Sandy Baird had several careers before opening Windwalker Sign Studio in Port Colborne, Ont., where he has established a successful niche over the last five years by providing carved signs to local retailers and other businesses seeking a traditional style.
桑迪·贝尔德在加拿大安大略省科尔本港开设Windwalker标识工作室之前曾从事过多种职业。在过去的五年中，他通过向当地零售商和其他追求传统风格的商家提供雕刻标识的业务，建立了一个成功的利基市场。
Originally hailing from nearby St. Catharines, Baird studied technical illustration at Mohawk College in Hamilton, graphic design at Sir Sandford Fleming College in Peterborough, Ont., and printmaking and airbrushing at the Haliburton School of the Arts in Haliburton, Ont. He also learned traditional native silversmithing from Elwood Greene of Six Nations of the Grand River, the largest First Nation band in Canada.
贝尔德原本是圣凯瑟琳斯的市民，他在汉密尔顿的莫霍克学院学习专业插画，在彼得伯勒市的爵士桑福德弗莱明学院学习平面设计，以及在哈利伯顿市的哈利伯顿艺术学校学习版画和喷枪。他还在加拿大最大最优秀的民族乐队那里学习传统的本土银器制作。
Baird went on to lecture on native culture at a variety of colleges starting in 1970. His career in this field included full-time work at both Sir Sandford Fleming College and Georgian College in Barrie, Ont.
贝尔德从1970年开始在各种学院讲授传统文化。他在这个领域的职业生涯包括在桑福德弗莱明爵士学院和安大略省巴里的格鲁吉亚学院的全职工作经历。
Racing into signmaking
进入标识行业的契机
Baird first approached the sign industry in the early 1980s, when he was teaching and, in his free time, racing Formula Vee cars.
贝尔德在20世纪80年代初首次接触了标识行业，那时的他正从事于授课行业，并利用闲暇时间练习方程式赛车。
“I was always looking for help lettering the cars with vinyl,” he explains, “so I began hand-cutting the letters and logos myself.”
他说：“我一直在寻找使用乙烯基为汽车刻字的方法，最后，我决定开始亲自学习如何切割和制作标识。”
He learned more of his craft in a sign shop in Cobourg, Ont., where the owner taught him over the course of a year.
贝尔德在安大略省科堡市的一家标识店学到了很多的工艺技术，店主在一年内传授给了他许多关于标识制作的知识。
“I picked up an inexpensive Roland vinyl cutter and started making window signs,” he says.
他说：“初期我购买了一台价格便宜的 Roland乙烯基切割机，并开始尝试制作窗口标识。”
His background in technical illustration and three-dimensional (3-D) design helped him, as he could visualize objects drawn in blueprints from different angles and then translate flat graphics into 3-D formats, using isometric drawings to render accurate perspectives. He began to feel limited, however, working with flat materials.
他在专业插画和3D设计方面的学习基础能够在标识设计方面给他提供帮助，因为他可以从不同角度将物体的蓝图绘制出来，然后将平面图形转换为3D格式，并使用等轴测图绘制准确的视角。逐渐的，他开始在使用平板材料方面感觉到了限制。
“Computer numerical control (CNC) routers were just starting to come out at that time,” he says. “They performed like a very fast and accurate jigsaw. I decided that was the next tool I needed.”
贝尔德说：“当时数控切割机（CNC）刚刚开始出现，这些设备在切割技术方面表现得非常快速和精准，因此我确定这是我下一步需要购置的设备。”
Baird also favoured CNC technology and dimensional signs because he found the vinyl cutting market had become too crowded, with many shops undercutting each other.
贝尔德同样对数控技术和立体标识充满了兴趣，因为他发现乙烯基切割市场已经开始趋向饱和，许多商店在业务方面开始变得互相冲突。
“I taught myself CNC routing, as there weren’t many sign shops that had the machines back then where I could learn,” he explains.
他解释说：“我自学了数控切割机的操作，因为这里购置相关设备的标识商店还很少，我无法通过他们来学习。”
Going out on his own, he converted an old church in Terra Novainto a home and worked on signs in the carriage house workshop behind it. He bought an Axyz router manufactured in Burlington, Ont., in 2003.
他通过自己的努力，将位于安大略省Terra Nova的一座古老的教堂改造成一座房屋，并将房屋后面的马车房改造成临时工作室，在房中制作标识标牌。他在2003年购买了在安大略省伯灵顿制造的Axyz切割机。
Baird made signs for clients in Creemore, where his fellow signmaker and friend Shane Durnford had already found success with dimensional signs, and other nearby towns like Alliston, where a rebate program rewarded local businesses for commissioning traditional signs. His business took off and, in 2009, he moved to Port Colborne on the north shore of Lake Erie.
