VizComm Signage Group fabricated and installed custom illuminated channel letters for Ben & Jerry’s at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, California, along with branded interior graphics that carry the company’s visual identity into the shop environment. Because Fashion Island is an Irvine Company property, the storefront signage had to meet specific architectural and fabrication standards. One of the most important requirements was trim-capless channel letter construction, a more refined fabrication method that eliminates the plastic trim typically visible around standard channel-letter faces.
The Ben & Jerry’s location required signage that could deliver the playful personality of the brand while meeting the more exacting visual standards of a high-end Newport Beach retail property.
The primary storefront sign uses illuminated acrylic channel letters positioned across the curved architectural fascia above the service counter.
Inside the space, a large Ben & Jerry’s cow graphic was applied directly across the white tiled wall, extending the brand beyond the main sign and adding a recognizable visual element to the customer-facing interior.
Ben & Jerry’s is a nationally recognized ice cream brand with an identity built around bold typography, colorful graphics, and distinctive visual elements.
At a destination retail center such as Fashion Island, that brand identity has to coexist with architectural guidelines established for the property.
The signage therefore needed to accomplish two objectives at once: remain immediately recognizable as Ben & Jerry’s while meeting the fabrication and finish expectations required for the Newport Beach location.
Standard channel letters typically use a plastic trim cap around the perimeter of the acrylic face. While functional, that construction creates a visible ridge around the letter.
For this project, that standard method was not acceptable.
The Irvine Company’s signage standards for the property required a trim-capless construction, meaning VizComm needed to produce illuminated letters without the conventional plastic retainer visible around the face.
This called for a more elaborate fabrication method while still accurately reproducing the distinctive Ben & Jerry’s letterforms and colorful ampersand.
VizComm used a trim-capless construction so the letter faces could maintain a smoother, cleaner perimeter without the plastic ridge normally visible on standard channel letters.
Instead of securing a separate trim cap around the face, the acrylic was routed along the inside so it could fit precisely within the aluminum channel-letter construction.
The assembly uses screws through the sides and routed acrylic edges rather than relying on plastic trim attached to the aluminum. This allows the finished face to retain a more refined appearance.
VizComm fabricated a set of face-lit acrylic channel letters spelling out the Ben & Jerry’s brand name across the storefront fascia.
The primary white letters create strong visual contrast against the architectural surface, while the colorful ampersand preserves one of the most recognizable elements of the brand identity.
The trim-capless fabrication method gives the letters a cleaner edge profile than conventional trim-capped channel letters. With no exposed plastic retainer surrounding the face, attention stays on the letterforms themselves rather than the hardware used to hold the acrylic in place.
This makes the construction particularly appropriate for retail centers and business parks where property standards place greater emphasis on finish quality and architectural presentation.
The signage program did not stop at the illuminated storefront identification.
VizComm also installed a large-scale Ben & Jerry’s cow wall graphic directly across the tiled interior wall. The black-and-white artwork uses the existing tile surface as part of the design, turning an otherwise plain wall into a recognizable branded feature.
This interior application creates a different type of visual experience than the channel letters. The exterior sign provides identification, while the wall graphic adds personality and brand character once customers are inside the space.
Installing the channel letters required careful alignment across the curved storefront fascia so the full Ben & Jerry’s name would read as a unified sign rather than a series of individually mounted elements.
Project photography shows the letters illuminated during installation as the team worked from ladders to position and secure the sign across the architectural surface.
The completed installation sits prominently above the customer service area, with the illuminated letters providing a strong visual anchor above the menu boards and counter.
The separate wall-graphic installation required the artwork to follow the grout pattern and surface texture of the tiled wall while preserving the recognizable silhouette of the Ben & Jerry’s cow.
The completed signage gives the Newport Beach Ben & Jerry’s location a storefront presentation that is both highly recognizable and appropriate for the standards of the Fashion Island property.
The illuminated letters preserve the playful Ben & Jerry’s identity while the trim-capless construction provides a cleaner architectural finish than conventional channel-letter fabrication.
Inside the store, the tiled-wall cow graphic adds another branded touchpoint without duplicating the primary storefront identification.
Together, the exterior and interior elements create a more complete retail environment rather than relying on a single logo sign to carry the entire brand experience.
VizComm handled the more complex trim-capless construction required for the property instead of relying on conventional plastic trim-cap channel letters
VizComm extended the branding from illuminated storefront identification into the customer-facing interior with a custom wall graphic, creating consistency across multiple retail touchpoints.
VizComm fabricated and installed custom illuminated acrylic channel letters for the Ben & Jerry’s storefront, along with an interior vinyl wall graphic.
The project was completed at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, California.
Trim-capless channel letters eliminate the plastic trim normally used around the perimeter of an acrylic letter face. The acrylic is instead routed and fitted into the channel-letter construction for a cleaner finished edge.
For this construction, the acrylic is routed to fit inside the aluminum backing and secured through the sides and routed edges rather than being held in place by an external plastic trim cap.
Yes. They require more elaborate fabrication than conventional trim-capped channel letters because the acrylic and aluminum components need to fit together more precisely.
Yes. The main storefront signage uses illuminated, face-lit channel letters.
VizComm installed a large black-and-white Ben & Jerry’s cow graphic across the shop’s tiled interior wall.
They can be a strong option for properties where architectural standards call for a cleaner channel-letter edge and a more refined finished appearance.
This Fashion Island project demonstrates VizComm’s capability to fabricate and install custom retail signage in Newport Beach, including illuminated channel letters and interior branded graphics.
Whether your property requires custom channel-letter construction, architectural storefront signage, or branded interior graphics, VizComm Signage Group can develop a solution around both your brand standards and the requirements of the property.
