We don't just do Shirts lol

[BobM]

wow you guys are brutal lol. Hey client likes it lol thank anyways happy new years

The customer knows what he does. He doesn't know the sign is unreadable beyond 20' and 5 miles per hour.

Tony's without the scroll work and Family Barbershop on the top panel, phone number and 3 - 4 bullet points on the bottom panel, lose the barber pole stripes on the uprights.

Too much going on to be read and understood the in 3.4 seconds a driver has when driving past.

 

[TheSnowman]

The sign is almost as hard to read as this post.

First off...this is just too funny. I was thinking the same thing

Second...

why is everyone on this site such a hard ass and thinks nothing someone else does is any good? What do you think you are GOD or something.

Chill out. If you show your work to a world of professionals, you may take a little heat...we all know that.

 

[killergraphics]

I would hardly call many on here professionals.

It is truly a tough crowd. If you have ever seen how many negs to almost every pict post and the ones with the most negs never post anything.

If the customer liked it, you did your job.

A sign is info and you made it say what he wanted it to.

Most important stuff big and the rest smaller. His corner would have not been big enough to make everything readable from 20,000 feet.
I even bet it is on a corner with a stop light? Someone can read alot while sitting still.

Nice layout. Good work and you are a wild $ crazy man to put it up in a snow storm

 

[jiarby]

Whether or not the customer likes it does not matter.... he is relying on YOUR expertise to guide him. The customer doesn't know any better and you could have done him a better job that makes him more money.

Here is how I feel about this:
--The customer does not want a sign, or a wrap, or anything else we make.
What they REALLY want is for their sales to go up by increasing phone, website, or walk in traffic. They believe that a sign/wrap will accomplish this objective for them.

--The customer is not the sign professional...YOU ARE. Find out what their goals are then come up with a design/layout that meets those goals.

If the sign is illegible unless you are parked in front of it then you have FAILED in meeting the primary objective... communicating with the potential customer.

Why are there 4 barber poles on one sign?
Why is there an entirely separate sign for store hours but then the actual store hours only make up 20% of the space.
A shop hours sign does not need a title that says "Here are our shop hours". Everyone knows that "MONDAY 8am to 7pm" means that is what the hours are/
Why is the phone number so teeny and on the diagonal?
Text in the ribbon looks wonky. Text matches the curve on the top but not the bottom. Blowing up the first letter screws up the kerning, The word "SHOP" does not get the same big-letter treatment (but it DOES in the bottom sign).
Font choice is a personal thing... but the frilly cowboy one doesn't work for me, especially when you start distorting it (on a diagonal/in a ribbon)
Why tack on the clip art barber pole... it's style is completely different from the victorian flourishes... Did I mention that there are already THREE other barber poles?
Ahh, the obligatory scissors...With only 4 barber poles I was confused about what they did. The scissors clears that all up. At least you skipped the matching comb


Maybe, if he goes out of business, a strip club can buy the place, paint those poles gold, and weld on some girl silhouettes (like from the truck mud flaps?)


All the criticism posted on this forum is usually constructive, but sometimes delivered in a way that your big brother would do it.... the one that beats you up all the time but then protects you at school. Don't be too defensive. Open your eyes and your mind that you are not Michelangelo and this sign job is not the Sistine Chapel. We can all always do better, but not until we accept the fact that we are not already perfect.


Happy New Year

 

[weaselboogie]

why is everyone on this site such a hard ass and thinks nothing someone else does is any good? What do you think you are GOD or something.

You will never improve if you're not pushed to do so. An honest brutal critique does 100 times more construction than a 'lets-not-hurt-anyones-feelings' candy-coated approval. Does your grandma hang up all your work on her fridge?

 

[astro8]

Whether or not the customer likes it does not matter.... he is relying on YOUR expertise to guide him. The customer doesn't know any better and you could have done him a better job that makes him more money.

This is true, along with the rest of the post.
You have to have the confidence to tell the customer that their ideas might stink and won't work, but you have a better way.

Only doing 'what the customer wants' because it's easy and not arguing the point, if you feel it's needed for your customers benefit, is just lack of confidence in yourself and your abilities.

You're the professional, you have to take control...they'll respect you for it, thank you and pay more for your services.

 

[I-Style]

Personally the design is not my taste, as a prof. designer i would have it done different but thats my taste plus a bit of general design rules.... never the less at the end even with a lot of sweet talking if your costumer is happy than basically you did a good job, criticizing the usefulness of the sign is a different story... question you should ask yourself what is the reason for the sign, just to show old costumers here i am or to gain new costumers.

We just can give guidance to our clients but at the end the costumer must decide if he likes it or not. i did a lot of designs, where the end result was not what i would have done but still it's not my fault if based on the wrong decision of my client he run out of business.

Last but not least respect for putting it up in these conditions.

Happy new year

 

[I-Style]

Personally the design is not my taste, as a prof. designer i would have it done different but thats my taste plus a bit of general design rules.... never the less at the end even with a lot of sweet talking if your costumer is happy than basically you did a good job, criticizing the usefulness of the sign is a different story... question you should ask yourself what is the reason for the sign, just to show old costumers here i am or to gain new costumers.

We just can give guidance to our clients but at the end the costumer must decide if he likes it or not. i did a lot of designs, where the end result was not what i would have done but still it's not my fault if based on the wrong decision of my client he run out of business.

Last but not least respect for putting it up in these conditions.

Happy new year

 

[D2S]

Is that on 138 in Easton?

 

[Nash Signs]

101 Tough Love and Lesson Learned

Tough Love -
Hopefully you have tough enough skin to read through to the real (message, teaching or scolding) being sent. This site is overflowing with knowledge and help from every level of sign creation. It's also pretty balanced between theoretical teachings and harsh "Big Brother" bashing when you ask for it.
I think you have a good sample assortment of that in this post LOL.

Lesson Learned -
Posting your concept level designs will yield a more positive reaction and valuable suggestions then posting your design after delivery.

Lastly -
Kudos on weathering the storm and making that install like you did. You might not be at the top of the creative list on 101, but your customer has to be one raving fan of yours for pulling that off. I'm originally from Buffalo NY, so I can appreciate what you were dealing with. If it were me, I would have delivered in April LOL.

 

[WDP]

Thanks for the pros and cons, I'm not a sensitive individual plus 4digits payday is a bonus.

KillerGraphics and those that had positives thanks for your support. The camera phone shot taken in the blizzard outside doesn't really do justice but in person it looks good well.
Good day fellow peers.