I've been doing business with Bob Mercer and Bill Bertsche for years; so I was very pleased to do a new sign for their office in Old Mystic. This is a perfect example of a carved sign in the classic New England style; very traditional "tablet" design, with gold leaf on a deep green ground, framed in cottage red - nothing outrageous or unexpected, just the sort of sign that speaks of pride, quality and professionalism.
I've become quite fond of a typeface called "titus" for carved signs. It has the proportions of a classic Roman face with calligraphic details in the serifs and cross-bars that give it a warm, hand-rendered feel. It lends itself well to both hand-carving and computeried routing - the Mercer and Bertsce sign is incise hand carved, while the Weekapaug Golf Club sign is the same face, machine carved, raised with prismatic faces. Titus works equally well with in both.