Looking for opinions...............................

[Dan Antonelli]

I've put it on a back burner for now. Jeremy is working on it every now and then. We have regular customers to finish up, first.

Besides, I have mixed feelings with what to do. I appreciate all the feedback and we're seriously thinking about all the ideas and thoughts.

The one that comes to mind the most is the connection of an owl.... and signs.

• So Dunkin Donuts has a coffee cup as their logo….. yep, that makes sense.
• Then there’s Nike’s ‘famous ‘swoosh’…. that makes plenty of sense.
• Don’t forget Harley…. their logo does it all, but what does it mean ??
• How 'bout Marlboro..... how does that fit in with cigarettes vs. an owl doesn't do signs ??

Are some of you really trying to tell me a logo must have a reinforced picture whether it be a real photo or a cartoonie matching what you do to make it work ??

I can see a marble company putting samples of marble on their truck or sign, I understand food pictures going on food related businesses, but how do I put a picture of a sign on a truck without someone thinking it’s whatever the picture is that I’m selling ??

So, if I have this straight….. in order for a logo to work it has to have some kind of visual reference as to what you do or sell.

I'm just afraid the eyes are way-y-y-y-y too close to this guy.... and low and behold, they even have an owl on them. How the heck does that sell chips ?? ​

View attachment 80594​

Gino-

It's funny you reference Nike and some of the others and their branding. I just finished a section in my new book on that. Basically, you can brand anything - with no direct correlation to your business type - if - and only if - you have enough money to do so to make it memorable. If you do not have the corporate dollars to put behind a 'meaningless' symbol or logotype (think new Ebay logo, or HR Block) than from a small business perspective, you have to make the connection more obvious in your branding.

That being said, its no secret that in 99% of the cases, I will not use a photo of any sort on a truck wrap. Why? Because photos do not represent a brand. You can't make a photograph part of your brand. And if your brand is your most important asset, than photos diminish that asset - because they don't reinforce it.

So why do so many wraps use photos? Mainly because they're used a crutch for a poor brand. Or the sign company has no choice (and the consumer doesn't know any better).

So what I see you have here is a photo, with some generic type, with no brand integration. You have a great name - with so many possibilities. Owl, maybe. Smart person graphic, maybe. I'd need to know more about how your mascot was integrated for the last thirty years to determine its value in keeping it moving forward versus another approach.

Wise potato chips is very popular in our neck of the woods, so you'd want to tread carefully on that approach. But in my view, you tackle the brand first before you start thinking about the wrap, and you let that brand really shine on the truck by integrating it in a meaningful way. You have 9 letters in the name which affords maximum impact, and good opportunity for a very cool mascot or icon.

Just my two cents pal ---

 

[SlightlyChilled]

Owls are not that smart and there eyes are what takes up most of there head. The brain is like the size of a dime. Just FYI

 

[Sticky Signs]

I read about 4 or 5 posts before I made the connection with the owl. That being said, the owl definitely works but when I think of a wise owl, it's usually perched and very calm looking. And it's usually wearing glasses. So, ditch the flying owl.

Now I wondered why you wouldn't have your logo on the van so I checked your website. It appears that you've got an older logo that was modified to include "digital". I also saw the owl pic and still took a moment to make the connection. Point is, I get the picture but I have to work hard at it and that to me doesn't qualify as good advertising.
Why not take advantage of this opportunity to re-brand the company with a fresh new logo that screams WISE (owl) SIGNS. Dan is rite, you've got unlimited potential with that name. Take advantage! In fact, a guy like Dan Antonelli would be perfect for this job.
All I'm saying is, if your going to use the owl, make it work.

 

[Gino]

I get what many of you are saying. Seriously, I do and I really appreciate the input thus far.

In answering Dan, along with others, I started in 1972 making signs professionally. I was hired on as a pictorial artist and learned lettering as I went further into signs. I did all the cartoons, realistic pictures and everything in between for the shop where I started. As time went on, I was hired out to do many pictorials all around the area. On my business cards was a painter’s palette aside of my name. Personally, I didn’t like it. The owner where I started bought me my first 1,000 cards and he had it put on as a surprise. As time went on, I knew that was gonna change and I turned it into and owl as I got more and more work on my own. When I met my wife, she liked owls, so we kept him on there. It wasn’t until 1982, that I needed a logo, when I got my real first shop. It was a piece of wood carved into a paint brush with paint dripping from the hair and an owl perched on top of the brush. The whole thing was carved out of wood and two sided. The brush was an old baseball bat, with a ¾” threaded rod going through it for strength and this hand painted owl. It was the talk of the area in our new shop. We had 7 or 8 people working for us…. all hand painters, plus one electrician and one screen printer. As time moved on, we branched into every facet of signmaking and when the computers came along, I didn’t need all the people. Through all of this, the owl has been in newspapers ads, phone book, truck lettering, signs and has been for like 30 years. While we don’t have near the money Nike or Marlboro has, we’ve become known as Wise Signs…. and Digital Graphics. When anyone says wise and mispronounces it like eyes, I’s, ‘Y’s or whatever, we just say w-i-s-e like the wise-old owl. Then everyone says… Ohhhh, now I get it.

