A week allows little time to fabricate all of a new retail location’s storefront and signage, yet Austin,TX-based Ion Art completed five such projects this October alone. The architectural signage is for Kendra Scott, a jewelry retailer with a yellow color scheme and a golden touch. Ion Art already has 20 more stores on its schedule (and 50 complete), part of a 300-store rollout that began in 2010. These week-long windows of opportunity require collaborating with general contractors, other suppliers and vendors, and pleasing both govern-mental authorities as well as local landlords.
通常情况下，为一所新商铺制作店面标识，一周的时间是完成不了的。但是，德州奥斯汀市的Ion Art公司仅今年10月份就完成了五个这样的项目。该建筑标识是为珠宝零售商Kendra Scott制作的，其配色方案为黄色，展现出金色的格调。Ion Art公司从2010年开始已经制作了300个店面标识，目前在其计划中的有20多个项目。这些为其一周的项目都需要与总承包商、其他供应商合作，并征得政府当局和当地老板的同意。
Every store begins with an entrepreneur and an idea. Founder Kendra Scott built her brand from a startup in her spare bedroom into a multimillion-dollar company. In doing so, she needed considerable design and architectural help. Sharon Keshishian, president of Ion Art, recalled being introduced to the store’s namesake by an architectural firm that did not end up remaining with the project. “We got along very well with Kendra,” Sharon said. “She liked the quality of our work, from design through complete installation, and also our being a small and personal local company.”
每家商铺的发展都始于一个企业家和一个经营理念。Kendra Scott的品牌创立就是创始人坎德拉·斯科特从卧室规模大小的商铺，一步步发展成为贸易额达数百万美元的大公司。在这一过程中，需要相当大的设计工作量和建筑学方面的辅助工作。Ion Art公司总裁莎伦·凯西西恩回忆道，她是被一家为Kendra Scott标识项目做了一半的建筑公司介绍来的。莎伦说：“我们和坎德拉沟通地很好，她对我们从设计到安装过程的工作质量很满意，同时对我们服务于小型个人公司这点也很满意。”
A period of refinement
精装细化期
At first, according to Sharon, Kendra Scott planned only three stores, all in Texas. “We did a lot of brainstorming early on,” Sharon said, “to develop all the various architectural signage elements, as well as many of the store’s other branding facets, such as tables, planters, drawer handles and special fixtures.”
据莎伦说，起初Kendra Scott计划在德州只开三家商铺。她说：“我们前期进行多次头脑风暴讨论会，所有类型的建筑标识元素都有涉及到，还有许多其他的品牌元素，例如桌子、花盆、抽屉把手以及专用夹具。”
“We would take drawings from those brainstorming sessions and turn them into shapes and 3D forms,” said Kris Woo, Ion Art’s chief operating officer who also had a hand in the initial Kendra Scott design concepts. “We did a lot of tests with samples and played with LEDs to check the lighting and the warmth of colors,” she said. Though the process at first was slow and drawn out, it accomplished the important goal of standardizing most of the store’s elements. Kendra Scott herself changed and refined the look and feel of her stores somewhat over the first couple of years and [the first] few locations. Ion Art continued to work closely with Kendra to carry out those changes.
Ion Art公司首席运营官克里斯·伍尔也参与了最初的Kendra Scott设计工作，她说：“我们将头脑风暴讨论会上设计的图文做成模型和3D样式，做了多次样品测试，用LED来检测照明和色调。”尽管该过程一开始进行地缓慢且悠长，但是它已经实现了将大部分商铺元素标准化的重要目标。坎德拉·斯科特自己在最初几年里，已经改善了商铺的外观和带给人们的感觉。Ion Art公司会继续和坎德拉密切合作，对商铺标识不断地完善改进。
Ultimately, Kendra settled on a logo of four stylized circles interlocking to create a classic wood-print flower image. Ion Art integrated this basic shape into a repeating pattern for the storefront’s “screen,” which serves as the background to the projecting and wall signs themselves. This high-end, refined look, perfect for a jewelry store, helped to brand the first few stores, and the expansion schedule began. As the rollouts increased in pace, Ion Art stayed in stride. To streamline the design-to-finished-product, all designs that Ion Art is responsible for are com-piled into art books by designer Mali Recai. Each unique store’s art book is delivered to its landlord six months prior to fabrication for review and sign-off. Then, Ion Art schedules its critical week’s work.
坎德拉最后选定了一个四环相扣风格的标志，创建出经典花样图案。Ion Art公司将这种基本花样放进模具内做出许多同样的图案，作为店面标识的背景。这种高端、精致的完美契合珠宝商铺的标识，在最初几家商铺中奠定了品牌知名度，随后该珠宝商铺就开始了扩张计划。随着该珠宝商铺的规模不断扩大，Ion Art公司依旧与其进行合作，为其标识做进一步的完善。为了简化从设计到完成制作的过程，Ion Art公司所有的设计都被编入设计师马里·瑞蔡的作品集里了。每个独特商铺的标识设计书要在制作前六个月，交给商铺负责人审查批准。然后，Ion Art公司就要安排为其一周的重要工作。
The 168-hour marathon
168小时马拉松
“After the design, it’s hammer down,” said Eric Makela, the company’s project director, architectural fabrication. “I do a site survey and measure everything, then it’s back to the shop to sit down with the art department.” From there, production artists make the designs into workable files, which are routed, cut and welded. Ion Art employs an AXYZ Automation router to cut all of its plastics, aluminum and wood, and a MultiCam CNC Plasma for steel cutouts. All of Ion’s welders, such as the Millermatic 252, come from Miller and are set up to weld both steel and aluminum. Ion also uses Miller TIG welders for more specialty welding.
