Event Signage

Pictured here is a display sign we recently produced for the SMIRLS Uncorked Fundraiser.

The display signs of today not only shine over there predecessors, they usually are less expensive too.

The sign pictured here is 22" x 28".  15 years ago this sign would have had to have been produced by screen-printing or utilizing cut vinyl films with multiple overlays.  The cost, back then, would have run easily in the $100.00 range. 

Today, we have technology that not only can produce the vibrant colors and fine graphic, it is also much less expensive.  With our direct printing process we are able to offer unlimited colors at no extra charge too - pretty sweet deal.

Davin with Kent Hrbek Outdoors

With fall fishing on the minds of many of us here, we thought we would post this link we found of our owner, Davin Brandt.  He was the special guest guide on KHO a couple years ago as they fished steelhead on the North Shore of Minnesota's Lake Superior.

If  Davin is not in the shop or working on location with clients he is usually on a river or lake somewhere. This time of year you may also have to look to the fields of South Dakota.  Hey, has anyone seen him yet today? Oh, wait, his truck is still here, but then again it is only Thursday.

The link below should take you to one of the videos.  If you look hard enough (YouTube) you may also see his appearance on Cook What you Catch with Randy Meier.
http://minnesotasteelheader.blogspot.com/2011/08/videosfinally-online.html

Interior signs

OK, so this picture from a phone is not the greatest, but you get the idea, don't you?

This project has been a sort of work in progress that we have been working on with our friends at Webknowledgy.  These 2' x 4' signs are proudly displayed at Calvary Lutheran Church and are a great exhibit of the professional fine-art quality of our printing.

Each picture involves our direct print digital print process.  You can't tell in the image here, but the red and white identical signs are directly printed on our 1/4" thick white sign grade plastic.  The other 3 signs were done last year and produced on a removable, adhesive backed window film.  They are applied to clear 1/4" acrylic panels.  Stay tuned we will have close up images so you can see the incredible detail we are able to reproduce.

Picture of the week

"Saturday Stroll"

© big idea - all rights reserved

Coroplast Yard Signs

Pictured here is a project we just finished up this morning - ready for delivery.What you see is a stack of digitally printed coroplast (corrugated plastic) signs.  The picture does not quite do the detail justice but the individual recycle items pictured printed superbly!

Note that when you get signs like this digitally printed, not all printers print with the same quality.  This is a prime example of you get what you pay for.  What you will often find is that some outfits will reduce the print quality in order to speed up the production line.  We don't.  If you want cheap and fast, expect a less quality graphic, and you have plenty of sources online to order direct.  We stick with printing that will maximize your image or message brilliantly.

Oh, and this project was not crazy in price either.  In fact it came in less than our close competition...  sure you can get them cheaper on line - buyer beware.

Photo of the Week

Photo of the Week

"High Falls"

Taken in Northern Minnesota

© Big idea

Backdrop Event Banners

Here are a couple shots from the Jack Brewer Foundation blue carpet event held last month.  The project involved creating two separate backdrop step and repeat banners, one for the blue carpet runway, the other for the MC stage.

This particular banner was produced on a special fabric banner material ideal for this exact application.  The size of this was a whopping 8' x 10' fit specifically to a portable backdrop display frame system.

Backdrop step and repeat banners are a great way to expand branding opportunities and highlight sponsors/contributors, especially for events that have any media coverage.  There are several types of banner materials used for these backdrop banners.  The key: understanding the displays function, installation method, and project budget.  A grasp of the prior gets us focused on the best material for each specific project. 

Dimensional wall logos

Pictured here is a 3 dimensional wall logo project we recently completed.  What is unique about this particular project is that we did not install this, our client did!

What you see here is our 1/2" thick PVC plastic.  The face has a 1/16" brushed aluminum laminated to the surface giving this project a really sharp look. Once the Aluminum is laminated to the PVC, we router out the image, clean up the edges, and prepare for installation. For this particular project we needed to prep the image for a simple as possible installation as this project was getting shipped 1800 miles to its final destination - Hollywood, Florida.

Thursday we received this picture and a note from the business owner saying, "it looks AMAZING".  Our client installed this project himself.  With some common sense, a bit of patience, and the aid of our installation template, he had this wall logo up well under an hour.  Having never installed anything like this before he said it actually went up rather easily. On top of that, he saved over $200.00 not having to hire a local installer to do the work for him!

We have produced many dimensional wall logos over the years.  They are a great way to enhance company branding as well as dress up an interior wall, conference room or reception area. The options are endless, from simple black our white plastics to a patina finished solid brass, and a boat load of options in between. 

Check out our website for more sample and material options.

