The picturesque town of Stony Plain is located in the province of Alberta, Canada and has a population of 17,000-plus. Stony Plain is famous in the area for its plethora of painted murals around town that depict local historical figures and events. They are also well known for their bluegrass and country music festivals held during the later summer months.
风景如画的Stony Plain镇位于加拿大阿尔伯塔省，该镇拥有超过17,000的人口。Stony Plain镇不仅因其城镇周围的大量彩绘壁画（这些壁画描绘了当地的历史人物和事件）而闻名，也因其夏季月份举办的蓝草和乡村音乐节而闻名。
They’ve also made a statement with two brand-new, strategically placed, custom-designed signs located along the main highway into town that welcome people to the community and complement the surrounding environment.
最近，他们发布了一条声明，声明中指出他们将制作两个全新的、具有重要意义的定制设计标识，这两个标识将被安装在通往城镇的主要公路上，主要的职能是对来到该城镇的人们表示欢迎，并且标识自身也要充分融入进周围的环境中，与周围的环境相得益彰。
These “Welcome to Stony Plain” monument signs measure 214 inches wide, 134 inches tall, and 43-3/4 inches deep. The single-sided signs feature a two-color acrylic stucco finish on the face, as well as a custom Gemini plaque of the town’s logo. There is an EIFS stone finish on the base and column and a faux woodgrain finish as the top accent.
这个标有“Welcome to Stony Plain”的大型欢迎标识。长约214英寸、高约134英寸、宽约43-3 / 4英寸。标识的单面表面采用双色的丙烯酸灰泥面漆，城镇的代表性标识形象双子星徽标同样是使用该种材料制成，标识的底座采用EIFS石材制作，而顶部则使用仿木纹饰面的材料进行制作。
These stunning-looking signs were made a reality thanks to the efforts of Valley Traffic Systems and their collaborative project management with a variety of sign vendors.
由于Valley Traffic Systems的努力以及他们与各种标识供应商在此次项目中的协商和管理，最终将这个令人惊叹的标识项目变成了现实。
Valley Traffic Systems has been around for twenty-one years, first operating as a small alternative traffic control company out of a one-bay mini warehouse in Langley, British Columbia.
Valley Traffic Systems已经成立了二十一年，它们最先开始是作为一家小型的交通控制公司，在英国哥伦比亚省兰利的一个小仓库里运营。
he company has since grown into one of Western Canada’s largest manufacturers and resellers of traffic management services, traffic signage, and other safety-related products, even opening up a second office in Edmonton, Alberta, where Prairie Region Sales Manager Derek Sware is employed.
目前，该公司已发展成为加拿大西部最大的交通管理服务、交通标识和其他交通安全相关产品的制造商和经销商之一，公司甚至在阿尔伯塔省埃德蒙顿开设了第二个办事处，Prairie地区销售经理Derek Sware也在该办事处工作。
Valley Traffic Systems worked on this monument project for the Town of Stony Plain after winning an open negotiated request for proposal process against four other competitive proposals that was conducted at the beginning of the town’s entire signage strategy implementation.
Valley Traffic Systems在该城镇整个标识改造战略实施开始时，就其他四项竞争性提案获得了公开谈判的流程请求，随后就着手为Stony Plain镇的这个欢迎标识项目开始工作。
“I’ve had a good working relationship with the Town of Stony Plain for over twenty years, and my company has partnered with them on a variety of their projects in the community,” says Sware.
Sware说：“我与Stony Plain镇保持着20多年的良好合作关系，我们公司与他们的各种城镇项目都有过很好的合作经历。”
After selecting Valley Traffic Systems, town administration officials, in turn, contacted Sware about what they wanted to accomplish with their new welcome signage, and he came up with ideas for them. After everything was agreed upon, Sware met with them in-person to finalize the drawings and map out a schedule for moving forward.
在与Valley Traffic Systems建立了合作关系之后，城镇管理官员主动联系了Sware，Sware在了解他们想要用新的欢迎标识来传递一个什么样的信息之后，Sware提出了他们的想法。在达成一致意见后，Sware亲自与他们会面，最终确定了设计图纸，并制定了标识项目制作的时间表。
The Town of Stony Plain had already hired a communication design firm to create a new wayfinding platform for throughout the community, and this sign was a part of the roll-out this summer. “Town officials helped a great deal in making this welcome sign project successful from the start,” says Sware, “as they knew right from the concept stage what they wanted.”
Stony Plain镇已经聘请了一家通信设计公司为整个城镇创建一个新的导视标识系统，这个标识系统将于今年夏天推出。Sware说：“城镇的官方管理人员为了这个欢迎标识的顺利完工，为我们提供了很多的帮助，他们从标识的设计概念阶段就知道他们想要什么。”
When it came time to make their 2-D sign design a 3-D reality, town officials told Sware that they wanted the pair to match the look of the rock that the town had used for the exterior of their new community building.
