Lobby signs present a very bold and professional way to introduce your customers and employees to your company’s branding and values. Many different material options exist for lobby signs, including brushed metal, but today we’re focusing on the options surrounding acrylic. The acrylic materials that we use are highly crystalline polymers, meaning that they have the look and clarity of glass, but with a much greater machinability.
That means cutting shapes, beveling edges, and adding other features can be readily done to achieve an almost infinite number of designs. Further, acrylic lobby signs are relatively lightweight and can be mounted on almost any wall surface, with a wide variety of stand-offs and hardware mounts. And despite their relative affordability, acrylic materials still deliver a very clean, high-end look.
One challenge with any sign is achieving depth. That is, to give what is essentially a two-dimensional image a three-dimensional appearance. With lobby signs, there are four common methods of achieving depth:
• Fabricating solid ‘dimensional’ acrylic letters
• Using thinner letters, mounted on ‘stand-offs’ from the wall
• Applying an acrylic laminate onto a thicker substrate, like foam
• Applying letters and graphics to an aluminum panel, and mounting the panel with stand-offs
Dimensional letters can be routed from almost any thickness of stock material. Typical depths range from 0.25” to 1”, depending on the height of the letters and logo elements. Thicker letters convey a sense of substance and quality, albeit at a trade-off in material cost. Installing thinner letters, often 0.25” with stand-offs that are 0.5” to 1” from the wall, provides a very nice look at a relatively affordable price.
A third option is to apply a thinner acrylic laminate, usually 1/8”, to a thicker substrate, like foam. The edges of the foam can be painted to either match or accent the acrylic face. This combination provides significant depth, sometimes up to 2”, at a very affordable price. Another advantage is that the light weight of this construction allows the sign to be easily installed on the wall, often with double-sided tape or silicone adhesive.
In all three cases, the acrylic letters or faces can be selected from a desired stock colored material, or they can be custom-painted to match a particular logo. Also, gradients and other effects can be applied to the surface of the letters using digital graphics.
From this brief discussion, we hope you will see that acrylic materials offer a wealth of possibilities and are particularly well-suited for lobby and office signs. These materials may be used on their own or in combination with metal, wood, and other components to create a truly unique sign. Our team of professionals draws from years of experience working with a wide variety of materials in creating lobby signs. This allows us to give you the very best product and turn your vision into a tangible reality. Contact Starfish Signs & Graphics today to get started on an acrylic lobby sign project that will allow your business to Stand Out. Be Noticed. Get Results.