hooked to this website

[asignstop]

Hello everybody, with all the introductions this weekend I figure now is a good time to introduce myself.
My name is Ali. My company name is Sign Stop. I am currently working out of my residence in Terre Haute, IN. I have been in the sign business for around 3 years now, (w/ my mother’s sign biz in NH) but only recently moved to IN and started up my own thing here. My 3 years in the biz might not be worth much because we basically learned everything ourselves so I still feel new to this – and still make some big mistakes. I am making a pretty serious attempt at a business here. I have invested some 20K in a 30” mimaki combo, and a vehicle (that I want to wrap ASAP!). I have only recently found this forum and have become hooked to it. I’d like to contribute to the postings more often, but it seems every time there is a question I feel I can speak on, 20 or some people have already responded to it! However I am glad this place is so active, and have learned much already. Anyway thanks for the help everyone’s provided so far, I really like this business – and the many walks of life involved, hope to be in it for a while, and hopefully start friendships with some of the people involved here.
Ali
Ps. I have attached a photo of my wrap idea, please freely critique (I changed the logo from our traditional design for readability)

 

[iSign]

welcome to the board.

I like the bright color & sharp contrast, but I think you will want to put in a great deal more time doing up numerous layouts, constantly improving on each one, trying other ideas & perhaps stumbling, by accident onto a true winner. I personally don't think you have the winner yet, & while we all have different levels of ability at different points in our careers... I think one thing most of our breed shares is that we are, or should be, our own worst critic & it's always toughest to design for ourselves AND even after we do something for ourselves, we will still critique it, & find discontent in anything short of the absolute best of the best of the best of what we are capable of doing for ourselves. AND... that fact increases proportionately to how substantial or public a project is... so keep at it, you can do better, so you might as well admit it now, because once you finish wrapping it, you will be admitting it to yourself, but then it will be gnawing at your consciousness even worse then it is now...


My critique... I like the original designs... the one in lower right corner, & the hood graphic.

I don't like the simple looking city skyline & I really dont like the font choice for your name. I also don't think much of the stop sign. (although the tag-line is good) I like the yellow/black contrast, but the orange/yellow jaggys don't do anything for me. I don't like Terre Haute IN. being above the name. I think it needs to find space below if at all... but does that area code identify your Terre Haute location? If so, lose the city name all together (in my opinion)

Does Terre haute have a city skyline? Is it recognizable from one or two distinctive buildings? If you had a high resolution photographic image of the actual skyline, & faded it into solid black below, cropped out the sky & put some bright fading background... or even an awesome high rez sunset sky from a different pic... that might make for a development of this same concept that could look less kid-drawing-ish (sorry) & more professional. Then I think if you are using that logo in the corner in your other marketing... use the same font on your truck, but you could possibly make it bolder.

 

[2NinerNiner2]

Bonjour de Montréal, Ali

I can't recall if 'High Ground', IN (Terre Haute, as we say here has a skyline per se, but it sure does have a fine IHOP! (...is that an oxymoron? LOL!:Big Laugh ) ... one of my regular 'pit stops' on my drives from here to Phoenix, AZ

 

[Replicator]

. . .

A... Sign Stop ?

I'm Guessing that to be first in the phone book
you had to put an "A" in front of your name . . .

I've lived in a few states where this practice has
become Illegal, because shops were calling themselves
"AAAAAAAA BLAH BLAH BLAH SHOP"

If I'm Wrong than OOPS!

-----------------------------------------------------

Anyways, :Welcome: 2 :signs101: . . .

 

[The Big Squeegee]

Welcome from Oklahoma!

Looks good to me


:Welcome: to :signs101:​

.

 

[Pro Image]

Howdee from VA............

 

[asignstop]

wrap design issues

Yeah the “A” was to be first in the phonebook, but also because we could get the domain name, and there was already a "sign stop" in the state we started in, but "a sign stop" was allowed. I know it's not the most original name, but at least it's not Terre Haute Signs or something like that.

Thanks for the advice on the wrap, I think I can do better also. One person who’s opinion I value said there is nothing about it that couldn’t be done in basic colored vinyl - and a photographic element is needed to show off the digital printing. However I think some of the wraps with photos end up looking tacky, others with repeating textures start to look like camouflage and ugly. Plus I can’t for the life of me figure out what kind of photo to use? Animals? A persons face? I am trying to market the wrap itself so it’d difficult to find a subject, or theme for the wrap. I did like the idea of a pun off of “traffic stopping signs” our tagline (see postcard attached) so I tried one version with a concrete texture and yellow street stripes, but it seemed to “Urban”.

Actually I have considered the photo of the city line idea, but this city isn’t really big enough to have a decent skyline, that’s why I used the cartoony graphics, the orange things are actually flames, but I am starting to think the idea of a burning city isn’t very appealing either. I have considered using the cartoony city but a real sunset (a lot of vivid colors) fading off towards stars/space.

I have tried before to use my original logo, but it’s not very readable – see attached - thanks for the help guys

 

[Mike Paul]

Welcome Aboard!

 

[gtjet]

Welcome & nice start on the wrap too.

 

[vinylbarry]

welcome

Welcome to :signs101:
From Ky

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

keep at it you will know when you have a design that you are ready to commit to printing and installing to the vehicle YOU will be driving daily...don't settle keep at the design process until you are satisfied or you will only be cheating yourself....you can do letter the truck in simple vinyl until you are ready.

 

[Ken]

Hey, Welcome to S101 from Beautiful BC...
You know, you can't go too far wrong with a happy, beautiful, female face for advertising. Maybe try to fit that in....
Ken

 

[graphicoptions]

welcome, all i know about terre haute is there a bunch of truck pulling championships there. I do a lot of decals on truck pulling trucks, they also buy lots of lots shirts too. good luck on the wrap

 

[Air Art Girl]

Welcome from WA state and good luck growing your business.

 

[ENTDesign]

Welcome

Keep your business ID uniform! I understand the contrast issue on the left photo in post #7, but on the right photo you abandon your typeface in the white panel, losing your ID look & feel. Have you tried other contrasting colors, how about metallic silver?

 

[436HENRY]

Welcome from the Georigia mountains And good luck I have always said do your own thing it may not always be right but it will be yours. Check out the merchants classified section. Henry Goines