At KORT, we know adding a channel letter sign can improve a company’s visibility. We’ve also seen how ADA wayfinding signs have improved people’s lives at work and at home. But every once in a while, a very special sign project comes along. This article is about one of them.
The Mackenzie family owns a cabin in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Western United States is in the middle of an epic drought. This has caused very dry conditions across the region, including in the Sierras, and these severe conditions can often lead to fire.
This summer a massive wildfire swept across the mountains where the Mackenzie family cabin sits. The cabin was nearly overcome by flames, but miraculously avoided any damage. The experience gave the Mackenzies a reason to recommit to their family motto.
Luceo non uro
Clan Mackenzie goes all the way back to 12th-century Scotland. The family’s motto is luceo non uro, Latin for “I shine, not burn.” The family crest is a mountain surrounded in flames. After they nearly lost the family cabin this year, the motto took on a renewed and special meaning for the Mackenzies.
So, how did the KORT Sign Design team become involved with the Mackenzie family? One of the family members contacted us to help her commemorate the family motto. After discussing what she had in mind, Amy came up with a design using an 18” x 5” piece of solid walnut which Alex engraved with our router in a Celtic-looking typeface. He then treated the sign with a semi-transparent cedar stain and hand-painted the metallic gold border.
At a recent family vacation, the sign was given as a surprise gift from one sister to another to commemorate the cabin surviving the fire. It was an honor for us to help the Mackenzies reconnect with their family motto after such a life-changing experience. We wish them all the best and hope they enjoy their custom wood sign—and their cabin—for years to come.
If you have a custom sign design project for either home or work, KORT Sign Design can help. Contact us today to get started.