I very rarely sign my work. In So. Cal. I hardly ever seen anyone sign their work, but here in Washington State, people sign their work. I'm mostly talking about custom painted truck lettering and automotive striping. I was taught that the customer pays to have their name on the sign, not yours. Besides, I have always felt that people really sign their work so that the job could be really appreciated by other sign people.
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
I sign my murals and sometimes put a brass plaque in a large theme project. Designs are always signed. But not typical sign projects.
-dan
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
I think that "signing" a job is as offensive as a car dealership wanting me to advertise their company by sticking a decal to the car or van that I just finished paying THEM for!!!
Posted by Robb Lowe (Member # 2121) on :
Signs usually get a sticker on the back, banners get it on the front. No personal names, just shop name and phone number. Our stuff stands out from the crowd, and people want to know where to get it without bothering the shop owner, although I have had customers tell me they've been asked before - which they turned into a sale of their own. So, signing your work can make your customer money, on rare occassion.
Posted by CJ Allan (Member # 52) on :
Pinstripers have traditionally signed their work in So Cal............or at least used to.
Anymore, if i sign something....the price doubles..!!
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
As a Pinstriper I sign most all my work, persons even ask me to sign it. When I do work for custom shops, outlining flames, graphics or what have they, I don't use my signature.
Robert and JoAnna Nouis of LazerLines have been so kind to make me up a mini screen for my signature which is easier and faster then breaking out the brushes. Check them out, you'll surely be grateful you did, I know I was.
Posted by roger bailey (Member # 556) on :
My favorite autographs are always on checks !
Roger
Posted by Chris Bryant (Member # 64) on :
Interesting to read everyone's reasons for yea or nay. Usually I don't, except trucks. I get tremendous referrals from my regular customers but I just can not resist putting a bug on a great truck design. Recently one of my customers who I have lettered 8 trucks for demanded that I come over and put my name on both sides of all of the trucks.
Chris
Posted by vance galliher (Member # 581) on :
..........when you do good work, why keep it a secrete ?......vance
Posted by Arvil Shep' Shepherd (Member # 2030) on :
If you are proud of your work....sign it........
And loke CJ ...Charge for it.... Shep'
Posted by Jeff Ogden (Member # 3184) on :
Alicia...
Look at it this way; is the thing you just painted good enough to go in your portfolio? If so, sign it. When people look at it and go,WOW, who did that?...you will have provided them with the answer. Just keep it descrete, both in size and color. Everything you sign doesn't have to be a masterpiece, but you do have to be proud of it. Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
We talked about this a little while ago, it's a no brainer, Sign your work, I have "Never Ever" had a customer complain about our little decal placed discretely on a sign or vehicle.. as a matter of fact, I've had customers remind me not to forget to to it, I've even had a few come back the next day and ask me to put it on. I guess I must be Picasso, lol it's more valuable with my name on there.
Posted by Jon Butterworth (Member # 227) on :
I sign all my mural work and anything that is really unusual! Mainly because it's my work, and I'm proud of it.
Would rather have the customer referal ( get quite a few of those!) than sticking my name on an everyday job.
Posted by James Donahue (Member # 3624) on :
I'm posting this reply to bring up a local phenomenon. I always figured signing a name was distracting from the overall clean-ness of a job, but I'm changing that thought now. I've been here almost ten years, and I've lettered maybe 4 trucks. In CA., it was a regular thing. There's a shop here, I guess I won't mention the name, even though they do clean work, That has got this town(Knoxville) sewn up as far as truck lettering goes. I'm pretty sure he does the whole job, that is, bodywork, painting, and graphics. He might even have a spray booth that can handle a semi. ALL his work gets signed, a distinct signature, about half inch tall, and inch and a half wide. My guess now is that's it's real "hip" to have this signature. His work is real clean, but not big on custom design. The extent of this thing is no exageration. Sincerly, Jim.
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
I like the idea of signing it so small that it needs to be searched for and easily found.
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
It depends, truck lettering, no, truck striping , yes. Car striping for dealers, no, custom stuff, yes. Signs, no, walls, yes, and yes,in the case of the striping, it's pretty much for the benefit of other stripers
I've seen some really cool signitures in regards to striping, guys that sign "on the line" or break the line and sign, that one always gets you attention as it looks like a smudge til you examine it closer On the other hand there are some terrible examples out there. There was/is a guy out of Houston whose work I used to run accross a lot on BMW's and Benz's who put his sig on the trunk as large as the dealer badge, I'm talkin 2 1/2 inch letters on a deck lid. Must work though as I saw a LOT of cars with that same sig.
[ March 26, 2003, 09:45 AM: Message edited by: George Perkins ]
Posted by Luke Scanlan (Member # 2481) on :
I was taught to always sign your work. I had a friend of mine with a race car, take his car out this weekend before I lettered it. He totaled the car. He then decided to beat up the other driver involved, and went to jail. He was telling me tonight, when he gets the car back from being fixed, he wants me to letter it, and put my name on it. I said "I don't want my name on it, if you're going to cause a ruckus at the track". Sometimes, no name is better?!
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