Here's a s/f sign I completed yesterday. It measures 18"x7", cut from treated pine, and is hand-lettered. The client wanted it aged and beaten. It took me a total of two man-hours from start to finish.
I spent 10 minutes designing it, glued two scrap pieces of wood together, sanded it, cut to shape, primed it, applyed two coats of a very dark green lettering enamel, hand-lettered it, clearcoated it with Frog Juice, ground the face in a pile of sand, beat it with a side of a hammer, then rinsed and dried it.
The copy is Yellow with an Imitation Gold bevel, and is outlined and shadowed in black. The background is a Charleston Green.
What would you charge and what do you think I got for it?
Excuse the poor quality of the photo. I scanned it with an el-cheapo $50 scanner. (sigh)
That's a helluva lot of work to get done in two hours, I don't care how small it is. I would have thought more like 5 hours. It's nice. I'd have probably charged $145 for it, afraid they'd balk at anything higher. If you got over $200 for it, you're the MAN. Something tells me you did.
Man, beating a sign up with a hammer... I like breaking things. But since I enjoyed it so much I would probably get about $130 Canuck bucks> Breaking it always cost me in the past.
Kevin Landry KnL Signs Halifax
------------------ Kevin Landry KnL Signs Halifax NS
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
Well, Victor hit the nail on the head..... $125. I thought I had done well to get what I got, but after reading your responses, I should probably kick myself in the pants!
I did leave out that I used the plotter to make the paper pattern for me. I would have used a vinyl mask to speed things up a little, but I felt the backgroung paint was still just a little to fresh.
You know Glenn just this week I hand lettered the side of a truck.. The customer requested it. Now today I'm going to hand letter a Long Liner Fishing Vessel. That's the first time in about a yr. since the last time I hand lettered anything, And the feeling of satisfaction hand lettering,is unequaled. Now to tell you the truth I have to do the boat by hand cause the surface is really rough and the vinyl just would'nt last. Nice Job on the sign.. it looks great! Neil
------------------ "Keep Positive"
SIGNS1st. Neil Butler Paradise, NF
[This message has been edited by Neil D. Butler (edited April 26, 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Neil D. Butler (edited April 26, 2001).]
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
You can't get those prices in my town.
------------------ Chapman Sign Studio Temple, Texas rchapman@vvm.com
Posted by John Arnott (Member # 215) on :
Glenn, Did you say that you frog juiced it AFTER it was painted & lettered, I thought it would eat it. John Arnott
------------------ John Arnott El Cajon CA 619 444-SIGN signgraphics1@aol.com
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
Yep, I Frogged it while the lettering was still wet. It didn't bother it at all. I think the difference is that if the lettering had be partially dried (dry on the surface and still wet underneath) it would have wrinkled.
Heheheheheee....I have heard of "Quickie Stickie" jobs, but this is the first "Quickie Thumpie" one! Nice werk, Glenn!
PS Isn't it more fun than the boring technologically assisted stuff?
------------------ Si Allen #562 La Mirada, CA. USA (714) 521-4810 ICQ # 330407 "SignPainters do It with Longer Strokes!"
Brushasaurus on Chat
Gladly supporting this BB !
Posted by Jim Mulligan (Member # 1956) on :
I'm pleased to see a great group of sign professionals with some respect for their work. I would have quoted $ 150.00, of course I don't have the talent to hand letter a piece of paper. I know some guys in my city that would have given this sign away for $ 75. At least everyone here is close to the right price.
------------------ Jim Mulligan Cardinal Manufacturing, Inc. Indianapolis, IN
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Hehehe... I woulda bid it for 2 hours (@$60/hour) plus materials (prolly right at $5 with the scaps, maybe less) so the price sounds fair..
BUT..
It would have actually taken me much longer to do it cause I would get carried away with the relief work and break it, forcing me to run to the lumber yard to pick up a whole stinkin sheet of plywood..
Then I woulda broken my LAST RotoZIP bit trying to cut it in a hurry, and I'd be forced to drive into Phoenix (3 hours away) to pick up more ZIP bits cause no one in town has 'em. Or I woulda tried to finish up the cutting with a steak knife cause I dont have jig/band/scroll saws here.
Then once I got the new one cut, I'd realize I misplaced my hammer cause when the last one broke, I tossed the hammer into the air somewhere in a furious rage.
------------------ Mike Pipes Digital Illusion Custom Graphics Lake Havasu City, AZ http://www.stickerpimp.com
Posted by Mike Languein (Member # 319) on :
Well, I'll go ahead and be the bad guy here - or the Devil's Advocate - I'd tend to settle for around the $75 figure, for a two hour job, and I think I'd be doing well at that in my area - a quicky sticky on every corner. Actually, I have 2 regular customers anymore that request this kind of work and I shoot for $30/hr - it's what they pay me at work, now, and I'm beginning to live well. Ray Chapman's comment must be tongue-in-cheek. I believe he charges for his work. $170 Cheryl? Super, if you can get it. I got tired of losing bids and went to work for a big company. The sign looks to me like more than two hours' worth. For a new off-the-street customer that I really am not desperate to cultivate I might stick to $125.
------------------ "If it isn't fun, why do it?" Signmike@aol.com Mike Languein Doctor of Letters BS, MS, PhD ___________________
You know what BS is, MS is More of the Same, and it's Piled Higher and Deeper here
Posted by Bob Rochon (Member # 30) on :
Nice job Glenn,
$150.00 would have been my guess That would be the value.
you couldn't get that desired effect with vinyl so there is no worrying about competition. It takes knowledge and talent to make a NEW sign look OLD.
That is worth something! Good Job Glenn and you got paid well too!!!
------------------ Bob Rochon Creative Signworks Millbury, MA bob@creativesignworks.com
"Some people's kids"
Posted by Monte Jumper (Member # 1106) on :
Nice job...the price you can live with is always the correct price...no matter where you are.
------------------ Monte Jumper SIGNLanguage/Norman.Okla.
Posted by Dave Hodge (Member # 1415) on :
Like Raymond in Texas,We wouldn't get your prices here.I'd have put the time at nearer to a mornings work than two hours, but even then we'd struggle to get £60 ($90)for a similar sign. Do you think I'll get a work permit over there. Just to illustrate the difference in wages. A good friend of mine here won a skills competition a few years back. His prize was a fortnight staying and working with the sign people at Disneyland. One of the guys asked him how much he made. He said about £300 ($400)The guy said thats fair pay for a day's work.Yeah said my mate but that's a week's work for me. So if any of you guy's are thinking of coming over here to settle down. Come to retire not to work.
------------------ Goldenmahl Dave Hodge's Traditional Signs. Preston, England. 01772 743352 GOLDENMAHLDAVE@aol.com
Posted by Stephen Deveau (Member # 1305) on :
Glen Like everyone said stand your ground if you can get the price for it!
After seeing your post,I had a call a few days later for the same size...Small family name and House number to it.
I thought about your way of doing this and explain the look to this person.
She ask what would I charge and my answer was around $75.00 for 2 hours of labour and materials. Oh! was the next thing she said and the last was ...Do you know anyone else in the area that can do it for me!!!!!! Yep I said "We're all in the phone book!" Wishing you were here and I was there!
Some people look at the value and others only look at their pocket books~!
------------------ Raven/2001 Airbrushed by Raven Lower Sackville N.S. deveausdiscovery@sprint.ca