The owl has never represented anything about signs for us other than it just has been with us like some of you have dogs around the shop, birds or lizards….. he’s now part of the family. In our little part of the world… Reading and beyond by 30 or 40 miles, we have customers around the world and all around the country without using big bucks for advertising or subliminal advertising.

I’ve never been a fan of cartoonie things for a logo, because I don’t think it tends to appear businesslike.

Again, for us…. Wise Signs has been a name in our area for 30 years with 10 years prior to that with a paint palette. We have customers over 30 years. In fact I was just with one yesterday when discussing their signs we made back in 1993 and he now thinks it’s time to freshen them up. They’re still in good shape and will last another 10 years, at least.

We’ve spent more time on branding our business and what we do than our name….. and it’s paid off reputation–wise. If you do really good work, they’ll never forget you.

Now, the reason for the flying owl was because we were striving to cover certain areas of our one truck and a wing-spread on an owl seemed to fit that bill. We’re not married to this idea, but I can’t tell you how many trucks over the years we’ve done for other people with many of your [as a whole] ideas and we just want ours to be a little more unique, with an understated elegance. Perhaps the flying owl isn’t the ticket, but we’re working on it.

I don’t like the winking eye like the potato chips [who is headquartered right up the road from us, so when I saw that posted, I just laughed inside a little], but I need something which looks strong, stellar and a pillar of the community. Not some frilly cartoon or caricature. I could draw them up all day long and still not create one I like.

This is on a back burned because we’re working on other projects and like the cobblers kids, they never have shoes…… well, our graphics will come some time. However, if anyone has positive or negative feedback, I’d be happy to see or hear about it. This might take longer than I figured. I wanted these trucks lettered before Christmas, but our workload is getting a little hectic, so until we figure it our completely….. we’ll be listening and watching………

and keep those cards and letters a'comin'.............. Gino
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[Dan Antonelli]

Yeh definitely wasn't thinking frilly cartoon or caricature. Just a strong, bold and iconic brand image, treated as supergraphic.

But to your point and request, supergraphics generally aren't 'understated elegance'. I must admit, I definitely don't do 'understated elegance' very well on wrap design haha...

One thing you might think about is I note from your responses that much of what you are looking to do on the wrap is, for lack of a better pun, 'wrapped' up in your own personal preferences, to a degree. Remove yourself from the equation and give serious thought to a more concerted effort to design something that appeals to your audience first, and your personal preference, second.

I tell clients frequently that my objective is not specifically to design what they want or like - they've hired me to do a job - which is to design messaging that appeal to the target audience we are trying to attract. That's always the primary objective.

I'm sure you'll come up with something great buddy.

 

[GAC05]

Yeh definitely wasn't thinking frilly cartoon or caricature. Just a strong, bold and iconic brand image, treated as supergraphic.

Opps, there goes my angry birds themed suggestion.....

wayne k
guam usa

 

[CES020]

You sound just like those that ask for critique and then refuse the advice. You know, those people you complain about all the time when they do it. 80% of all the posts on here have told you the flying owl image doesn't work, but post after post you justify why it's there.

Step back and listen, there's been great reasoning for NOT using the photo you posted.

I know you'll take that as a dig at you, but it's not meant to be. My impression of your company, even though I've never seen or dealt with it, is that it's a VERY VERY capable shop of handling a wide variety of things to VERY high quality standards. What I'm saying (and others) is that the image you posted doesn't match the quality we believe your company produces.

I don't think many posts on here have said you shouldn't or can't use an owl, but you keep justifying it. I think a number of people got EXCITED at the use of the owl and the possibilities. No one's telling you to NOT use the owl, there are telling you NOT to use THAT owl.

If I personally saw that on a sign company vehicle, I'd think it some backyard hack that thinks he's a designer because he bought Photoshop.

Again, your company is FAR better than that image.