当Sware准备根据标识的2D设计图来制作这个立体的标识时，小镇官员告诉Sware，他们希望这一对欢迎标识的外观能与镇上用于新城镇建筑外部的岩石外观相匹配。
Valley Traffic Systems has enjoyed a partnership with EPS foam manufacturer Signs By Benchmark for many years and brought them onboard the project to help fulfill this request. Aside from the aluminum copy and plaque, everything you see on the signs’ exterior was constructed by Signs By Benchmark.
Valley Traffic Systems与EPS泡沫制造商Signs By Benchmark建立了多年的合作伙伴关系，这次Valley Traffic Systems也邀请他们参与此次项目来共同满足客户的需求。除了标识的铝制复制品和饰板外，人们在标识外观上看到的所有应用材料都是由Signs By Benchmark建造的。
After being given pictures of the stone and wood that the Town wanted to match with this custom monument sign, Signs By Benchmark developed a color palette that closely resembled the actual finishes. “To ensure we had a match, we sent samples of the finishes for approval, prior to production,” says Signs By Benchmark Senior Designer Jamie Kakacek.
在拿到了小镇指定的欢迎标识所应用的石头与木头的外观照片之后，Signs By Benchmark制作出了一种与实际饰面非常相似的调色板。Signs By Benchmark高级设计师Jamie Kakacek说：“为了确保我们的制作出来的最终效果能跟设计图相匹配，我们在正式制作前首先提交了一个样品予以参考。”
The frame for the top section was made out of tubular steel. Signs By Benchmark outsourced this portion to a third-party specialist since they don’t have a lot of metal capabilities in-house.
标识的顶部框架由钢管制成。由于Benchmark的工作人员并不擅长金属材料的制作，因此他们便将这个部分外包给第三方的专业人士来负责。
During assembly, they easily cut around the framework and built the EPS foam around it. “Most of the cutting was done by our CNC hot wire machine, although we did employ a few hand cuts,” says Kakacek. The face of the sign was made with a one-color finish, while the EIFS stone and timber elements were all hand-applied using multiple colors.
在进行组装时，框架大致结构很容易切割并构建起来，随后使用EPS泡沫对框架结构进行包裹。Kakacek说：“大多数切割工作都是由我们的数控热丝切割机完成的，剩余部分的切割工作则由我们自己手工完成。”同时，标识表面采用的是单色印刷，而EIFS石材和木材部分均采用多种颜料手绘而成。
“The expert craftsmen at Benchmark did a fantastic job [replicating] the look and feel of the requested stone appearance,” says Sware.
Sware说：“Benchmark的专业工匠完美还原了标识要求的石材外观和触感。”
Gemini supplied the aluminum letters featured on the face of the sign. The “Welcome To” letters are 5.2 inches tall, the “Stony” letters are 22.6 inches tall, and the “Visiting” letters are 10.3 inches tall.
标识表面的双子星徽标使用铝制材料制作，“Welcome To”字母高5.2英寸，“Stony”字母高22.6英寸，“Visiting”字母高10.3英寸。
During the design stage, the topic of visibility during non-daylight hours was brought up, and the Town of Stony Plain decided that they wanted the sign to include reflective qualities. With that in mind, Valley Traffic Systems offered the option of Avery Dennison vinyl reflective letters to satisfy this requirement.
在标识的设计阶段，由于要使标识在夜晚也具有足够的可见性，因此Stony Plain镇希望标识表面能够覆盖一层反光材料。考虑到这一点，Valley Traffic Systems选择了Avery Dennison乙烯基反光字母材料系列以满足城镇的这一需求。
“While creating a platform to welcome people into a community, we often see a situation where the old, worn-out sign being replaced is in an area where there is no power to light it or it’s too costly to run power to the site,” says Sware. “Our partnership with Avery Dennison allows us the flexibility to provide a truly visible solution using premier reflective sheeting.”
Sware说：“根据以往为一些城镇制作欢迎标识的经验，我经常会遇到一种情况，那就是在一些没有供电或是现场供电成本十分昂贵的地区，标识通常都十分破旧而不得不被替换，而我们与Avery Dennison所建立的合作伙伴关系使我们能够使用顶级的反光板材料来提供标识可见的解决方案。”
The “Stony Plain” letters were covered in Type XI OmniCube reflective sheeting. “This product’s exceptional reflectivity and consistent performance allow us the flexibility to provide a visibility solution to clients, since there is no power at the installation site,” says Sware.
纪念标识上的“Stony Plain”字母外观使用Type 11 OmniCube反光板进行包装。Sware说：“即使安装现场没有供电系统，该系列的发光板所拥有的卓越反射性能及其反射光源的高聚焦性能够使我们灵活地为客户提供标识可视化的解决方案。”
Signs By Benchmark can present the copy in a number of different ways, and in this case, they decided to install the copy onto the sign prior to their final coating process. “This makes it an integral part of the sign,” says Kakacek. “The Stony Plain letters were created with a border so we could nest the reflective aluminum inside of each letter. Not only does this create a nice effect around each letter, it also helps protect the sign from prying hands.”
