Carter's Deli

Carter's Pet Mart on West March Lane in Stockton has a deli section of its own, reached through an arched doorway off the gray-walled sales floor and lined with bins and shelving. The store wanted that doorway marked with a sign that had the friendly, old-fashioned look of a classic neighborhood deli, without repainting the wall to get a background.

We made Carter's in a red script and Deli in a rounded green font as flat cut-out letters, each standing off the face of the panel for a three-dimensional look. They're mounted on a white backer panel with rounded corners and a red border inset from the edge, which picks up the red of the script. The panel hangs centered above the arch, high enough to read from across the store, and gives the letters a clean background of their own against the gray wall.

Flat cut-out letters on a backer panel are a flexible choice for interior signs. The backer supplies an exact background color and shape without painting the building, and the dimensional letters give the sign depth that flat print can't.