Nelson Signs project manager and designer Jason Petrowski. PHOTO / WARREN BUCKLAND.
Nelson Signs project manager and designer Jason Petrowski. PHOTO / WARREN BUCKLAND.
The sign-wring company responsible for jazzing up Hastings city-centre by revamping the Hawke's Bay Today building has now taken out a national award for its efforts to make Wairoa more welcoming.
Design-writers Nelson Signs last weekend picked up a gold award at the annual New Zealand Sign and Display Awardsin Auckland, for its work to create two te reo Māori welcome signs, now installed at the north and south entrance to Wairoa.
Nelson Signs project manager and designer Jason Petrowski said the Napier-based team were "chuffed" with the recognition, especially given this was open to all sign-writers in the industry.
"We're absolutely over the moon stoked, it was a huge major project for us and to see the finally result at the end, we were stoked. To get recognised for it, we're just chuffed. There was a lot of time and effort put into it and it was well received at the awards. To win a gold was fantastic."
The judges "were impressed" with the work, which was awarded the gold medal in the Dimensional Signs category.
The award-winning signs before they were installed. PHOTO / SUPPLIED
Petrowski said the signs, which utilised fabricated steel and a solar-powered backlight, had been "three months in the making" by the time they were installed.
"We worked alongside an interpretation designer, Sonya from What's the Story, and we worked together and basically came up with that sign design, and then we had to project manage the whole thing sot make it come to life.
"Just the sheer size of the signs was a challenge and dealing with Corten steel, which is the hardest of hard steel. So, the attention to detail had to be quite accurate. There was laser-cut detailing done on the screens which was all cut out by Metal Magic in Onekawa, and they helped with all the logistics we needed to put it all together."
He also praised the contribution of Natalie Douglas from Crave Design who collaborated on the Māori design of the work, which was commissioned by Wairoa District Council.
"The Wairoa District Council is really pleased that these signs have been acknowledged this way," WDC economic development manager Kitea Tipuna said.
"It was important for us to partner with an organisation that got the look and feel of our community identity right and also acknowledging the importance of te reo Maori to our community.
"Wairoa plans on becoming a fully bilingual community by 2040 and the Wairoa District Council adopted its te reo Maori policy which allows us to utilise those mechanisms at our disposal to promote te reo as much as possible, including our district signage."
