Custom Signage Supports Corporate Identity: The Difficulties and Pleasures of Working in Wood

When long-time client Pinkergreen, a well-regarded architectural firm, called to say they were designing an office for a CEO who wanted a piece of reclaimed wood as the basis of his Main Reception Corporate Identify Sign, we accepted the challenge with gusto.

Starting with the cherry finish planned for their office space, we worked through our normal channels on sourcing some attractive reclaimed wood to match. Our client wanted the wood to be in one solid piece, rather than having it glued or notched,as it would be if we made it up from smaller pieces.

What made the challenge even more difficult was the desire to have a “live edge” –as it came from the tree – to suit the client’s design intent.

Unfortunately,we weren’t able to locate anything suitable in the size required.

Playing Hunches

Then our own Mark Vella, following up on some personal contacts remaining from his previous career as a cabinet-maker, played some hunches and successfully located a suitable piece of wood about 130 miles away in Conway, NH.

We quickly sent a team and carefully brought the wood to our shop for polishing and finishing before fabricating and applying the brushed stainless steel lettering.Obviously heavier than the typical corporate logo, we had to create a special rig to affix the new sign safely over where important guests would be sitting.

(We adhere strictly to that time-honored rule espoused in Monty Python’s“Restaurant Sketch”: Never Kill a Customer!)

By the time HealthEdge moved into their new Burlington, MA, offices, we had their corporate identity fully installed and – we think – looking really good!

What are you doing to make a powerful statement about your company’s identity?