Event Signs - More color for less...

Yes, it is possible - more color for less than you paid in the past!  How is this possible?  Technology is making the printing and sign world more economical.

Fifteen years ago or so, a sign similar to what you see pictured here would have cost approx. 3 times what is would today, and the imaging would not even come close to what today's technology can provide.

The sign pictured here was a quick-turn project for us that needed to be produced on a rigid material yet be lightweight, low cost, able to withstand rain, and above all have sharp, smooth color imaging.  Seems impossible that all this could actually be produced at one time.  This was right up our ally.  We have a material that we use especially for this type of application.

As you see in this image the sign stands nice and rigid and displays the fine print and color gradations brilliantly.  The secret here is in the sign substrate and our really awesome direct to substrate color printing.  No gluing laminated posters to fragile art boards or vinyl sticker applications to plastic sign boards.  This printing process that we use is clean, resilient and cuts out all those expensive old school steps.

With direct printing, the right substrate, and a creative thinker, troublesome event signage is a thing of the past... at least it is at Big Idea.

Funny Sign

Here is a picture of a funny banner we discovered.  I can't help but wonder what is on the other sided of this ...



MDO - Still a great choice for signage

 Pictured here is a before shot of a clients exterior  main building sign.  What you don't see is that this business is right off a major highway - thousands of passersby everyday.  What you do see is a sign that is failing.  Not only is it much to small for the needed viewing distance, it is not clear what this business actual does or it's name.

Upon a few conversations with our client, creating a logo, generating layout concepts, and material selection, we finalized on what you see below.

Wow! It is pretty darn crystal clear what this business does now.  The new sign is not only easy to read, it cleans up the store front and emanates a professional quality that DK's hold true with their craftsmanship.

This 4' x 20' sign was produced using our MDO sign grade wood coupled with 3M pressure sensitive vinyl.  Many would have produced this using direct digital printing rather than vinyl.  Sure,  digital would look awesome today, but 4 years form now we would have an unhappy client returning wondering why his graphics faded.  Now, nothing is safe from the sun's UV rays, but the 3M vinyl, for this application, will give us the longevity our client is looking for.

Working through the design process is standard stuff in this industry.  It's the added forward thinking and secondary details that we get involved with on projects to ensure each client receives the right product for their needs. 

Transforming visions into brilliant identity. It's what we do.

Corporate Portraits at Big Idea

One of the more unique service we offer here at Big Idea is our corporate portrait photography.  This covers a pretty wide swath of imagery including product images, employee's, business development, and virtually any imagery used to help promote a business in print or online.  It really is diverse!

Illustrated here is a image taking on a recent shoot for professional walleye angler, Eric Olson.  This shoot was done on location out of our clients home marina on the Mississippi River out of Red Wing, MN.

The purpose of this shoot was to produce some cool imagery to be used on his personal website. and too provide his sponsor, Bank Brewing Company, with professional quality images of the boat wrap that was recently completed.  The sponsor brews walleye chop beer, a local growing micro brew.  If you look close you can see the boatwrap background is an image of a frothy beer.  Oh, and yes, Big idea also designed the boatwrap too!

You can find Eric fishing the National Guard FLW walleye tour.  Stay tuned for more great info on walleye chop beer and Bank Brewing Company in the weeks to come.  We will have some exciting things to post about!

Value Proposition, with value!

Hopefully your business has a #valueproposition in place.  If not, well, that is subject for another posting.  If so, displaying the proposition to your clients and visitors can be done several ways.

Our client was looking for something bold, clean and easy to read.  This was not only too be viewed by clients and visitors, but as a reminder to the employees... we had a Big Idea. What you see here is the result of some creative collaborating with our client to produce an eye catching wall display version of their Value Proposition.  The project would be displayed in a strategic location to accent wall space and present the proposition elegantly.

In producing this project we had to watch a tight budget and  yet create some display signage that was still full of some WOW.  What you see in this picture is the use of 3 different mediums: digital direct printing, CNC cut dimensional lettering and 3M matte white vinyl wall lettering.  The combination of these three mediums along with proper sizing not only adds some interesting depth to the project, it reduced the overall project cost in materials and installation time.

The client loved it so much they ordered two!

J. Walkers - AM Heart Association HeartWalk 2011

Hot off the press...literally!

If you watch FOX 9 news you may have caught a special report last night as to what this project is all about.  This is year 2 for Big Idea's involvement with this cause.  We created the team name and the cool logo design for this great team that will walk in this weekends American heart Association HeartWalk.

Check out this link to read more about the report.

Go J. Walkers!

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/health/target-field-to-host-heart-walk-jun-1-2011