Sign of the times: Local graphic designer pivots to protective plexiglass

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Wasantha Mohottige normally helps design and install signs, vehicle graphics and business cards. His focus has recently shifted to helping businesses stay protected from the coronavirus.

Mohottige, owner of Visual Image Design, is now installing protective plexiglass barriers across the South Coast, mostly in liquor stores and restaurants. They separate customers from cashiers taking orders.

The barriers are custom-bent and cut to fit different countertops. The whole process takes only a few hours.

About 40 local businesses from Santa Barbara to Ventura have already jumped on the idea.

“They love it, they love it,” said Mohottige, who says each barrier costs $150. “You know, they appreciate what I’m doing and they appreciate they can protect their employees and customers as well, so it’s a win-win.”

“When we start this, we think about the community,” said Alberto Herrera, who has been with Visual Image Design for about three years. “They need something to protect themselves and there was nothing available in the time.”

John Shalhoob, president of Shalhoob Meat Company in Santa Barbara, received another installation Thursday. He now has six plexiglass barriers at his Funk Zone business, which remains open for prepared meals and as a butcher shop.

“We’re ready to serve everybody and anybody,” Shalhoob said. “These guards help people feel more comfortable with our business. And it proves that we’re going above and beyond what it takes to be safe from this environment.”

As long as the health crisis continues, the demand likely will, too.