 

[signage]

Gino is like your parents tells you not to do something they do! They don't lead by example, they just tell you what is right and wrong and want you to listen.

 

[Marlene]

I get the whole owl and connection with the company name. that isn't the issue so much as how overpowering the image is. the faded in the background was strong but didn't overpower the lettering. the full colored one does. I'm with bob on the image you posted isn't the one that most people think of when they wise old owl. the owl got that image because of their big eyes so it seems like finding an image, maybe just a head image photo that fades off into an area where the copy can go would work. it doesn't have to be the full owl or even a full image of an owl's head jsut as long as you get the eye in. that's why Wise chips uses just an eye as it works. I liked what SignManiac did but it is kind of like the chips owl. you could do something sort of like that with a photo image and it might work.

 

[Gino]

Seems I p!ssed a few people off here by explaining my views and methods for the last... almost 40 years.

Nowhere, did I say I wasn't listening to anyone's advice here or going to consider it.... quite the contrary, I said I'm gonna have to rethink my own thinking process and put this on a back burner and do it a little at a time.

I was asked several times, why the owl...... and I tried to clarify my position of over 30 years.

I'm simply not going to use a cartoonie owl and need to possibly re-create something with maybe a lesser scarey owl.

I want to thank all the posters for their input so far and would like to encourage anyone who still has ideas or thoughts for a direction to please post up. I'm not looking for complete layouts or anything, just some pointers on what you might entertain or think of doing for yourself..... even if the graphic has nothing to do with animals or ships... or anything.

My original thought was to only use lettering and make it subdued and actually blend in with the background. Again, no color or very little of it. I like hidden elements which tend to not turn heads, but entertain the elite or clever.
​

If I showed you some of the things we've done over the years, you'd all laugh, because it's exactly what people are suggesting in this thread. So, it's kinda like.... been there/done that and now we're reaching for something new or different.

And no Brian, I'm not like your parents telling you not to do what I do. I live my life as I see fit and offer everyone else the same advice based on my findings or solutions. Never really trying to fool anyone into anything, but then again.... none of us give away the farm..... huh ??​

 

[Joe Diaz]

I never thought photos worked all that well with branding. You can have a stylized illustrated owl without it being "cartoonie"

Here's my attempt at making one:

 

[Jim Doggett]

a really quick simple mock up..I feel like something like this would be more effective.
looks like you want something simple.. so why not something that pops?
Colors taken from your site.

+1 ... !!!!

 

[SignManiac]

I never thought photos worked all that well with branding. You can have a stylized illustrated owl without it being "cartoonie"

Here's my attempt at making one:
View attachment 80698

Man that's killer Joe!!!! Also, I'd go the extra mile and paint the red portion in a candy apple red! A buddy of mine just had his car painted that color and it looks fantastic.

 

[Border]

Put Joe on your payroll...bam, done! just don't forget to add some diamond plate texture in there somewhere so it gets noticed.

:Big Laugh

Nice work, Joe!

 

[Marlene]

write Joe a check as that looks great

 

[john1]

I never thought photos worked all that well with branding. You can have a stylized illustrated owl without it being "cartoonie"

Here's my attempt at making one:
View attachment 80698

a effin mazing Joe, Great work!

 

[bob]

I never thought photos worked all that well with branding. You can have a stylized illustrated owl without it being "cartoonie"

That's pretty good. I should think it would be better if the stylized owl looked a bit less like something that just fell off a totem pole. But still nice.

Man that's killer Joe!!!! Also, I'd go the extra mile and paint the red portion in a candy apple red! A buddy of mine just had his car painted that color and it looks fantastic.

Just print the whole thing on metallic silver and, as if by magic, instant candy apple. You might want to diddle the colors a bit since the white point of silver runs off into a gray tone. Most colors come out pretty much as advertised but yellows tend to look a little brassy.

 

[GypsyGraphics]

Do you have a logo? I think you need to develop a logo, possibly including an illustrated owl if you want to go in that direction, and then once a clean readable logo is developed you can go onto designing an effective wrap.

I never thought photos worked all that well with branding. You can have a stylized illustrated owl without it being "cartoonie"

Here's my attempt at making one:
View attachment 80698

and i think JOE just nailed it!!!!!
:U Rock:

 

[SignManiac]

Just print the whole thing on metallic silver and, as if by magic, instant candy apple.

Great tip Bob! I'll have to experiment with that myself..

 

[Ken]

The good thing about having a photo on the van is that it demonstrates that you have that capability. A lot of wrap work includes photos. You could still have a logo on the door and the flying owl. My .02.
Cheers! Ken