The 2022 Wisconsin Sign Association (WSA) Fall Conference and Sign Design Contest banquet are more than just education and networking. They’re also about recognizing the amazing design concepts that sign companies bring to life throughout the year in Wisconsin.
The Competition
There were approximately 130 entries in thirteen categories in this year’s design contest. And considering how excellent the winners were, we are super proud that the “climbing tiger” neon sign we designed, built and installed for Merriment Social in Milwaukee took the Best In Show prize.
Sign Design Goals and Inspiration
We checked in with Adrian Esguerra, the designer behind the award winning neon sign. Here’s what he had to say about it.
“The tiger is among the most recognizable and popular of the world’s charismatic megafauna. It is territorial and generally a solitary but social predator. Its stripes tied-in with the interior decor – there is a lot of movement and color. And the printed wooden background of the sign was inspired by “Shou Sugi Ban”, a Japanese method of preserving wood by charring it with fire.” – Adrian
Adrian’s goals for this sign design were twofold:
- Creating a landmark to relate to Merriment Social – something ornate enough one could not help but share photos of it on social media.
- I wanted to create an experience. How would one react when finding a tiger crawling up the side of a building? It ends up in more shared photos.
A few additional thoughts on this award winning neon sign:
- The tiger was masked-painted and hand-painted
- The neon was one of the more challenging patterns applied to any of our signs to date, following the striping pattern of the tiger in orange, white and then yellow for the eyes
- Designed to look as if the tail is carrying the lower portion of the sign
The end result:
- Merriment Social can be proud of its new iconic neon sign. It’s worth roaring about!
