Anthropology Research - please participate

[Arlo Kalon 2.0]

M1. what made you want to be a sign maker?
2. did you start off by doing hand painted or vinyl signs?
3. how long have you been making signs?
4. do you prefer hand painted/vinyl over electric?
5. what can you tell me about the culture of sign makers?

make sure to ask if they mind if their name is included. if they dont want it included i can make up a name. its for a paper for my anthropology class.y daughter asked me to post these questions. Here is what she asked for:

This is an assignment for my daughters anthropology class. She asked me if y'all would mind participating for a paper she has to write. Thanks for your response.

 

[OldPaint]

OLD HAND PAINTER...............started when i was 4 and found out i had been blessed with better then average..eye to hand(left) interpretation. 1st grade teacher told my parents, life was not going to be easy with me, as i was an "artist" at that age. i was doing drawings in 1st grade, most other kids were doing in 5th-6th grade. then a local guy who did signs, saw i had ability, and at 10-12 i was helping him paint a couple billboards in the summer. then another sign painter came into my life. parents owned a bar, this shaky jake rolled up in his 1952, buick 4 door, car was 1-shot 142L green with 132-L yellow and silver lettering all over it. he also saw i had some ability and taught me what he could. i did all the other "jobs" and stuff till 1986, got P.O. ed at where i was workin, tired of working for people dumber then me............and decided to start off on my own. best thing i ever did.

 

[iSign]

1. what made you want to be a sign maker?

The blend of my perceived natural talents of math and art led me to architecture. Architectural drafting studies led me to employment at an architectural sign business. I discovered that the sign business offered smaller & more varied projects that still employed my natural talents, but resulted in more variety, which I saw as a path to a much more interesting, challenging & diverse career path.

2. did you start off by doing hand painted or vinyl signs?

Computer graphics, for use by multiple fabrication departments, including vinyl, but not hand lettering.

3. how long have you been making signs?

21 years

4. do you prefer hand painted/vinyl over electric?

Most electric signs I've done have little creativity involved, so they are not preferred.

5. what can you tell me about the culture of sign makers?

There seem to be a lot of bohemian counter culture types, fellow musicians, and fringe members of society, bikers, road dogs, and long haired pacifists... as well as survivalists, gun enthusiasts, and motor heads..

I was shocked to realize that too damn many are republicans! ..but at least there ain't a lot of "suits"

6. Do I mind if their name my included.

nope

 

[Gino]

1. what made you want to be a sign maker?

Was going to school to become a professor in fine arts of secondary or college level students and found signmaking to be a more lucrative possibility. I had lettered things throughout my junior and high school years, but never made good money at it.

2. did you start off by doing hand painted or vinyl signs?

Hand painted pictorials and hand-lettered window posters onto shocard and then commercial lettering on trucks and all kinds of enamel applications.

3. how long have you been making signs?

Since about 1965 on the side and since 1972 professionally.

4. do you prefer hand painted/vinyl over electric?

I have no preference any longer. It changes daily since I don’t have much hands-on stuff happening anymore.

5. what can you tell me about the culture of sign makers?

The culture of days past was a thriving work force of dedicated skilled craftsman for the most part that were constantly learning new avenues of the trade. There was a goal and everyone aimed towards that goal of becoming successful and happy. Today’s goal seems much different as it has become more of a numbers game and less about the talent involved. This has nothing to do with hand-painting capabilities vs. computer generated things. Not about old vs. new. It’s all about outdoing the other guy, with next to no background other than in computers. The camaraderie doesn’t seem to be there unless you have some old-timers around. This seems to be an observation of any trade…. Where the young don’t seem to comprehend the need for sticking together through thick and thin and still be friends, competitors and yet function.

The sign trade has definitely changed, but what hasn’t ?? Time passes much too quickly and staying up with the latest technology is quite tough… at least for this old sign maker.




make sure to ask if they mind if their name is included. if they don’t want it included i can make up a name. its for a paper for my anthropology class.

