NIPIGON – BUSINESS – If you’ve driven through Nipigon this past year, you’ve no doubt seen the town’s new sign welcoming you to enjoy its “Natural Edge”. What you may not have known is that it is now officially recognized as the best sign of its kind in the world. In April, Signs of the Times announced the Nipigon sign had won its Best Commercial Monument Signs 2015 award. The soon-to-be-iconic sign beat out second- and third-place finishers in Tennessee and Queensland, Australia respectfully.
Brad Hominick of Brad Hominick Productions (BHP) in Thunder Bay built the sign and submitted it for the award.
“I’ve been producing signs for decades now, but projects like this one are particularly interesting,” Hominick said. “It turned out extremely well, thanks to the design work and the materials we were able to use.”
The original design concept and artwork was created by Henry Suarez of Firedog Communications in Thunder Bay. Hominick brought the concept to life by designing and fabricating the three-dimensional structure.
After being included in the January 2014 Signs of the Times article on monument signs, Hominick was contacted by Jay Allen, a fellow sign colleague in the U.S., who suggested he submit the sign for consideration. This is the second award the Nipigon sign has won. It also nabbed First Place in Sign Media Canada’s 2014 National Sign Competition in the “Stand-Alone Sign” category.
Hominick’s work can be seen throughout Northwestern Ontario including Tbaytel billboards, signs announcing points of interest such as Paddle to the Sea Park in Nipigon, and other monument-type signs including the Terrace Bay town welcome sign.
Signs of the Times, is a 100+ year old magazine published by ST Media Group International in Cincinnati, Ohio. Well-respected in its highly specialized niche, the magazine is dubbed a “leading source of comprehensive sign-industry news, technical information and in-depth analysis since 1906.”
“Winning this award is quite an honour for all of us who worked on the project,” Hominick said. “But it’s the people of Nipigon who should be most proud – it’s a fitting welcome sign for such a beautiful town.”
