When the Logo Becomes the Sign: Custom Pizza Peel Marquee Signs for Jimano's Pizzeria

Some signs tell you what a business does. The best signs are the business — an extension of the brand's identity, baked right into the design. That's exactly what we built for Jimano's Pizzeria, and it's one of our favorite multi-location projects to come out of the shop.

Four Locations. Four Pizza Peels. One Consistent Brand.

If you've ever watched a pizza come out of a stone oven, you know the tool: the pizza peel — that long-handled paddle used to slide a pie in and out of the fire. It's one of the most recognizable symbols in the pizza world, and it's the centerpiece of the Jimano's Pizzeria logo.

We built four custom layered marquee signs, each shaped exactly like a pizza peel, each bearing the bold red letter "J" — the signature mark of the Jimano's brand. One sign for each location, giving every Jimano's outpost the same striking, on-brand statement piece the moment you walk through the door.

The signs feature:

• Pizza peel silhouette shape — custom die-cut steel frames following the exact profile of the Jimano's logo
• Layered construction — dimensional depth that casts shadow and creates a sculptural, three-dimensional effect on the wall
• Red finish with white letter face — matching the brand's signature red-and-white color palette
• Edison-style bulb illumination — warm, vintage-inspired lighting that glows around the perimeter of each peel

This is what we call a layered sign — a sign built with multiple layers of steel that create depth, dimension, and a sense of craft that flat signage simply cannot replicate. And when you're outfitting multiple locations, consistency matters: every customer who walks into any Jimano's sees the same quality, the same craftsmanship, the same glowing "J" that says you're in the right place.

About Jimano's Pizzeria

Jimano's Pizzeria has been serving home-style quality, award-winning taste since 1997, when the first location opened in Waukegan, IL. Built on three core principles — quality, customer service, and community — Jimano's has grown into a beloved Chicagoland institution with locations across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Colorado.

Their pizza is made the right way: dough prepared fresh in-house daily from Kansas-grown wheat, a proprietary cheese blend cut and mixed in-house from Wisconsin dairy, fresh vegetables cut on-site (never frozen), and sauces made entirely from original recipes. Whether you're ordering Chicago Deep Dish, Thin Crust, Double Dough, or their famous Stuffed Pizza, every pie is made with the same care as if it were going to your own family's table.

Jimano's isn't just a pizza chain — it's a neighborhood institution. They sponsor youth events, support local fundraisers, and feed the homeless. When a brand like that asks for a sign — four of them, in fact — you build something worthy of everything they stand for.

Why Multi-Location Brands Choose Custom Marquee Signs

A custom marquee sign does something no printed banner or backlit panel can: it makes people stop. The warm glow of Edison bulbs, the weight of real steel, the dimensional layers that catch light and shadow — these are the elements that turn a wall into a landmark.

For growing restaurant brands and franchises, consistency across locations is everything. A customer who visits your Gurnee location and then your Waukegan location should feel the same brand energy the moment they walk in. A custom marquee sign — replicated precisely across every location — delivers that consistency in a way that feels handcrafted, not mass-produced.

At Vintage Marquee Lights, we specialize in turning logos into luminous, hand-crafted steel signs that become the heart of a space. From single-location restaurants to growing franchise brands, we build signs that last — and signs that people remember.

Ready to light up your brand across every location? Get a custom quote today.

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