What are your pet peeves

[Speedsterbeast]

A little early for a Friday Thread, but here is the question:

What are you pet peeves about the sign biz?
Comic Sans?
Unoriginal Design?

To Start: I have two

1) People who change the name of a word to make it look clever. I emphasize on the word look.
examples: Trendz / Graffix / Xtreme / Signz /
(sorry to any fellow forum members who have the graffix in their name)

2) Business with the name Solution or Solutions in the title or slogan.
ICK!

 

[Gino]

My pet peeve is basically all the unequipped people in this industry faking their way through making it hard to do business in a normal manner.

 

[SightLine]

installers that cut paint, weather stripping, window seals, etc...
know it all customers
lowballer shops that depress the pricing
amatuer shops that also depress the pricing
5000 variations of fonts ever so slightly similar to Garamond but not quite...

Lots more but a few related to this business off the top of my head....

 

[Joe Diaz]

Don't.... TOUCH MY FREAKIN MONITOR WITH YOUR FREAKIN FINGER!

ahhh. I feel better now. LOL

 

[AUTO-FX]

42 emails from the clients during the course of a simple project because they refuse to designate a sole person to be in charge

 

[HulkSmash]

when customers call banners - building signs.

 

[GAC05]

I have two dogs, used to have a cat & some hamsters but no peeves.

Illy users that set guide lines to hidden in files they send - not much of a guide if you can't see it.....

wayne k
guam usa

 

[TyrantDesigner]

My peeves?

"I can get his up the road for 1/10th the price"
"I don't understand why you require a deposit"
"but i'm your best customer" (first visit)
... the over the shoulder inspectors (watches you from 4" over your shoulder)
I'm especially tired of other "designers" out there ... I meet someone for the first time ... they ask what I do ... "I'm a graphic designer and artist" ... "OOOHH! I AM TOO! (even though I really work at walmart and saying i'm a designer without any education just makes me feel better)"
I especially hate people who send me images through, "can you match this" and they don't include measurements, acurate photos, complete photos, or really anything (even the customers i've been gratious enough to give a swatch pad to in order to compare colors)
and for the love of all that is UNHOLY! ... does no one want to wait 10 minutes for something small ... had 4 people today who didn't want to wait 10-20 minutes for their stupid VIN, fire extinguisher inside or whatever and gave me attitude for 4 or 5 minutes ... and could have easily just not bitched at me and waited 10 minutes to clear out the customer i was dealing with only to come out and find them gone. good riddance.
and LASTLY! ... If you want a full set of rig graphics, i'm more than accomadating for some serious b.s. ... don't call me an hour and a half from closing, ask when we close, then say "if i come ten till ... can you do a full set" ... NOOO! you unbearable flop jocky. my cut off time is an hour to an hour and a half from closing ... don't try to pressure me into working past closing then yell at me for trying to take advantage of you if I tell you I have to charge you for the overtime if i did ... your cussing at me is not appreciated.

 

[signmeup]

People who don't know the difference between"your" and "you're".
People who say "irreguardless".

 

[Flame]

People who get huffy at you when you say you're a few days out for production.

People who insult your design skills.

People who say "but don't you just push print?"

Red letters on a blue background.

Soccer moms who want a cute little 5" white sticker on their rear windshield, and drop their jaw when you tell you have a minimum order.




And I have gotten every single one of them this week. ArghhhH!!!!

 

[Bly]

Don't.... TOUCH MY FREAKIN MONITOR WITH YOUR FREAKIN FINGER!

ahhh. I feel better now. LOL

That reminds me I've been meaning to cut some vinyl to stick on mine saying EXACTLY that.

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

People that do not know how to drive

 

[Sticky Signs]

- Can you give me a quote on some hoarding? (no size, no art, no nothing, but somehow I'm suppose to magically pull a quote outta my ass)


Me - so are we good to go for tomorrows install?
General Contactor - Yes, everything is ready.
Me - Great, see you tomorrow.
20 minutes later
GC - Uhhh, can you come in the day after? Turns out I'm not ready.
Me - Sure, no problem (secretly adding additional time to invoice for constantly having to re-arange my schedule)


Clients who don't know how to look at a proof.

 

[Nitsuj]

I got lots of pet peeves. My most sign related one has to be Calvin peeing on things stickers.

No offense to people who may have made a bundle on them, but gosh, that is one design that is over done. I vowed to never cut Calvin peeing on anything. If I was going to cut one, I'd make one of Calvin peeing on a Calving peeing sticker.

 

[Rick]

I have 1000's of pet peeves...

but currently,

---it's bad survey notes... right now I'm trying to decipher some chicken scratch notes, when I call to ask what they say, they can't read their own notes. Since the job is hundreds of miles away, it's not like someone can just hop in a car and remeasure...

---The other is the "I have been in the sign business (x) amount of years" as an argument as to why they did what they did... or pre-qualify themselves before arguments so that way they aren't questioned when things get screwed up.

---Vendors, installers and managers who can't architectural read plans on a project with a 1000 page blueprint set.

---Crappy in-house marketing people with a copy of illustrator, and not afraid to use it, then goes on a tirade about conceptual design when they are clueless to the design process.

---Those plastic outhouses on a job site and you have to go really bad, but your personal policy is never leave a coiler in one of those things for fear of splash back.

 

[bob]

Nephew art.

Sign makers being allowed to design logos, business cards, and stationary.

People who complain about overpopulation and then want to earthquake-proof schools.

The incredible waste of materials that is doing vinyl.

 

[vid]

#1

Don't.... TOUCH MY FREAKIN MONITOR WITH YOUR FREAKIN FINGER!

Followed very closely by:

• The sneezing of body fluids on the monitor and/or keyboard.
• TXT viewing during conversations.

Then, the terms:

• Supposeably
• Readable
• Drawer - to describe one that draws.
• Doable

.

 

[SebastienL]

It all comes down to one common denomitator: "designers". Ok, not all designers, some are pretty good, most are Ok. I'm talking about "designers"... You know, those with a hacked copy of Ps. Even worst, those wih a hacked copy of InDesign. Here are a few reasons:

-Unvectorized bastard fonts.

-Wrong size or proportion of design for intended purposes. (A Queenbus panel is 70" x 21". Not 72" x 18", not 54" x 24").

-2gb files for a 35" x 11" bus interior panel.

-226kb files for a 16' x 16' "New codos" sign.

-Missing fonts.

-Missing links. (...But when I include the links, it takes forever to upload on your ftp.)

-Pantone over Pantone over Pantone transparencies with different opacity modes.

.......And Photoshop is not for designing logos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Joe Diaz]

People who log on to internet forums using an unimaginative alias so they can say stupid stuff like: "Sign makers being allowed to design logos, business cards, and stationary"

 

[qmr55]

"My wife has Photoshop, and she's a rather talented designer. She designed my logo."

....receive a jpg of some shitty comic sans and a image in the background with a white stroke and drop shadow.


Also....

-People who can't drive.
-People who text you something then expect you to text them back a 5 page text.
PICK UP A PHONE AND CALL ME!!!

-Also people who don't know the difference between "your" and "you're"