 

[neato]

Ha! Thanks for thinking I'm good at carving, but I don't think I'm skilled enought to tackle something this small. The gold leaf on dark wood idea might be cool though. Thanks for the idea.

 

[neato]

We used to do a lot with granite and later...... corian. Nice, elegant looking signs.

Ooooh...yeah, maybe. If I can find a scrap piece. Years ago I was dumpster diving looking for a cardboard box to ship something and ran across a dumpster full of corian scraps. I always kicked myself for not going back and grabbing that (with permission of course ) I thought the same thing at the time, they would make great signs.

 

[neato]

I know this seems like a piddly project, but this office does accounting for probably 75% of the businesses in our small town. Business owners are in and out of that office all day. I'd really like to come up with something nice for him. Maybe some experimenting is in order.

 

[Gino]

So, will this be going on the door itself ?? Is the door wooden, have glass..... what ?? Do you have any pictures for creating some ideas ?? What is the rest of the decor like ?? Do all 4 doorways look identical ??

 

[Johnny Best]

Very easy to make and change out names. Whatever the door color is determines the vinyl color. If dark door, lighter color vinyl.

 

[Santimus]

Just ignore the braille and add something else

 

[petepaz]

if you want to get really fancy how about some laser cut acrylic lettering

 

[rossmosh]

You need to ask the guy what he likes. Does he like print? Does he like engraved? Does he like dimensional? Does he like brushed metals? Does he like wood? Does he like layers with stand offs?

You need to ask a bunch of questions to find what they like and once you've gotten some info, then you can dial in. "Nice" is very subjective.

For example, some people would think a nice 1/4" piece of brass with etched/engraved and black enamel filled text would be nice. Others might think one of the more "modern" options posted above would be "nice".

 

[neato]

You need to ask the guy what he likes. Does he like print? Does he like engraved? Does he like dimensional? Does he like brushed metals? Does he like wood? Does he like layers with stand offs?

You need to ask a bunch of questions to find what they like and once you've gotten some info, then you can dial in. "Nice" is very subjective.

For example, some people would think a nice 1/4" piece of brass with etched/engraved and black enamel filled text would be nice. Others might think one of the more "modern" options posted above would be "nice".

No, it's a surprise gift from the office staff. They have no idea what they want. That's why I'm presenting options.

 

[neato]

Just ignore the braille and add something else

I like that. Nice job.

 

[Rick]

Is there a budget?
What's the turn around time?

We always design interior signs in the hundreds or thousands, so when we order a sample to show a client, we prepare for the sticker shock - sometimes in the $200-500.00 range depending on the complexity and the shop providing the sample is not making any money because of the thought it takes. Usually single semi-custom - custom office signs are a budget buster for most people. If you are going to use this as a piece to get you more work, be prepared to lose a chunk of your buttock - but it might be worth it - I would make 2 or 3 because the cost of the other samples would me minimal once you have the material.

Most office signs that look custom are still in the "stock" custom sign category.

Another thing, not all acrylics are created equal either.
http://www.3-form.com
Also, how you finish certain types of acrylic will change the perception of just being a plastic sign: for instance, second surface metallic paints, second surface digital prints/paint patterns, media blasted textures, inlays, even woodgrain print, then polished or eggshell edges.

Then creative use of backer materials like textured metals , stone, wood or embedded resins.
https://mozdesigns.com
or variations of - https://www.takeform.net/galleries

Maybe even adding something dimensional - like a water-jet cut logo on backer with a changeable panel.
https://www.facebook.com/artsigns/photos/a.759328804130376/2011502718912972/?type=3&theater

Another thing is, and I think you know this was coming:
Once you identify a room, it becomes a code sign with braille and tactile required. Now, you can have the client sign off any liability on your end and put braille and tactile later if there is an issue... but consider this one thing. You can do one sweet complaint office sign that other business will see, to sell hundreds of compliant signs later. Either way, just thought it was worth mentioning.

 

[neato]

Great info Rick, many thanks. That 3-form company has some nifty stuff!

 

[visual800]

Im more of an aluminum , frosted plexi, stand offs kinda guy...not into the whole wood thing. BUT we have no idea of the interior of this building, what the door is made of so anything offered at this point is mute

 

[neato]

Here's my first idea....

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I like acrylic on standoffs. Cleaner more modern look the carved wood.