In an effort to put our money where our mouth is, my co-editor Chad Hutchison submits a new backlit billboard for Creative Smiles.
These guys are one of those dream clients that just say, “We want something cool.” When I found out that they were going to be on a backlit poster, I thought, well, wouldn’t it be great to just have a big bright smile at night? So I started there, and that took me down the path of the Cheshire cat. I decided to copy the Disney version since it was the most easily recognized and wild looking. The challenge was making a real cat look right with a human smile. Hopefully it walks that line between funny and creepy.
To get this effect, Eclipse Imaging breaks down the process:
We always love it when a client thinks outside the box and is willing to try something different. This was most certainly one of those jobs. For this particular board, we had a faint outline printed around the letters that would show at night. Our in-house artist then uses a black paint on the back of the vinyl omitting the outlined copy and the teeth. He then removes the outline by hand so you do not see it during the day. Once the board is lit, the entire content of the board disappears leaving only the teeth and white text. This design was an excellent example of how creative you can get with backlit material.
The lights inside the structure turn on as the sun sets creating a disappearing effect. Here’s to hoping we can get a time-lapse video of this board on the street.
A couple of in-process photos:
