Welcome to the Expand a Sign Blog
Posted by: Amy Lawrance on 13 February 2012 00:00
Saturday morning started badly.
It's 5am. I’m standing at the ATM machine, staring at the keypad with a blank look and an even blanker mind. Those 5 digits that I have punched in nearly every day for years; gone. I try what I only hope to be the right combination. Once, twice, three times. All incorrect. And then what I feared the worst happens. ‘Pin code attempts exceeded. Please visit your bank to rectify.’
As I drive away, my bottom lip quivers while I dig into my purse and fish out nothing but coins. How am I ever going to gain access to the Midmar Dam for the 39th Midmar Mile swim race? Expand a Sign attends and participates each year and there is no way I can miss it.
Fortunately, my car companion’s girlfriend works at the very bank where I need to be, so I quickly release my credit card from the icy grip of it’s frozen setback.
We arrive at the dam and without needing to phone and ask where the Expand a Sign stand is located, the Ex-Star Tent and XL Flying Banners tower above and guide us to our spot. As I roam the grounds in an effort to find a decent cup of coffee, I pass Expand a Sign Feather Banners, Flying Banners of all sizes, Ex-Shade parasols and Ex-Dome Gazebos. The sullen grey sky and sodden grass aren’t able to dull the enthusiasm and high spirits of the nearly 16 000 entrants and their friends & families.
With two teams of 5 swimmers, the Expand a Sign squad are pumped and ready to propel themselves to the finish line. And as each one returns to the mother ship (our tent) with their medal in hand and declare, ‘I have survived 1 mile of being splashed in the face!’, the sense of pride within the crew is almost tangible.
We eventually pack up and head back to our cars, and I turn to look at the view of the dam one last time. I'm reminded that since 2009, this event has earned a Guinness World Record for having the most participants in an open water race.
Cheers
Expand a Sign Just-Like-Michael-Phelps(minus that marijuana incident).
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Posted by: Amy Lawrance on 10 February 2012 00:00
We all like new things. They seem superior to their older counterparts; shinier, more advanced and modern.
Yet each of us has owned something that, although dated, held fond memories. It may have appeared worn and antiquated, but that item was a favourite and something with which we did not want to part.
Which is why Expand a Sign really needed to put a lot of thought into redesigning our company logo. The familiar orange swishes and techno blue font of the Expand a Sign logo are something that our loyal customers and the Expand a Sign family have come to recognise and associate with superior quality branding products for more than a decade.
So why would we want to change it?
2012 is going to be a big year for Expand a Sign branding and we have some great plans. Which makes now the perfect time to revive and revitalise the company image. Modernise it. Give it a facelift. Bring it into the 21st century!
After much deliberation and consideration of some really creative options, we decided on the logo which keeps the look and feel of the original but freshens up the font and the colours and has a more contemporary look and feel. We have kept the logo as three separate words and retained the 3 swish device so the registered trade mark is not affected.
The new tag line “A World of branding solutions” positions us as far more than just a banner manufacturer but as a service provider offering a branded solution for any event.
We see this as a subtle change but a great improvement and look forward to taking Expand a Sign into the future with the new logo.
Cheers
Team EAS
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Posted by: Amy Lawrance on 28 January 2012 00:00
Weekends are wonderful. I personally wake up late, loaf around for ages, and try to beat my own PB in duration of hours wearing my slippers.
As I awoke at the crack of noon today and shuffled from bed to sofa, my cellphone suddenly shattered the silence with a beep so terribly shrill and offensive to the ear.
It was a message, encouraging me to visit the Ryder Motorrad Open Day. 'Too much effort', was my first thought. But as I mulled over the idea a little longer, I found my teeth brushed, myself dressed and with my car keys in hand. Oh, the lure of all those leather-clad bikers!
The 60 second drive (don't push it. I know I'm capable of walking) took me to the Heritage Market in Hillcrest, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. Ryder Motorrad is a BMW Motorcycle dealership and very popular amongst more than a few of my friends and colleagues. And as I parked the car and strolled closer, a city of gazebos and umbrellas stood before me. With Ex-Dome Gazebos, Ex-Shade umbrellas, Ex-T Backwalls and Feather Banners everywhere, bikers and bike fanatics wandered from one place to the next, or sat and enjoyed a hot dog and pint of beer.
Some large bloke sat on an even larger bike and revved the heck out of it, which provided cheers and squeals (okay fine. It was just me who squealed) while James Egan, who Expand a Sign is proud to be affiliated with, clapped and laughed beside him.
As I drove away from the event and back to the comfort of my couch, I unwound my car windows and pretended that I was cruising on chrome, with the mighty power of a BMW engine beneath.
That's it. I'm trading in my car.
Cheers
EAS - Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul.
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