The Banff Sign Co., which was co-founded in 1986 by Larry Whan, recently changed ownership. As the only sign shop within Alberta’s Banff or Jasper National Parks, the company continues to keep busy serving a very specific niche.
由Larry Whan于1986年联合创办的班夫标识有限公司最近改变了所有权。作为阿尔伯塔省班夫和贾斯珀国家公园内唯一一家的标识商店，该公司一直针对特定的利基市场保持服务。
Bylaws in Banff, Jasper and Lake Louise, Alta., mandate dimensional wooden signs with no internal illumination, which are the artisan shop’s specialty. It sources kiln-dried Western red cedar from British Columbia, clearcoats it for long-term durability and custom-fabricates signs for dozens of hotels and hundreds of restaurants and other businesses in the parks, in many cases creatively exploiting the sunlight reflectivity of 23-karat gold leaf to make up for the absence of electrical illumination.
从保护班夫、贾斯珀国家公园和路易斯湖的角度出发，其规章制度要求在公园内不保留拥有照明功能的木质标识，而制作这种木质标识就是工匠手工商店的专利了。他们通常采购来自英国哥伦比亚省的干燥的西部红雪松木，并且长期为采购回来的木材涂上清漆以保持材料的耐久性。他们已为公园中的数十家酒店和数百家餐馆以及其他企业定制过标识，在许多情况下他们创造性地利用23K的金箔片来反射阳光以达到弥补电气照明缺失的目的。

Schooled in sign arts
在标识艺术中学习
Whan moved to Banff as a self-described hippie with little more than a guitar. After a friend paid him to paint a banner, he decided he could make a business out of it. He teamed up with Gord Fisher to found the Banff Sign Co.
Whan将自己看作是一个嬉皮士，当他搬迁到班夫时，只随身携带了一把吉他。在他朋友有偿让他画了一幅横幅后，他认为他可以借此建立事业，于是他与戈德·费希尔合作创办了班夫标识公司。
After Fisher passed away in 1993, Whan took over the entire business and continued to build its profile by diligently perfecting his craft of carving and finishing wooden signs for stores, restaurants, hotels, resorts and other local attractions. As his reputation grew, he also shared this craft with others, hosting workshops at the Banff School of Sign Arts and educating students from around the world in specialized skills like hand-carving and glass-gilding.
在费希尔于1993年去世后，Whan接管了店内的所有业务，并继续通过完善他的雕刻技术和完成用于商店、餐馆、酒店、度假村和其他当地景点的木质标识工艺来建立自己的形象。随着他的名声越来越高，他还与其他人分享了这一技艺，在班夫标识艺术学院创建工作坊，并为来自世界各地的学生提供手工雕刻和玻璃镀金等专业技能的学习。
Indeed, Banff’s booming tourism industry brought global attention to Whan’s work, which played a major role in defining the look of the town. While his unique style was particular to the local market, some visitors from away who appreciated the esthetic ended up ordering their own wooden signs from him after they returned home, thus extending his artistic influence.
事实上，班夫蓬勃发展的旅游业引起了全球对Whan工作的关注，Whan的工作在提升城市面貌方面发挥了重要作用。正是因为他独特的风格是当地市场所特有的，因此一些游客在欣赏过风景之后都会在他那里定制专属的木质标识带回家，从而扩大了他的艺术影响力。
At the same time, Whan kept up with changesin the broader sign and graphics industry. He added computers, a 1.4-m (4.5-ft) wide inkjet printer and a 1.2 x 2.4-m (4 x 8-ft) computer  numerical control (CNC) router to his 209m2 (2,250-sf) shop—comprising three sections of the industrial compound, dedicated to woodworking, painting and digital design and printing—to expand his production capabilities. This allowed him to create everything from storefront window graphics to trade show booths.
同时，Whan也跟上了标识和图形行业长久以来的巨大变化。他在他的209平方米（2,250平方英尺）的商店中添加了一台1.4米（4.5英尺）宽的喷墨打印机和一台1.2 x 2.4米（4 x 8英尺）的数控切割机（其功能涵盖三大方面，分别是木工、绘画、数字设计和印刷），来提升他的生产技术水平。这使他的业务范围能够覆盖店面窗口图形到展览展台装饰的整个领域。
Eventually, Whan sold his house in Canmore, Alta., 20 minutes away from his shop, to move right into town. After months of looking for rental accommodations, however, he became frustrated with the zero vacancy rate of Banff’s housing market and he began to look into alternative options.
Whan最终在距离商店20分钟路程的阿尔塔坎莫尔卖掉了他的房子，准备好完全进入城镇内打拼。然而花费了几个月对租房的寻找之后，他对班夫房地产市场的零空置率感到沮丧，并开始考虑其他选择。
In 2014, the town’s municipal planning commission granted him permission to break with precedent, construct a 74-m2 (800-sf) one-bedroom apartment above his shop and thus become the first person ever to convert commercial space in Banff to residential space and live legally within its industrial park.
2014年，该市的市政计划委员会破例批准他在他的店铺上面建造一个74平方米（800平方英尺）的一居室公寓，从而成为有史以来第一个将班夫的商业空间转换为住宅空间的人，并在其工业园内合法生活。

