Tampa, FL -- (SBWIRE) --05/24/2011 -- Although the Tampa-headquartered Creative Sign Designs already has a strong national presence, the company made its international debut this spring with two of their top projects. The Signs of the Times annual International Sign Contest received hundreds of entries from companies across the globe. This year’s contest consisted of 11 different categories covering multiple markets.

Creative Sign Designs has a national footprint in numerous markets: Corporate & Office, Retail & Restaurants, Education, Hospitality, Healthcare, Cultural, Arts & Entertainment, and Multifamily. One of Creative’s Corporate & Office market projects, The Toho Water Authority, received third place in the contest’s Electric Monument Signs category.

The ToHo Water Authority, established in 2003, is the largest supplier of water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services in Osceola County, Florida. The Authority’s move to a new, 54,000-sq.-ft. facility required a comprehensive sign package. For the exterior monument, the shop routed aluminum sheet and acrylic with its MultiCam and Camtech CNC routers. The design team developed the package using CorelDraw X5, SA Intl.’s FlexiSign 8.5, and AutoCAD 2007. Fabricators decorated the sign using Matthews acrylic-polyurethane paint, and illuminated the face using MAXX LED’s 6500k white LED mini-modules.

In addition, Creative’s most recent Cultural, Arts & Entertainment rebranding project received an honorable mention in the in the Electric Building Signs category. The Straz Center for the Performing Arts (formerly the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center), in the heart of downtown Tampa, required newly-designed and fabricated exterior signs. Creative Sign Designs provided four sets of illuminated channel letters and stars on two different elevations of the landmark performing arts center.

The center’s electric building signs required 100 gallons of paint, 33,000 pounds (over 16 tons) of aluminum that end-to-end would reach a distance of 3 miles, and enough LEDs to light up a one-mile stretch of road. A team of very talented individuals devoted over 20,000 hours to the project during the fabrication process in order to successfully meet the project’s completion date.

Of the contest’s 11 categories, Electric Building Signs received the largest portion of entries. In addition to Creative, a select handful of companies across the nation – and companies from Australia, Canada and China – received recognition for their creations. This year’s categories were Exhibit Graphics, Sign Systems, Commercial Monument Signs, Electric Monument Signs, Banners/Murals, Commercial Freestanding Signs, Electric Freestanding Signs, Electric Building Signs, Electronic Message Centers and Unique Signs.

About Creative Sign Designs
Creative Sign Designs, with international headquarters in Tampa, specializes in turnkey architectural signage solutions. Creative Sign Designs provides consultation, design, fabrication, and installation services for a full line of interior and exterior sign products. With more than 25 years experience providing architectural sign solutions, Creative Sign Designs is capable of successfully managing local, regional, and national projects. For more information, visit their award-winning website, http://www.CreativeSignDesigns.com or call 888-713-7620.