Making signs by design

Trina Hirasaki is in her element as a designer for a sign-making firm

Who: Trina Hirasaki Title: Lead graphic designer Job: Helps design and install signs for Peterson Sign Co.

Trina Hirasaki always loved making posters and story boards for things such as her high school science fairs. Now she's making posters and story boards and all sorts of other signage in her role as lead graphic designer at Peterson Sign Co., which makes both custom and highway signage as a division of Grace Pacific Corp.'s GP Roadway Solutions, based in Mapunapuna.

Hirasaki joined Peterson Sign Co. just last August, after a year and a half at Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties Inc., where she had been helping make postcards and other items for its marketing department. Before that she was an assistant graphic designer for a year at the Waikiki Aquarium.

Now she feels more in her element, as she participates in the creation of a wide variety of signage, including for stores, vehicles, tournaments and roadways.

Hirasaki is a graduate of Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., where she obtained a bachelor's degree in graphic design. Before that, she graduated from Iolani High School in Honolulu. Age 25, Hirasaki is single and lives with her parents in Mililani.

Trina Hirasaki likes custom projects, but standard street signs are fine with her, too

Mark Coleman: What is your work title?

Trina Hirasaki: Lead graphic designer, for Peterson Sign. Co.

Q: So you work on signs?

A: Production is split by custom signs and highway signage, and the graphics department works on both.

Q: How long have you been working for Peterson Sign Co.?

A: Since August.

Q: What were you doing before you started your current job?

A: I worked for Coldwell Banker (Pacific Properties), in marketing.

Q: Why did you switch?

A: That was more geared toward marketing, and I wanted to focus more on graphic design.

Q: How did you learn to be a sign maker?

A: I'm still learning.

Q: How did you learn to be a graphic artist?

A: I went to Creighton University, in Omaha, Neb., and got a bachelor's degree in graphic design.

Q: Would your skills translate easily to any other kind of work, like, say, T-shirt design or something like that?

A: Correct. Design is design, and it just depends on the output of the designs. So previously I have worked on postcards, brochures, ...

Q: You mean like at Coldwell Banker?

A: Correct.

Q: What kinds of projects have you worked on at Peterson Sign?

A: My first project here was the "June Jones Show" backdrop, at KGMB. I've also worked on vehicle wraps.

Q: What's that?

A: We would design what the van would look like. We would create it in the computer, or sometimes they would give us the art, and we would install it on the vehicle. It could be as simple as text on a truck, to the whole vehicle being completely wrapped.

We also just finished doing the Pro Bowl, the PGA Turtle Bay championship, the SBS Open at Turtle Bay for the LPGA, the Fields Open golf tournament, which the LPGA hosted at Ko'olina, and the Ala Moana Center barricades, for their Nordstrom expansion.

Q: What's a barricade?

A: Those are when the stores aren't actually open; we did the images on the wall, and we installed it. We printed the Prada barricade in-house, and we installed the Kahala Jeans Warehouse and True Religion graphics. So we don't just design print, we actually do the installation as well.

Q: What projects are you working on right now?

A: Banners for employees, a school sign, highway signs, street-name signs and project boards.

Q: What kind of planning goes into a custom-signs campaign?

A: Well, first of all we need to know the size, where it's going, how many signs they need, the colors, the type of materials that we're going to use to produce it. ... Also, if the customer's art is acceptable, or, if we draw it, or come up with the concept, we have to get it approved by the customer or client. Then as a team, we organize and schedule the design upstairs, and then closely work with production so they can meet the deadline as well.

Q: Do you have a lot of leeway for your creative ideas?

A: For some jobs, we do, but for highway signage, we have to stick with the standards.

Q: Do you visit where your customers are located for inspiration?

A: For custom signage, our customers will come to us, or the sales people will come to us and throw out ideas.

Q: What kinds of tools and supplies do you need to do your job?

A: We rely heavily on the computer, a plotter, and our two printers.

Q: Are those things huge?

A: One of the printers can print up to 73 inches wide, and the other one at roughly about 54 inches wide.

Q: And what kind of computers would those be?

Q: We use PCs.

A: I thought Mac was the preferred computer for designers.

Q: In college I used a Mac, but since I've been working, I've been using PCs.

A: So in college they taught you how to use the computer?

A: Correct. I learned design programs and Web design.

Q: Do you work alone or do you have a crew of some sort that you work with?

A: I work with an assistant graphic designer, and a digital-equipment operator.

Q: How many people work at Peterson Sign Co. overall?

A: Within production and the graphics departments, about 11 or so.

Q: Are you pretty much a 40-hours-a-week worker?

A: Yes, but then during our busy season, we do work six to seven days a week.

Q: When is busy season?

A: From about the middle of January to March. That's when we have the Pro Bowl, the Turtle Bay, the Fields Open and the SBS Open -- all those ones I told you about before.

Q: How much time do you typically have to fulfill customer orders -- the turnaround time?

A: If they need it, and it's a few signs, and they need it tomorrow, we'll get it to them tomorrow. It's whenever the customer needs it.

Q: (Company founder) Bob Peterson said you were working on some kind of a flag.

A: Oh yes, I am. I am working on a flag to send to Iraq.

Q: So you work on flags, too?

A: I'm working on the design of the flag, and we will send it out to be printed and turned into a flag.

Q: What kind of design is it?

A: It is for Task Force Warfighter, for the 728th Military Police Battalion, in Iraq. I believe it's an embroidered badge that I'm going to recreate digitally, to be placed on the flag.

Oh, and I just got another order here. We're doing a banner for somebody's brother coming home from Iraq.

Q: Do you do any artistic kinds of things on the side, or as a hobby?

A: Just for fun, I design random things, like touch up photos ...

...Q: Are you a good illustrator?

A: I'd rather draw on the computer than draw by hand.

Q: Why did you pick this field?

A: I always liked the presentation boards as a kid, like the science-fair boards, I liked designing those. And I liked taking art classes.

When I was in college, I actually wanted to be a doctor, so I started to study pre-med, but I found I really like working with the computer, and I really liked graphic design, so that's where I really started getting into it -- advertising, marketing ...

...Q: Well I would imagine you could put your graphic-design skills to use in the medical field.

A: Correct. They actually had a class called medical art. Art students would have to go over to the hospital and draw cadavers. But I never had to take any of those classes.

Q: What's the best thing you like about your job?

A: I like custom signage because the majority of the custom signage is unique, and it's very challenging.

Q: So are you going to stick around for awhile at Peterson Signs?

A: Yes. Hopefully the company will be growing in various directions to improve the graphics department, so we can do cool stuff -- cool signage! (Laughter) -- and expand our design capabilities and our production team.

"Hawaii at Work" features people telling us what they do for a living. Send suggestions to mcoleman@starbulletin.com