posted
We're doing a job for a furniture place and thought I would make up a horrific layout to show our client as a joke (he's a great guy with lots of humor). Well, I wanted to see his face when he saw this layout and then show him the REAL layout. Guess it backfired on me when he loved the layout that was supposed to be a joke:) hehe Eyecatching? sure...but for gods sake!...
Incidently, we are going with the original company logo!
[ August 02, 2004, 07:24 PM: Message edited by: David Nyman ]
-------------------- David Nyman Nyman Signs 100 South 8th Street Escanaba, MI 49829 Posts: 80 | From: Escanaba, Michigan USA | Registered: Nov 2002
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David, Ya really ought to warn us first ... I was reading when all of a sudden the picture popped in ... scared the hell out of me ... burned my eyes and gave me a headache (while I fell to the floor)
I gotta turn the contrast on my monitor down
edit............. Hey, ya know, that may not be such bad marketing after all ... when I close my eyes I can still see it.
[ July 23, 2004, 08:26 PM: Message edited by: Mark Matyjakowski ]
-------------------- Compulsive, Neurotic, Anti-social and Paranoid ... but basically Happy Posts: 2677 | From: Rochester, NY, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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That happened to me before too. I purposely made the customer's logo as fugly as possible, then did a Stevens-esque layout that I wanted to sell him. Put em side by side. He picked the fugly one. But at least he paid for it....I just say someone else did it when I'm asked if I did. Love...Jill
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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-------------------- Bill & Barbara Biggs Art's Sign Service, Inc. Clute, Texas, USA Home of The Great Texas Mosquito Festival Proud 10 year Supporter of the Letterheads Website www.artssigns.com "MrBill-" on the chat page MailTo:biggsbb@sbcglobal.net Posts: 1020 | From: Lake Jackson,Tx | Registered: Nov 1998
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what do you mean can't spell? i always thought that rent all was what they did.
-------------------- Jimmy Chatham Chatham Signs 468 stark st Commerce, Ga 30529 Posts: 1766 | From: Commerce, GA, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Fella had a 55 chevy... Wanted "Rockin' Little Angel" put on the back... It turned out "Rockin' Little Angle"... He liked it and kept it that way... Go figure..
-------------------- Leonard Sappington lenopam@verizon.net Posts: 123 | From: Clinton, Indiana | Registered: Mar 2004
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Sorry folks, should have warned you all to put on the sunglasses before viewing *hehe*
-------------------- David Nyman Nyman Signs 100 South 8th Street Escanaba, MI 49829 Posts: 80 | From: Escanaba, Michigan USA | Registered: Nov 2002
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As you can see we went ahead with the original logo, but to make the manager happy we put a small license plate size logo decal on the back of the truck with the hiddious logo:) Now everyone is happy!
-------------------- David Nyman Nyman Signs 100 South 8th Street Escanaba, MI 49829 Posts: 80 | From: Escanaba, Michigan USA | Registered: Nov 2002
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Jokes that backfire! Ahhh yes....brings back a horrible memory for me. Here's the story....
Company I worked for years ago did OEM boat, RV graphics as well as an retail automotive aftermarket lines of striping and graphics.
Well, I had to create a presentation of several graphic ideas for some retail decals...for people that like to stick dumb things on their cars.
Anyway, the marketing guy that initiated the project was a guy that generally liked to joke around alot. So in addition to some serious designs, I throw in a couple of really stupid ones....you know, like big 'ol zit stickers and stuff.
We go into the meeting...he's there, along with some sales people and a few other big wig types who I knew well, as it was a good size company, but not huge - everyone knew everyone. So to start the meeting I pass around a couple of the "mock" decals...thinking I'd start the meeting with a laugh....HUGE MISTAKE.
The marketing guy with the "sense of humor" blows a gasket, asking what this #$@* is and publicly and verbally flogged me as basically being an immature screw-off. I think I turned as many shades of red as you can find in a pantone deck.
The room was dead quiet, and the tension hung in the air like a lead zeplin.
I think everyone else in the room felt my humiliation as well and another guy saved me by saying, 'let's see what else you have".....to which I quickly pulled out the "good stuff".
The guy that berrated me, came through the design room later the next day...and acted like nothing happened, joking around and being sarcastic as usual....never even brought up the incident.
I learned a big lesson from that incident...."know your audience". I harbored a deep hatred for that guy from then on....very difficult for me to forgive him....never before or since have I been so utterly and unmercifully been laid waste to in public. You had to have been there...it's still etched in my mind.
My attempt at humor was juvenile....but I was young and maybe a little naive.
-------------------- Todd Gill Outside The Lines Potterville, MI Posts: 7792 | From: Potterville, MI | Registered: Dec 2001
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Nothing young and naive about having a sense of humor Todd. I guess the tricky part is knowing when where and with who! hehe
Jenna
-------------------- David Nyman Nyman Signs 100 South 8th Street Escanaba, MI 49829 Posts: 80 | From: Escanaba, Michigan USA | Registered: Nov 2002
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theres been some very successfull ad campaignes that started out as jokes. Serendipity comes along and whamo..
This ole sticker started out as a joke but may be a great one. If someone analyzes it from an ad perspective rather than an Art perspective it does have soem great points..
Is it memorable? Yes very!
Does it get attention? Yes. look what it brought here.
Is it colorful? Yes very colorful
And most important. Does the client like it? Yes he does.
Is it distinctive? yes. No one has one like it around and likely never will.
Could it work better if the colors were adjusted? dunno.
I like it!! Modern looking and it has theat modern ripped letter look too. Maybe change the font to a balanced rip font.,,,
-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5274 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
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A client showed up on my designers day off. I showed him the progress so far on the logo, HE LOVED IT!! When she came to work the next day, she was mortified! "It was not done" she said.
Now, four years later, he still sports the "unfinished logo" and she laughs everytime we do something for him. Oh well, he's happy!
""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3486 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
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I was working up a quick sketch for a client. Worked up a killer one & figured I'd take out the fancy stuff & leave a very plain-jane one to show the difference. (no offense Jane. )
He went for the plane one. I hate when that happens.
-------------------- Chris Welker Wildfire Signs Indiana, Pa Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
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I was doing a boat for a guy. He wanted something like the "keep on truckin'guy" painted on it. I pretty much remembered what the guy looked like, but wanted artwork anyway. This was before the internet, so I looked everywhere I could think of. And I lived in a big town at that time.
I even went to see a guy I used to smoke dope with, hadn't seen in years. His walls were plastered with that stuff at one time. By the time I revisited, the posters were long gone.
So we talked about it, I made sketches, revised sketches. Keep the boots, no they gotta go, let's try sandals. This change and that change, finally, we had a sketch we were both happy with.
Alas, we must've BOTH been a couple old dopers, 'cause a day after the boat was painted and lettered, he calls me up and says: "My wife just saw it and noticed the guy (in sandals) has TWO LEFT FEET! Let me think about it, and if I don't call you in the next couple of days, we'll leave it like it is."
He never called back.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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