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Another incident from the annals of pre history:
We sent our sign painter out to change the sign at an apartment complex clear across town. The next day, the customer called, livid: "You were supposed to change the sign yesterday!" "We did." "Well, it reads the same as it did before!"
I called the sign painter in and yes, he had repainted the sign at the wrong apartment complex. Worse yet, being somewhat directionally challenged and in an unfamiliar part of town, he never could again find the place he had done wrong. Those folks probably never knew what happened.
-------------------- David Harding A Sign of Excellence Carrollton, TX Posts: 5089 | From: Carrollton, TX, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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quote:Originally posted by David Harding: This went unnoticed for a long time. The company had their Christmas card photos taken with all the employees in front of the sign, etc.
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OK, one more from me, it's not so much it was misspelled, but just a funny sign.....
Bob's Engine Rebuilding, any American six cylinder, $79.95, parts and labor extra.....
Also, sign installers hung a billboard sign upside down for "The Brickyard" here in Vegas, I called customer to make amends and figure out when to come and install it properly, his reply? Leave it, in the few days it's been up there upside down, office has fielded more calls than ever before, stayed up for over 20 yrs. till owner died and so did business....it was a full billboard, 16 4x8's.....
Now Mark; make up your mind, as author of this post do you want input or should we honor recent requests to STOP?????
-------------------- Frank Magoo, Magoo's-Las Vegas; fmagoo@netzero.com "the only easy day was yesterday" Posts: 2365 | From: Las Vegas, Nv. | Registered: Jun 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Frank Magoo: Now Mark; make up your mind, as author of this post do you want input or should we honor recent requests to STOP?????
No, hell no don't stop!
I'm truly starting to see effective sign work in another light! "Make it ugly, misspell half of the copy, hang it upside-down and WATCH WHAT HAPPENS!"
I mean I'm almost serious! It gets attention and that is what a sign is SUPPOSED to do!
I'm trying to think of some that went out at shops where I've worked.
I stopped by a friend's shop and he just applied some digital prints. Only problem was he did some flipping and stacking to maximize the stuff he could fit for printing and Illustrator just does what you tell it so some things had drop shadows on the bottom and some were on top.
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The only word I've ever misspelled on a sign in 30 years was "tailoring" which I spelled "tayloring," but I caught it while I was painting the next word in the line and fixed it while it was still wet.
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I hand letterd in script on the glass door of a beauty salon "Wecome". Its one of those words that didn't look wrong until someone came along and pointed it out to them. I went back, red-faced and changed it to "Welcome"
-------------------- Chuck Peterson Designs San Diego, CA Posts: 1052 | From: San Diego, CA USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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When I was in college, the athletic department contracted me to paint "University of Central Arkansas" across the sideline fence of the football field- a huge sign for me, 3 foot tall letters well over 100 feet long.
The existing letters needed to be covered, so the athletic director contacted the maintenence department to have them send over someone to paint the background. They kept forgeting to send someone for about a couple of weeks- finally one day I noticed it had been painted, so I laid out all of the letters by hand with a yardstick- took some rollers and started cutting in and filling the letters. I spent most of the weekend finishing it up and I was proud of the work.
I didn't bother telling the athletic department that I was finally starting on the sign.
It seems that on Monday morning the Athletic Director drove by, glanced at the fence, thinking it was the old sign and called the maintenence department and told them he was tired of waiting on them and wanted that fence painted over RIGHT NOW--
they sent a huge crew over and painted over my entire weekend's work in about 30 minutes.
-------------------- Michael Clanton Clanton Graphics/ Blackberry 19 Studio 1933 Blackberry Conway AR 72034 501-505-6794 clantongraphics@yahoo.com Posts: 1736 | From: Conway Arkansas | Registered: Oct 2001
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I used to sandblast mirrors, hand cutting the stencil patterns with an X-ACTO-- a huge, long process. I was making 4 small mirrors that had a detailed logo and read: "Fellowship of Christian Athletes".
