If your school, university, or commercial property needs large-scale exterior signage, we can help you move from the initial concept to the finished installation. Contact Captivating Signs to discuss your project and request a consultation.
Rosalind Franklin University needed to replace its outdated exterior signage with a more modern, brighter, and bolder visual presence. Captivating Signs was brought in to provide a full-service signage solution, covering the project from consultation and design through fabrication and installation.
The project included two illuminated monument signs and a set of large dimensional letter signage mounted directly to the building’s exterior, including the university’s primary identification and a separate sign for the Rothstein Warden Centennial Learning Center. Because the university wanted the work completed before the new school year, we had to coordinate the removal of the existing signs and installation of the new signage during the summer months.
For us, the project was an opportunity to demonstrate our ability to manage a large-scale institutional signage project while keeping the work on schedule and aligned with the client’s expectations.
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Rosalind Franklin University is an educational institution in North Chicago, Illinois. For this project, the university was looking to modernize its exterior signage and create a brighter, bolder presence across its campus.
The existing signage was outdated, and the university wanted new signs that would better reflect the appearance and identity of the school.
We provided a full-service signage solution for the university, including:
The overall project represented approximately $100,000 in signage work.
The biggest challenge was the timeline. The university needed the old signage removed during the summer and the new signs installed before the new school year began. That created a defined window for removing the existing signs, preparing the new signage, and completing installation.
The existing signs also presented a physical challenge. Removing the two large monument signs required more time and coordination than a standard sign replacement, while the university’s large existing wall sign added another significant component to the removal work.
With the project involving several large exterior signs, maintaining the schedule was essential.
We began by consulting with the client to understand the university signage goals for the updated one. The objective was to move away from the outdated appearance and create signage that felt brighter, bolder, and more current.
Our design process included rigorous proofs, 3D views, and nighttime mockups. These visualizations allowed the client to review how the proposed signage would appear before fabrication, including the illuminated elements.
We also identified that the university’s channel letter design called for a narrower face stroke than the standard 1.5″ typically used for illuminated letters. Accounting for that detail during production helps ensure the finished monument signs illuminate evenly.
The project incorporated aluminum monument signs with back-lit channel letters, along with fabricated aluminum dimensional letters for the building signage. The large scale of the project required careful attention to the design and production of each sign so the finished pieces would meet the approved concepts.
The two monument signs and the building’s dimensional letter signage formed the major components of the project.
The installation phase required the removal of the university’s existing exterior signage before the new signs could be put in place.
Because the university needed the work completed during the summer, we coordinated the removal and installation work around the school’s deadline. The project proceeded smoothly, allowing the new signage to be completed before the start of the new school year.
The combination of early design visualization, detailed consultation, and careful timeline management helped keep the project on schedule and aligned with the university’s expectations. Handling consultation, design, fabrication, removal, and installation as one coordinated project — rather than a single fabrication order — meant we could manage the work through each stage of completion.
The university’s main requirement was clear: the existing signs needed to be removed during the summer, with the new signage installed before the new school year.
We met that expectation. The project was completed within the required timeframe.
The outdated exterior signage was replaced with brighter, bolder signage designed to give the university a more modern appearance, including two illuminated monument signs and new dimensional letter signage across the campus buildings.
The client was happy with both the service and the finished signs. Their expectations were definitely met, and the project delivered the updated appearance they were looking for.
The project gave us valuable experience working on large-scale signage for an educational institution, and we would welcome the opportunity to work on more school and institutional signage projects in the future.
School signage often needs to balance visibility, appearance, durability, and scheduling. This project demonstrates the value of:
We provide full-service signage support, from consultation and design through fabrication and installation. Our team can work on large projects that require detailed design development, multiple sign types, and defined deadlines.
For organizations planning a major signage update in North Chicago or the broader Chicagoland area, we can help develop a project plan based on the property’s needs, desired design, and installation schedule.
If your school, university, or commercial property needs large-scale exterior signage, we can help you move from the initial concept to the finished installation. Contact Captivating Signs to discuss your project and request a consultation.
Yes. The Rosalind Franklin University project included two illuminated monument signs and large dimensional letter signage across multiple campus buildings.
Yes. We provide design proofs, 3D visualizations, and daytime and nighttime views to help clients review the proposed signage before production.
Yes. This project combined illuminated monument signs with non-illuminated dimensional building letters, coordinated as one signage program.
Schools should consider existing sign removal, installation requirements, project size, and the academic calendar when planning a replacement project.
Yes. For this project, the signage work was coordinated around the university’s summer schedule and completed before the new school year.