The Little Chihuahua is a Mexican Restaurant with two locations in San Francisco. I created all the indoor and outdoor signage for both locations. The owner wanted signage that incorporated a street-art stenciled look with a modern twist. The first challenge was designing and fabricating the A-Frame sign, which would establish the Little Chihuahua's presence to sidewalk traffic.

The Little Chihuahua Restaurant Signage: A-frame sidewalk sign

To really emphasize the stencil work, I wanted the sign to look like it was an extension of the street itself, as if a piece of sidwalk had been ripped out and made into the sign. I poured concrete panels and cut in relief grooves to mimic a sidewalk. The concrete is affixed to a sturdy birch plywood with a rebar wire panel idea that I developed, and a custom-sized chalkboard is fitted in the middle, to showcase daily specials. I definitely wanted to add a metal element, so I framed both panels with aluminum and added aluminum tubing for legs. I also installed a handle that hides itself when the sign is in use to assist with set up and takedown.

For the stencil, we decided to go with a classic flourish design which I hand cut and spraypainted onto the concrete panel.