Application Spotlight: Answering the Call of the Customer

Customer: FIT2RUN

Location: Orlando, FL

Production Shop: Signs Now Bradenton

Project: Create a retail environment for the FIT2RUN store in Orlando

Any broad project that is going to be successful relies on the cooperative talents and discipline of a good working team. And for Signs Now in Bradenton, FL, one of the first Signs Now franchises in the country, that is certainly one of the reasons for its success.

Since 1988, Signs Now Bradenton has maintained high standards when serving local and national companies’ graphics needs. The current owners, Brian and Debbie Lamb, bought two sign centers (Bradenton and Sarasota) in early 2010 and have focused their talents on providing high quality products in a timely and competitive manner while managing some challenging projects. "We try to add value to their customer’s vision," says Brian Lamb. They also rely on a talented support team of graphics, production, installation, and customer service employees to make the customer experience a positive one.

Fit2Run was created from assessing the needs of area runners. Fit2Run is a 3rd generation sports company that offers new ways to help runners find the perfect shoe. Trained sales associates guide customers through an extensive selection of footwear, apparel, home fitness equipment, and accessories including performance eyewear and GPS wrist personal trainers. FIT2RUN turned to Signs Now Bradenton when it was looking to outfit its retail stores with a hip, upbeat, and vibrant look and design.

"The vision for the Orlando store project came from the FIT2RUN executive team," says Lamb. "They wanted to bring the running experience to the next level of support, comfort, technology, physicality, and enjoyment. They also wanted to attract the public with this well placed, attractive store in the Florida Mall and secure a consumer following through their programs and events."

The graphics were developed by an independent graphics designer through the direction of FIT2RUN's Marketing director along with many of the running / footwear and apparel suppliers and modifications by the Signs Now team.

The Orlando store was Signs Now’s second collaborative store project with FIT2RUN. According to Lamb, Fit2Run develops the main store concept and the Signs Now team works with the FIT2RUN marketing director in working out specific design layouts for the stores that will look great when printed and recommend the materials to be used that will provide the best effect. "An example of this is the 'Cash Wall'. We suggested placing the mural on PVC and using Velcro to attach it to the wall. This allows it to be replaced about every six months to put a new image up," says Lamb. Once the design is approved, Signs Now worked with the FIT2RUN vice president on construction and installation.

"Our portion of the project probably involves about four to six weeks of work although the store project may have been conceived six to twelve months previously," says Lamb. For the overall graphics, the graphic designer works with FIT2RUN's marketing director to finalize the graphics and then they are submitted to Signs Now. Once the graphics are in the hands of Sign Now, the shop orders substrate material, cuts and shapes the substrate materials (the contour cuts are subbed out locally), prints the graphics, assembles the prints, applies touch ups, packages the signs for transport. Once the graphics are at the store, the Signs Now team take two to three days to install the graphics.

"The hanging graphics are meant to be up for two to three years but the wall graphics can change about every six to twelve months," says Lamb. "Many of the wall graphics are mounted on PVC with Velcro on the back and then mounted to the wall. These can be taken down and new graphics put in place as styles or trends change. A lot of hardware considerations need to be addressed since the signs will be in the public and therefore they must be durable to touch and safe when hung. We laminate almost all of the signs since the public may be touching the final product."

Signs Now only uses high end vinyl from 3M and Oracal on these jobs. Most of the hanging signs utilize a foam core type product because of its light weight. An HP Designjet 9000 printer is the work horse for Signs Now's production although they have recently moved to an HP Designjet L25500 for the bulk of their current and future printing, giving the shop faster turnaround times because they no longer need to wait 12 to 24 hours before laminating the prints.

Signs Now Bradenton also just completed the graphic installation in FIT2RUN's sixth and newest location in downtown St. Petersburg, FL.