<![CDATA[TALON SIGNS   250.589.6769 - RAPTOR SQUAWK]]>Fri, 05 Jul 2024 18:56:17 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[FADING LIGHT: THE SEQUEL]]>Fri, 20 Oct 2017 00:36:43 GMThttp://talonsigns.com/raptor-squawk/fading-light-the-sequel​
I know that I have addressed the issue of digital printed illuminated signs before. I know that I have complained vehemently about it as well. Technology is changing and there are now methods of successfully printing signs to be backlit without it looking like an "iron-on" picture pulled from a package of Honey-Comb. (Yes I am that old!) We produce more and more signs that are using digital printed components. From wood grain backgrounds to bevelled effects, these are images that just cannot be accomplished with standard translucent vinyls.
I was very disappointed to see a long established British Columbia restaurant chain, whom I won't name, using digital printed backlit signs. I'm talking about a company that prided itself by using a custom 3M translucent green vinyl for all the backgrounds of its signs, accented with 3M metallic gold and 3M burgundy translucents. I produced some of these signs myself over the years and they were some of the most fiddle f* graphics to weed and apply, but thats what made the end product look so good. Daytime the contrasting white, gold and burgundy on the rich green background (actually 2 layers of 3M Holly Green Translucent Vinyl) looked amazing. You could spot it a mile away and know that "there's a place to get a great burger!" In the evening the same amazing look glowing in the dark.
Recently though, I was stunned to see a brand new restaurant use digital printed graphics on not one but two pylon signs and two channel logos. In the daytime you can get away with this, but once illuminated... unbelievably BAD! I assume to achieve the proper dark green in the daytime, and not get too dark with a double hit of ink, they went with a single pass. I'm not exagerating because I'm a picky sign guy. These things look like crap. I wish I could tell everyone the name of the restaurant and the location of the offending franchise so everyone could see for themselves how bad they are. I deliberatly drove past one of the locations that I had a hand in producing the signs. At least 7 years old and they still look great in the day and even better at night.
So I implore all sign companies out there, I know it's cheaper, I know it's easier but educate your customers. Let them know the difference it will make. If they don't care what their image looks like at night, then save them some more money... don't illuminate it.]]><![CDATA[OUR NEW AERIE]]>Sun, 15 Jan 2017 23:19:27 GMThttp://talonsigns.com/raptor-squawk/our-new-aerieaer·ie
ˈerē,ˈirē/
noun
  1. a large nest of a bird of prey, especially an eagle, typically built high in a tree or on a cliff.
So there ya have it... not just American Eagle's Lingerie and Intimate Apparel Dept. Kind of strange now that I think about it... are they insinuating that Women who shop there may be "Birds of Prey" hmmmm. Better hit the binders on that note before I get myself in trouble:)

Our New Aerie! Yes that is the title, I have already addressed the fact that we  have moved our operation to Langford (part of the Western Communities of Victoria for our out of town friends.) We have been here a little over 7 months now. I have no idea where that time went? We are all comfy cozy in our new surroundings. Everything is fully operational and we are open for business. 

Do you know what the best part of our new location is? The fact that I now have a 5 minute commute? Nope! Better Bigger Shop? Nope! The best part is that we can now have our very own Illuminated Sign! A nice new LED illuminated entity created from aluminum, acrylic, steel, aluminum composites, vinyl and silicon! Our very own identification that tells people who we are and what we do.
Brings a tear to me oye it does. 

​


]]><![CDATA[WE'VE MOVED TO LANGFORD]]>Sun, 05 Jun 2016 17:59:57 GMThttp://talonsigns.com/raptor-squawk/weve-moved-to-langfordAfter 3 years in Saanichton we have moved to the Western Communities and now call Langford home for Talon Signs. Our new shop will allow us to put more time and energy into producing quality custom signs for our customers.
]]><![CDATA[SIGNS OF STUDIPITY]]>Tue, 29 Jul 2014 02:46:02 GMThttp://talonsigns.com/raptor-squawk/signs-of-studipityPicture
We, as a company, enjoy making signs. We live for the challenges they often present and strive to improve the way we conquer those challenges.
Recently we replaced the sign you see at the left. The client had changed their logo slightly so their signage was to reflect those changes.
To the untrained eye this may look like a vandalized or vehicular damaged sign... sadly to say, it is neither. This is the direct result of a sign manufacturer who doesn't give a flying monkey poop about what a sign should look like. What went on here? Just couldn't get that seam in the aluminum face to line up so lets just beat the hell out of it and see if that works? Well gosh darn! Where the heck did that middle thingy for the "e" go? Oh well... I got my trusty can of paint here I'll just paint it on. Should have painted the centres of the "a" and "g" while you were at it... CUZ YOU TOTALLY MISSED WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO GO! I'm not even going to touch on the fact that the acrylic letters that are supposed to protrude 1/2" to 3/4" proud of the face have fallen inside the sign. (Hint: Silicone is not the answer...especially if you apply it to a smooth aluminum surface.) It's called Industrial Adhesive... there are tons of different brands out there... GET SOME! AND WHEN YOU DO GET SOME, GO FIX THOSE OTHER SIGNS OUT THERE THAT HAVE LETTERS FALLING IN AS WELL!
Sigh... sorry for the rant people. I have not had the time to take this sign to the aluminum recycler as of yet. So there it sits staring at me from the manufacturing area... taunting me... laughing at me in it's defectiveness.
Tomorrow... It's Recycle Day!

