Montague Charter Academy for the Arts and Sciences is a TK–5 charter school at 13000 Montague Street in Pacoima, home of the Mustangs, and a few blocks from our shop on the same street. When the school’s lightbox signs needed new faces, we made them here and walked them over.
What we built
Two new white acrylic faces for the existing lightbox cabinets. Rather than printing flat graphics, the school name and “For the Arts and Sciences” were cut as black dimensional letters and mounted to the face, and the gray Mustang mascot was printed, laminated and cut to shape, so the sign has depth by day. At night the white acrylic lights up behind the letters, which stay dark and sharp.
Why replace the face and not the sign
A lightbox cabinet lasts decades; its face does not. Sun turns acrylic yellow and brittle, and printed graphics fade. If the cabinet, wiring and lighting are sound, a new face gives the school a new sign for a fraction of the cost of a new cabinet, with no permit for a new structure. We check the lamps or LEDs while the face is off and replace what is tired.
Dimensional letters on a lightbox face
Applied letters on a lit face is a good combination for schools and institutions: it looks more permanent than a print, it reads crisply in daylight, and it lights evenly at night. The letters are cut from black acrylic on our CNC router, the mascot is printed on our wide-format printer, and both are bonded to the face in the shop, as in the photo, so installation on site is quick.
Sign work for schools
We make marquee and lightbox faces, monument signs, banners, wall graphics and ADA signs for schools across the San Fernando Valley. Public schools and charters get the drawings and paperwork they need for approvals. See our Pacoima page or contact us.
Related: our custom outdoor sign services in Los Angeles and outdoor sign installation pages explain how we design, permit, build and install signs like this one.