Light and lighting can make a sign be more colorful and kinetic, and change its images into something completely different at night. A Koomin bank's sign first incorporated state-of-the-art technique to introduce the new corporate identity. Recently many sign makers begin to adopt the technique.

Dual-Face Sign Incorpo rating Block-Out Film

Light and lighting can make a sign more colorful and kinetic, and change its images into something completely different at night. A Koomin bankÕs sign first incorporated state-of-the-art technique to introduce the new corporate identity. Recently many sign makers begin to adopt the technique. Strengthening Visibility In Korea, flexible-faced signs exceeded the other kinds of signs in number. Most of signs have been come out with in identical colors and shapes, which results in the uniform landscape of the streets. Now, it is time to consider the use of the new technology. It may be state-of-the art sign technology that by lighting up, background colors on signs are entirely different from colors in the daytime. Despite of internal lighting fixtures, flexible-faced signs display similar colors all day. Yet special vinyl application achieves unique signs, creating different environment in the daytime and nighttime. At the end of last year, to introduce new corporate identity, Kookmin Bank began the replacement of all their signs. When it comes to Kookmin bankÕs signs, white and yellow ÔKB, ¦SBÕ letters are on warm gray background color in the daytime. However as the background color is getting darker and darker into black at a night, the letters is getting much brighter the nighttime. Magic Artwork If understanding media used for the sign application, we can find out how the sign works. It is by no means surprising to substrate and material manufacturer, but it is more likely to be considered as a magic artwork. Technically speaking, a flexible-faced material is tensioned on aluminum frame, and then a warm gray vinyl, light-blocking film is applied on the flexible-faced material. A yellow vinyl is cut and put on KB and ¦SB letters for lighting application. Accordingly, at night, despite of lighting up, the only name of the company should be visible to people. It looks like channel letter. ÒThe primary purpose of the sign is to strengthen visibility and to deliver different images in the daytime and nighttime.Ó Design team of Dsign Focus Inc, explained. Experimental Attempt It is lighting-blocking vinyl that was used for the background of the sign. It functions as a material stopping a light from emitting toward the outside. Even though the material was introduced ten years ago in Korea, the material has still been in low demand due to Korean customerÕs tendency to stick to brighter lighting. Practically, on the point of blocking internal lighting out, light-blocking vinyl is almost similar to opaque film. However, an opaque film cannot completely prevent light from emitting toward the outside. A block out film incorporates layers of entirely insulating light. Because this kind of material is highly costly, the materials are primarily used for channel letter, which requires relatively a small quantity for sign application. Since many people have become sick and tired flexible-faced signs, newly developed techniques has been applied for sign application. Block-out film application is one of the experimental attempts to transform ÒmonotonousÓ flexible-faced sign into more particular job in the night. As if In last year, digitally printed signs came into fashion in Korean outdoor advertising market, however signs, which express different colors between daytime and nighttime, will be more likely to create sign trend for next year. So block-out films are expected to be in high demand. Price Consideration The signs incorporating block-out film have a positive effect on the outdoor advertising market. Even though the signs incorporating the substrates receive the most output technology press, we do not have to apply the signs without considering the harmony with a design concept. Its high price is one of the biggest challenges for sign application. Despite the substrate manufacturersÕ different prices, the block-out films are much more expensive than the others, which results in increasing the sign production costs. And the different images between daytime and nighttime enhance the visibility, however the uninformed design has the negative effects on sign industry.