From $19.9
Brew & Bean needed an inviting storefront sign that reflected their craft coffee philosophy. A warm amber backlit acrylic sign on a charcoal storefront — simple, honest, and impossible to walk past.
Project Background
Brew & Bean is a specialty coffee roastery and café in Portland’s Pearl District — a neighborhood known for its design-conscious residents and demanding coffee culture. The owners, a husband-and-wife team of third-wave coffee veterans, wanted a sign that felt as artisanal as their single-origin pour-overs. “We didn’t want flashy. We wanted warm, honest, and memorable — like a good cup of coffee,” they said.
Design Concept & Branding
The design reduces signage to its essence: a clean sans-serif wordmark in a custom warm amber (#D4A76A) against a deep charcoal (#2D3436) facade. The acrylic panel is edge-lit with high-CRI 3000K LEDs, creating an even, glowing surface that reads like a lantern on the street corner. The minimalist approach was a deliberate counterpoint to the cluttered signage typical of the neighborhood’s older buildings.
Material Selection & Fabrication
The sign is a single ½” translucent acrylic panel (reverse-painted for durability), framed in brushed aluminum with a matte clear anodized finish. The LED edge-lighting array uses 12 high-CRI strips with a custom diffuser to eliminate dotted effect. Total weight is 18 lbs. Acrylic was chosen over glass for impact resistance and even light distribution.
Installation Process
Mount the aluminum backplate on the existing tile facade, connect the low-voltage LED driver to a weatherproof junction box, and affix the acrylic panel. The biggest challenge was ensuring the sign was perfectly level on a 1940s building wall with subtle irregularities. Shims behind the backplate solved it. Total installation took one day.
Results & Impact
The sign has become a beloved neighborhood fixture. “People tell us they saw the glow from two blocks away on a rainy evening and followed it to our door,” the owner says. Evening patronage increased by 40% in the first three months, attributed to the sign’s visibility in Portland’s dim winter evenings.
| Client | Brew & Bean Coffee Roasters |
|---|---|
| Location | Pearl District, Portland, OR |
| Dimensions | 6 ft (W) × 30 in (H) |
| Materials | Edge-lit translucent acrylic, brushed aluminum frame, high-CRI warm LEDs |
| Installation | Flush-mounted on tile facade with aluminum backplate |
| Timeline | 2 weeks + 1 day installation |
| Budget | $3,800 |
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