A signage is a visual representation to display information for an intended audience. It is usually a manifestation of places or names or positions. A signage can be in the form of banner,billboard,murals,posters,or plastic,neon,paper,and glass signs. It can be placed outside or inside an establishment.
Glass signs are usually indoor signs and are generally used in reception areas,retail-point-of-sale signage,toilet,and direction and entrance signs. They can also be name plaques which can be mounted on the wall or even on glass doors. They can also be bound in concrete or any other surfaces.
Glass etching is one technology used the creation of such signs. It is a technique of applying abrasive,caustic and acidic materials. This kind of technique began in the 1920s where art is directly engraved to the mold. Each glass piece that came out of the mold already has the art work on the glass’s surface. This is known as Depression glass. This kind of method has reduced manufacturing costs and eventually brought down the price of glassware in the 1930s. Colored glass was also used at around that time.
Glass etching uses acids that are extremely hazardous thus another technique was used which came to be known as abrasive blasting. Abrasive blasting uses high pressure that forces abrasive materials onto a surface to smooth,to roughen,to shape or to remove surface contaminants. Benjamin Chew Tilghman patented the first abrasive blasting process on October 18,1870.
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Micro-abrasive blasting is commonly used on glass. It is also known as pencil blasting. It uses high pressure to propel the abrasive material through small nozzles which accurately deliver a very fine stream of material onto a very small area which consists of 1 square millimeter to only a few square millimeters.
Glass signs should be ADA compliant. ADA is an acronym for Americans with Disabilities Act which was enacted in 1990 by the United States Congress. It is a law that protects the civic-rights of persons with disabilities in the United States of America. It also protects Americans with disabilities against race,national origin,religion,and sex discrimination.
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To be ADA compliant,a glass sign that refers to a permanent room or space of a facility,or directs or informs about spaces of the facility,or directs,informs and identifies accessible features of the facility,must comply with the ADA Accessibility guidelines.
ADA Accessibility guidelines include non-glare backgrounds and characters for all signs except reflective parking and traffic signs,high dark to light contrast between characters and background of the sign,easy to read and simple typefaces on the sign,use of upper and lower cases for directional and informational signs for easy readability,signs that labels rooms and spaces should be beside the room or space they identify,and Braille signs should be made available.
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Glass signs can also be lit from behind to impress clients. Letters and graphics seem to float off the wall and are very good attention getters.