Rotorua signwriters are celebrating a silver medal at the New Zealand Sign Display Awards.
Speedy Signs picked up the medal for signage designed and created for Tutanekai St restaurant Kia Ora Japan in the outdoor digital imaging design category.
"The client was asking for a new look and wanted to merge the
Japanese and New Zealand ideas," said co-owner Richard Haigh.
Although the firm had not yet received any feedback about why their design won silver, Mr Haigh said it was quite simple, but provided a depth effect, leading people into the restaurant.
The Rotorua company had to top the rest of the national Speedy Signs franchise chain to be entered in the awards and the same signage, consisting of an entry sign, light box and veranda sign, also won second place in the group's electric, neon and illuminated signs category.
Both Mr Haigh and his business partner Darren Burborough are from Rotorua and Mr Haigh said their successes had also raised the city's profile within the Speedy Signs group and at a national level.
"We are both local and try to put as much into Rotorua as we can."
Mr Burborough said the firm had also won a group marketing award last year.
"We are a franchise, but we do things a bit differently locally. We like to mix it up with events in town and getting our faces known as much as possible."
The restaurant owner could not be reached for comment yesterday, but Mr Burborough said he credited the new signage with contributing to increased business during the first quarter.
Award winners were announced at the New Zealand Sign and Display Association annual conference in Christchurch on April 17. The Speedy Signs team was unable to attend the event and their medal has just arrived in Rotorua.
