Custom Park Signage for Plaza Permanente in Santa Rosa

A park sign can look simple until you consider everything it needs to do.

It needs to communicate information without getting lost in its surroundings. It needs a structure suited to its location. And when the same information is presented in more than one language, the layout needs to give each version a clear place.

At Plaza Permanente on Sebastopol Road in Santa Rosa, those considerations came together in a custom park-signage project for Eugene Burger Management Corp.

The project combined freestanding park-rules displays, a large sign recognizing AG + Open Space, and a Spanish-language addition to the playground’s welcome and safety information. Our scope included design and layout, printed graphics, fabricated components and field installation.

What makes this project worth a closer look is not just the number of signs. It is how the different pieces were constructed and installed—from the paired language panels to the mounting hardware concealed beneath the finished graphics.

One Property, Several Different Communication Needs

The signage at Plaza Permanente performs several distinct jobs.

The freestanding displays present park rules in English and Spanish. The larger recognition sign identifies the plaza and carries the AG + Open Space Sonoma County branding. At the playground, an additional Spanish-language panel sits beneath the English-language information.

Rather than treating every application as the same type of sign, the project used different structures, panel thicknesses and finishes.

The principal components were:

The work order separates these physical components from the design and installation services needed to complete the project.

That distinction matters. A finished sign is more than its printed face: it is the combination of the message, the supporting structure, the surface finish and the way everything attaches to the site.

English and Spanish, Built Into the Same Display

The park-rules signs use a straightforward arrangement: English on the upper panel and Spanish on the lower panel, held together within the same freestanding frame.

Each language has its own defined space. Matching panel sizes, borders and background treatments visually connect the two versions without combining both into one crowded layout.

The photographs show this arrangement repeated at different locations around the plaza. Whether the display stands beside a landscaped walkway or near the perimeter fence, the same format is recognizable.

For this portion of the project, the six sign faces were specified as 3 mm aluminum composite material, or ACM, with 3M IJ175CV3 printed vinyl and 3M 8518 gloss cast laminate. Each face measures 18 inches wide by 20 inches high.

The bilingual presentation is an important part of the finished design. It puts both language versions together at the same point of use rather than separating them into unrelated signs elsewhere on the property.

Custom Frames Give the Rules Signs Their Finished Form

The freestanding displays are not simply panels fastened to individual posts.

The project called for three custom assemblies built with two-inch-square aluminum framing, welded construction and a RAL 8019 Grey Brown painted finish.

Each frame incorporates two formed aluminum pans, positioned one above the other. The specifications call for half-inch returns facing forward, allowing each sign face to sit inside its surrounding pan. The frame tops were also specified without openings.

These details explain the appearance visible in the finished photos: a defined dark surround frames the information, while the paired panels read as one assembled display.

The distinction between the frame and the sign face is useful here. The frame provides the overall shape and mounting structure; the individual panels carry the information. Together, they create something more intentional than a pair of signs attached wherever space happens to be available.

The final placement also shows the signs in context. They sit beside walkways and planting areas, with enough separation from the surrounding landscaping for the displays to remain visually distinct.

A Larger Sign Recognizes the Place Itself

The large white sign serves a different purpose from the park-rules displays.

Its message reads “Plaza Permanente — Conserved Forever By,” followed by the AG + Open Space Sonoma County identity. The green landscape emblem and large dark lettering occupy most of the face.

This is recognition signage, rather than a directional sign or a list of park rules.

At 90 inches wide by 48 inches high, it is also substantially larger than the individual rules panels. The specified construction uses 6 mm ACM, 3M IJ175CV3 printed vinyl and an anti-graffiti laminate.

The finished photograph shows the panel mounted across the face of a white, corrugated exterior structure. Its flat surface gives the lettering and logo an uninterrupted background despite the texture behind it.

This sign also illustrates why material specifications should be considered individually within a larger project. The park-rules panels and the recognition sign use the same specified print vinyl, but their backing thicknesses and laminate specifications differ.

A Small Installation Detail That Changes the Finished Appearance

One of the most interesting details in this project is the installation sequence for the large recognition sign.

The specification called for mounting the ACM panel with countersunk screws, then applying the printed vinyl on site after the panel was secured. The mounting points were to be covered by the finished graphic.

In other words:

Mount the panel first. Apply the finished graphics second.

That approach allows the mounting hardware to sit beneath the graphic rather than interrupting the visible lettering or logo.

It is not a detail most visitors will stop to examine, but it helps explain the clean face visible in the completed installation. Planning the attachment method and the graphic application together affects how the final sign looks.

The park-rules production notes likewise called for vinyl application after mounting the sign panels. This was a project where installation and graphic finishing were connected, rather than treated as entirely separate steps.

Adding Spanish-Language Information at the Playground

The playground portion required a different solution.

