White Mountain signs

"...the mountains fixed me. There’s no other way to say it. And when you find something that works that effectively, and is that powerful, it’s almost useless to try to resist its calling."

The White Mountains in New Hampshire are where I fell in love with backpacking, and where I learned about the Appalachian Trail. It was on a five day backpacking trip along the AT in the Whites that I realized my desire to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, a dream I realized in 2013 and '14. I spent a lot of time there in 2012 especially, when I hiked the 48 four-thousand-footers, which you can read about here, on my 4000 footer blog.

I've created several White Mountain Trailsigns for various customers, along with a lot of others from other places along the Appalachian Trail. The Whites are, and always will be, a truly special  and spiritual place for me.

Trailsigns: Original Designs: Camp Williamson

 This custom project was designed and fabricated for a private cabin, with lettering modeled after the type style used on signs in the Shenandoah National Park. It was made, like many of my pieces, from old floorboards salvaged from a house renovation.

"Camp Williamson" was carved by hand, in a V-groove incised style, and pictograms were added for extra flair. The tree and tent symobls were routed and painted, and the hangers are painted using masks, to show the activities people enjoy at the cabin, and hung from little hooks in the bottom of the sign.

TrailSigns: original designs

Trailsigns doesn't just make copies of signs, though that is a lot of what I do. Recently I've created some original hand-carved signs, for real-world applications. 

This "Kingfisher Kottage" sign was a commissioned piece, and I had a lot of fun with the design, including a playful script font and some decorative scroll work. It's hand carved and painted, with a black vinyl letter trim and a nice stain on the unpainted wood background. The client will add this little metal kingfisher bird and hang it at their cabin.

I had a customer contact me through my Etsy page, and he told me his mother had recently cleared a trail through the woods on her property in New Hampshire's White Mountain region, and she'd taken to calling the area "Harmony Woods". He wanted a sign for her, referencing something like a Mt. Washington summit sign. Harmony Woods sounded like such a nice place, I wanted to do something a little more fanciful, a bit fairy-tale-ish, and added a pine tree just for kicks. We added the mileage and elevation, as a shout to other trail signs in the mountains. I finished the sign with primer and One-Shot enamel paint, to ensure a long life.

PRO Graphics / Trailsigns

P.R.O. Graphics & Design is a small, independently owned and operated sign company based out of Somerville, MA. I specialize in high-quality interior and exterior signs, custom made to the highest standards. I work closely with clients to assess their needs, offer fun and interesting design, and produce a product that they will be proud of for years to come. 

I worked in the sign business for ten years, working on projects for Harvard University, Tufts University, First Night Boston, as well as hundreds of local businesses, from biotech start-ups to pizza shops. In 2013 I took a hiatus to walk the Appalachian Trail in its entirety, and when I returned was inspired to begin making replicas of signs from, and inspired by, this great American footpath. I use old-school hand carving techniques to make copies of signs for fellow outdoors afficianadoes, usually to commemorate their favorite trail, but also create original hand-carved pieces. I use reclaimed materials whenever possible, since the character of old wood brings dimension to these pieces. 
 
While P.R.O. Graphics and Trailsigns have a different customer base and aesthetic, there is a lot of overlap. In both venues I try to come up with an idea and design an inspired package based on originality and satisfying my clients' needs and wants. I execute this to my fullest ability, using tried and true techniques that will ensure a long-lasting product. I like to merge old and new techniques, from the sharp look of cut vinyl graphics to hand-tooled wood incised carving, from cut steel and LEDs to 23K gold leafing. The wise combination of these processes is what I believe makes a great sign, to create a balance of aesthetics and utility.