Casket Wraps: Memorialize Your Loved One

44 Sign Company is proud to offer Casket Wraps, a new and unique way to commemorate a loved one. Available in different sizes and styles, Casket Wraps allow for complete personalization. Whether you wish to include a favorite photograph, honor military involvement, or observe a hobby or past time - your options are endless.

Vehicle Wraps: Driving Up Your Company's Sales

As most of you probably already know, vehicle wraps are one of our favorite projects to do here at 44 Sign Company. But did you know how effective vehicle wraps actually are? 

• A vehicle wraps is the most effective form of advertising in the market today – one car wrap captures between 30,000 and 70,000 views per day.
• Mobile advertising is the most efficient form of outdoor advertising reaching more consumers at a lower cost per thousand impressions than any other form of outdoor advertising.
• Vehicle advertising can boost name and brand recognition more than any other form of advertising. (Does anyone recall that auto glass company whose slogan was “We’re the guys in the little red trucks”?)
• More than 95% of Americans are reached by media targeting people in vehicles.
• The average American has traveled 302 miles in the past seven days.
• Federal Highway Administration study predicts an increase in the amount of time spent in vehicles and the number of trips per household.

Our vehicle wraps are so precise they may often be mistaken for a custom paint job. We will make sure your business’ message is clearly depicted and displayed precisely on any vehicle that you bring to us. We guarantee you our highest quality of work.

To see some of the work we have done and also some creative ideas we’ve found, be sure to check out our Pinterest page!

Feel free to give us a ring as well.. here at 44 Sign Company, we're ALWAYS happy to talk about signs!! 

Crazy About Color!

Color Matching (n.) The process of assuring that a color on one medium remains the same when converted to another medium. This is extremely difficult because different media use different color models. Color monitors, for example, use the RGB model (on the right), whereas process printing uses the CMYK model (on the left).

Here at 44 Sign Company we believe in the importance of having the perfect color, and we strive every day to give our customers exactly that!  It is not an unusual occurrence to send a file to be printed and notice that the colors don’t match what were on your screen. As a designer, this tiny flaw could potentially ruin exactly what you originally envisioned.

Our customers deserved to get signs in the colors they expect. To ensure the best possible results, we  take the time to calibrate the color from your scanner, monitor, and printer to each different type of printed media out there. We utilize the best color management equipment in the industry. What you see on your screen is as close as a match of what you will see on any media we print for you.

At 44 Sign Company, we'd love to show you our true colors!

The Historic Hollywood Sign

Its safe to say that the Hollywood sign is one of the most radical creations in the nation. Standing 45 feet tall and 350 feet long – it’s a landmark and a cultural icon that lies in the Santa Monica Mountains. Although it is one of the most famous signs in our country, many aren’t familiar with it’s history!

• The sign was built in 1923 and originally said “Hollywoodland” as a promotion to sell real estate.
• Initially it was made with flimsy wood panels and telephones poles. It blew over often and regularly had to be repaired.
• Each character is outlined by 4000 light bulbs – originally they were designed to flash in segments, first “Holly,” then “wood,” then “land.”
• The initial cost to build the sign at that time was $21,000 and it was only expected to last for 18 months.
• In the 1930’s, during the Great Depression, it was decided that “land” would be removed, keeping only Hollywood to promote the movie industry.
• In the early forties the “H” was destroyed when the official caretaker ran into it while drunk driving.
  
• By the 1970’s the sign was a wreck – the “O” had fallen down and the rest of the letters had been infested with termites.
• In 1978, Hugh Heffner held a fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion to raise money toward the restoration of the sign. After the fundraiser the Chamber of Commerce decided to allocate one letter to each of the benefactors.

• H: Terrence Donnelly, publisher

• O: Giovanni Mazza
, producer
• L: Les Kelley, founder of Kelley Blue Book

• L: Gene Autry, actor/singer 

• Y: Hugh Hefner

• W: Andy Williams, singer 

• O: Alice Cooper, donating in the name of Groucho Marx
• O: Warner Bros. Records

• D: Thomas Pooley
• That same year the sign was torn down and completely rebuilt – the names of the workers who rebuilt the sign are preserved under the paint.

Throughout its history, the sign has been relevant in many movies and makes frequent appearances upon many other pop culture platforms. It continues to be an historical landmark that can be viewed from the city of Los Angeles – each year drives in thousands of tourists. It continues to stand for the ambition, success and glamour of this dazzling place known as Hollywood!

3D Signs in a Three Dimensional World

All signs are not created equal. Its true that all signs are great, but we think you’ll agree that some signs just seem to catch (and keep) your attention more than others. Seeing as how we are on the leading edge of sign making technology, from our advanced color matching techniques and our ability to make just about any kind of sign you could possibly think of, we always keep up with the times. And because of that, our owner, Kevin, is heading to 3D sign camp at the end of the month!

