LexJet brandUP: Cat Depot Redux

Welcome to the first installment of LexJet brandUP! This is a series created by our intrepid interns who journeyed out into LexJet’s hometown community, in and around Sarasota, Fla., and found several businesses and non-profit organizations that could use a little branding makeover with the help of wide-format graphics.

First up, they headed to Cat Depot, an organization devoted to rescuing homeless cats, offering low-cost veterinary services, finding new homes for cats and providing education. The non-profit is well-known in the community, but like many others, had relied on make-shift ways to present its messaging, such as posters adhered to windows with scotch tape. It didn’t take long to discover many ways our technology could jazz the center up.

Presto Change-H2O: Inkjet Print Makeover at Waterfront Club

Inkjet printing club decor on fabric

“Just change the art and you’ve got a new restaurant.” At least that’s the concept Tim Dussault of The Color I in Anacortes, Wash., and his wife, Lorrisa, an interior décor color consultant, came up with for the opening of a local club called H2O.

Changeable decor artwork on fabricThe concept has been successfully applied, as Dussault swathed what was a former dive bar in water-related images printed on LexJet Poly Select Heavy fabric. “About once a year they normally break down and paint the walls to freshen it up. They wouldn’t have to do that anymore; all you have to do is change the art, which is a lot less labor,” explains Dussault.

Gallery wraps with inkjet fabric
This decorative ice cube piece is actually a gallery wrap using LexJet Poly Select Heavy fabric. The rest of the art was printed on Poly Select Heavy and hangs from the decorative metal rails.

To facilitate this, the majority of the prints slide into slots housed in the decorative metal header rails all around the club’s walls. There are five, 12-foot long decorative rails. Each print is about 64 inches long and almost 12 feet wide.

“The material prints really well, and I’ve been looking for other applications to use it in because it’s a sturdy, heavy products. It’s moldable, but it’s tough, unlike scrim banner that’s not as flexible,” says Dussault. “It also coated real nice when we sprayed it. Then I used our window shade product as a bottom rail to add weight to the prints. The material’s pretty thick so it’s tight in the bottom rail, but it still worked well.”

Vinyl graphics that backlit and hide what's inside
Here, Dussault applied LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl SUV Gloss to hide the kitchen and draw additional attention to the new club.

Dussault also created a gallery wrap with the Poly Select Heavy as a decorative 4×4 accent piece. “I really like stretching the fabric material; it’s easier to stretch than canvas and has a soft, tactile look to it,” says Dussault.

One problematic area that required the creative touch of the Dussault pair was the kitchen. With windows on the street looking into the bright white kitchen, it was a distraction from the adjoining club. So, Dussault teamed up with a friend who runs a sign shop and has a Roland SOLJET solvent printer to print a water graphic on LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl SUV – Gloss running along the windows.

 Decorative art for restaurants and clubs“We wanted to allow light out, but wanted an eye-catching image that was consistent with the theme. And, we didn’t want to use words because we didn’t want to have to deal with sign codes. It’s really awesome at night when it’s backlit,” says Dussault.