While the design of this pylon sign was essentially two-dimensional—in the sense that its message delivering surfaces were limited to two sides—the header component was crucial in creating the illusion of a full, 3D structure. This is because the sign comprises a somewhat flattened form of a 3D shape, which takes advantage of time-of-day shadows and natural outdoor lighting to sell the illusion to the eye.

His ability to make such a critical part of the project turn out exactly as planned is outstanding. In the end, he and the rest of the build team provided the client with the quality product they wanted in a timely manner.

Thereby lies a tale 

However, no lighthouse story would be complete without a climactic battle with the elements and the install phase of this project lived up to these expectations. Atlantic Canada is notorious for its windy conditions (in fact, the sign bases in this part of the country need to be considerably more robust than elsewhere due to our proximity to the ocean and the powerful winds that come with it).

It just so happened, this sign was scheduled to be installed on a very windy and wet spring day. With a deadline looming, Mattatall Signs’ experienced crews defied the wind and rain and in true heroic form had the sign erected in just two days. This gave Wilson’s another two days to prepare before their grand celebration which—like the sign built to mark it—turned out to be a resounding success. The rest is history (or a fisherman’s tale).

Aaron Babcock is a senior graphic designer and has been with Mattatall Signs for 18 years. He takes a leadership role in the development of original creative and also the faithful adaptation of customer-supplied branding in the design and presentation stage of the company’s workflow, and in collaboration with the sales team. He also works closely with the production team to ensure finished products meet design objectives. He attended Crandall University in Moncton as well as the New Brunswick Community College in Fredericton. Babcock can be reached via e-mail at ababcock@mattatall.com.