SignManiac
New Member
Jill you are so right, there's not one good reason why any business establishment should not have an attractive well designed sign to represent them. It isn't just trailer parks either. I'm seeing a disturbing trend with any type of business that has no concern with the image they project. The signs I see everywhere today are a painful eyesore.
It's not entirely their fault however, in some cases they can't get a nice sign just because there aren't that many sign companies out there with the ability to design something attractive and effective, even if they wanted to.
You don't see today's sign crafters concerned with learning the art of eye appeal, but rather they're more concerned with saving money on bulk ink systems or where they can find free clip art, or who has the cheapest price on vinyl.
It's sad because I know it will never change or get better, ever. I've spent the better part of my life trying to lead by example and I often wonder if I've made any difference at all to anyone in this industry. Well that's not true, I have a handful of people in the sign business that I have affected. I wish there were more though.
We all have the ability to learn this stuff. If I could, then so can anyone else. I'm self taught and that made it even harder. Today, someone new to the business can come here and get the answers to any question, simply by asking. With that huge advantage, they should be able to learn in one year what took me five years on my own.
Signs are vital to every business out there. They should be a compliment to the towns and communities that we all live in. You should be able to drive your car down the road and look at every sign as if you were in a drive through an art gallery.
The problem is of course twofold. The lack of talent and the lack of enforcement by local governments. There are very little standards or qualifications that regulate what you can put out in public view, therein lies the biggest problem.
My days in this business are probably numbered. I'm itching to ply my skills at something else one day. I know I don't really want to do this for a lifetime. It seems like such a waste to spend a lifetime doing the same thing day in and day out. There's a hundred other things I want to do besides making signs. Thirty six years is a long time doing anything, and we all only have so much time on the big ball.
Well I seemed to have spun off of topic like I normally do. I've managed to hijack my own thread to go off on my learn to design tirade again.
Well I sure hope I've inspired a few people out there to push a little harder and learn the art of sign making
Not only will you feel better and perhaps proud about your work, but the big benefit is that you can get paid more money for your work. Who wouldn't want to make more money from your design efforts as opposed to your material mark up??
It's not entirely their fault however, in some cases they can't get a nice sign just because there aren't that many sign companies out there with the ability to design something attractive and effective, even if they wanted to.
You don't see today's sign crafters concerned with learning the art of eye appeal, but rather they're more concerned with saving money on bulk ink systems or where they can find free clip art, or who has the cheapest price on vinyl.
It's sad because I know it will never change or get better, ever. I've spent the better part of my life trying to lead by example and I often wonder if I've made any difference at all to anyone in this industry. Well that's not true, I have a handful of people in the sign business that I have affected. I wish there were more though.
We all have the ability to learn this stuff. If I could, then so can anyone else. I'm self taught and that made it even harder. Today, someone new to the business can come here and get the answers to any question, simply by asking. With that huge advantage, they should be able to learn in one year what took me five years on my own.
Signs are vital to every business out there. They should be a compliment to the towns and communities that we all live in. You should be able to drive your car down the road and look at every sign as if you were in a drive through an art gallery.
The problem is of course twofold. The lack of talent and the lack of enforcement by local governments. There are very little standards or qualifications that regulate what you can put out in public view, therein lies the biggest problem.
My days in this business are probably numbered. I'm itching to ply my skills at something else one day. I know I don't really want to do this for a lifetime. It seems like such a waste to spend a lifetime doing the same thing day in and day out. There's a hundred other things I want to do besides making signs. Thirty six years is a long time doing anything, and we all only have so much time on the big ball.
Well I seemed to have spun off of topic like I normally do. I've managed to hijack my own thread to go off on my learn to design tirade again.
Well I sure hope I've inspired a few people out there to push a little harder and learn the art of sign making
Not only will you feel better and perhaps proud about your work, but the big benefit is that you can get paid more money for your work. Who wouldn't want to make more money from your design efforts as opposed to your material mark up??
