![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d5e05d25-ff27-4e5f-8b58-bebc608add06/40e49070-d3cc-4ac1-931b-797947c968aa_rw_1200.jpg?h=59ad9d32b15864d4c1e165de5da40bca)
Design
These signs are instances of a sign and wayfinding system for a building in downtown Saint Paul. In an effort to make the sign system feel like an extension of the existing architectural themes, I drew inspiration from the decorative column treatment. The resulting theme combined a curved brushed aluminum face that caught the ambient light mounted to a flat black monolithic slab to provide contrast.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d5e05d25-ff27-4e5f-8b58-bebc608add06/05acc95a-eccb-4f4f-9d8f-4635f821c574_rw_1200.png?h=290b4cfcc47517f7f47f485699fbeb9e)
And then came…
Larsen Design Office Nameplates
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d5e05d25-ff27-4e5f-8b58-bebc608add06/f4a5787d-2d10-4482-8ce0-4f93b10da242_rw_1200.jpg?h=6f85d683b719614b38cda2a6b20378fc)
After that project was produced, I got a visit from the boss of my design agency asking me to adapt the design for employee nameplates for our agency — which was flattering.
But how to adapt permanent signage into a system that could be easily swapped out for new employees and name changes while still maintaining that metallic look? I dreamed up a method for sandwiching a metallic laminate, transparency that can go through a laser printer and a protective plastic front piece. While I would never bill myself as a sign engineer, my ad-hoc solution did the trick!
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d5e05d25-ff27-4e5f-8b58-bebc608add06/c4f9f0ca-7adf-436a-9191-2e8fab257df2_rw_1200.png?h=646fcadc7e819b880d36f81d3859cea9)