Three-dimensional acrylic, custom LED signs are very frequently referred to as Sky Signs. While the materials and methods used in creating sky signs are mostly similar to the ones used in other acrylic shop boards, the term ‘Sky Signs’ has a slightly different connotation in the signage industry. Let me explain why.
Use Case Scenarios for Sky Signs
Sky signs, as the name suggests are installed at very high locations. Ten storeys and higher buildings have become the norm in many Indian cities and there is an increasing demand for signs to be installed on top of the same. The reason is obvious. The higher a sign is installed, the greater its visibility.
Large signboards on top of skyscrapers can sometimes be viewed from kilometres away and have the potential to become prominent identifying marks on a city’s skyline. Drive down the expressway heading into Pune city and you will see huge signs atop tall buildings on both sides of the road.
Challenges in Executing a Sky Sign Project
Sky Signs, as a separate category in the signage industry, have some unique characteristics, such as:
- The size of the letters and logos on a sky sign are significantly larger than the ones installed on storefronts. We routinely fabricate individual letters of 6 feet, 8 feet and even larger. An average 15 storey building shoots up to almost 200 feet in the air.
Signs on the shops at road level have letters of 2 or 3 feet at the most. But 3-feet high letters would become insignificant and in fact, almost invisible when installed on such a tall building.
- We also need to use stronger, thicker, heavier and more robust materials to account for this increase in the size of the letters.
- Moreover, sky signs are generally exposed to very high-speed winds all year round. Gale force winds at elevated locations can play havoc with signs. There have been instances of the wind unmooring or uprooting letters from their base.
- Open to sky signs are also significantly impacted by rain and harsh sunlight. Signs need to be fabricated out of materials that do not corrode. Moreover, the electronic components of sky signs, namely the LEDs, the power supply and associated wiring all need to be waterproof to avoid short circuits and fire hazards.
- Installing a sky sign on the side of a tall building can incur an additional cost of scaffolding. Accessing high places is difficult. If there are no means to reach the outside wall on the seventh storey of a building, we need to get a ‘pahaad’ or bamboo scaffold erected to do the same.
You need to keep this factor in mind when planning for your sky sign job.
How Are Sky Signs Fabricated at Orchid Digitals
At Orchid Digitals, we take particular care when commissioned for Sky Sign projects. Here are the points that are generally addressed.
- Robustness of the signs: Sky signs are almost always made of aluminium channel letters. The aluminium profile used is also pretty thick. When the sides and back of the letters are made of metal, the letters become extremely strong. The acrylic sheet fixed on the front of the letter has a thickness of 5 mm in place of the more standard 3 mm. The materials’ thickness and strength ensure that our sky signs do not crack or break in adverse weather conditions.
- Since the individual letters are made of aluminium, they do not corrode or degrade over time.
- The LED modules and driver (power supply) that go into making our signs have an IP67 rating. This means that they are waterproof and will not get damaged on exposure to water.
- We deploy a scaffolding team for fixing Sky Signs on the sides of buildings, and ‘jhoolas‘ or platform lifts suspended from ropes. I even remember one hotel sign project on Baner Road, where we brought in a crane to hoist a heavy 6-foot circular-shaped sign, 4 storeys high.