About Us
Aura Bronze Plaques is a new name for the metal plaques business which has been offered by Generic Sign Systems, Inc. since 1980. "Aura" refers to the air, or character, of quality we emphasize in all our metal plaques. It signals our new emphasis and commitment to the market we have been quietly serving as part of our broader business for decades. From our midwest location in Chicago's metro area, we provide plaques from coast to coast in the United States for a wide variety of organizations, both large and small.
Business founder and president Wayne Kosterman started his college training in IIT's school of architecture, then graduated from the school of design with a B.S. in Visual Design. As his skills grew with a variety of design firms and customer types, his architectural background crept back into his work load as he began designing entire sign systems for facilities while his graphic design reputation grew. In 1979 he opened his design consulting business, Identity Center. A year later, one of his customers convinced him to launch Generic Sign Systems, with an early emphasis on hospital work.
The work generated by Wayne and his staff in both design and in signage has earned many awards, and he became one of the founders of the Society of Environmental Graphics Designers (SEGD).
Our corporate emphasis has always been on listening to our clients and finding the right solutions to sign needs, whether designed by us or provided by our clients.
