As published by Kenilworth Publishing in the July 2011 issue of Sign Media, Ampco Grafix, a division of Ampco Manufacturers Inc., has won both the Best Soft Signage category in the 2011 National Sign Competition as well as the top accolade, the Best-in-Show, out-performing all category winners. 

Ampco’s 2011 Best-in-Show winning project involved replacement of giant architectural banners and repurposing the old banners into hand-sewn bags. 

The project, rooted in 2007, was led by a BC interior designer, Lara Pisicoli at the MCM Interiors Ltd., for the Centre for Digital Media (CDM) creating a remarkable transformation to the interior and exterior of their Great Northern Way Campus in Vancouver.  Ampco Grafix printed and installed interior wall mural graphics and a set of eighteen giant architectural back-lit banners (7.5 feet x 22 feet each) for the building exterior.  The graphics were designed by a BC graphic designer, Kristin Dyer from Massif Creative. 

In 2010, CDM made a decision to replace the exterior banners with new graphics, again designed by Dyer, and to have vinyl bags made with the retiring banners.  Lee Hemminger, Account Executive at Ampco Grafix, chose Common Thread Co-op to bring a second life to the old banners.

Competing against a larger printing market in eastern Canada, Ampco Grafix’s winning result demonstrates the outstanding level of creativity, resources and the ability to deliver, which all came together in BC.  

This is Ampco Grafix’s third award received in the history of this competition and our first Best-in-Show honour.