]]><![CDATA[FADING LIGHT]]>Tue, 08 Apr 2014 00:17:32 GMThttp://talonsigns.com/raptor-squawk/fading-lightI have witnessed a multitude of changes over the years in the sign industry. At the age of 17 I began work at a sign company in Nanaimo. My job as the "sketch artist" was to produce sign renderings on paper and card stock. I would hand draw all the letters and graphics in pencil then later fill them in with acrylic paints by brush. There were no computers, no Photoshop, no Adobe Illustrator and no CorelDRAW. Everything was done by hand. Once these sketches were approved by the client they were placed into a projector and hand traced on paper taped to a wall. This would produce the patterns required to make a sign. In the case of a fluorescent backlit sign, an appropriate sized piece of clear acrylic would be coated with a thick latex medium. This coating would appear as a milky blue colour upon first application. It would then dry to a clear rubbery finish. The pattern that was created would then be taped to the non-coated or face side of the acrylic. This would then be lifted onto a light bank, an array of fluorescent fixtures that allowed the pattern to be seen through the blue latex mask. An X-acto knife was then used to carefully cut the pattern lines into the mask. Letters or backgrounds would then be peeled away to leave the acrylic exposed for painting. More than one colour meant that the masking process would need to be repeated between colours. This was an incredibly time consuming process to produce a sign.

Today most sign companies use self adhesive translucent vinyls on white plastic to achieve the same effect. Computer driven plotters cut these materials precisely easily. No more depending on the steady hand of surgeon to achieve a sweeping bezier curve. The vinyls continue to evolve for greater colour variations and longevity. Signs produced using this method radiate with vibrant and even colours eliminating the need for toxic paints and talented painters.

With the invention of the digital printer the sign making process changed again. Photo imagery can now be applied to any sign... including illuminated ones. This is where I find a dilemma. I embrace the digital printer as an artist. I can now produce a sign not limited by the vinyl pallets offered by 3M or Avery. I can print almost any colour that a Pantone chart can throw at me. However! This does not mean to say that I can just rip a print on some vinyl, slap it on some plastic and throw some light behind it. Nooooo noooo noo! This is just wrong! In my opinion digital printed graphics just will not work for some applications. Solid black backgrounds produced by digital printing are going to illuminate dark grey at best. This gives the entire sign a very washed out finish. Signs with field coverage by one dominant colour need to be done in translucent vinyls or a combination of digital printed and translucent vinyls. I am a "sign guy" through and through and when I go for a drive in the evening admiring all the lighted ads, I am very disappointed to see these faded and washed out signs. 2 passes of ink is not always the answer people! One needs to work on these things with your printer. Don't be afraid of printing out a small sample, slap it over a bright window... that is what your public is going to see. If it looks like a faded patch on an old pair of jeans then chances are it's going to look like that when it's live and large, 20 feet in the air stuck to a sign face. I would love to start posting photos of some examples... but I would probably be slagged by the manufacturer of the sign and the customer.

That was my squawk for the weekend. Have a look for yourself when you find yourself out for a walk or drive in the city. You don't have to look far and you will see what I'm talking about.

Joe]]><![CDATA[NO. 1]]>Sat, 05 Apr 2014 23:29:23 GMThttp://talonsigns.com/raptor-squawk/no-1I have titled this blog NO.1 so I will try my hardest to make sure that it is not NO.2 I have been aware of blogs since they  first started showing up on the world wide web but I have never had really much interest in reading one or writing one. (My apologies to those of you who have been blogging since it's inception)
I'm not going to write much more today. This was an initial "Squawk" to say hello and let you know that I will be joining the ranks of the many who put their thoughts to digital dialogue.

Cheers
Joe]]>