The photograph shows an English-language welcome and safety panel above a Spanish-language panel headed “Bienvenidos.” Our documented scope for this assembly was the Spanish-language addition and its supporting components, rather than the entire playground welcome structure.

The additional sign uses an 11.5-by-22-inch, 3 mm ACM face, supported by a 13.5-by-24-inch, 6 mm ACM backer. The backer was specified in RAL 1014, with the mounting bracket painted to match. The graphic specification again called for 3M IJ175CV3 vinyl with 3M 8518 gloss cast laminate.

Those separate dimensions are a useful detail: the printed face and the backing panel are not the same component. The larger backer provides the surrounding support, while the smaller face carries the message.

In the finished installation, the Spanish-language information follows the general organization of the English panel above it, including the welcome heading, supervision information and warning section.

This makes the playground sign a particularly clear example of adding a specific communication element without treating the entire assembly as one newly produced sign.

Different Finishes for Different Parts of the Project

It would be easy to describe everything here simply as “outdoor signs.” The actual specification is more considered than that.

The frame assemblies use painted aluminum. The rules panels use printed vinyl and gloss cast laminate over 3 mm ACM. The larger recognition sign uses a thicker ACM panel and an anti-graffiti laminate. The playground addition combines two backing thicknesses with a matching painted bracket.

These distinctions are part of what separates a complete signage package from a collection of printed graphics.

For property managers reviewing a similar project, the useful questions go beyond what the signs will say. How will each panel attach? Will hardware remain visible? Does the sign need its own freestanding frame? Is an additional panel being incorporated into another assembly?

The Plaza Permanente project offers concrete examples of those decisions in the finished work.

Bringing the Pieces Together on Site

The installation scope included both freestanding and surface-mounted signage.

The park-rules assemblies required post installation in concrete. The large recognition panel required mechanical attachment followed by on-site vinyl application. The playground panel had its own backer and bracket arrangement. These different mounting requirements are documented in the project’s fabrication and installation specifications.

That variety is an important part of the story.

Even within one property, the best approach is not necessarily one construction method repeated everywhere. A freestanding display beside a path, a large panel on a building surface and a smaller addition to a playground assembly each present a different situation.

The finished photos show how those separate applications work within the same outdoor setting. The rules displays repeat a consistent format, the recognition sign gives the plaza a prominent identification element, and the playground panel adds Spanish-language information at the play area.

A Signage Project Built Around the Details

This project demonstrates several ways custom signage can serve a shared outdoor space without every sign looking identical.

The park-rules displays use paired panels and matching frames. The recognition sign uses a larger format with a different graphic treatment. The playground addition works within a separate welcome-sign assembly.

What connects them is the attention given to the individual application: the message, the panel construction, the finish and the mounting.

For Signarama Santa Rosa, the Plaza Permanente project is a useful example of bringing those pieces together for a property-management client—from design and layout through the completed installation.

The result is visible in both the prominent signs and the smaller finishing details.

Frequently Asked Questions

What signage did Signarama Santa Rosa provide for Plaza Permanente?

The project included three custom aluminum park-rules frames, six park-rules panels, a large AG + Open Space recognition sign and an additional Spanish-language playground panel. The scope also included design and layout, fabricated supporting components and field installation.

How were English and Spanish incorporated into the park-rules signs?

The finished displays place an English-language panel above a Spanish-language panel within one frame. Each panel has its own defined space, with matching sizes and graphic treatments connecting the two versions.

What materials were used for the park-rules panels?

The six 18-by-20-inch panels were specified in 3 mm ACM with 3M IJ175CV3 printed vinyl and 3M 8518 gloss cast laminate. The surrounding frames were specified in welded aluminum with a RAL 8019 Grey Brown painted finish.

How were the mounting screws concealed on the large recognition sign?

The installation specification called for securing the ACM panel with countersunk screws before applying the printed vinyl on site. The graphic was then intended to cover the mounting points, keeping the hardware out of the visible design.

Did every sign use the same laminate?

No. The park-rules panels and Spanish-language playground panel specified 3M 8518 gloss cast laminate. The larger AG + Open Space recognition sign specified an anti-graffiti laminate.

Did Signarama produce the entire playground welcome-sign assembly?

The documented scope was the additional Spanish-language panel, its painted backer and its mounting bracket. The finished photo shows that addition beneath the English-language welcome and safety information.

Can a signage project include both new freestanding signs and additions to other sign assemblies?

Yes. This project combined custom freestanding rules displays, a large surface-mounted recognition sign and an additional panel at the playground. Each application used its own supporting structure and attachment details.

Planning Signage for a Park, Plaza or Shared Property?

Whether you need bilingual information panels, custom park-rules displays, recognition signage or an addition to an existing sign assembly, Signarama Santa Rosa can help you plan the physical details as well as the graphics.

Bring us your messages, site photos and any project specifications. Our team can discuss the materials, fabrication and installation approach for your location.

Contact Signarama Santa Rosa to plan your park or property-signage project.