Some client-provided "logos" can look terrible or even unintentionally funny. But we won't act as the "Design Police" unless the artwork is going to create a problem with fabrication or will just be illegible.
For example we've had customers want really modest sized channel letters yet expect to use a really thin script typeface. They either have to go with a cloud-type sign or change the typeface to something with a letter stroke thick enough that we can fabricate and fit LEDs inside. I've seen DIY-artwork with things like white outline effects applied to thin letters. We'll warn the client the letters will literally disappear when back-lit. We're not going to judge things on "style," but we will advise about what works physically and optically and what doesn't.
Stacey K said:
I have a customer who is on a 5 year plan to demo a building that will hold about 16 different "activities". Her partner is in marketing...she created their logo in Publisher (black and dark blue ugh) and they came to me for banners.
It's always funny to see some people try to throw their weight around as if they somehow have qualifications superior to someone doing graphic design work full time at a sign company. People in "marketing" often try to pass themselves off as if they're a creative professional when in fact their field of study ("marketing") makes them little more than a glorified bean counter.
I think it's really comical this particular marketing professional would hand off a .PUB file made in Microsoft Publisher! Usually if someone is going to put on an act of being an "artist" they would at least get "costume" right: use an Apple-branded computer (of course) and hand off some kind of Adobe-generated file, most likely a web page oriented JPEG pumped out of Photoshop!
Even if the "marketing professional" took some actual courses in graphic design, chances are about 99.9% his studies covered zero regarding outdoor design. I have a 4 year BFA from a prestigious NYC art school, but none of the illustration and graphic design courses I took there covered outdoor advertising. I feel like signs, billboards, etc are treated like the red-headed step child of advertising. But it's still a big field.
As to the 16 pieces of clip art requested for a banner, unless the elements were simple and ready to drop into the layout, such as vector-based icons, we would probably shut that request down immediately. We would really be inclined to do that if the client was going to order nothing more than a cheap banner. It's a different matter if they're ordering an actual package of signs and will use all those graphics elements in other places than just a banner. Still, if you're tasked with having to create or clean up 16 different pieces of artwork that's probably going to add up to a significant design bill.