This is for a paper my daughter is writing for an anthropology class. Your response will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Nelson Newbie]

1. what made you want to be a sign maker?

Desire for a second income.

2. did you start off by doing hand painted or vinyl signs?

Neither. I started by purchasing a vacuum forming machine and used it to make magnetic signs.

3. how long have you been making signs?

40 years.

4. do you prefer hand painted/vinyl over electric?

That is pretty much the same as asking if one rides the bus to school or takes their lunch. They are each an excellent medium in their own right but have nothing in common except that they are both sign types. In all possible combinations, I prefer a well done, effective sign over one that isn't ... be it electric, vinyl, hand painted, screen printed, engraved, routed, sandblasted or anything else.

Of the three choices offered, I prefer vinyl because it is the one I am able to perform.

5. what can you tell me about the culture of sign makers?

If you crossed a paint artist with a song writer, the hybrid offspring would be a sign maker. Add a business person in the woodpile and you will have a successful sign maker. As a generalization, not an absolute, sign makers are generally individualistic, self reliant, highly opinionated, and only suitable for self-employment.

 

[Si Allen]

1. Crooked partners ... needed a job.

2. Hand painted ... no vinyl signs back then.

3. 44 years full time.

4. Yes

5. Same as i sign said.

6. No problemo.

3.

 

[Billct2]

1. what made you want to be a sign maker?
I was taking pottry classes from a guy who's main occupationwas carving and painting signs. He suggested I try it and start by attending Butera Sign School on Boston

2. did you start off by doing hand painted or vinyl signs?
Handpainted

3. how long have you been making signs?
37 years

4. do you prefer hand painted/vinyl over electric?
Like it all, but dimensional stuff best

5. what can you tell me about the culture of sign makers?
It has completely changed in my career. but there is no overall "culture", it's too fragmented. I'm not sure there ever was a culture. There was always good sign people
and bad sign people. Main difference I remember at the beginning was between the big electric shops and the small jack of all trades shop.

use my name if you like

 

[Marlene]

1. what made you want to be a sign maker?

was an out of work screen printer back in the early 1980's and saw an ad for a screen printer for a sign shop.
2. did you start off by doing hand painted or vinyl signs?

I started doing screen printed signs and then worked with vinyl, hand cutting vinyl graphics, pouncing designs and painting them and then design

3. how long have you been making signs?

since July of 1986
4. do you prefer hand painted/vinyl over electric?

no, I don't prefer hand painted or vinyl over electric because either can be made to look really cool
5. what can you tell me about the culture of sign makers?

since I have started, more women have been getting into this type of work. sign people are generally a friendly bunch and at one time, would welcome you into their shops if you were visiting their area. not so sure now. a lot of sign makers did business with a hand shake but in recent years are more business like.

yes you can use my name and good luck with your project!

 

[btropical.com]

6. Do you feel like hitting a customer in the head on days that you might get away with it as far as dumpster pickup ?

 

[petrosgraphics]

What made you want to be a signmaker?

finished 5 years of college in boston, just looking for part time summer work...

Did you start off with hand painted or vinyl?

hand painted, hand carving, silk sceening and when you were finished with the job...
go put it up...

How long have you been making signs?

37 years and counting..

do you prefer hand painted/vinyl/electric?

depends on the job... you will only get out of it, what you put into it... they can
all be fun....

what can you tell me of the culture of signmakers?

it has changed over the years, but what has not.... when i first started out you had
to learn everything related to making signs....the old guys working in the shop were full
of knowledge...could not get enough of it...learned a great deal... some things still apply
today...there were only a few shops in the area at the time, but if you needed anything
there was no hesitation on anyones part to help out, or share a few ideas.... you competed with each other, but.... today is a little different, still work well with the
older guys.... newer shops have blinders on.... they will give you a wave when the see
you, most will not stop and say hello... maybe i am just getting old....