The Nautical Bean Coffee Company in San Luis Obispo, California has the typically inspiring American story. The local coffee shop, coined “The Bean,” started out of a run down surf shop back in 1994. Today, the shop is a full bistro and live-entertainment venue.

The company, with its humble beginnings, consistently showcases its love for the community by showcasing local artistic talent on the walls and through live events. But this appreciation for clientele went above and beyond with the installation of a tribute wall series back in January.

The 3-foot digitally printed and laminated Gatorfoam prints form a display wall and tribute for a long time customer of The Bean who recently lost her life to cancer. The customer had an exciting past where she was once a pin-up girl and actress in the heydays of the old Hollywood scene.

California sign enthusiasts, Norton Sign & Design, created the prints. The visual communications specialists worked closely with the Nautical Bean for the tribute describing, “These digital prints we did for The Nautical Bean came out fantastic and was a great project to be a part of. The photos were brought to our shop, which we then scanned at a high resolution, color corrected and then enlarged. The 3’ poster prints were then laminated to Gatorfoam and displays on the interior wall of the Bean.”

The black and white prints show a life of adventure and are the perfect tribute to a customer and friend of the Bean.
Gatorfoam is the industry’s leading heavy-duty foam board. It’s comprised of extruded polystyrene foam bonded between layers of wood-fiber veneer. Manufactured here in the US, the material bright white facer makes it the perfect substrate for digital printing.

information and photograph courtesy of Norton Sign & Design