Spectacular sibling signmakers at Image of Art

Twin sisters Kristal and Rhiannan Lava are co-founders of boutique design studio Image of Art, a multi-disciplined service that offers brand development and design from original concept to construction. With 13 years experience in the industry, the pair have worked for major signage companies in Victoria, honing their craft through close collaboration and hard work. In this article they speak to us about the industry and the company they have formed together; and highlight three of their favourite projects.

Rhiannan and Kristal are both graduates of Melbourne’s RMIT University, having attained Diplomas in Printing & Printing & Graphic Arts (Digital Reproduction) and Certificates IV in Printing & Graphic Arts (Multimedia. With a focus on design, they have worked in the studios of Citywide Signs & Neon and Rhino Signmakers.

“Working for these companies has given me an exceptional grasp of all aspects of design, creation and production,” says Rhiannan, who is also skilled at branding. “I bring a strong understanding of construction design, offering a ‘one stop shop’ service that can successfully transfer ideas right through from concept to image to physical production.”

Kristal used her talent in graphic design at Purple Hills Painting and Rhino Signmakers, where she held senior positions. With her strong attention to detail and the ability to exceed her clients’ expectations, she is renowned for producing  unique designs.

Co-founders of Image of Art since its inception in 2018, their roles are clearly and individually defined.

While Rhiannan focuses her energy into stretching design boundaries and project managing a wide variety of assignments, Kristal creates outstanding designs across an equally diverse range of industries, project managing every assignment professionally and effectively from original concept to final production and installation.

Impressively, Image of Art has an extensive base of specialist contractors who excel at what they do. From A Grade licenced electricians, qualified abseilers, signage installers and graphics applicators, their team of contractors can do anything within the industry. The company manages the OH&S requirements and ensure that everyone adheres to the policies in place.

“Being twin sisters we have a bond like no other and can resonate that connection through our work. We are both very driven and hard working, always bouncing creative ideas off each other,” says Kristal, explaining how the decision to form their own business came to be.

“We embarked on the Image of Art adventure as we both came to a point in our careers where we loved the industry very much but needed more of a challenge to drive us further in our creativity. We wanted to create our own brand and feel the full satisfaction of building our own clientele. It was empowering and exciting to be designing, developing and delivery of our own homegrown creation. Seeing them in realtime was a dream!”

“We enjoy our roles because we get to oversee our projects from start to finish,” adds Rhiannan . “Having our own company means we get to work closely with our clients to imagine (and, where required, manufacture) designs that are innovative in every aspect. We’re the experts in creating what, in our clients eyes, may be impossible. The industry as a whole is always evolving, making things that may have once beenimpossible now achievable. We thrive on being ever-more original in our thinking; pushing the boundaries of what we’re capable of creating and, in so doing, inspiring other creative individuals to  follow our lead.”

“Signage is a male dominated profession, so we love being able to represent women, while continually promoting diversity and inclusion within the signage and construction industry. We encourage all women and other gender diverse individuals who are interested in signage and/or design, to step up and have a go. We have proven our worth in signage time and time again, and that we are not only capable of delivering big signage projects, but able to deliver them with attentiveness and a touch of finesse,” she concludes.

Aerocorp Business Park

After a move to Aerocorp, a new business complex in Keilor Park, Victoria, Momentum wanted stand out signage that would really catch the eye of visitors. Aerocorp’s main letter ‘A’ was a 3D optical illusion on paper. Momentum challenged Image of Art to create that same 3D effect for the installation of the physical logo at their new premises.

Never ones to shy away from a challenge, Image of Art created a 3D sign that included exactly the optical illusion our client was looking for. By moving around the letter ‘A’ and experiencing it from all angles, the physical object changes its form. It’s truly striking and something that definitely needs to be seen in person to appreciate how  good it looks.

“To create a 3D illusion, the acrylic fabricated returns were manufactured on an angle. This process was new and innovative and one that we had never undertaken to manufacture before. This made the project considerably more challenging, but also made us super excited for the end product. To complement this unique process, we added internal LED illumination and vibrant vinyl to make the logo really pop at night,” explains Rhiannan.

Momentum Developments was delighted with the lengths that Image of Art went to in achieving the look and effect they were hoping for. They’ve received exceptional feedback about the signage we created by putting all of our deep design flair, manufacturing knowledge and experience into the creative process. They are now keen referrals for Image of Art as they have received so many enquiries from businesses wanting  our details.

“We are thrilled at the new business this project has brought to us and that it was such an outstanding success in every aspect,” she adds.

Gunco Superstore

Australian business Gunco offers camping supplies, shotgun, rifle, ammunition, reloading and other shooting-related needs. They were looking to refresh their company logo and approached Image of Art for a new, contemporary logo design.

Image of Art’s solution was to bring Gunco’s image more in line with modern thinking by moving it away from predominantly guns and showcasing the brand for its ability to provide a wide range of camping and sports items.

“We replaced the old bullet design originally created by Gunco and came up with a new logo altogether, changing it to feature rich greens and natural colours to bring in a real ‘back to nature’ feel. We also added motifs representing mountains and hunting elements such as deer and pine trees into the logo design to emphasise this side of their business as being at the forefront of their brand,” says Rhiannan.

“Originally Gunco approached Image of Art to redesign their logo only. However, they were so pleased with the results that they entrusted us to take on the design of all creative projects for Gunco. Today, Gunco is enjoying a whole new look and feel for their store and online shop and they’re delighted with the difference we’ve made for them.

“Under our design guidance, Gunco’s brand look has totally changed. Gone is the old style heavy black background and dark colours, replaced with more earthy tones and wood materials. We’ve made the same changes to all their packaging and overall branding to bring a much higher level of consistency to the brand. Gunco has recently introduced new products into their range and we’re already helping to design all-new packaging. The company has also recently bought a new store in Melbourne and has asked Image of Art to ensure that their new branding style and logos are implemented throughout,” she adds.

Vertilux

“Vertilux has a strong brand so our job was easy converting this logo into the physical environment. The challenges we faced were more the application and implementation. Large freestanding illuminated letters spanned the parapet.

“This required engineering computations and detailed industrial design to ensure the installation was a success. Not only was the parapet to be structurally sound enough to take the loads but the letters also had to look exceptional. The result speaks for itself,” explains Rhiannan.