60 www.signlink.co.uk Issue 252 - April / May 2024 “The team at Voodoo decided that the window could be pressed to another purpose and set about obscuring the view to the A38 outside with etch effect film,” Metamark says, adding: “Somewhere on the journey, it was suggested that the etch film could be printed and thoughts veered instantly to something that might look like a stained-glass window. In the event, the creative team settled on a design that has mural-like dimensions and design - it depicts an astronaut floating in space.” Voodoo worked up the design and used Metamark Etch Effect films, printed on an HP Latex 560 printer, in its own production department to make the graphics. The Voodoo installation team then fitted the finished article on the interior of the windows. “Voodoo is modest to the extent that it claims that the effect the graphic delivers is an accident but despite that, it’s quite the event,” Metamark says. “To anyone coming up the stairs, it’s never the same feast twice. Prevailing weather on the outside and the time of day affect the whole mood of the piece. Sometimes the astronaut floats in murky gloom, at other times all the vented gasses in the mural are alive with bright sun and coloured tones. “Whatever the weather, it’s better than a ▲ FASTSIGNS Kitchener-Waterloo used Drytac’s Polar Smooth 150 for these windows suitable for use in a range of projects, and we look forward to seeing how our customers use the film to produce all manner of creative applications.” As for existing products, Drytac is not short of examples of customers using its materials in creative ways to produce stunning window graphics. Over in Canada, the Kitchener-Waterloo branch of the FASTSIGNS franchise network worked with Drytac’s Polar Smooth 150 matte white polymeric to create window graphics promoting a major development project in the local area. FASTSIGNS Kitchener-Waterloo partnered with HIP Developments on a project in the Gaslight District, focusing on the transformation of an older building and making more commercial space available for lease. Here, the company created 32 window graphics, each measuring approximately 3ft wide x 6ft high. The main challenge for FASTSIGNS Kitchener-Waterloo was ensuring that the graphics would perform well in the harsh Ontario winter. After consulting with Drytac, it opted for Polar Smooth 150, printing the graphics in-house on its Epson SureColor SC-S60600. “The customer was extremely happy with the final application,” FASTSIGNS Kitchener-Waterloo’s owner Rob Richmond says, adding: “The punchy designs that the agency came up with were great and the Drytac product performed exactly how we wanted it to, with no edge curl or lifting following such a cold installation.” Another project featuring Drytac materials comes from Carbon Graphics Group, also based in Canada, which used ViziPrint Deco + to produce window graphics for the nearby Norquest College. This formed part of a wider signage project at the college, with Carbon Graphics Group being tasked with printing and installing 38 panels, each measuring 58” x 130”. Working with the Drytac material, the company used its Canon Arizona 460 to print the graphics in a three-layer process: CMYK + white + CMYK. Carbon Graphics Group’s general manager Gord Olsen says that this approach allowed the company to meet required colour standards and ensure consistency with the other elements of the wayfinding package. “We chose this product based on our history of using ViziPrint on past projects,” Olsen says, adding: “We find that the material performs exceptionally well from a print perspective and our installers find that the material is easy to work with on-site. The installation was completed over three days and the customer was extremely pleased with the outcome.” Out of This World Also heavily involved with this sector is Metamark, which, like Drytac, has a wide range of products on offer, with these being used in many creative ways. One such customer is Bristol-based Voodoo DesignWorks, a design-led signs and graphics producer that used Metamark Etch Effect films to decorate windows at its own facility in Aztec West. One of the stairwells at the company’s site features floor to ceiling windows, which Voodoo chose to decorate with graphics to create an architectural statement from the building’s exterior. Several ideas were floated as to what the graphics should look like, with the team eventually settling on a clever design, depicting an astronaut floating in space, in a way that mirrors a traditional stained-glass effect. ◄Carbon Graphics Group worked with ViziPrint Deco + from Drytac to produce window graphics for the nearby Norquest College Drytac’s ReTac Duo, a new, doublesided mounting adhesive, is now available to purchase in regions around the world Factoid WINDOW GRAPHICS
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