Selling the business
业务的交替
In 2016, after running the business for 30 years, Whan decided it was time to retire and put the shop up for sale, including the added apartment. At the beginning of December, he reduced his asking price due to a diagnosis of illness and announced he would close the doors for good if he did not receive an offer by the end of the year.
2016年，在经营了30年的业务后，Whan决定退休，并准备将该店铺和其公寓共同出售。在十二月初，他因诊断疾病而降低了他的要价，并宣布如果他在今年年底之前没有将店面盘出去，他就会关门大吉。
As it happened, entrepreneur Kelso Brennan came across the listing on Dec. 5. With a background in software development, Brennan had joined the sign industry in 2012, launching 310-SIGN, based in Bonnyville, Alta., to sell regulatory and compliance signage online. By developing a number of customer-specific e-commerce platforms and shipping orders from coast to coast, the business topped $1 million in sales in its first year and attracted thousands of online users.
与此同时，企业家Kelso Brennan于12月5日进入这个市场。2012年Brennan凭借其软件开发的背景，加入标识行业，推出了位于阿塔尔Bonnyville的310-SIGN，在线销售符合监管和规定的标识产品。他们通过开发一些专门面对客户的电子商务平台和接受海外的订单来开展工作，他们的业务在第一年的销售额突破了100万美元，吸引了数千名在线用户。
When Brennan happened to see Whan’s sale notice, he was in the process of selling 310-SIGN to Hi Signs/The Fath Group in Edmonton and, hence, was keeping an eye out for other ventures.
当Brennan碰巧看到Whan的售店公告时，他正在向Edwards的Hi Signs / Fath集团出售310-SIGN，因此非常关注其他企业的发展情况。
“Larry was an amazing craftsman, but pinched nerves were making it difficult for him to keep working,” he says. “I knew I could take some of my profits from my previous success to keep this business alive. I told my wife, Ashley, and my best friend and first employee, Brendon Rayner, this was something we needed to do together.”
他说：“Larry是一位了不起的工匠，但紧张的神经使他难以继续工作。我也许可以从以前工作中赚的钱来继续这个生意，于是我把我的想法告诉了我的妻子Ashley，以及我最好的朋友兼我的第一位员工Brendon Rayner，因为这是我们需要一起做的事情。”
They agreed and the Brennans purchased the Banff Sign Company in February 2017, paying Whan’s asking price. Rayner became chief creative officer (CCO) and general manager (GM), augmenting his 16 years of sign industry experience with one-on-one learning from Whan, who remained on-board as senior production advisor. Allyson Pehlemann, who had joined the business in 2014, continued to serve as its graphic designer.
征得了他们的同意之后，Brennans于2017年2月买下了班夫标识公司，并支付了Whan要求的价格。Rayner成为首席创意官（CCO）和总经理（GM），通过与Whan的一对一学习，丰富了他在标识行业中学习的16年的经验，因此他还成为了高级制作顾问。2014年加盟该公司的Allyson Pehlemann继续担任其平面设计师。
Brennan took on the responsibility of business development, focusing his efforts on finding ways to improve in-house processes, and his wife Ashley became CEO and creative lead, providing advice and leadership from their offices in Edmonton.
Brennans承担了店内业务发展的责任，他将工作重点放在寻求改进内部流程的方法上，他的妻子Ashley成为首席执行官（CEO）和创意领导者，在他们位于埃德蒙顿的办事处提供咨询和相关问题的指导。

