From Business Card to Ready to Cut in Less Than 20 Minutes

[Fred Weiss]

Here's one just came in for a couple of sidewalk signs from an old, established citrus grower in my area that I'd love to make into a regular customer.

The only version they are willing or able to supply of their logo is on their business card. I scanned it, rotated it to horizontal, identified the typeface using FontExpert, installed the font, opened the scan in FlexiSign and made it into a locked template, set the type and sized and positioned it and converted it to outlines, created the rectangles, deleted the scan, saved the file.

Ready to bring into the sign layout in less than 20 minutes! Why autotrace when you can just set type?

 

[David Snider]

Like my Grandfather said..."Anything is easy if you know what you are doing"

 

[Fred Weiss]

It's an old indian trick .... learned it when I was out west breeding Shetland ponies.

BTW .... do you pronounce the capital of Kentucky lu-ee-vill or lu-is-vill?

 

[Yamalube]

Fred

you pronounce the capitol of kentucky...Fer aink Fort.

:Big Laugh

 

[Fred Weiss]

I've caught more than one Kentuckian with that question .... can't blame a guy for trying.

 

[David Snider]

What's do you mean by capital? It's "K" right? :Big Laugh

 

[PCD]

fred is it as easy as u make it seem...? ... all those steps. seems alittle intimidating to a newbie like myself. by the way, i'm ordering those cd's and manuals. thanks.

 

[Fred Weiss]

It's like anything else. You acquire tools and practice using them. Eventually you are able to plan the steps from where you are to where you want to be.

Example: I have a picture and I think it would look better on the wall. What now?

1. Picture in my mind where it would look the best.

2. Get measuring tape, level, hammer, hanging hook and a pencil.

3. Position picture on wall and mark the approximate center and top with a pencil

4. Measure distance from top of picture to hanging wire and note that measurement.

5. Measure on wall from mark made previously down the amount just measured in step 4 and mark with a pencil.

6. Place hook on wall at the mark just made in step 5 and, using hammer previously fetched, and nail supplied with hook, attach to wall by striking the head of the nail with the head of the hammer. If you are unsure which is the head, see the manufacturers instructions that came with the nail and/or the hammer. (Caution! See manufacturer's safety instructions before attempting this step.)

7. Insert hanging wire into hook.

8. Level picture on wall using level across the top of the frame.

That's it. You're done.

Everything seems harder when the steps are listed out. Learn the tools then learn technique.

 

[exsigns]

honestly I dont see anything so special about recreating this simple line of text in a box. I cant even name it a "logo"

 

[Fred Weiss]

Then let me explain.

The customer has been displaying this particular logo to identify his company for as long as I can remember and I've lived in this area for 24 years.

It uses a specific letter style, Zapf International Medium, which has had the kerning modified and the ascender on the "h" reduced in height.

Just because it isn't particularly artistic, it still needs to be matched to everywhere else the logo appears. Simply typing some lettering into a box in whatever letter style you have handy and think looks something like it is not meeting the client's expectations.

The client's expectations are that he should get his logo produced as part of his sign order as it appears on his other work. He has no understanding of the technical challenges in doing that and, in most cases, never considers that it is at all difficult.

I realize that some clients, perhaps many clients, would accept something reminiscent of the original without complaint. I would not call that approach as meeting a standard of calling it his logo. In this case, I wish to demonstrate to the client the value of our services .... since his company has grove stands all over south and central Florida and could potentially become a major client for us. If he is using other sign companies that have taken a lesser approach, he will see the difference in the two signs he is buying from us.

 

[idsign]

Fred,

Spot On! I religiously avoid scanning and converting bitmap-(type)-to-vector. It is much easier to match faces and reset with clean, crisp and fresh type - when we possess the proper tools as you have duly noted. I recently have been using Bitstream Navigator (included FREE with Corel Graphics Suite) in addition to VMP Font Detective.
Bitstream Navigator installs fonts with one click. WTW, I have found it is too easy to overload Window with installed fonts. I need to delete several hundreds of fonts from XP that I will never use!

When my competition attempts type-scanned-to-cut, they look like hacks.
They try to skate by giving the customer CRAP because they don't have a significant education in fontography nor possess a large, quality selection of faces (like VMP includes for FREE).

A broad knowledge of typography, possession of a large quality collection of typefaces and the abbility to quickly and accurately locate the necessary face - is one of cornerstones of being an accomplished graphic deSIGNer.

I try to include soundbites about my education and expertise into the selling process and deftly compare what the prospect can expect from my completed products -
as compared to the overpriced self-proclaimed commerical artist up the road (sign hack with a computer and cutter).

- - - :Sleeping: more worthless trivia

sister-in-law born and raised in Louisville. She swears it is pronounced
lōō-ŭh-vŭl because their 'drawl' does not include the diction needed to make the rounded double O sound.

You tripped me up on "How do you pronounce the capital of Kentucky?"
I answered Frankfort but now understand the correct answer -
pronounciation is kāy (K).

Can you tell I love to use CHARACTER MAP?

Barry

I use the THUMBSUP icon to indicate a DITTO or ATTABOY for a GREAT THREAD FRED!
I love to heap praise on you! Can't you tell?

 

[Fred Weiss]

Praise will take you far in this world Barry. Thanx for the comments.

Here's a picture of the finished signs. No great creative achievement .... but a very happy customer.