By attending this 3D sign camp, Kevin will be learning from some of the best sign makers in the world, including Peter Poanessa, Sandy Baird, and Dan Sawatsky. Kevin will come back being able to design, construct, finish, and install amazing 3D signs. Heck, he’ll even be able to make your 3D sign using everything from wood to PVC. Cool, right? 

So what exactly does this mean for you? Well, if you work with 44 Sign Company, you'll have access to great signs like the one pictured above. Take a look around and you’ll see that most signs are 2D. By adding a third dimension, you are adding two things: 

1. Differentiation
2. Life

By having your sign be 3D, it will become life-like and relatable, and this alone will make it stand out from the crowd. When Kevin comes back (the camp runs until June 2nd), get ready to see some amazing 3D signs. Nay, get ready to add life to your next sign!

Signs for your next Company Golf Outing

With the azaleas in full bloom at Augusta National and the Masters quickly on its way, it is hard not to have your mind set on golf.

Even though there is still an annoyingly good amount of snow on the ground here in Minnesota, it won’t be long until you’re breaking out the clubs for various events. From benefit tournaments to company golf outings, you're going to need signage for your company. 

Why would you need signs like these, you ask? Well, for starters they are a great way to have your company seen by a whole lot of people. If you sponsor the 9th hole and you have a great sign saying so, you will be the talk of the group as they make the turn. Second, if you sponsor a hole, your company is guaranteed to be noticed by anyone who plays it, especially if your sign shines above others on the course! Getting people's attention is a difficult feat these days, and when you’ve got the opportunity to do so, you ought to snatch it up. This is where we can help! 

At 44 Sign Company, we combine your vision with our design expertise and creative ideas to make your sign come to life. Our unmatched customer service combined with our advanced color matching techniques guarantees that your sign will come out exactly as it looks on the computer! This allows your organization to capture the attention of basically every person who sees it, which is invaluable to your company’s marketing. 

Before you sponsor a hole this summer, give us a call to ensure that your sign is a "hole-in-one"! 

Sign Fails: Don't Let it Happen to You

If you like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter,  then you've definitely seen some of our Funny Sign Friday's. If you haven't, here is exhibit A: 

Although signs like these are always great for a good laugh, there is a lesson to be learned from them. Signs are a great branding and marketing tool. Using humor in your marketing is a great tactic, but signage can go wrong; so, so wrong! Let's take a quick peek at a few examples:

I guess they didn't have time to proof read this one..

Must have forgotten the calculator at home that day..

We don't even need to comment on this one..

With examples like these, you can see how signage can go so wrong, so fast. Although these signs may make us laugh now and again, at some point companies paid good money to have this faulty signage represent their brand. Mistakes like the ones above are a big deal. At 44 Sign Company we double, triple, and quadruple check our work so a sign fail doesn't happen to you. We take great pride in providing the BEST customer service. We work with you to design the perfect sign to fit your business and marketing needs, because we know that what we do reflects your business. The moral of this story is that funny sign fails are great to laugh at, until it happens to you! Stick with us and have the PERFECT sign, guaranteed!

Tour de 44 Sign

Here at 44 Sign, we’re proud to be a local St. Cloud company. Being local allows us to provide great face-to-face graphic design consulting which leads to clients getting exactly what they want. Because of our loyal and local customer base, we have more than a few signs spread around St. Cloud. On that note, we want to take you on a “Tour de 44 Sign”, and showcase some of our work.

Bronson Electric

With a reputation built from being a trusted electrical services provider in the St. Cloud area for 35 years, we had a great time doing this vehicle wrap for Bronson Electric. For a business like Bronson, a vehicle wrap was perfect for one of their service vehicles, as it spreads their business wherever it goes. Although this vehicle wrap can be seen all around town, you can find their office located at 550 Heritage Drive in Sartell.

Dickey’s Barbeque Pit

If you’ve been to Dickey’s in St. Cloud, then you’ve undoubtedly seen these outside. These unique signs are a great way for Dickey’s to grab the attention of their customers (as if their delicious food wasn’t enough). If you’re ever in the mood for some great eats or want to catch a glimpse of these beauties, take a drive down Division and find them at 2956 West Division Street. 

Schaefer’s Home Decorating

Schaefer’s Home Decorating provides great interior designs to the St. Cloud area, and making their sign look like window drapes was both fun and challenging. Be sure to catch a glimpse of them at 3700 W Division St.

Midtown Fitness

With a variety of cardiovascular equipment alongside top of the line weight rooms, Midtown Fitness offers a great fitness center experience. Located right in the middle of St. Cloud at the Midtown Square Mall at 33^rd Avenue & Division St, Midtown Fitness is a great option for anyone in the area.

