The rewards and benefits from our SIGN CHALLENGE of last year continue to come in. The challenge I put to my friends and colleagues was to create one project for themselves. It would serve as both a training exercise to stretch our abilities and also serve as a portfolio piece that would prompt a customer to ask for more of the same.

I of course upped the ante to challenge myself. My own personal goal was to do one piece each month. I had no doubt the challenge would pay off handsomely but the results exceeded my optimistic expectations by a mile.

The signs I built for our studio of course increased my skills considerable, stretching my imagination in the process. They provided a whole new display for the studio and our trade show booth, bringing us a whole bunch of like work in the process. And they have garnered numerous National and International awards over the last year. These awards included a third place in the 2010 Commercial Building Signs category 2010 Sign Media Canada. 2010 Best in Show for the Sextant display piece - Sign Media Canada. We received a first place award for 2010 Stand Alone Sign - True North Sub Stop - Sign and Digital Graphics. And our True North Sub Shop was also honred with Best of Show in that same contest.

Today we received word of another series of honors. The Triangle Contracting Co sign garnered a First Place Award in the Stand Alone Sign Category. This sign has also brought us tens of thousands of dollars worth of business, with customers wanting a similar sign for their own business. It has proved to be well worth the effort of making it!

Our MultiCam Western Canada project of last year also garnered another National award. It has again won the Sign System category.

Overall, it has been an amazing year, due in large part to answering my own challenge to others. I encourage all to give it their best effort and see how it works for you.

-grampa dan