Buffalo & Rye
When Only the Best Will Do
We love working with creative companies such as Bitters n’ Twisted, so when we were offered the opportunity to quote for their latest venture, we jumped to it!
Our client wanted his new sign to be rustic. This meant sourcing the right materials. We went on the hunt for materials which would stand the test of time as well as give an authentic vintage feel. For the main external bar sign, we approached a scaffold company and purchased some of their old boards. these were then treated to ensure a long life, stained using three different wood stains and varnised using a satin finish external life product. We then sprayed this with a matte finish lacquer to age it a little.
All of the panels were secured to a piece of marine ply using stainless steel screws to ensure that it was strong. We then found an old Iron Mongers which has been trading for 95 years and purchased the oldest fixings that we could find. This was purely for aesthetics.
Once this was done, the sign painting began. Using One Shot signwriters paints, we hand painted the logo onto the scaffold boards. This took two of us a total of 4 hours to do. It really was a labour of love!
Our client wanted to illuminate the sign with “Olde Style” swan neck lights, the problem is…to be energy efficient, these need to be new. Having tried various suppliers to find such lights, we decided that we could do better and purchased the new, shiny energy efficient lights and made them look old. To do this we sanded them back, primed them and then using two colours of matte spraypaint, we created an old metal looking light.
Finishing touches
The restaurant was to have a large smoked mirror wall and felt that a spray painted image of Elvis would help to finish it off.
Our graphic designers set the artwork and made a stencil from this. We then spray painted it whilst installing the other signs.
The same technique was used for the toilet signs.
When the right spray paint is used, the effect is amazing and the product will last for years.
Projecting Sign
The projecting sign required was to look a little more modern but still to be made from wood.
We cut this from marine ply on our CNC and also cut the letters from the same sheet. We then sealed the edges, primed and painted it.
What Bar is Complete without a Spot of Neon?
No bar is complete without a spot of neon right? Bitters n’ Twisted certainly think so. They asked us to design an orange neon sign to help warm up the overall feel of the restaurant.
We produced an acrylic case to protect the sign, applied vinyl to the back of it so that the sign can be read when not illuminated and then set about blowing the glass.
We feel that it really does set the ambiance of the restaurant as well as helping to draw in passers by.
“When it comes to our brand and our restaurant, only the best signage; inside and out would do. Having worked with HNS Signs previously on another one of our sites, we knew their skills, passion and their attention to detail would do the job and do it well.
After giving a pretty tight remit on the signage lighting requirements, HNS Signs provided a better, more affordable and longer lasting solution – we really are thrilled with not just the aesthetics of the signs, but HNS’s ability to source something beyond our requirements to make it long-lasting, energy efficient and cost effective.
Overall, we are very happy with our signage, inside and out which really adds to who we are and sets the stage for our atmosphere.”
Matt Scriven – Bitters n’ Twisted
