Hiring Designers for my Sign Company

[DL Signs]

Wish I could agree it's that easy. You're also creating and designing logos, re-creating logos and other elements in vector that a customer can't furnish, it all takes design talent, plus knowledge of printing, working with color gamuts, materials, etc. Plus there's always those pesky deadlines to meet, so you have to be proficient and efficient.

It depends on the services you offer too, designing full signage from scratch, whether its a building, tenant, pylon, monument, it's all part of the gig, as well as doing mockups or renderings for the customer, engineer drawings to get permits, and more. You have to know what will work, and what won't for liability reasons, what can be manufactured, and what gives your customer the best bang for their budget. Someone's gotta do all that, and in my world it's me, the designer. A designer is usually expected to wear multiple hats too, like printing, vinyl work, etc, there aren't many that can just walk in and do it.

 

[rvolkers]

What Bob fails to realize, is that generally on this forum when we say "Design" we are referring to "Graphic Design"

Graphic design is the practice of composing and arranging the visual elements of a project. Designing the layout of a magazine, the layout of a sign, creating a poster for a theatre performance, and designing packaging for a product are all examples of graphic design.

 

[rvolkers]

A sign any sign is a GRAPHIC that is meant to catch attention and communicate a message - that is why Bob is so wrong - design encompasses and not limited to - type to be used (size and color) Graphics to be used (either supplied OR created by our shops) - sign size - placement of all elements - background colors - medium the sign is made of and the people and age groups the sign is meant to appeal to - and in general DESIGN & COMPOSITION of all elements! - i am not sure where Bob works but (lol) we run a sign shop and the service - creativity & design is a must and end result that goes with it ---- we are NOT a manufacturing facility! - we are ARTISTS - DESIGNERS - CRAFTSMEN - TRADESMEN and much more all that goes with our trade! --- Bob gives our profession a bad name by his explanation and statement!

 

[bob]

Huh? I have an hourly rate for design services and spend at least 1/3 of my workdays at the computer, designing.
I'm not understanding your comments.
I've seen many absolutely beautiful signs that to me look like a work of art.

All of this is evidence of what exactly? Merely because you call something X does not make it X.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

What Bob fails to realize, is that generally on this forum when we say "Design" we are referring to "Graphic Design"

Graphic design is the practice of composing and arranging the visual elements of a project. Designing the layout of a magazine, the layout of a sign, creating a poster for a theatre performance, and designing packaging for a product are all examples of graphic design.

You also have structural design but I agree with Bob on the semantics, layout sounds less douchey. When some people here say design, I think of the swedish chef from the muppets. Especially when it comes to wraps

 

[Notarealsignguy]

 

[Boudica]

I'm just going to start saying I'm a layout and composition specialist. No wait, I'm getting sick of the specialist thing....
....I do graphics.

 

[gnubler]

I'm just going to start saying I'm a layout and composition specialist. No wait, I'm getting sick of the specialist thing....
....I do graphics.

Yes! You forgot the word "coordinator" in there. Let's make it even more complicated and pompous than it needs to sound! George Carlin must be spinning in his grave.

 

[Gino]

Technically, bob from earth is correct.

When doing a sign, banner, truck or whatever..... the components are all given to you and you just hafta make them work with colors, placement and composition, while designing is really the ability to think up or create things that you'll later use in a layout. Both use balance, positive and negative space, but why most people when designing...... do it in B&W and not color.

 

[gnubler]

When I design logos I always start with black & white elements, then create a colored version. Eventually the logo is going to have a single color application.

 

[Aaron Hunter]

Graphic Artists - Develop the Creative
Graphic Designers - Manipulate the creative to a product/project
Prepress/Post up/Production/Structural Designers-Produce the creative

Sign Designers are usually expected to be all of the above.

 

[Signarama Jockey]

I'm facing a challenge in recruiting designers for my sign company. Despite posting job openings on Indeed and Linkedin, I've encountered difficulty finding qualified candidates who grasp the technical intricacies of signs. I would greatly appreciate any tips on how to effectively hire skilled and quality sign designers.

