Monthly Archives: October 2023

What goes into making a 3D sign

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What goes into making a 3D sign

There are two basic models of 3D sign

FULL 3D

The first, and most common 3D sign, is referred to as a 3D fabricated sign or a pan fabricated sign or a revere pan fabricated sign or pan sign. The 3D sign is a sign that has a face with solid sides to give the sign depth (referred to as a RETURN in the trade). This makes the sign look almost like a BOX. This is great because the 3D elements can accommodate lighting or if there is no lighting it ban make the sign stand out and look powerful.

3D signs can be manufactured using a number of materials, with the most common being metal (Aluminum) or Acrylic.

3D signs have the advantage of being able to be illuminated THROUGH the face – in which case the face must be a material that allows for light to flow through it, as well as being able to be HALO illuminated – where the light will either shine out the sides (returns) or from behind.

The benefits of light coming through the face is that the sign can illuminate in COLOR and when the sign is being viewed at a distance, the illuminated text (sign) is more legible than when the sign is halo illuminated.

PARTIAL 3D

The second type of 3D sign is what we at SignForce refer to as PARTIAL 3D. In the case of partial 3D signs, the 3D element is not created by a return (solid side) but rather by ‘pins’ that hold the face of the sign away from the backing structure. The 3D element can be enhanced using lighting where shadows will add depth and character to the sign.

Partial 3D signs can be illuminated with HALO illumination where the light is BEHIND the sign and the light is reflected off the backing structure.

Disadvantages of halo illumination include the color of the face being lost (not always as it depends of the face color, the depth of the 3D, the color of the lighting and the distance from which the sign is being viewed.

If you or your business are looking for 3D signs SignForce is the partner you want

Contact SignForce now on info@signforce.co.za or call +27 (0)11 440 7525 or WhatsApp +27 (0)82 558 6413

Find out more about SignForce at http://www.signforce.co.za

When EVERYTHING that can go wrong DOES go wrong

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3D illuminated letters

Illuminated 3D signs

When EVERYTHING that can go wrong DOES go wrong

In the signage business, as I am sure with almost every other surviving and thriving business, things tend to go well most of the time (say 95% of the time) BUT when the 5% happens it ‘feels’ like the entire world is collapsing.

When things go wrong, the superstitious will be looking for the 3 things because ‘bad things’ happen in threes. It may not be 3’s, but from our experience when things go wrong, it definitely seems that they go wrong on more than one thing.

I have often heard people say EVERYTHING that could go wrong DID go wrong, but this is seldom true. In reality we don’t know what we don’t know, so the chances are that while a number of things went wrong, there are most certainly other things that did not but could also have gone wrong – things that were not even on the person’s radar.

Now to the point.

There is always a potential for things to go wrong. It doesn’t matter how well you plan, one cannot plan for circumstances beyond one’s control. This made me think of the recent floods in South Africa. The writer read a call for help where foreigners were trapped away from their base, and were running out of time to exit the country. No amount of expert planning could have prevented them from being isolated, as the weather forecast was not expecting the anomaly that occurred.

When things do go wrong, it tends to be HOW the events and the aftermath are handled that are more important and remembered for longer than the actual event. As such it is when one feels that the world is falling apart that it is most important to keep a cool head, analyze the situation and do what one can to make good and move forward.

SignForce has years of experience and we play comfortably in the signage industry, but sometimes things still go wrong. It is then that the guarantee we offer, our reputation, our established network and our years of experience make the small additional fees we may charge seem like a very good investment.

If you are in the market for quality signs at a fair price contact SignForce now on info@signforce.co.za or WhatsApp +27 (0)82 558 6413 or call +27 (0)11 440 7525

Find out more about SignForce by visiting http://www.signforce.co.za