Ion Art公司项目总监埃里克·马科拉说：“设计完成之后，就要着手制作了。我做了现场勘察并进行了测量，然后再回到商铺与设计人员进行探讨。”这时制作商就按照设计稿做出经数控、切割以及焊接成型的可用零件。Ion Art公司使用AXYZ自动数控设备来切割所有的塑料、铝型材和木制品，用MultiCam公司的CNC等离子设备做出钢制花样。Ion公司所有的焊接设备都来自Miller公司，例如Millermatic 252，都是用来焊接钢制品和铝型材的。Ion公司还使用Miller TIG焊接设备来完成专业的焊接过程。
All of the aluminum and acrylic elements are dispensed to fabricators to finish by hand. “Then comes painting and reassembly, test lighting and inspection,” he said. Ion Art uses Matthews Paint System’s Low-VOC Satin line for all its painting needs. Next, the completed storefront and sign-age elements are loaded up and delivered, the whole process taking just one week. On occasion, a specific landlord will require work with a particular vendor, which is fine, according to Eric, but a rare circumstance.
所有的铝型材和亚克力小零件都是制作商手工完成的。他说：“接下来就是喷涂和重组、测试照明和检查过程。”Ion Art公司使用Matthews Paint System公司的低端VOCSatin系列设备进行所有的喷涂过程。接下来，整个店面标识的安装过程只有一个星期的时间。有时，一个特定的商铺需要和特定的供应商合作，据埃里克说，这是最好不过的，但是也是非常罕见的情况。
Consistency within a range
同一范围内保持一致性
Kendra Scott demands a consistent, but not cookie-cutter, look. Different locations, dimensions, local signage codes and other considerations also require customized designs. “We have about 20 different versions to match specific locations’ needs,” Eric said of the range of designs required.
Kendra Scott要求标识有一致的外观，但是并不是要千篇一律的。不同的位置、规模、当地标识准则以及其他注意事项也需要个性化的设计。埃里克对设计范围的需求进行了说明：“我们有20种不同的样式来匹配特定位置标识的需求。”
A question that comes up often with inspectors is: Where does the architectural (construction) aspect end and the storefront signage begin? In short, it depends. “The pattern in the storefront screen is also something that varies,” Kris said. “The color bar on the wall has to be measured every time.”
核查人员经常会遇到的问题是：建筑（结构）装饰范围在哪里截止，店面标识又从哪里开始？简而言之，它是视情况而定的。克里斯说：“店面的标识设计也是各不相同的，墙上的颜色条都需要进行测量的。”
Despite these variances, everything still has to happen quickly. “Sometimes something looks good on paper,” Kris said, “but when it’s built the client wants to go in a different direction.” Sharon agreed: “We have so little time to do our part after the architect and GC have done theirs.” When adjustments have to happen, the team at Ion Art acts quickly.
尽管存在这些差异，所有的工作还是要尽快完成。克里斯说：“有时在纸上看起来不错的设计，按照客户的想法做成以后就完全不尽人意。”莎伦同意道：“在建筑师和GC完成他们的工作之后，我们只剩很少的时间来完成我们负责的部分了。”当需要对项目进行调整时，Ion Art公司的团队会迅速配合起来。
This yellow rose going nationwide
这朵黄玫瑰风靡全国
Having expanded well outside of Texas, Kendra Scott’s new bright yellow locations are taking Ion Art’s team all over the US. “The logistics are the big challenge now,” Sharon said, citing travel times that further squeeze a busy schedule. It helps to have the right people, Eric said, to clear unexpected hurdles. Ion Art’s newfound efficiency has allowed them to fit five “weeks” into a single month.
Kendra Scott珠宝商铺扩展了德州以外的其他地域，目前正带着Ion Art公司团队将新型亮黄标识传遍整个美国。莎伦说：“后勤管理是目前我们面临最大的挑战。”埃里克说：“它有助于我们找到合适的人选，以避免意想不到的障碍。”Ion Art公司新推出的政策可以让他们适应一个月有“五周”的工作模式。
“We’ve been surprised at how fast Kendra Scott has grown as a store,” Kris said. “We didn’t expect 300 stores in five years when she was first starting out in Austin.” New locations Eric recently visited, one in California, the other in Miami, are set to open soon. Looks like Ion Art is set as a jewel in the crown of one of the faster-growing retailers of its kind in the US.
克里斯说：“我们惊讶于Kendra Scott成长为一个全国性商铺的速度，她在奥斯汀开第一家店时，我们根本没有想到五年之内会发展为300家门店。”埃里克最近访问了两家新店址，一个在加州，另一个在迈阿密，不久就要开业了。Ion Art公司看起来就像是王冠上的宝石一样，它在美国同类型企业中是其中一家快速发展的零售商。
About Ion Art
关于Ion Art
Ion Art Inc. was founded by husband-and-wife team Greg and Sharon Keshisian in 1986 to create and sell neon art. Over time it has grown into a “design-build” shop, employing a wide range of employees skilled in glass and metal work. Over the past 20 years, Ion Art has compiled a list of increasingly high-profile clients, and continues to offer unique neon and custom signage, architectural lighting and environmental solutions.
Ion Art公司是由夫妻团队格雷格和莎伦·凯西西恩在1986年创立的，是一家制作销售霓虹灯艺术的公司。随着时间的推移，它已经发展成为一家设计商铺，雇佣了一大批精通玻璃和金属加工的技术人员。在过去20年里，Ion Art公司与许多备受瞩目的客户合作过，并且会继续供应独特的霓虹灯和定制标识、建筑照明和环境解决方案。