It might just be that you'll have to do some training. My first design job wasn't at a sign company, and when the sign company did hire me, they were just tickled that I knew how to align objects so that they were centered. The rest I had to learn.

Find someone you like, someone who has a good eye for design and knows how to use your software, then just show them how things are done. Let them ask questions. You'll be creating an asset that will do designs the way you want them done in a style that you think is good.

 

[TopFliteGraphics]

Your first mistake is thinking that signs are designed. A sign is something you layout given the available space and the message you are supposed to display. No design involved, just a layout exercise. The best you could say is that making a sign is synthesis, still not art. You are given the pieces, you assemble them in a manner that at once announces the message, is pleasing to the eye, and can be manufactured. Nothing, zero, zip, nada, to do with art and design.

Good point, if not spoken the way people here want to hear things. I tell everyone that comes into my shop looking for something to be designed that I am a sign guy, not an artist. I make signs. I design fleet graphics. But I AM NOT an artist. Too many wraps around town are designed by "artists" and they look like crap. Too busy, too hard to read, or don't convey the point (which is getting the company footing the bill more business). My sister was an artist. She could make some wild stuff out of nothing. I can't do that. I think too many "graphic designers" are artists that have never touched a hammer, saw, or drill much less make whatever they designed into a three dimensional reality. As others have pointed out, it is a different skill set. Most sign guys (and gals) are people who can put together a puzzle in reverse. You can look at the design of a finished product and work out how to make it. It takes time to learn that trade. Heck, I've been doing signs and graphics for over 20 years now and I learn something new at least once a month. That's a lot of learning.

To the OP's original question, look for experience in the trades. Not sure what your shop specializes in but take a look at the elements required to build you signs and maybe expand your search to those trades. For example, a fabricator/welder may know how to program CAD and be looking to get out of wearing a mask in a hot shop and may have the skills you need. A carpenter will know how to read and most likely draw plans but maybe his knees are shot and cannot climb a ladder any more (don't ask me about doing that either for that matter LOL). I never went to school for any of this but I can build a house, remodel a bathroom, restore a boat or a car. I also working in publishing and printing for a number of years. Figuring out the computer aided design was the easy part.

 

[citysignshop]

I can see where 'layout' can be juxtaposed with 'design'.....but in any case, every person who applies for a job creating graphic elements for signage..... needs to be able to recite, line and verse.....the 'bible'.... ( thank goodness it's back in 'print'!)

 

[petepaz]

you need to find someone with a good knowledge of illustrator and photoshop then teach them the sign business.
i went to school for graphic and commercial art and they touched lightly (very lightly) on signage. truth of the matter that was so long ago i don't even use anything i went to school for at this point
(there were no computers back in the olden day..haha) school and when i started my current job we were doing physical paste ups, rubylith color separations and camera/darkroom work.
a good spot to start, already mentioned would be the local high schools or trade schools

 

[myront]

you need to find someone with a good knowledge of illustrator and photoshop...

You mean
1st - CorelDRAW/Photopaint
with knowledge of Illustrator/Photoshop, Flexi and a PDF manipulator like Acrobat Pro.

 

[MrDav3C]

Lot of interesting comments here, I personally think the best designers for a sign / vehicle graphic business are those who have worked in the industry for a number of years.

Maybe your search should focus on someone slightly older, with vast experience in the industry who is now more ready to sit at a desk then lay on a floor wrapping a vehicle or carrying panels up and down ladders?

A lot of people can be great at graphic design and fully conversant in illustrator etc. but this doesn't necessarily mean they are capable of designing signs, let alone vehicle wraps.

It's always a concern and rarely without issue when a customer wants to use their own designers, there are usually lengthy conversations required about everything from the different processes involved for actually producing signs and graphics and the different cost implications each process has, to how vehicle wraps need to flow to all elevations of a vehicle so they actually work in reality and everything in-between!

