By signcraft
Posted on Sunday, December 28th, 2025
There are a lot of signs out there made with cut-out letters on a flat panel. The dimension of the letters always looks good, and the shadows they cast adds to the effect. But not every background panel has to be smooth and flat. CNC routers have made it easy to add texture and depth to that otherwise flat panel by simply routing a series of holes to create a pattern.
The texture that the holes add to an otherwise flat panel looks cool and interesting, and the router makes it easy. You can vary the size and spacing of the holes, and these examples show the appeal that this effect can add to a sign.
Steve Greer [Abracadabra Signs & Designs, Paris, Ontario, Canada] used aluminum composite material [ACM] for the background of the Vincenzo’s sign. When the panel must provide more structural strength, he uses a solid aluminum panel, as he did on the Travel Plus sign. The Gametime Favorites sign is the work of Harry Spetnageld [Arapahoe Sign Arts, Denver, Colorado] and uses a closer pattern of smaller perforations.
The perforations, of course, can be any shape. Small round-cornered squares, half-moons, stars or some simple shape that relates to the business would all work great. Nor do the perforations have to fill the entire background. You could do a strip at the top and/or bottom, or down one or both sides. Either way, it’s a great approach that adds interest to a sign design—without much additional time and effort.