St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce

When the St. Cloud Chamber approached us about doing their sign, we were ecstatic. Although it was certainly a process to put up on their building at 110 Sixth Ave. S, we enjoyed working with the Chamber to finalize the design and are proud to see our work on display there.

44 Sign Company

Last but not least, a sign company got a new sign. Coming up with the design for this sign was fun, and we love the outcome. So if you like any of our work and want a sign for yourself, give us a call or swing on by. We’re just down the road.

Make Your Sign Unforgettable

Do you remember all those political signs that adorned light poles and your neighbor's yard? After the elections the signs are either collected by campaign hopefuls, recycled by the city, or end up in the landfill be forgotten forever.

It is a sad day when signs are forgotten, which is why we are dedicated to making your sign unforgettable. Political signs have been shown to increase name recognition by six to ten voters per lawn sign! Why not make your political sign so memorable that people will not want to give it up? Why not make any sign so unforgettable that your customer, or voter, will never forget it? By utilizing the best color management equipment in the industry and providing great graphic consulting, together we can create a sign that is unforgettable. Your signs will stand out above the rest and catch the eye of your voter or customer. So, give us a call or visit our website and let’s make unforgettable signs together.

 

Outdoor Signs for Outdoor People

Here in Minnesota, we seem to pride ourselves on being able to handle the cold. With a record low of -60 degrees, it’s kind of a big deal. Minnesota is known as an “outdoors” state. With that in mind, it is important to have outdoor signage available for outdoor people.

At 44 Sign we have experience with a variety of outdoor signage. Each sign we have done is unique and says something different about the business and the customer.

Do you know of a restaurant looking to bring people in?

We’ve got just the thing.

Maybe you own a specialty store and you’re trying to spread the word to a specific market.

We’ve got that covered.

Maybe you work for a family doctor’s office and you are looking for a way to bring in new patients.

We can handle that.

Maybe you own a jewelry store and you want to appeal to the holiday shopper with some great deals.  

We can do that too.

We’re here to make a sign for you that can withstand our Minnesota cold, but also catches the eye of your customer. Through collaborative design and industry leading color-matching techniques, you’ll get exactly what you see on the computer screen. This means one thing: great outdoor signs for your business, and your customer.

Stop in for more information on how we can help you or check out our website.

Local Visibility

The "buy local" movement is gaining momentum across the United States. 44 Sign Company is a St. Cloud based Family owned sign company that specializes in making an impression with creative, high quality and affordable color signage solutions.

44 Sign Company is proud to be an active member in the Greater St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce. we build relationships within the local communities we serve. We do business with our friends, relatives and business associates. We're local and WE CARE!

We invest back into the local economy. We're local, so we can be agile and act quickly. We like to do business face-to-face.

St. Cloud Sign. Photo by Jason Wachter St. Cloud, Minn.

Conducting your business locally has environmental benefits, increases speed of delivery, shortens supply chains and increases certainty and predictability. All of our signs are constructed from the highest quality materials and engineered with precision. Our prices are competitive and our service is astounding.

Stop by and visit, we're right around the corner.

Branding Through Signs

With all of the clutter out there today, it can be very tough to brand your business. Let's face it, with Americans experiencing anywhere from 3,500 to 5,000 marketing messages a day, it can be overwhelming trying to stand out. 

See what we mean?

To top it all off, throw in the multiple marketing avenues through print and web, and it can be hard to decide where to focus your marketing efforts. With all of this information swirling around, it can be easy to forget to give your company a professional image, and one way to do that is through high quality signage. 

Signage is everywhere. We accept that. At the same time, signage is something that shouldn't be ignored. Signs can be placed all over, can draw people's attention, and are an efficient way to spread and communicate your brand. But in order to make your signage stand out in a crowd, it has to be unique. How do you make it unique? Through creativity and high quality color signage solutions you will be unique. Invest in your logo, invest in your signage, and people will notice. Build your brand in multiple places with high quality signage, and build your business. 

Take Your Business Wherever You Go

Vehicle graphics are a low cost, high impact advertising solution for many business owners. Consider the following:

A recent 3M poll showed that 90% of travelers notice the graphics on a wrapped vehicle.

One Scotchprint Graphics truck reached an estimated 40,585 people per day in Chicago.

75% of consumers form impressions about a company based on Fleet graphics.

30% of consumers base buying decisions on impressions they receive from company vehicles.

According to the American Truckers Association the average delivery vehicle makes 16 million visual impressions each year.

The graphic design must be dramatic and eye catching. If your business vehicle is “graphically wrapped”, make sure you park it in a busy traffic area. The cost of the vehicle graphic is typically tax deductible. Consider putting your car to work for your business!

Please, show me a sign ..... any sign.

Creative, effective message

WOW

Really, really good advice

Yes, we're talking to you

Direct and effective

Count your blessings

The eternal question

Everyone uses signs