As I write this blog, I’m staring out the window of my 11th floor room at the Vdara Suites in Las Vegas.
Although not the most encompassing view of Sin City (just ask our CEO, Ryan), the sights are still breathtaking for a person who spends the bulk of his days viewing the flatness and prairies of North Dakota.
In the distance, you can see the faint semblance of mountainous peaks, but the beauty of the nature surrounding this valley is overshadowed by the architectural magnificence that makes up the Vegas Strip. If you couldn’t already tell by the way I’m romanticizing this place, it’s my first time visiting Las Vegas.
Ryan (CEO of Office Sign Company), Jamey (OSC’s Production Manager), and I are in town for the 2017 International Awards and Personalization Expo at the Rio. The walk from our hotel to the convention center across the highway is about a half hour, which gave us all an adequate amount of time to gawk at the incredible signage we saw on our way.
Being sign folks, our whole lives are altered by our profession. Every time I enter a new venue, the first thing my eyes are drawn to are the signs. Whether it’s a poster in a snap frame, an ADA room marker, or a custom illuminated logo sign, it doesn’t matter. I’m learning that sign people aren’t the only ones whose sights are automatically drawn to signage. We met an older gentleman at the Bellagio last night who was formerly involved in marketing for a university in Texas. He said everywhere he goes now, he’s looking at billboards to see how other companies are branding themselves. He also wanted to make sure that we print colors correctly when we’re given a PMS value (don’t worry; we do).
Needless to say, our walking around Sin City has gotten me thinking that this town would be more aptly named Sign City. The spectacle of both traditional and digital signage that make up the infrastructure of downtown is truly incredible. Right across the street from us is a curved, wrap-around, 500 ft. wide (estimating) LED message center that has some of the highest quality imaging I’ve ever seen. I saw a Dolce & Gobana sign that bent in with the contours of the building, and a branded sign on the facade of Polo Towers that looked as though it was inspired by a holiday lights parade. The whole city has the appearance of a sedentary parade.
Even the sign outside our room is amazing. LED lights illuminate the room number, as tactile and braille graces the bottom of the sign to pass compliance inspections. Simply walking through the corridors of this impressive facility has bestowed upon me about 100 million ideas for new prototypes (prepare yourself, production team!) for when we return to Fargo.
I had been warned that I would fall in love with the signage in Vegas, I just wasn’t convinced how awe-inspiring it truly was until I got here. In all honesty, I’m glad I waited 23 years to visit this town. If I weren’t working for Office Sign Company, I may have never fully grasped the true beauty that is Si(g)n City.
Below are a collection of my favorite sign shots from this week in Vegas. My apologies for the imperfection of the photos – I didn’t have my usual photographer (@Bri Lee) with on this trip. Enjoy!
Written By: Jack Yakowicz
Marketing Manager for Office Sign Company
Contact at jack@officesigncompany.com
