Angels Camp, CA…Having relocated back to Angels Camp, Signal Service recently completed its sign on the side of its new Cornerstone Building home. Owners Will, Mark and Andy Wilson were thrilled to be able to resurrect the original ‘frog logo’ that had been replaced some time ago. Speaking about the new 10’ X 12’ sign painted directly onto the brick wall of the building, Andy says “Having expanded up into El Dorado County and down to Sacramento, we sort of outgrew the frog logo. As our service area expanded we felt subscribers might not identify with the frog, and adopted something more generic. That said, we’ve all had a certain fondness for our frog, and we’re glad to have him back”.
In 1997 the Company located its business office at 866 South Main Street. Wanting street side signage, Mark reached out to his illustrator/designer friend, Larry Hausen. “Larry and I go all the way back to 6th grade in parochial school.” At the time, Larry was Creative Service Director for the Golden State Warriors, where, in his ten year tenure he would develop a Creative Services Department and oversee not only all print material from tickets to billboards, but also oversee the design of the new Arean, new Warriors Logo, and create their popular mascot, ‘Thunder’, even overseeing the casting a then young gymnast named Sadiki Fuller who thrilled fans with his acrobatic feats.
Fast forward twenty years. Signal Service finds itself back home in Angels Camp, having once again outgrown its Vallecito digs. Larry is now working out of his Studio in Cool, doing illustration and design for all sorts of events and festivals throughout California; the State Fair, downtown association events for cities like Burbank, Hollister and Brea, when he gets a call from Mark asking his old friend to paint a 10’ X 12’ rendering of the logo he’d created twenty plus years ago on a brick building in downtown Angels Camp.
Larry says “I’ve done ‘site signage’ on only rare occasions, but this was different. I instantly agreed!” While painting the new sign, Larry couldn’t help but notice the Angels Theatre down the street. “I’ve created a series on vintage California movie theatres. I recall seeing a Cohen Brothers movie there years ago with Mark and Terri (Wilson), and decided to do a rendering of it”.
Needless to say the sign, just now completed, adorns the Raspberry side of the Building. “We love being back in Angels Camp, and harkening back to the old logo just felt right. It’s nostalgic for us” says Mark.