贝尔德为Creemore的客户制作了标识，他的同事和朋友Shane Durnford已经在立体标识方面取得了成功，其余附近的城镇比如艾利斯顿，通过实行退税等方式来鼓励当地企业生产传统标识。贝尔德的业务起色很快，到2009年，他搬到了伊利湖北岸的科尔本港。
Starting the studio
开办工作室
A city of about 18,000 people in the Niagara Region, Port Colborne has seen especially strong community support for traditional downtown streetscapes. Port Colborne’s municipal government offers a rebate to local businesses, much like Alliston’s, covering half of the cost of a traditional sign.
在尼亚加拉半岛地区，一个城市约有18,000的人口，科尔本港的人们对于保持市区传统的街景风貌有着强烈的愿景。科尔本港市政府也为当地企业提供了与艾利斯顿镇相似的优惠政策，比如为标识公司免去在制作传统标识时的一半成本。
“When I looked at moving back to the Niagara Peninsula,” says Baird, “I noticed Port Colborne was a small city with a sign rebate program in place, but no one was making these types of signs there yet. It seemed like a good, central location from which to further develop my portfolio.”
贝尔德说：“当我在考虑是否要回到尼亚加拉半岛时，我注意到科尔本港虽然是一个小城市，但他们发布的标识退税计划非常适合标识企业的发展，并且当时没有人在那里制作这些类型的标识。这似乎是一个很好的市场，可以进一步发展我的投资项目。”
Indeed, he was successful and quickly established a niche market for his carved signs.
事实上，贝尔德很成功，并很快为他的雕刻标识建立了一个利基市场。
“My first sign installed here got other clients interested in my work, because they had seen nothing like it before,” he says. “Ever since then, I haven’t really had to advertise. I just carry a portfolio album around with me and I benefit from a lot of word-of-mouth. The signs do the talking!”
贝尔德说：“在我进行了第一次安装工作之后，很多客户都对我的工作产生了兴趣，因为他们之前没有见过这种标识的样式。从那以后，我几乎都不用专门打广告，我只用随身携带一本标识案例相册，我就能从过往的口碑中受益良多，标识制作应该用实力说话。”
There also wasn’t much competition for clients.
在客户选择方面，贝尔德和同行之间也没有很大的竞争压力。
“There was one established other sign shop in town, but they do digitally printed and large backlit graphics,” Baird explains. “I met with the owner and we maintain a very good relationship. We have done a number of joint projects over the years.”
贝尔德解释说：“镇上成立的另外一家标识商店，他们采用的技术是数字印刷和大型背光图案印刷。我跟这个店主见了面并且成为了好朋友，多年来我们一起完成了一些标识联合项目的制作。”
“I added the word ‘studio’ to the business name when I moved to Port Colborne,” he says, “so my customers understand this business has just one artist doing everything.”
他说：“当我搬到科尔本港时，我为标识商店添加了‘工作室’一词，这样可以使我的客户了解这项业务的一切事宜都是一个艺术家在用心制作。”
The studio operates in a downtown space built in 1948 for cold storage and adapted over the years into an electrician’s shop, an antique store, a plumber’s office and a thrift shop.
这家位于市中心的工作室，最早于1948年建成作为冷藏库来使用的，中间也被改造成过电工商店、古董店、水管维修办公室和杂货店。
“It’s made of concrete block and it feels a bit industrial, like a very long garage,” says Baird. “It’s not pretty and I haven’t changed it much yet, but I will set up a gallery in the front area this winter, which will allow me to show off my work and the tools I use. I’ll put up about a dozen samples, so people can check how they look and feel up close.”
贝尔德说：“它由混凝土砌块制成，给人的感觉偏工业化一些，就像一个很长的车库。这不太符合我的工作室的氛围，但是我也不知道如何去改造它。不过今年冬天我会在前台设立一个展示画廊，这将可以使我有空间来展示我的作品和我使用的工具。我将会展示大约十几个作品，以便人们在参观时可以近距离地参考样本的观感。”
The sign shop also includes Baird’s living space.
标识店还包括贝尔德的生活空间。
“My commute is all of 15 steps,” he laughs. “I’ve got the Welland Canal right behind me and I can just walk down the street to buy my groceries.”
他笑着说：“我只需要走15步就可以到达我的工作室。韦兰运河就在工作室的背后，我可以散步去街上购买我的生活用品。”
Finding inspiration
寻找灵感
While Port Colborne’s downtown area is busier than rural Terra Nova, the backdrop of the canal, which connects Lakes Ontario and Erie, and the nautical sensibility of the city have helped provide inspiration for Windwalker projects.
