Artist or Not?

[SignManiac]

Wondering how many here consider yourselves to be artistic, and if you think it's necessary in the sign industry?

 

[d fleming]

Yes and definitely.

 

[SignManiac]

I tried it as a poll but screwed it up.

Here's your options:

Just stick the letters on and take the money.

No big deal I use free clipart.

I can draw stick figures alright.

I can create my own art from scratch with pencil and paper.

I'm glad John Deaton is around when I need him

 

[omgsideburns]

Autistic maybe..

 

[petesign]

I aspire to be artistic, and sometimes I am really happy with the stuff I produce. Most of the time, being my own worst critic, I feel like the old cliche' about 1 million monkeys banging on a typewriter will produce Shakespeare... if I sit here and move stuff around long enough, something good could happen.

 

[Dan Antonelli]

First 5 years of business:

Artist first, businessman second.

Last 10 years (and currently)

Businessman first, artist second.

 

[jiarby]

I am more of an engineer than an artist, but I have a good feel (to me) for what looks right (color, composition, layout, etc...)/

I am definitely not an artist.

I do not think that you have to be an artist to be in the sign biz, you just have to know your limitations. Hire out what you cannot do. There are lots of talented artists working as waiters.

The most important thing in the sign business is running the business. Pricing, Purchasing, Selling, Marketing, Finance & Accounting are all more important than artistic talent.

One of my favorite lines is this:

"I'm not Michaelangelo and this magnet job is not the Sistine Chapel"

 

[James Burke]

First 5 years of business:
Artist first, businessman second.
Last 10 years (and currently)
Businessman first, artist second.

x 10,000

I've recently begun the shift toward improving my business savvy. Creativity only goes so far on its own merits.

 

[Patrick46]

First 5 years of business:

Artist first, businessman second.

Last 10 years (and currently)

Businessman first, artist second.

x 10,000

I've recently begun the shift toward improving my business savvy. Creativity only goes so far on its own merits.

On on board with James reply to Dan's very poignant post. I'm still not the best businessman...but I'm trying & learning.

(I'd love it if guys like Dan & Gary Anderson (another sign business hero of mine)...would hold seminars on how to run your business...like a business!!) Not very easy with a brain that works like mine.

To address the OP...I think it depends on what kinda signs you want to produce.

People have always told me "Ooooo...you make that look so easy". Well, do anything for 20+ years and it gets easier. But I've always said that I could teach a monkey to do this.
What I mean by that is when it comes to doing a nice 'basic' sign...some training in how to produce a nice legible layout, with proper negative space and balance is all that it really take to make a nice *basic* sign.

You've all seen signwork for pizza parlours, laundrymats, and parking lots that did their job just fine. These aren't works of art....they're SIGNS! And these can (and always will be) produced by folks with little to no artistic ability.
(One of my early mentors was a signmaker who had 'minimal' artistic ability...but he taught me alot. I took it from there.)

SO my answer to the question is NO. If your intention is to produce nice readable signwork...you can (as many people do), be a fine signmaker without any real artistic ability. Learning what a proper layout is may take a bit more time though. It's only a matter of what you want.

But...if you want to produce art.....well...that's a different story altogether!!!

 

[Graphics2u]

I'm definately not what I consider an artist! However I feel that I have a good idea of what looks good. Getting ideas on paper or the screen is sometimes a bit challenging. Some of the things people post here are VERY Good, and put me to shame. I don't think you have to be an artist to be successfull in the sign business, at least I hope not. You have to know when to turn the design over to someone else. But on the other hand I don't think a guy like myself should try to make a living as a graphic designer just because you have a copy of Illustrator and Photoshop.

There are many parts to a good sign business, artistic ability is just one of them. You can be the best artist in the world but if you can't run printer, plotter, engraver or router, it's tough to to turn that art into a sign. Or if you don't pay the bills on time, or know where to advertise, you won't be in business long. So for a small shop you have to have a little ablity in all these areas.

 

[fmg]

Stick the letters on, take the money and when they want the letters removed I will do that and take some more money!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Circleville Signs]

I am an artist, but not a sign artist. I'm trying to learn painting and carving. I am, however, an active painter and have done several solo gallery shows and a couple of joint shows. I even have a couple of pieces in the permanent collections of Universities.

But I'm an abstract painter - so concrete realism is a challenge for me.

 

[John Butto]

everyone is..

Everyone is an artist, you just have to practice. If you want to be an artist in music you have to practice the instrument or voice, same goes for drawing or signs. That is why some are better than others.

 

[TheSellOut]

I am a man who creates

 

[Rick]

Sometimes I get to work on artistic sign and design work... most of the time, it's letters slapped on a hunk of metal or plastic, that panel is then nailed to a stick...

 

[Jillbeans]

I was born an artist but have made more cha-ching from signs than I would if I had to wait till I died to become famous.

I am particularly good at sketching people, or was, 30 years ago.
I don't have to look at something to draw it or copy something, it's just there.
I am also good with colors.
That comes in handy sometimes for layouts.
Someday when I get too senile for sign stuff I am going to revert back to drawing.
Love....Jill

 

[petepaz]

First 5 years of business:

Artist first, businessman second.

Last 10 years (and currently)

Businessman first, artist second.

pretty much like Dan said
in the beginning fresh out of art school and just worked as a graphic artist
now all the other requirements of my position have gotten me away from a lot of the artistic end

 

[Jane Diaz]

All artists here! Bill has a Masters from Penn State and used to teach there. I used to teach K-12 art and our kids...well, what choice did they have BUT to be artistic!?

 

[Billct2]

Artist? No, not really.
Sign maker yes ( which originally meant lettering artist, designer, carpenter,painter, fabricator, electrician, mason, architect, engineer, laborer, rigger, janitor, salesman etc)

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

I'm more of a artist then businessman for sure, but as far as being artistic well I do lack alot of creativeness, but do know how to put a good layout together least I try anyway lol

I do know you need business sense to make this business make a good profit and I don't so knows I fail in that.