posted
After monkeying around with this dude for about 10 months, I finally get the design approved on this sign and now the customer throws me another curve ball: he wants tapered columns. I tried to talk him out of it as it dumps a whole bunch more time and aggravation into a project that has already trie dmy patience to the limit. Seems his building portico already has tapered columns and he wants the sign to match. Thing is, the sign is about 75 to 100' away from the building anyway.
If I have to use the tapered column, I told him, I would either have to put a spacer between the top edge of the top sign and the column(which would look real tacky)OR, re-design the sign so that the sign follows the shape of the taper (almost as tacky and much more difficult.)
He goes." well, could you cut a groove in the bottom of the column and slide the bottom sign in a ways? I said no...would not work (tacky too)
Any ideas would be appreciated.
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7409 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
I would "change my price accordingly" and do the tapered columns. If he's happy with the groove......groove it
-------------------- Tony Vickio The World Famous Vickio Signs 3364 Rt.329 Watkins Glen, NY 14891 t30v@vickiosigns.com 607-535-6241 http://www.vickiosigns.com Posts: 1063 | From: Watkins Glen, New York | Registered: Sep 2001
| IP: Logged |
-------------------- 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: 5278 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
No Groove Out of the question The wall thickness of these archtectural columns (8''X8'Permacast)is only .5625'' The space needed to take up is about .875''. Plus I'm not so sure I would like the looks of that.
There will be 4 pieces of aluminum rectangluar tubing running through the cores of the signs horizontally (this sign will be 3'' thick HDU sandblasted). You can see one or two between the post and the sign at the top. If I painted those where they are exposed, and spaced the posts a little further apart, the top ones would obviously be more prominent but would that look too bad? Maybe embellish that somehow?
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7409 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
No I just don't like it. I like the signs butted up to the posts myself.
I still don't get the "2922 JEFFERSON STREET". It just clutters the sign and I don't see the need. I tried to talk them into just "2922". Nothing doin'. Then...tried "jefferson st." huh uh....gotta spell it out.
"George, are we there yet?" "Where?" "The optometry place." "I don't know....the nice lady said to turn on jefferson street" "Oh....there's a sign.....pull up a little closer" "Is this it?" "I don't know....the letters are smaller than the ones on the street sign back there" "The sign back there said it was jefferson street." "Let me have my glasses" "You don't have any glasses yet" "Oh.... yeah" "Lessee...."I'll pull up closer....yep...says jefferson street...."2922 jefferson street?" "Yep......We must be there"
At least there aren't 2 or 3 phone numbers on it.
[ December 06, 2005, 09:12 PM: Message edited by: Wayne Webb ]
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7409 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hey Wayne, just read the tag line you have on your post!
-------------------- Tony Vickio The World Famous Vickio Signs 3364 Rt.329 Watkins Glen, NY 14891 t30v@vickiosigns.com 607-535-6241 http://www.vickiosigns.com Posts: 1063 | From: Watkins Glen, New York | Registered: Sep 2001
| IP: Logged |
But just because it CAN be done, doen't mean it SHOULD be done.
My only other alternative would be to deterimine the exact vertical orientation of the signs on the posts. Then get a set of calipers and take several measurements along the length. Then re-design, re-shape the sides (contacting the posts) to follow the contour.
But I', still open to suggestion...except Si's
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7409 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Another possible solution: Mount the signs exactly as you've shown, but use 4 tapered shims between the column and the sign to close up that visible gap. Finish off using a paintable caulking material, which is then painted to match column and posts. This would probably involve a couple of trips to the site after initial installation, but it might be the least problematic way to go. Bill additional for the extra time/trips involved, since it's really a "change to order" that he's requested.
-------------------- Ken Henry Henry & Henry Signs London, Ontario Canada (519) 439-1881 e-mail: kjmlhenry@rogers.com
Why do I get all those on-line offers to sell me Viagara, when the only thing hardening is my arteries ? Posts: 2690 | From: London,Ontario, Canada | Registered: Feb 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Wayne, just kidding with you! If you want to butt the signs to the posts I think I would leave the blasted part of the sign (green) the way it is and taper the outsides of the panels "to fit" the posts. I don't think it would hurt the looks at all, as the taper is not too radical. It will take some effort, but the result will be what you are looking for.
-------------------- Tony Vickio The World Famous Vickio Signs 3364 Rt.329 Watkins Glen, NY 14891 t30v@vickiosigns.com 607-535-6241 http://www.vickiosigns.com Posts: 1063 | From: Watkins Glen, New York | Registered: Sep 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Architecturally speaking (that's what I got me one of them thar degrees in), I hate it when columns don't have anything on top of them -- classical columns like that should have something (like a pediment) bearing on and spanning across them, that's their entire purpose.
Anyway, no offense, just a pet peeve of mine in general. I think it's a pretty good looking sign and I would explain to the guy that the sign panel itself has parallel edges and to affix it to something with tapered edges is just dumb and looks crappy.
At least he didn't request a design technique the Greeks used in their columns called "entasis". Pefectly cylindrical vertical columns tend to look like the edges are concave, it's an optical illusion. So, to counteract that, they made the columns slightly convex (so they bulged out), this had the net effect of making the columns LOOK like they were perfectly straight.
There's your triva for the day, guys
-------------------- Ryan Long Magic Light Neon Sign Co. Crawfordsville, IN Posts: 132 | From: Crawfordsville, IN | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I agree with Si's solution, except I wouldn't separate the sign and posts by that much. I'd paint the brackets a dark color too so they disappeared.
I would separate the sign from the column by a couple of inches and let it 'float'. I prefer the columns and signs to work together, but not as one piece. This is what works for me.
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8771 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
![[Bash]](graemlins/bash.gif)
I tried to talk him out of it as it dumps a whole bunch more time and aggravation into a project that has already trie dmy patience to the limit. Seems his building portico already has tapered columns and he wants the sign to match. Thing is, the sign is about 75 to 100' away from the building anyway.![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
I said no...would not work (tacky too)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[I Don t Know]](graemlins/dunno.gif)
At least there aren't 2 or 3 phone numbers on it.
![[Rolling On The Floor]](graemlins/rolf.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
Left my cell number on the door and sold two truck jobs today as well.
Printer-friendly view of this topic