Signs By Benchmark能够提供多种不同的形式来呈现标识的外观，就目前的情况来看，他们决定在最终涂装过程进行之前对标识进行外观的装饰。Kakacek说：“我们在Stony Plain字母边缘安装了边框，这样我们就可以使用内嵌的模式来对每个字母安装反光铝材料，这不仅可以使标识上的每个字母发挥良好的反光效果，还有助于保持标识的整体美观。”
Gemini also created the aluminum plaque featured on the right-hand side of the sign face. Signs By Benchmark used a template plaque that was sent to them by the Town of Stony Plain. “After some minor cleaning up to make it more production friendly, we had Gemini mill the plaque out of aluminum,” says Kakacek.
双子星徽标使用铝材制作，并被安装在了标识的右侧。Signs By Benchmark参照Stony Plain镇发送给他们的标识样本制作了该标识的整体外观。Kakacek说：“哪怕是轻微的清理工作，也能够让标识呈现出更好的外观效果。铝制材料经过打磨后制作出来的双子星徽标也非常精致。”
The reflective “Stony Plain” aluminum copy was stud-mounted to the face while the plaque was mounted to the sign using studs and adhesive.
随后他们将具有反光效果的“Stony Plain”铝制字母标识装钉在整个大型标识的表面上，同时使用螺柱和粘合剂将饰板安装到标识上。
The upper woodgrain section of the sign has an internal frame that is sleeved into the main body of the sign. “It was made so that the frame would nest over the poles before locking it into place,” says Kakacek.
标识上方的木纹部分拥有完整的内部框架，其中一部分被安装在标识主体之中。Kakacek表示这么做是为了能够使木纹框架牢牢地固定在标识上方。
To help with both shipping and installation aspects of this project, both welcome monuments were actually constructed in three sections—the top woodgrain section, the sign face and column, and the base and bottom portion of the sign.“We had some natural break points on the sign, so any seams were pretty well hidden,” says Kakacek.
为了更好地解决该标识的运输和安装问题，这两个欢迎标识将被拆分为三个部分进行运送——顶部的木纹部分、标识中心主体和支撑标识的柱体。Kakacek说：“我们在标识上标记了一些自然的断点，并且在事后也能使标识上的接缝很好地被隐藏起来。”
Once the signs were assembled, Signs By Benchmark encapsulated everything in its polyurea hard coat finish. “This completely seals and protects the sign from the elements, as well as provides a base material to apply the stucco finish,” says Kakacek.
一旦运输工作准备好之后，Signs By Benchmark的工作人员就会在标识表面密封一层防划耐磨的保护膜。Kakacek说：“完全密封的状态可以充分保护标识在运输和安装的过程中免受伤害，并提供了适用于丙烯酸灰泥面漆粉刷的基础材料。”
It took about eight weeks for Signs By Benchmark to complete both signs. “Given their size and pieces involved, we had a few time-consuming pieces to figure out,” says Kakacek. “Luckily we were given the official go-ahead during our colder season, so we had some time before the installation date to build these the right way.”
Signs By Benchmark花了大约八周来完成制作这两个标识。Kakacek说：“考虑到标识的尺寸和各个部件的制作，我们需要花费一些时间来弄清楚标识的大体构造，幸运的是，我们在冬季获得了官方批准，因此我们在安装日期之前有足够的时间来制作这个标识。”
Everything was shipped to Valley Traffic on a dedicated truckload. “The two signs took up the majority of a trailer so we didn’t have to worry about any damage along the way,” says Kakacek.
所有的标识部件都是使用专用卡车运输到Valley Traffic。Kakacek说：“卡车能够完全放下这两个大型标识，因此我们不必担心沿途会对标识造成任何损坏。”
The Town of Stony Plain hired a local contractor to organize and clear the sites in advance of the custom monument sign installation. Valley Traffic Systems installers then dug the appropriate footings to host the sign structures. “The signs were installed using wooden posts,” says Sware. “This was a required element needed to comply with an Alberta Transportation roadway requirement for a break away system.”
在这个定制的欢迎标识安装之前，Stony Plain镇聘请当地承包商组织和清理场地。Valley Traffic Systems的安装人员随后挖出适当的地基来承载标识的安置。Sware说：“标识是使用木柱固定安装的，这符合艾伯塔省道路交通的要求，同时能够使原有的交通格局焕然一新。”
Valley Traffic Systems used a boom crane truck to lift each section into the air, while they guided them into place.
Valley Traffic Systems使用臂式起重机卡车将标识的每个部分抬起到空中，同时将它们安装到合适的地面位置。
The signs are installed on a major roadway leading into the community. “The sight lines are fantastic,” says Sware. “Both spots are clear of obstructions and really stand out and welcome people.”
最终标识被安装在通往城镇的主干道上，Sware说：“标识安装地点的视线太棒了，这两个标识附近都没有障碍物的遮挡，可谓是真正的脱颖而出，拥有十分突出的欢迎效果。”