A dream come true
梦想成真
Rayner moved from Prince Albert, Sask., to Banff immediately after the purchase was finalized, staying in a short-term Airbnb rental until he could take over the apartment from Whan. The opportunity to run the shop was a dream come true.
Rayner在收购完成后立即从萨斯喀彻温省搬到班夫镇，在Airbnb短期租住到他从Whan那里接管公寓，运营商店的机会梦想成真。
“I received CorelDraw 4 as a Christmas gift when I was in junior high school and that got me into design,” he says. “I also did woodworking in my Grade 7 shop class. My earliest job experience in a Bonnyville sign shop, when I was in Grade 10, was with die-cut vinyl, no digital equipment. Now, after the high-volume, fast-paced digital print production of oilfield and traffic signs for Kelso’s dotcoms, this opportunity is a chance to again focus more on design, which has always been my number one passion, and traditional methods.”
他说：“我在初中时收到了CorelDraw 4作为圣诞礼物，这让我开始对设计产生了兴趣，我还在七年级的手工艺课上做过木工。在Bonnyville标识店工作的经历成为了我最早的工作经历，当时我正在上十年级，在没有数控切割设备的情况下要对乙烯基材料进行裁切。现在，在为凯尔索的达康公司的油田和交通指示牌生产了大批量和快节奏的数字印刷产品之后，这个经历再次成为我重新关注设计的机会，传统的设计方法一直是我的头号热情所在。”
He spent the next few months working with Whan, learning how to clearcoat, chisel, prime and paint cedar signs. Surrounded by hand tools, drill presses, saws and paintbrushes, he says it made him feel like a kid again.
他在接下来的几个月中与Whan一起工作，学习如何清漆、雕刻、组装和给雪松制的标识上色。在被手用工具、钻床、锯子和漆刷所包围时，他说这让他再次感觉自己像个孩子。
“The floor here was smooth when Larry and Gord first moved in, but now it is very rough and bumpy from the 30-year buildup of drips of paint splattered all over the place,” Rayner says. “I really appreciate how much time and effort is required for each sign that comes through this shop. A new sign, from design to installation, takes 40 to 60 hours of labour, including a paint process over several days, but we are young, eager and not afraid to get our hands dirty!”
Rayner说：“Larry和Gord第一次搬进来的时候，这里的地板很平稳，但现在店里的地板非常粗糙，30年来积累的油漆溅到地板上使整个地板都显得崎岖不平。我对这家商店制作一个标识需要花费多少时间和精力非常重视。从设计到安装，一个新的标识需要40到60个小时的制作，还要加上几天的喷漆过程，但我们年轻、有热情并且不害怕弄脏我们的手！”

The path to future success
通向成功的道路
In May 2017, Whan stepped further away from the business. He moved into an angler’s lodge in Crowsnest Pass so he could spend most of his time fishing.
2017年5月，Whan进一步远离了业务工作。他搬到了Crowsnest Pass的一个垂钓者的小屋里，这样他就可以把大部分时间花在钓鱼上了。
The new owners did not miss a beat, growing the business by 15 per cent in their first year and hiring Brett Foskett to oversee local business development and Dean Keller for woodworking and installations.
新店主也并没有错失良机，他们第一年的业务增长了15％，并聘请Brett Foskett的负责监督当地业务发展，Dean Keller负责木工和设备安装。
“Banff is always changing, with businesses moving in and moving out, providing us with local clientele,” says Brennan. “We are now setting our sights on nearly doubling our sales by expanding in the Bow Valley and selling to other sign companies.”
Brennan说：“班夫总是在变化，工作一项接着一项出现，为我们提供当地的客户资源。我们现在的目标是通过拓展Bow Valley并向其他标识公司进行销售，来使我们的销售额翻番。”
Also, this summer, Brennan and Rayner plan to revive the Banff School of Sign Arts with a new curriculum, combining traditional signmaking skills with lessons about how to run a successful, profitable shop. Whan intends to return to teach some of the courses as a guest.
此外，今年夏天，Brennan和Rayner计划以一种新课程重新启动班夫标识艺术学院，将传统的标识制作技能与如何经营一家成功并且有利可图的商店的经验相结合。Whan打算作为嘉宾回到学院教授一些课程。
“Who wouldn’t like to travel to Banff to learn?” says Brennan. “We will tailor the material for smaller sign companies. Some of it will be taught at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and the rest at the shop.”
Brennan说：“谁不想前往班夫学习？我们将为小型标识公司量身定制课程。其中一些将在班夫艺术与创意中心和其他店内教授。”
“Walking down Banff Avenue is like looking at a portfolio of this company’s heritage and the direction it will take in the future,” says Rayner. “It’s exciting to be part of this and to continue the craft out here.”
Rayner说：“走在班夫大道上就仿佛可以预见这家公司的资产组合和未来的发展方向一样，能够成为其中的一员并且继续在这里工作，这真令人兴奋。”

Customizing a famous brand for Banff
为班夫镇定制一个著名品牌的标识

1.Larry Whan (left) teaches Brendon Rayner (right) how to form sign blanks from Western red cedar.
1.Larry Whan（左）教Brendon Rayner（右）如何将西方红雪松木制作成空白的标识板。

2.Once the blanks are CNC-routed and V-carved, the copy is applied with enamel paint, then left to cure.
2.一旦对这些空白的标识板进行了数控切割和V形雕刻处理，之后就可以在复刻过程中对其涂上珐琅彩，然后进行固化加工处理。

3.Rouge and size are applied before gilding.
3.镀金前先将红色进行上色并确定好尺寸大小。

4.The coves are gilded with 23-karat gold leaf.
4.在上色完成的标识板周边镀上23k的金箔。

5.Dimensional add-ons are also V-carved and base-coated with white enamel paint.
5.标识的附加图形也是采用的V型雕刻，并被涂上了白色的珐琅漆。

6.Each of the add-ons is hand-painted in detail.
6.每个附加图形的细节都是采用的手绘工艺。

7.The add-ons are masked and trimmed for finishing.
7.对附加图形进行后期的修整和粘合。

8.The signage is installed on-site, including maple hanging frame.
8.现场使用枫木挂架对标识进行安装。