Issue link: https://nbm.uberflip.com/i/1488543
G R A P H I C S - P R O. C O M J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 • G R A P H I C S P R O 2 5 e sign needed engineered drawing specifications and then the permit was approved. Steel and Flynn came out to work with the general contractor on the build-out that dug the footer to specs, then set the steel and brace plumb and level while the concrete set. After all concrete was cured, we set the vacuum-formed faces and cabinets into place and wired them to the dedicated 120V/20AMP line for the sign. It turned out great! The mural feature wall Now this was a challenge. It was a 14' × 7' art mural, for which the client initially wanted to have vintage neon elements for the "reaching hands" and "globes." e initial concept was to paint the mural on the wall and mount the neon pieces. After a bit of investigation and based on previous experience, we began to look at alternatives. Our first concern was that if a mural was painted on the wall, there was no access behind the brick to run power. Secondly, after consulting with a couple neon craftspeople, we discovered that the bends needed for the art would be nearly impossible to create. Lastly, exposed neon in a bar near a seating area was invit- ing all kinds of potential trouble and vandalism. e alternative we came up with was to do aluminum com- posite material (ACM) mounted to a standoff frame so wiring could be run and not seen. Instead of actual neon, we worked with Henry Duckworth with Custom Neon out of California on some new LED technology that looked like neon, but could be shaped tighter, burn less electricity and be much safer. "Soft" UV direct printing of mural art on 6mm ACM panels. The panels were then hand-painted by the brewery muralist. This helped us control the vec- tor art and placement for the Custom Neon LED pieces.