I recently made a sign for a commercial building.  This one is definitely in the "functional art" category!  It's a handcrafted sign for a regional trucking company headquartered here in Natchez, Mississippi. 

The background of the sign is reclaimed cypress.  I joined several pieces of lumber together to create a very large, flat surface.  I then trimmed it down to an oval shape and coated it with a blend of all-natural tung iol and linseed oil for a high-gloss finish.  The letters were fashioned from 1/4" thick copper, and the pieces comprising the border were made of steel.  These were all hand-hammered before I fixed them to the cypress background.  I made rivets by hand to coordinate with the style of the sign, and used these to attach the steel pieces to the wood.  I used a patina to weather the steel.  The letters stand off the background by a few inches, and I incorporated LED lighting to create a back-lit effect, making the sign visible at night.

The company commissioned two signs...one for the front of the building and one for the side entrance.   I am really happy with how they turned out, because they represent the quality and ethic with which my client, the trucking company, provides service to its customers.