1-- I misspelled "CHRISTAN" 1-- I misspelled "ATHELETES" 1-- I misspelled "FELLWSHIP"
The 4th one was the only one correct-- only to be knocked of the work table before it could be framed.
-------------------- Michael Clanton Clanton Graphics/ Blackberry 19 Studio 1933 Blackberry Conway AR 72034 501-505-6794 clantongraphics@yahoo.com Posts: 1736 | From: Conway Arkansas | Registered: Oct 2001
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How the hell does anyone know if a word is mispelled in Australia
When I was an apprentice I was given a suite number in the Petroleum Building (downtown Denver)that said to remove all the copy from the office door (no other info) as I arrived I saw the gold leaf on the outside of the frosted glass and there was a business name and about 8 names stacked neatly beneath.
I sprayed the glass with a soapy water solution so as not to scratch the glass and just as I was about to scrape off the name a scream came from within the office...I froze...the secretary came out and asked what I was doing...I told her and showed her my work order...she read it and replied "this says the Petrolem Building" I said yes ma'm and I'm here to remove it...she glared at me and says "You're in the Security Building.
Man was that close... same address one block over!
Oh... and the correct door had one name lettered in black.
Even tho I had to take credit for being in the wrong building, I told the boss about it...every work order from then on described the copy to be removed.
A good lesson for both of us I guess!
[ May 17, 2007, 09:45 AM: Message edited by: Monte Jumper ]
-------------------- "Werks fer me...it'll werk fer you"
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For wedding presents, we often do sandblasted glass signs that say "Barb & John Nafziger" and the date of the wedding. They usually are a big hit... UNLESS you misspell their name!! We made them a corrected version.
-------------------- Jane Diaz Diaz Sign Art 628 W. Lincoln Ave. Pontiac, Il. 61764 815-844-7024 www.diazsignart.com Posts: 4102 | From: Pontiac, IL USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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The time I was on my way to a far away install and 20 miles into the trip I discovered I had forgotten my toolbox. I yelled so loud I had a sore throat for a day. When I got back to the shop I couldn't find it only to discover it was in the truck behind something the whole time.
This is a clasic, but when I red this poost I thought of this comercial.
-------------------- Joe Diaz Diaz Sign Art 628 W. Lincoln Ave. Pontiac, IL 61764 www.diazsignart.com Posts: 538 | From: Pontiac, IL | Registered: Aug 2005
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My first sandblasted sign system for a multi family residential development re-naming the place "Chateau Glen"( even did up some billboards for this project) man I pulled out all the stops on the Main I.D. sign and tricked it out with all the "SignCraft Magazine" extras...fully carved flower blossom, multiple decorative posts on each side. Anyhow, sent out my brother-in-law who was doing our installs at the time, with my 35mm camera with the instructions to stop off at the one-hour photo mat and develop the pictures on the way back to the shop (remember those days?). Well he got back late that afternoon and we were both proud as peacocks and ohh #*!!%^#!! Chateau is spelled Chateau...not Chateu. Still have a picture of that job somewhere.
-------------------- John Byrd Ball Ground, Georgia 770-735-6874 http://johnbyrddesign.com so happy I gotta sit on both my hands to keep from wavin' at everybody! Posts: 741 | From: Ball Ground, Georgia, USA | Registered: May 1999
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Man, I can't get enough of this post, another one, slightly distant, but funny just the same....some here are aware that I came from a newspaper background, as a kid my grandfather(senior editor of family newspaper business) decided that I was up to being a "cub" reporter, this was timed to coincide w/upcoming Boy Scout outing, a jamboree....when first issue came out, my report declared J___J______(one of my worst enemies in school) was the camp burglar, the following week, the retraction stated he was now the camp bungler, finally after the third time, I got it right, he was the camp bugler.......