Saying that, I have on occasion came across a small number of very talented designers, who seem to grasp the basic concepts, ask the right questions and produce some truly stunning artwork. Feels like a breath of fresh air when this happens!

 

[pro-UP]

Good point, if not spoken the way people here want to hear things. I tell everyone that comes into my shop looking for something to be designed that I am a sign guy, not an artist. I make signs. I design fleet graphics. But I AM NOT an artist. Too many wraps around town are designed by "artists" and they look like crap. Too busy, too hard to read, or don't convey the point (which is getting the company footing the bill more business). My sister was an artist. She could make some wild stuff out of nothing. I can't do that. I think too many "graphic designers" are artists that have never touched a hammer, saw, or drill much less make whatever they designed into a three dimensional reality. As others have pointed out, it is a different skill set. Most sign guys (and gals) are people who can put together a puzzle in reverse. You can look at the design of a finished product and work out how to make it. It takes time to learn that trade. Heck, I've been doing signs and graphics for over 20 years now and I learn something new at least once a month. That's a lot of learning.

To the OP's original question, look for experience in the trades. Not sure what your shop specializes in but take a look at the elements required to build you signs and maybe expand your search to those trades. For example, a fabricator/welder may know how to program CAD and be looking to get out of wearing a mask in a hot shop and may have the skills you need. A carpenter will know how to read and most likely draw plans but maybe his knees are shot and cannot climb a ladder any more (don't ask me about doing that either for that matter LOL). I never went to school for any of this but I can build a house, remodel a bathroom, restore a boat or a car. I also working in publishing and printing for a number of years. Figuring out the computer aided design was the easy part.

Agreed with your statement about being about to construct things like a puzzle in reverse. We had a salesperson that sold an impossible to make sign (we don't manufacture any more now). They sold a 3' - 4' solid, custom cast crystal (it was a store that sold precious stones and crystals). There was no way we could do that. So, my partner created a 3d design in his head, laid out the pieces, and created a 2000+ multi-faceted crystal. It was laser cut and etched pieces, painted in a way to resemble a giant precious stone with silver leafing and internally lit so it glowed. It was a double sided sign, so he had to do this twice. It was incredible.

I can critique art (I always can tell when something is not quite right with either the sizing, style, or overall appearance), direct designers, create a mood / story board, but I am not an artist. That is a true skill set to not only imagine, but bring ideas to life.

 

[Modern Ink Signs]

Your first mistake is thinking that signs are designed. A sign is something you layout given the available space and the message you are supposed to display. No design involved, just a layout exercise. The best you could say is that making a sign is synthesis, still not art. You are given the pieces, you assemble them in a manner that at once announces the message, is pleasing to the eye, and can be manufactured. Nothing, zero, zip, nada, to do with art and design.

I will 100% disagree with your statement. If you are just pounding out For Sale signs sure. You have to know how to use clipping masked, effects, color combos, text weights, etc and use them effectively. This makes a designer.

 

[MrDav3C]

This seems to have sadly turned into a debate about what a designer is & how this relates to the roll of creating signs.

In my opinion there is a difference between setting & designing.

Setting is the placement of text, images, logos etc. onto a workspace, be that a sign, cavas, vehicle or whatever.

Designing is the creation and editing of artwork, from things such as a simple coloured backgrounds to the creation of logos & full wraps, etc.

Whist designing seems more complex and requires more skill than setting, it is the job of the designer to then set the created artwork so that it works. To me, setting is a part of the design process, afterall being able to create beautiful artwork is useless if you then can't set it so it's displayed correctly to create the right visual impact and convey the message to the end user / target audience successfully.

Whilst some simple signs only require the setting of text and images and is fairly straightforward, this still comes under the role of a designer to make sure this is done correctly. I'm sure most of us have seen & probably even produced some beautiful signs which could in theory be classed as a work of art.

One of the things I pride myself in with this job is the constant stream of signs & vehicle graphics I have produced that I pass whenever I leave the house that remind me of how good we can make things look!