尽管科尔本港的市区比当初在Terra Nova的农村更繁忙，但安大略湖和伊利湖的运河相交错的景色以及城市的航海风貌也为Windwalker工作室的项目提供了灵感。
“Back when I was learning silversmithing,” Baird says, “my teacher told me to go outside whenever things stopped working creatively, walk around until my head cleared and then come back when I could put my best into the work. There’s a similarity in the energy I put into dimensional signs today. I try to add humour and spirituality to my work.”
贝尔德说：“每当我在学习银器制作但毫无灵感时，老师就会让我放下手头的工作去户外四处走走，直到我将脑海中的思路理清，当我再回到工作岗位时，我就能尽全力做好我的工作。这种方式也可以运用到我现在的标识制作工作中，通过这种方式，我在尽力为我的作品增添趣味性和灵性。”
With this focus on creativity, every project is highly customized for its owner.
这种专注创新的工作方式，可以让每个客户都享受到高端的定制产品。
“I spend a lot of time talking with my clients before starting to work on their signs,” he says. “Many of them are starting a small business and a sign is their first chance to make a good impression. I work with them to find the best style, colours and fonts to represent their business. You want to give customers the right feeling before they walk in the door.”
他说：“在为客户制作标识之前，我会先花很多时间和客户交流。他们中的许多人正在创办一家小公司，一个好的标识是他们第一次给人留下好印象的机会。我与他们一起寻找能够代表他们公司特点的最佳风格、颜色和字体，让客户在走进店面之前就有个好印象是非常重要的。”
As Baird works alone, without any colleagues to bounce ideas off of, he must also rely heavily on himself for inspiration.
由于贝尔德独自一人工作，没有人会为他提出建议，因此他还必须非常依赖自己的灵感。
“Fresh ideas can come from many places,” he says. “A lot of my signs first come to me in dreams, where I see them fully developed. I also use music a lot in my work. I’ll ask my clients what their favourite song is and then put that on when I’m working on their sign. It helps set the pace for what I’m doing. And it helps energize me to keep going on those nights when I’m up until 3 a.m.”
他说：“有很多事情都可以带给我灵感，通常在睡梦中，我也会得到一些关于标识制作的灵感。在工作的时候我还喜欢听歌，我会询问我的客户他们最喜欢的歌是什么，然后我就会边听音乐边为他们制作标识。音乐的播放可以让我在制作标识时掌握好快慢的节奏，也能让我在工作到凌晨3点时，激励我继续加油。”
The only time Baird does not work alone is when he accepts an art student as an intern each year.
贝尔德唯一不单独工作的时候是每年招收一名艺术学生作为实习生的时候。
“The shop gives them a taste of the industry and lets them see an outlet for their artistic talents,” he says. “The internships also fit with my background in teaching. I get to turn my studio into a training facility. I love to pass these skills along and see the creative spark in the next generation.”
他说：“在我的工作室中工作不仅能让这些实习生体会到这个行业真正的状态，也能让他们看到自己的艺术天赋。我曾经当过老师的经历也能够让我游刃有余地为这些实习生传授知识。我将我的工作室变成训练场所，我喜欢将这些技能传递下去，并看到下一代的创造性火花的迸发。”
Built to last
基业长青
Almost all Windwalker signs are carved using Extira, a treated exterior composite panel building material designed to resist moisture and rotting, and then coated with Benjamin Moore water-based paints.
Windwalker几乎所有的标识都使用Extira材料（一种经过处理的外部复合面板建筑材料，可以用于抵抗潮湿和腐烂。）进行雕刻，然后涂上Benjamin Moore水性涂料。
“Few signmakers use Extira, which surprises me,” Baird says. “It’s most commonly sourced as exterior sheeting for houses. It carves well, takes paint well and is cheaper than signfoam, but the most important aspect is its longevity. I tend to overbuild the strength of each sign, since I don’t want them to fail. You can take a baseball bat to them and they’ll hold up. So, I can deliver without worrying about callbacks due to product failure.”
贝尔德说：“让我感到惊讶的是，很少有标识制造商使用Extira材料，它最常见的用处是房屋的外墙板。这种材料易于雕刻和喷漆，比泡沫板标识更便宜，而且最重要的还是它的使用寿命很长。我尽全力制作每一个标识，因为我不希望生产失败品。当你将棒球棒递给他们时，他们会自然地将手举起来，同理我也不会担心以内产品故障而引发的回调重修问题。”
By way of example, his first carved sign, which he made in Terra Nova in 2003 for the Baroque Pearl Lingerie Boutique in Alliston, is still displayed there today.
