{"id":140,"date":"2014-12-22T23:53:02","date_gmt":"2014-12-22T23:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/graphicdisplayusa.com\/blog\/?p=140"},"modified":"2020-02-12T00:05:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T00:05:00","slug":"metro-signs-scores-gatorfoam-signs-nfls-miami-dolphins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/metro-signs-scores-gatorfoam-signs-nfls-miami-dolphins\/","title":{"rendered":"Metro Signs Scores With Gatorfoam Signs For NFL\u2019s Miami Dolphins"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"4fbe77c156bb7e74118a9bb62ee10edb_f520\"<\/a>Bruno Dede, president of Metro Signs, Inc., in Hollywood, Fla., has been creating \u201cSigns, Graphics, Everything\u201d, according to his company\u2019s tagline, for the past 20-plus years. Metro Signs serves a wide range of clients located in South Florida \u2013 including the NFL\u2019s Miami Dolphins \u2013 as well as clients nationwide.<\/p>\n

Dede describes his company as \u201cthe Swiss Army knife\u201d of graphics\u2019 companies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen someone doesn\u2019t know how to get a job done, we figure it out,\u201d said Dede. \u201cWe do everything. We may be billed as a sign company but we create everything from nametags to 100-by-100 foot vinyl graphics installed outside stadiums.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to creating cut-out lettering, stand-up displays, signs and logos, Dede turns to the rigid substrate that he\u2019s trusted for years \u2013 heavy-duty Gatorfoam\u00ae graphic display board.<\/p>\n

\"84d8c358f11476f78cf30ae46cb07ab6_f514\"<\/a>\u201cEvery time I need to create raised lettering, I say \u2018Gatorfoam,\u2019\u201d said Dede. \u201cIt\u2019s a household name at Metro Signs. \u2026 Gatorfoam has a hard (wood-veneer) shell. Other products with a styrene shell don\u2019t work as well. This display board breathes. We never get a bubble (when applying printed vinyl.)\u201d<\/p>\n

Gatorfoam consists of polystyrene foam bonded between two layers of wood-fiber veneer laminate \u2013 a unique construction that makes this substrate rigid yet lightweight and warp-resistant; its surface also is exceptionally smooth and strong, offering superior dent- and scratch-resistance.<\/p>\n

Gatorfoam is available in thicknesses ranging from 3\/16 inches to 2 inches and in standard sizes ranging from 48-by-96-inch sheets to 96-by120-inch sheets. Gatorfoam color combinations feature Bright White, Black and Natural facers bonded to either white or black foam.<\/p>\n

\"68d808a19749a91b2786482ca5eea17b_f518\"<\/a>Metro Signs often creates multi-layered signs with built-out dimensional lettering. Often, Metro Signs<\/a> will utilize \u00bd-inch Gatorfoam as a back plate then add \u00bd-inch raised Gatorfoam letters. Dede said he prefers black Gatorfoam for most lettering but chooses white Gatorfoam to complement gold lettering.<\/p>\n

Metro Signs outsources projects that require CNC cutting. But many Gatorfoam logo and lettering projects featuring intricate designs are hand-cut by Metro Signs\u2019 employees with a scroll saw or jigsaw.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are times when we use Gatorfoam that we just cut and go,\u201d said Dede.<\/p>\n

Some Gatorfoam projects at Metro Signs feature printed vinyl graphics applied with silicone and double-sided tape. The layers are screwed together on-site. Some signage projects are screwed directly to walls on-site. Others \u2013 such as new Miami Dolphins\u2019 logos created by Metro Signs with Gatorfoam for the NFL team\u2019s training facility \u2013 are adhered to walls with silicone and double-sided tape.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe like using Gatorfoam when we\u2019re hand-cutting or using a jigsaw. \u2026 When we cut Gatorfoam, it never delaminates,\u201d said Dede.<\/p>\n

When the Miami Dolphins unveiled the team\u2019s new logo design and uniforms at an April 2013 NFL draft party at Sun Life Stadium, Metro Signs created a larger-than-life stage backdrop featuring two self-standing 16-foot-tall uniformed player images printed on vinyl and matte-laminated to 1-inch thick Gatorfoam that was hand-cut with a jigsaw. Separate helmet images were mounted to \u00bd-inch Gatorfoam as a dimensional layer for the player standees, which were positioned on either side of a black wooden box decorated with lettering hand-cut from 1-inch-thick Gatorfoam. Positioned atop the wooden box was a Dolphins\u2019 helmet image that was printed on vinyl, laminated to 1-inch-thick Gatorfoam and hand-cut with a jigsaw.<\/p>\n

\u201cGatorfoam has never been a failure for me,\u201d said Dede. \u201cThat\u2019s why I stick with it.\u201d<\/p>\n