This branch for California Bank of Commerce is located at 40101 Monterey Ave in Rancho Mirage. It’s a building with a lot of personality—heavy stone cladding, stucco, and distinct arches—which meant the signage had to be handled carefully to avoid clashing with the desert-inspired architecture.
The main goal was to make the bank easy to find without letting the signs take over the building’s design. Because the exterior features both textured stone and smooth stucco, we couldn't just "stick a sign on it" and call it a day. We had to find a way to keep the branding legible against these busy textures while making sure the placement felt natural on both the flat walls and the curved elevations.
We settled on a system of dimensional building signs that wrap around multiple sides of the property. Rather than one massive logo, we installed a coordinated set:
Per the client's preference, the entire system is non-illuminated. It relies on clean contrast and shadows to do the work rather than internal lights.
Since we weren't using light, visibility came down to two things: contrast and depth. The light-colored lettering pops against the darker stone and the earth-toned stucco. By using dimensional letters, the sun creates natural shadows that shift throughout the day, which actually helps the legibility in the bright California sun. We also varied the size of the signs depending on the wall they were sitting on, so nothing feels too cramped or too small for its specific spot.
The bank is now easy to spot from the street and the parking areas, but the signs feel like they belong to the building. It’s a clean, professional look that fits the "quiet" confidence a financial institution usually wants to project. The architecture still does the heavy lifting, and the signage provides the necessary clarity.
The project shows that you don't always need bright lights or oversized Cabinets to make an impact; sometimes, just getting the placement and the materials right is enough to make a building stand out.
