Recently, the National Gardening Association (NGA) asked us to make them signs for their new location. They moved from a stand-alone building on Dorset Street in South Burlington to office space on Commerce Street in Williston.

They wanted their logo on the exterior directory sign, window graphics on the window next to their entrance door, and individual letters (also called architectural letters) mounted to their entrance door made from wood.

NGA requested that the individual letters have a patina, as though they had spent some time outdoors. As a nonprofit that offers garden-based information and education, they wanted the lettering to look as though it had been in a garden and had weathered, according to their Creative Director.

“The signage is the first thing someone sees when visiting our office,” said Jessica Hill. “And, as such, it needs to reflect NGA.”

So we made the plastic letters with a copper verdigris patina.

Plastic, with a verdigris patina? Only copper letters oxidize to a verdigris look.

In our case, the verdigris is faux, or fake, and is produced by our large-format printer and applied to the plastic letters themselves.

“As a non profit focused on garden-based education we wanted a sign that would look natural, as though it had been in the garden,” Jessica said. “While maintaining a sense of formality. the lettering on our front door achieved this goal perfectly through the font style and use of a faux copper patina.”

In photograph one, you see the printed vinyl, which shows the verdigris artwork printed on to a piece of vinyl.

Photograph two shows the vinyl applied to the individual letters. With the aid of a template, the letters are adhered to the entrance door.

For their exterior directory, photograph 3, we printed their logo on to vinyl and installed it directly to the wood. Its bright colors and white background against the dark board offer a great deal of contrast, making the logo noticeable from a distance and easy to read.

The window graphics, photograph 4, while subtle are intended to be read when you stand at the door.

All in all, we thank NGA for involving us in their move and suggesting architectural letters with a weathered look. This allowed us to express our creativity and provide a quality product at a moderate price.

Are you looking for signs that stand out, but won’t bust your budget? Call us at 802-863-6233 for a free consultation.

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