举个例子，2003年他在Terra Nova为艾利斯顿镇的巴洛克珍珠内衣精品店制作的第一个雕刻立体标识，至今仍在展出。
“Some of my old signs have come back to roost, but only because those clients retired,” he says.
他说：“一些我曾经制作过的标识已经不再工作了，这是因为我的这些客户退休了。”
Most of Baird’s new clients are retailers, with about half just starting out and the other half rebranding their existing shops.
贝尔德的大部分新客户都是零售商，其中大约一半刚刚起步，另一半则是重新对现有的店铺进行更新并再次开张。
“My next step will be to court wineries and other larger-scale clients across the peninsula,” he says. “There isn’t much turnover or repeat business with these types of signs, so I always have to find new business. Fortunately, I get very good referrals.”
他说：“我的下一步计划是将工作范围向半岛上的酒厂和其他更大规模的客户开放，标识制作业务方面很难获得大量的营业额或是重复的业务，因此我必须不断寻找新业务，幸运的是，我总是能得到很好的推荐。”
Beyond his artistry and choice of materials, Baird credits much of his success to his sheer tenacity.
除了他的艺术天赋和材料选择外，贝尔德的绝大部分成功归功于他的坚韧。
“Back when I was racing, one of my competitors saw all the ads on my car and wondered how I got so many sponsors, especially when I never won any races,” he says. “I never give up! I love what I do and I live for the challenge of the next sign.”
贝尔德说：“曾经我参加一次比赛时，我的一位竞争对手看到了我的车身上的广告，并询问我是如何在还没有赢得比赛之前，得到这么多赞助商的赞助。我的回答是，我从不放弃！我喜欢我现在所做的一切，并为迎接下一个标识制作的挑战而充满了斗志。”
Shaping a Sample Sign
标识制作的案例
After designing a concept in Corel Draw for a new 559 x 737-mm (22 x 29-in.) sample sign for his front gallery, Baird sends the file through bridge software to generate code for his Axyz computer numerical control (CNC) router.
在使用Corel Draw为他的展示画廊设计了一个尺寸为559 x 737毫米（22 x 29英寸）的样本标识的概念图后，贝尔德通过桥接软件将概念图发送到Axyz数控切割机上生成工作代码。
The sign is milled using Extira, a wood composite panel that stands up well to outdoor climates.
标识使用Extira材料制作，木材复合板可以很好地抵御户外气候影响。
Baird also shapes elements of the sign by hand, using chisels, files and sandpaper. As the composite panel has no grain to fight against, the work goes relatively quickly.
随后，贝尔德使用凿子、锉刀和砂纸等工具手工制作标识元素。由于复合板没有纹理需要雕刻，因此工作进行得相对较快。
         
After shaping the number three, Baird checks he has left the right allowance for primer and paint. All areas, whether machined or worked by hand, are sanded smooth, then primed.
在将数字“3”雕刻出来之后，贝尔德开始检查他是否使用了正确的底漆和油漆的用量。标识所有的部分，无论是机械加工还是手工加工，均经过打磨处理，然后涂上底漆。
The snail is created using high-density sign foam as a base silhouette and then applying and shaping clay by hand.
蜗牛图形使用高密度泡沫板制作出基本轮廓，然后手工将黏土捏制成形。
The snail is paired up with its rider. Baird continues to add and shape clay to create finer details. As the sign will be displayed inside his gallery, no outdoors, and will not be handled by clients, he does not use Magic Sculpt two-part epoxy like he normally would.
将蜗牛图形与骑士图形相组合。贝尔德不断对黏土的造型进行修整以塑造更精致的细节。由于该标识将悬挂在他的展示画廊中而不是室外，且不需要交由客户使用，因此他没有像往常一样选择使用Magic Sculpt双组分环氧树脂胶进行粘合操作。
All of the pieces are dry-fitted together to check the overall layout before moving on to priming and painting.
在将所有的零件都进行干燥和安装完成后，贝尔德检查了标识的总体布局，并进行了底漆和涂料的上色。
After priming, Baird applies two coats of metallic-accent paint to the snail and rider.
在喷漆之后，贝尔德将两层金属色涂料刷在蜗牛图形和骑手图形的表面。
All of the wood-composite pieces are primed, scuff-sanded, primed again and given another light scuff.
所有的木质复合材料都经过了喷涂底漆、用磨砂纸细磨、再次喷涂底漆和细节加工的过程。
The ‘snailmail’ sign is finished using water-based, 100 per cent acrylic Benjamin Moore paints and mounted on a brick wall in the gallery.
‘snailmail'标识是使用100%水溶性丙烯酸颜料Benjamin Moore油漆完成的，并安装在展示画廊的一面砖墙上。
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