Every square foot counts when making a bold first impression—especially along one of Calgary’s busiest roads. For Cedarglen Living’s Mintoft Place sales centre, visibility and design needed to work hand in hand. That’s where we came in. From trailer reskins to floating acrylic prints, this project was all about smart signage with maximum curb appeal.

The scope

Cedarglen Living is our client for the Mintoft Place project on Blackfoot Trail. They were looking for a reskin on the exterior of a sales trailer, updated signage inside the trailer, and a solution to maximize visibility along a busy roadway. We are proud to have built a partnership with Cedarglen Living over various projects. Their estimating manager, Raleigh Thomas, engaged Sleek on the scoping and solution building. Together, we created a unique solution that was budget-conscious while maximizing the impact.

The project

Discussions began at the beginning of February. I met the team at the site a couple of times over the last two weeks of February to discuss signage solutions, take photos and measurements, and then production and installation took place over the month of March. Production and installation will continue as new phases become available.

This project had three components: the exterior of the sales trailer, the interior of the sales trailer, and the visibility component along Blackfoot Trail. The sales centre was scheduled to open on March 28, so all these items needed to be produced and installed before that date.

Krystal Nicholson took the lead on design for Cedarglen Living. Her creativity and capability to take our templated measurements and bring the project to life showed true talent.

The phases

A complete reskin was needed for the exterior of the trailer. We used aluminum composite (ACM) panels to replace the existing panels. ACM is a lightweight but rigid and durable material that offers a weather-resistant solution for outdoor signage. We direct print ultraviolet (UV) ink on our Digitech printer, then skid shipped the panels to the site. To cover all sides of the trailer, we produced 43.8 m (144 ft) of 1.2-m x 2.4-m (4-ft x 8-ft) ACM panels.

Exterior

While the interior of the trailer was being updated by the Cedarglen Living team, we discussed the best use of space along the site. There is an existing fence running the length of the property, which we decided to mount mesh banners to. Mesh banners allow wind to pass through, reducing wind load, while solid banners can easily catch the wind, putting stress on the banner and the fence, which can cause tearing or structural damage.

These mesh banners were printed on our UV roll-to-roll printers, tape-seamed, then grommeted. Phase one for the banners consisted of five 6.09-m x 1.2-m (20-ft x 4-ft) banners with a “Coming Soon” message. For phase two, the “Coming Soon” portion was replaced with a “Now Selling” message, and 32 additional 6.09-m x 1.2-m (20-ft x 4-ft) mesh panels were mounted to the chain link fence, along with 12 1.52-m x 1.2-m (5-ft x 4-ft) logo banners.

Cedarglen Living also requested two 2.4-m x 2.4-m (8-ft x 8-ft) skid signs for the site entrance. A skid sign sits on top of the ground, and when built properly, can be moved to a different location as the site changes. It is a wood frame with two 1.2-m x 2.4-m (4-ft x 8-ft) direct-printed ACM panels for the graphic.

Interior

For the interior of the trailer, a wall mural, a tabletop map, and acrylic signage were requested. For the wall mural, we printed and laminated vinyl decals in panels to cover a 3,302-mm x 2,692-mm (130-in. x 106-in.) space. Lining up the print is key when dealing with a graphic that your audience will be standing directly in front of.

The tabletop graphic was placed underneath an existing glass panel, so we chose a thin, tear-resistant polystyrene material that would easily slide into place. It was printed on the same flatbed press on which the ACM panels were produced.

For an elegant and professional look, acrylic prints showcased the unit layouts, floor plans, and drone photos mounted to the walls. When you print “second surface,” the image is printed on the back of the acrylic panel, so you’re looking through the clear surface. It is then backed with a white decal so the image isn’t washed out. This gives the print a more polished, high-end look. These panels were mounted with a spacer so that they look like they’re floating off the surface of the wall.

The setback

We had a setback with the delivery of the skidded panels of ACM for the exterior of the trailer. A brand-new construction site lacks full staffing and the equipment to receive a skid of product. A quick pivot—sending staff to the site and making sure to keep communication open with the client—and we were back up and running.

The partnership

The Mintoft Place project is an excellent example of what can happen when thoughtful design meets practical execution. From high-impact roadside visibility to polished interior finishes, every detail served a purpose. Raleigh and the team at Cedarglen Living are a pleasure to work with. They have creative ideas with realistic expectations. I can’t wait to partner with them on our next project.

Jenn Aimoto is an account executive at Sleek Signs.