Ortwein Sign Wins 1st in 2021 Mid-South Sign Association Design Contest for “Wall Mounted/Channel Letters”
Jim Teal
Historically Inspired Sign Design Leads to 3rd MSSA Design Contest Win for Ortwein Sign
Ortwein Sign has won first place in the Wall Mounted/Channel Letters category along with the Mark Pridmore “Excellence in Design” award at this year’s Mid-South Sign Association design contest. Ortwein’s entry this year is a neon lit blade sign custom built for Greg Wyatt’s Vintage Corvette storefront in Summerville, GA. This is Ortwein Sign’s second year in a row winning 1st place in a category prize, after winning for Large Freestanding Sign in 2020, and this is the company’s 3rd award, including Best Sign Overall for Songbirds in 2017, in the Mid-South Sign Association Design Contest.
Greg Wyatt purchased a historic building for his store in Summerville, GA. The building was previously home to Davis Brothers Motor Company in the early 1950s and later Jackson Chevrolet. Wyatt was looking for a series of signs that use neon and vintage-inspired designs to fit the look of the historic sign that then adorned the building. Ortwein Sign was happy to pick up the challenge. “We love projects like these that let us show off our love for vintage signs,” explains Colleen Teal, Ortwein Sign’s president. “Thanks to our many years crafting new signs, and restoring vintage signs, our team has the knowledge to blend those skills together to craft signs like this that look vintage, include real neon made in-house by our team, and still are made to fit modern safety standards.” Wyatt submitted black and white photos of the building from the ‘50s, and Ortwein’s design team took inspiration from the photos to develop signs matching the vintage look while ensuring the branding was cohesive across all requested signs. The fabrication team then came together to build the sign. The signage was then installed in early April.
Ortwein Sign has been in business since 1923. After new ownership acquired Ortwein Sign in 2007, and with the addition of a Nashville office in 2016, Ortwein Sign has continued to grow and expand its services out to more and more clients throughout the Southeast.
