the IDEA
It all started with the vague thought, "It's about time AMACO / brent got an official sign put out in front of the headquarters." The plywood and vinyl banner wouldn't cut it anymore. Being the creatives that we are, a simple sign was not going to be enough - we wanted art, community involvement, and function.
the TEAM
Our initial team was three strong - Brandon Woodcox (our construction/3D modeling specialist and regulations checker), Mike Sprague (our ceramic expert and cultural history buff), and myself (the dreamer and graphic designer). I love working in super diverse groups as such because it brought all of our specific, varying talents to focus on one common goal. We each were challenging each other with otherwise unthought of questions - these constant questions from different perspectives made our work better. Our differences allowed us to make sure sign regulations were considered and covered; it allowed us to make sure our tiles wouldn't warp and will brave the elements over time; our differences allowed us to reach larger audiences than initially thought possible.
As we went, our project grew. I was granted with a new opportunity, which unfortunately meant that I was leaving AMACO, and the project. I am one who finishes what they start, so it was hard to walk away, but I took comfort in knowing there was a strong team there to finish the job. As the team adapted, two major leads were added to help keep the project rolling and fill new needs - Diana Farris (our new organizer and teacher connection) and Bryce Paul (our community outreach and teacher's point of contact). These two fearlessly jumped into a project that was daunting and underway with the most crucial part: the part where you bring the ideas off paper and make it happen. Kudos to the whole team to being adaptable, persistent, and focused with each change along the way.
COLLABORATION
Once we finished our brainstorming and sketching, we created a presentation for the board to approve our plan and budget. With a supportive executive team who was looking to build the company into the future and saw the benefit of our plan, we were off to work! Our final design encompassed three main parts.
THE STRUCTURE
Digital mock up for the sign.
First there was the physical structure. This sign had graduated from a simple logo and address to a functional bench, table, and two sided ceramic sign. Many of our employees like to eat lunch outside when the weather is nice, but our lone picnic bench needed some company. We planned the front wall to function as the sign, but the rounded inside was constructed as a new communal area with a bench and circle table. Brandon was our main man in charge of gathering quotes, following laws that restrict ground signs from being higher than 48 inches tall, and making sure we were being realistic as far as construction was concerned. Mike and Diana also played a huge part in the research to see which clays, glazes, and sizes would hold up best against the weather.
THE COMPANY
Next was our goal for company involvement. We wanted to find a way to give back to the employees who work day in and day out to make AMACO the incredible company that it is. We decided to give everyone, not just the opportunity to work with the products they manufacture everyday, but also to give them the chance to physically leave their mark on a place that has been a big part of their lives. Many of our employees had spent decades working for AMACO. Through the product changes, the new location, and the reorganization of management; they had seen it all. This was their opportunity to feel appreciated and part of a project that will represent the company for years to come.
Diana explaining the project to the AMACO team
Each employee was given a 4x4 inch tile and glaze. Diana and Bryce were our main leads with teaching everyone a basic lesson plan that allowed each employee to make a tile for the front part of the sign, but also to make one to take home. The colorful tiles surrounding the logo is the product of all of our employees' work!
Michael working on bring together the employee tiles with the logo for the front on the AMACO / brent sign. He was the brains behind the logo. He cut the tiles and even made the brent yellow glaze! Talk about being spot on with a logo!!
the COMMUNITY
Last, but not least, was the idea of community outreach. One of our major audiences is schools and teachers, but it's not a well-known fact that this major ceramic name product is manufactured in a small pocket just on the west side of Indianapolis. We wanted to make ourselves present with the local communities and figured this would be a great way to start.
While Diana was our major connection to nearby schools, I was able to put together two packets to help get the teacher on board with this large project. Each school who volunteered would be in charge of a point in history with ceramic cultural significance. They would be required to do the research of the time period with their students and figure out a way to represent that era of clay. Each panel created by the schools would serve as the back of the bench on the inside of the sign. To see the full proposal click the "Call to Join" button. Once we had our 13 teachers on board, we sent out the packet that gave measurements, suggestions, and timelines for the teachers. Click the "Let's Get Making" button to check out the graphics that simplified the project for our teachers.
After coaching, revisions, trails, and errors, we could not be more proud of the student work produced. Here's some photos of some of the tiles before installation.
the FINAL PRODUCT
In the fall of 2016 a majority of the installation was complete! While there are still some final touches to be done, the project is well underway and I look forward to the ribbon cutting come the spring of 2017. Even though I was not able to see this project through to the very end, I am so proud of the team that picked up and kept moving. It goes to show that anything is possible when you have incredible people going above and beyond their normal jobs to better their company and community.
PS: I know there are countless names I left out that helped in the creation of this sign. Like Cara Moczygemba and David Nagy, who helped with the ceramic tiles. Stephen Creech, who helped organize the team to begin with. All of the managers who allowed their workers to take time out of their standard week to contribute to this project. All of the teachers and students that volunteered their time and talents. And the list could go on and on. Thank you. It's amazing the result that so many hands and hearts can bring.