Every Plaque Tells a Story

Award Plaque wb

Plaques are a unique way of not just delivering information or commemorating an event or person, they can be used to tell a story and bring it to life.

Celebrating legendary figures

A more traditional use of plaques would be their use as a way of remembering great people or events from history. Commemorative plaques are an excellent way of not just celebrating and remembering the life of a famous person but as a way of telling the story of how they achieved fame and notoriety.

One of many fine examples of why a bronze plaque is such a good way to provide a permanent memory, can be found on the wall of the Chicago Row House on Lincoln Avenue, Chicago. The actor and singer Lee Pelty was a Chicago legend and was best known for his role in Fiddler on the Roof. He lived at the address for 38 years and the bronze plaque that is erected in his memory has a stunning visual image of the man and brings to life his amazing journey from Olympic Basketball player to musical theater actor.

Plaques can be found all around the world and have an enduring quality together with the capacity to encapsulate the story being told within its design.

Santa Monica Beach

A good example of using plaques as way of storytelling comes from a project that Impact Signs completed on behalf of Preserve America, for the benefit of visitors and residents of this iconic location.

The company that is known for corporate signage was briefed to use plaques as individual storyboards, providing a historical background to some of the places, events and people who were influential in shaping Santa Monica Beach.

The beautiful etched stainless steel plaques were made from marine grade steel in order to withstand the coastal environment where they have been placed in a prominent position for everyone to read and enjoy.

Every plaque is unique and tells an interesting story together with a detailed photograph, bringing the history of the area to life.

Bringing a photograph to life

There is a way of working with bronze that will transform a visual image provided by a photograph and turn it into a stunning relief sculpture.

Known as a Bas Relief portrait, the process involves combining low raised work (Bas Relief) with high relief (known as relief sculpture) to create a work of art that is designed to be viewed from one direction rather than in the round.

Using the image provided, a sculptor creates a clay model which is then used for bronze casting purposes. The clay model is monotone but is brought to life using a hand finishing and staining process, resulting in an amazing and highly distinctive bronze Bas Relief portrait which is then mounted onto a memorial plaque.

Whether you want to create a unique storyboard or celebrate and remember the life of someone of great importance or influence, a plaque is the perfect way of doing this.

When you see the end result of your commission you will almost certainly agree, that every plaque tells a story.

Shabbir Moosabhoy runs an architectural sign company alongside his father. He enjoys writing about the business of designing, producing, and installing architectural signs all over the country.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *