School Media Center

Client:

Whittier Union High School District

Materials/Products Highlight:

Interior perforated window film, frosted and clear acrylic, black PVC, decal vinyl lettering

Project:

Santa Fe High School Media Center.

 

A&I had the opportunity to sit down with the Director of Facilities at Whittier Unified School District to discuss some new projects coming up. After browsing through our website project gallery, he remembered the principal at Santa Fe High School was looking to enhance their Media Center, located in the middle of the campus. Santa Fe High School is a public high school founded in 1954 in Santa Fe Springs, California, and part of the Whittier Union High School District. The school has approximately 3,000 students enrolled.

The principal wanted to create an atmosphere like Starbucks, where students feel comfortable hanging out, studying, reading, and watching programs. In hopes that this will encourage students to stay on campus. During the initial site survey, A&I and the school discussed several ideas regarding artwork for the 20-window wall in the media center. The priority was to incorporate the Santa Fe High School logo and maximize its size for the space.

 

Project I: Interior Perforated Window with Logo Theme Artwork

Several samples were created and submitted for review, but none of the initial creations struck the right chord with the district and school principal. The A&I team returned to the drawing board and created a new background graphic cohesively tied into the SF logo. It complimented the media room’s overall color scheme. This design proposal turned out to be the winner. 

With the logo and graphics done, our production team printed on perforated window film and installed it to span the design across all 20 windows, centering the logo in the middle. Everything came together with color and style, giving the Media Center a vibrantly up-scale look. Creating a space that invites students to congregate, relax and lounge.

 

Perforated Window Vinyl Film

A perforated window vinyl film (also known as see-through vinyl or one-way vision film) is adhesive-backed PVC vinyl that has tiny holes in it. These perforated round and evenly spaced holes offer visibility on one side. On the opposite side, graphics can be printed directly on the vinyl surface. The graphic appears uniform from the outside, but the holes allow visibility. 

You can apply perforated films to windows inside or outside. Perforated vinyl can be laminated to extend its life and provide extra durability and protection from fading and scratches for an extra layer of protection.

 

Project II: Acrylic Standoff Photo Collage Displays

The school principal wanted to showcase the student body within the Media Center. School administration provided all of the images and A&I enhanced and sized the photos to fit the collages within the designated size for the graphic. We printed and fabricated photo collages to accomplish three different displays for the Three A’s, representing; Academics, Activities, and Athletics.

The title sections on the acrylic displays had 1/4” of frosted acrylic with black lettering to soften the appearance of the text. By contrast, the areas covered with photo collages were printed in full color on clear acrylic. To enhance the appearance of the images, we printed the photos on the back in reverse—this effect allowed the photo images to POP. The final touch to help increase their lifespan and minimize fading, wear and tear, each photo collage back was laminated. A&I installed the Three A’s displays using 1” brushed aluminum standoffs and rounded each acrylic corner.

 

Project III: School Mascot on Acrylic and PVC

No school space is without its mascot to exemplify school spirit, and the Media Center is no exception. School administration wanted to ensure that the Santa Fe Chief mascot was prominent in the room. A&I fabricated the mascot from 1/4” clear acrylic and 1/2” black PVC.

The Santa Fe High School Logo was printed on the back of clear acrylic, laminated for durability. The Chief logo was contour cut to the borders of the image.

In order to create depth and dimensional differentiation from the surrounding graphics, 1/2” black PVC, was contour cut the same as the Chief and mounted behind the acrylic. The two-piece graphic was installed using 1.5” standoffs made of brushed aluminum. The final artwork has the illusion of a print sandwiched between clear acrylic and black PVC.

Project IV: Vinyl Decal Lettering Quote

As a final touch to the Media Center space, the school administration wanted a quote above the doorway. In the A&I process, we usually present several font styles and sizes that would best compliment all the elements within the room and overall project scope. Once the selection was made, and the artwork approved, our production team cut black vinyl into the words and letters of the quote. The adhesive vinyl allowed us to directly apply the quote to the wall, ensuring to center it above the door.

 

The Benefit and Versatility of Acrylic

Acrylic signs are made from cast polymer that is colorless, transparent, and durable and it is a perfect substitute for traditional glass. Because of its depth, clarity, and beauty, acrylic is often used as lobby, directional, and architectural signage. Acrylic signs are made with UV Ink printed directly onto the material. Acrylic can also be used as rigid substrates for attaching vinyl lettering or print films like opaque and transparent window decals.

Acrylic signs are excellent choices for a simple yet beautiful look for any office, business, school, or professional setting. It is 100% customizable and one of the best ways to showcase your logo, brand, or mascot. The best way to display acrylic is to use brushed anodized aluminum standoff screws. Acrylic is often drilled for installation, making it easy to mount. A method that lets the acrylic stand away from the wall gives it a stylish and professional appearance. 

The acrylic material can be routed or cut into specific shapes. The custom shape option, like for a logo, is called a contour cut, and it allows us to either upload a custom shape or use a design tool to make it. We print on the backside of the acrylic and use a laminate top coat protecting the print from scratches and wear. Your acrylic signs can last for years with proper hanging, environment, and cleaning. 

Some examples of how acrylics are used in signage fabrication: door plaques, building directories, logo displays, directional signs, hospital signs, art galleries signs, and acrylic letters. Suppose you want to make a lasting statement about your brand. Do it with acrylic.