A new sign for a 3rd generation company
We were contacted by Flamingo Cabinet & Door Company while they were in the process of completely renovating their building in Bellflower, CA. This building had been the home of the company for the past 40 years, and it was starting to show some serious signs of aging. In addition, people just simply couldn't find it, no matter how good their directions were.
They would constantly get calls from customers asking 'where is the building?' 'is this the building?' (it was not) 'how can I find your buildling?'
So as they were moving through their renovations, they reached out Pulling Paint to create some signage that would be highly-visible and would bring their brand front and center.
Let's start with the size
The first step in a lot of lettering projects is getting the size right. Some places have very specific requirements around sizing and others just want it as big as you can make it, but for the most part it's a balancing act to make sure that it's impactful, but without being the only thing there.
We created a handful of different mockups showing what was possible in the space, what went too far, and what was too small. We also went through some text placements, fonts, and colors to get it to a place where everyone was comfortable that the signage they saw on-screen would be the signage they had on their storefront.
Planning, projecting, painting
Planning for projects like these are pretty straightforward, but there are always some specifics that need to be thought through before getting on that wall. For instance, the stucco that they had chosen for the new facade of their building was pretty deeply pitted, so straightforward line work with a roller or similar brush really wasn't an option – we had to find brushes that were much stiffer than we'd use for a smooth surface.
Next, we need to project the artwork on the wall and sketch outlines before we get in there and start to apply paint. Since we're in Southern California, it's summer, and we're outside, this work needs to be done very early or very late. We tend to choose the former, as it gives us a full day after we're done to start putting down color. This means 5am call times, very long extension cords, and a fast pencil.
Once we're planned and projected, we get to actually paint, and paint we did. Lettering on first, then outlines, then the Flamingo graphic, and lastly an address and a bold, black line at the roofline to frame the entire building.
The finished product
While there are always challenges in any mural or signage project, this one went about as smoothly as you could ask for, and turned out looking phenomenal. We wrapped it with a UV protective coating which helps to preserve the paint color for years to come.
Most importantly: the issue of customers no longer being able to find their location is essentially non-existent now, and the entire store brings a much needed pop of color to the area.
Conclusion
This project really got to the heart of why we do what we do: there are a ton of options for displaying your brand, tagline, logo, anything on your business, but being able to hand-paint something that truly looks incredible and will be there for years after is a really cool experience. Plus being able to work on a family business that's been in the area for so long is just a really great feeling.
Also, if you need some killer cabinets or doors, please go check them out! You can find them in the heart of Bellflower.
