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Does this sign criteria make sense to you?

Desert_Signs

New Member
I've never heard of anyone making a Halo lit RPC with Acrylic faces. You?

10. All signage shall be "backlit", 4500 white, 15mm neon (halo backlighting) in such a manner so as to assure even lighting. Tenant/Pad owner shall be required to repair and/or replace any signage that does not meet this requirement.

11. Each tenant's and/or pad owner's attached wall mounted signs shall be individual reverse pan channel letters with acrylic faces. NO painted lettering shall be allowed. For all Tenants, wall signage shall be consistent as per the following construction methods.

-Individual letters shall have 5" deep returns.
-All letters and logos shall be individual reverse pan channel letters, minimum .050 aluminum with concealed raceways.
-No "Channelume", "Letteredge", "Paint-Loc" or similar material will be allowed.


I went and checked out the signage on the other suites (about 20) and they are ALL standard halo illuminated RPC's. The property management company is telling me that is incorrect and they have to be dual illumination. How would you interpret this mess?
 

Billct2

Active Member
my interpretation is that you have an opportunity to sell 20 more sets because according to the specs they all ahve to be replaced. Yea, that'll happen. I would take pics of the existing ones and ask the management what they want to do, make all their existing tenants change their sign or let the new tenant match the existing signs.
 

Moze

Precision Sign Services
I'm betting it means the RCL's need to have acrylic backs. On RCL's its not unheard of for the backs to be referred to as ''faces''.
 

Desert_Signs

New Member
I'm betting it means the RCL's need to have acrylic backs. On RCL's its not unheard of for the backs to be referred to as ''faces''.

It's the bold, underlined "NO painted letters" thing that really throws me. Are they suggesting they want it all bare aluminum???
 

Moze

Precision Sign Services
I would assume they mean they don't want lettering painted directly on the wall.
 

visual800

Active Member
This has architect depiction written all over it. I had to read the damn thing twice to grasp wth they were talking about. It is so over-descriptive that it causes confusion.

and what is .050 aluminum? And shouldnt these be done in LED besides neon?
 

Rick

Certified Enneadecagon Designer
Reads like an old sign criteria that has been copied from an older sign criteria with modernized mechanical whoohaaa

Reads like neon/halo lit, 5" letters to me... but I might push LED's

Designing it and sending it off for owner approval would tell you if this is correct.
 

Desert_Signs

New Member
Reads like an old sign criteria that has been copied from an older sign criteria with modernized mechanical whoohaaa

Reads like neon/halo lit, 5" letters to me... but I might push LED's

Designing it and sending it off for owner approval would tell you if this is correct.

We did that. Halo lit RPCs, just like every other tenant. This is a new property manager, same company, new person in charge. She says "I'm by the book. The criteria says you can't paint them, they have to have acrylic faces, and they have to be halo lit and front lit." We're trying to figure out how exactly she wants that done. The sign criteria is all screwed up, NONE of the other tenants meet what she thinks it is.

It's a mess.
 

SignManiac

New Member
I'm still trying to figure out what RCL's are. Nearly 40 years in business and this is the first time I've seen this. What is it?
 

Rick

Certified Enneadecagon Designer
I'm still trying to figure out what RCL's are. Nearly 40 years in business and this is the first time I've seen this. What is it?

I racked my brain on the RPC...

How about WKIOWTA

(We knock it off with the acronyms)
 
If their by the book I'd be careful about using LEDs, if so make sure their 4500K otherwise the cheap LEDs are usually 8500 and up and you'll stick out like a sore thumb. Besides, 4500K Neon is a nice color, go 13mm instead of 15mm and use a Tri-phosphor lamp...(EGL CL45, 30-40% brighter and last x2 as long) you'll have a nice glow and you'll win more future jobs!!!
 

visual800

Active Member
If I were you I would step up to the plate and ask then nicely to rewrite these standards as things have changed.This is horribly behind the times
 

signage

New Member
If I were you I would step up to the plate and ask then nicely to rewrite these standards as things have changed.This is horribly behind the times

This is not alway allowed without meeting the new sign codes if this is a grandfathered shopping center! If they would change the spec. they would need to meet the new codes!
 
This criteria may be very up to date. Remember, Arizona is VERY hot climate zone which translate into massive LED failure.

I just finished up a job for a major furniture retail chain who hired me to do a large channel letter job put of neon. Their going back to neon after numerous LED failures in their sign program from channel letters to pylons. A few major sign companies sold them on "Green" and "Energy Efficiency", they retrofitted their neon signs to LED and now their back to their starting point after a very expensive science project on their dime. Apparently not many shops have the knowledge to install neon signs anymore because they've become so dependent on low skill workers who just peel and stick, so their ability is at an all time low and the competition is little.

I just got a new big account.

Don't rush into the sugar high of LEDs, their good for some apps and some not so good. Each light source has their pro's and con's and LEDs are not a wonder product.

If you want to do the right thing, make the lamps tri-phosphor and you'll have a nice portfolio piece that will outshine the existing signs, and new ones to come.
 

LINDA BERARD

Designing Signs Since 1978
There is such a thing as face and halo lit channel letters. That is probably what the criteria is trying to get at. They are basically acrylic faced channel letters with white or clear Lexan backs, LED illuminated, remote power supply.
 
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