In 1985, the city of Agoura Hills, California enacted a sign ordinance that prohibited all pole signs, with the exception of a few that were less than 6 feet tall. It included an amortization period that ended in March 1992, at which time all of the pole signs would have to come down, without any […]
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American Sign Museum Initiates Sign Restoration Compilation
The American Sign Museum (ASM) (www.americansignmuseum.org) has been compiling information about signage-restoration projects throughout North America. ASM Founder Tod Swormstedt touched on these initial efforts at the National Signage Research & Education Conference held at the University of Oklahoma on October 10-12, 2015. Future possibilities include a group and/or event devoted to sign restoration. Lisa Peterson, […]
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WRAPS Magazine Reports Increased Sales for Full/Partial Wraps
WRAPS 2016 magazine, in its 2016 State of the Wraps Industry Report, states that 73% of the 140+ respondents to its survey said they experienced “significant increases in sales over last year”, and 60% anticipate wrap sales to increase next year for full and partial wraps. Approximately one-third enjoyed sales increases in excess of 20%. […]
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What’s the Economic Difference Between Doubled- and Single-faced Signs?
When a Pier 1 Imports store opened in Germantown, TN (a suburb of Memphis) in 1991, it was granted a permit for a sign that faced west-bound traffic. However, no signage was visible to east-bound traffic. A few months after the store’s opening, sales were 25% below projections, despite typical promotions, advertising and direct mailings. […]
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What Does a Business Owner Think About the Bozeman, MT Sign Code?
Roger Koopman wrote an editorial for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle a quarter century ago. Does it sound like it could be written today? This appeared in the February 1991 issue of Signs of the Times magazine. One of the more interesting hypocrisies of contemporary liberalism is the ease with which its followers can advocate a […]
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Bill Introduced to Curb Federal Prison Industries
(The following was reported by the Specialty Graphic Imaging Assn. in 2016) Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02) has introduced H.R. 4671, The Small Business Protection Act. The goal of this legislation is to end UNICOR’s government monopoly and force it to compete with the private sector. Currently, UNICOR, also known as Federal Prison Industries, automatically gets […]
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What Does Amortization Mean for Signage?
Amortization concerns the compensation for a sign that is no longer in compliance when a sign code changes. The theory is, if a sign is allowed to exist for a certain period of time, its owner would recoup their investment during a period prescribed by the local jurisdiction before the sign must be removed. This […]
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Where Can I Find a Model Sign Code?
Various model sign codes and related guidance documents have been published, and many can be viewed in their entirety including the following: From The Sign Research Foundation http://www.signresearch.org/research-sign-codes/ From the USSC Foundation https://usscfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/USSC-Model-On-Premise-Sign-Code-2018.pdf From the Sign Research Foundation https://www.signresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/A-Framework-for-On-Premise-Sign-Regulation.pdf
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Magazine Surveys Shows Positive Growth for Sign Industry
The annual State of the Industry Report, with regard to internally illuminated signs (cabinet signs, channel letters, outline lighting, etc.), conducted by Signs of the Times magazine, showed positive results for 2014 and a prediction of continued growth for 2015. 80% of the respondents said their sales volume increased from 2013 to 2014. Less than 7% […]
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Black Enterprise Magazine Names DC Fastsigns(R) Franchise of the Year
Black Enterprise magazine named FASTSIGNS® of Washington, D.C., its Franchise Company of the Year at its 2016 Entrepreneurs Summit held in Miami Beach, Florida. The three-year-old award was granted to the sign business owned and operated by Howard James since 2007. His sales rank in the top 15% of the more than 600 FASTSIGNS franchises […]
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