LA Ink’s Kat Von D Gets Her Piano “Inked” by KDF

Sephora in Times Square celebrated Fashion’s Night Out  to kick off New York Fashion Week with a live performance by Kat Von D of LA Ink fame and Maja Ivarrson, singer for Swedish punk band The Sounds. The tattooed beauty accompanied Ivarrson on an equally beautiful Baldwin baby grand piano emblazoned with a charcoal drawing penned by Kat Von D herself. KDF helped make it happen!

KDF was commissioned to apply the same vinyl wrapping techniques used on vehicles to Kat Von D’s personal piano for this special Fashion Week event. The KDF team wrapped the majestic instrument in ivory vinyl with raspberry and gold accents, showcasing a charcoal portrait by Kat Von D.

"Kat was so sweet and appreciative of the work we did,” says Stephen Hoey, President of KDF, who received an autographed photo of the finished piano from the reality star. “She even invited the crowd to come up and check out her piano after the performance; she was so proud of it.”

Left: Katie Weigl of KDF with Kat Von D and Maja Ivarrson
Right: Piano wrap by KDF

Branding Through Effective Signage: How To Make The Most of Your Signage

Your signage is the face of your business as much as you are--it determines the way you are perceived by the public and leaves the crucial first impression that can make or break you in mere moments. You wouldn't attend an important meeting with a potential client sporting an unkempt hairdo and dirty clothing, would you? On the contrary, you would go above and beyond to set yourself apart and make the best impression possible. 

Your business's signage is the ultimate investment, because--unlike you on a bad hair day--your signage doesn't get to wake up the next morning with another shot at turning out correctly. The reality of the situation is that a business will only switch up its signage once in a blue moon, because once an entity has been branded--in a positive light or a negative one--a change in signage can mean starting from scratch when it comes to brand recognition. So when it comes to installing effective signage, whether it's your first time out of the gate or you're upgrading from substandard signage, the pressure is on to get it right. 

Here are a few tips on getting it right, and getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to highly effectual, impactful signage. 

1. Be Obvious 
The first signs as we know them today started cropping up when the majority of the population was still illiterate. Signage would manifest itself in the form of a slab of wood carved in the shape of a shoe outside a cobbler's shop, or a loaf of bread outside of a bakery.

Primitive though it may be, these old-school business owners had the right idea. If your signage is truly effective, passersby should be able to tell at first blush who you are and what you're about. Fortunately for us, we have a few 21st century advantages--widespread literacy for one, and the fact that we now have resources like durable, weatherproof materials and an array of state of the art technologies and techniques to create signage that can speak to your business's very specific audience. 

Contemporary counterparts to the hand carved signs of yore are made possible by modern innovations such as the flatbed printer and CNC routing machine. Among other advantages, flatbed printing produces vivid, sharp results on both flexible and rigid substrates in sizes and scales above and beyond the capabilities of standard large format printers. CNC machining--or computer numerical controlled routing--robotically cuts, creases, and perforates substrates with acute precision, giving you complete freedom to fabricate custom shapes and three-dimensional compositions for the most imaginative signage possible.


2. Be Compelling
Do you sell cupcakes? Don't just inform the general public that you sell cupcakes--make them crave your cupcakes through your signage. Textures, dimensions, colors, shapes, and lighting all play into making your signage appealing and engaging to your customers.


Instead of something more cut and dry, why not opt for textured acrylic "frosting" in vibrant bubblegum pink and twinkling sugar "sprinkles" illuminated with LED lights? It's creative, eye-catching and memorable, and most importantly it silently captures and communicates the real-life sensory experience of eating a cupcake. Flatbed and CNC technology makes it possible, and more affordable than you might guess.


3. Be Thorough
Don't drop the ball once patrons walk through your door. Carry your message throughout your establishment with in-store signage, custom displays, wall murals, window graphics and more. Flatbed and CNC technology is ideal for in-store graphics such as these, maximizing room for creativity when it comes to custom retail displays, custom countertops, furniture and more. 

Besides giving your business a cohesive, polished look, utilizing similar motifs and schemes from your signage to the floor to the checkout counter provides a three hundred and sixty degree consumer experience, driving your message home and helping to internalize it in your customers.