-------------------- Frank Magoo, Magoo's-Las Vegas; fmagoo@netzero.com "the only easy day was yesterday" Posts: 2365 | From: Las Vegas, Nv. | Registered: Jun 2003
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Christmas, 2001. Had a small residential sandblasted to do for people by the name of Disney. (No, I wish!) As usual I was behind because it was Christmas. The draft was approved 2 weeks before Christmas, I finished Christmas Eve day. They picked up their sign at 10 in the evening. Gave it to their parents and called Christmas Day. I do usually get about a half a dozen calls Christmas day with customers that are just thrilled with their sign. So that was what I was expecting. But no. I had spelt Disney Disnesy. And hadn't noticed. Nobody else noticed either until new company came in for Christmas dinner and their 7 year old said "Gee, I didn't know you spelt your name differently than we do."
Yes I did a new one.
-------------------- Deri Russell Wildwood Signs Hanover, Ontario
You're just jealous 'cause the little voices only talk to me. Posts: 1904 | From: Hanover, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Dec 1998
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We do alot of alum signs for some of our clients.. We had a day with over 150 18 x 24 signs to knock out all differant.. This one is one of the last ones we did that day.. Bryan (my partner in crime) cut the vinyl.. i weeded it.. taped it.. applied it.. all was well till i started rounding the corners.. Thats when i notice this one.. It was for Avon..and Im glad we caught it before it went out the door.. As i was rounding the corners.. I asked Bry.. UMMM.. How do You spell alcohol??? .. anyway.. Here is Bry posing with the sign before we fixed it.. .. He looks like he sampled some of the drugs.. lol..
-------------------- sue brown american instant signs pasadena, calif Posts: 90 | From: southern california | Registered: Jul 2006
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We had a few of the "spelling" mistakes at the t-shirt shop I worked at, here are a few I would like to forget:
1. A college psychology club came in with handwritten instructions for the art-- the word "psychology" was spelled 3 different places, each one wrong. I didn't pay attention and just spelled it the first way I read it from the instructions-- "PSYHOLOGY" The job went through 5 people in the shop, including the owner who printed the job, and we finally noticed it after it was finished.
2. I was creating t-shirt art for a school-- an old world flat map with all of the continents and oceans labled -- After printing over 500 t-shirts FRONT & BACK, the customer spotted that I had labled the "ARTIC OCEAN" and the continent "ANTARTICA" - we tried to save face by claiming it was a "Southern" map, but the customer was not very happy and we got to print another 500 t-shirts with the correct map.
3. We contract printed about 800 t-shirts for a local salesman -- when he gave us the information for the sponsors, he couldn't read his own writing, so he just made up the name from memory-- but he got to pay to have them reprinted because "Dr. Jim Roberts, D.D.S." didn't appreciate being listed as "Dr. Tim Robertson, D.D.F." (still not sure what he thought D.D.F. stood for).
-------------------- Michael Clanton Clanton Graphics/ Blackberry 19 Studio 1933 Blackberry Conway AR 72034 501-505-6794 clantongraphics@yahoo.com Posts: 1736 | From: Conway Arkansas | Registered: Oct 2001
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We have a local theatre company, Gloriana Opera Co. After a dozen years they were performing an assemblage from their previous performances. At the entrance to the city they had this sign installed advertising the event "Gloriana's Biggest Hits" There was this yellow background with big blue letters, and the B and H were huge. Well, being an early morning person, I snuck up to the sign around 4ish and measured the big letters. Later that day in my shop I cut another letter in blue, a big T, and stuck it onto a piece of yellow vinyl that would cover the H on the sign.
Well the next morning came and I snuck up behind this sign at the intersection. I waited a couple lights till there were no cars or trucks there, and came around the front of the sign to cover the H. Stuck the vinyl on, squeegeed it down, then disappeared in the morning darkness back to my truck. I drove out across the fields with my headlights off giggling like a little kid.
I went up the road and made a U turn to come back to face the sign and view my vandalism. I was the only car stopped at the red light, and while stopped I read the "Gloriana's Biggest Tits" and saw the vinyl actually slide down the sign and fall on the ground. Morning moisture? Act of God? I was the only one to enjoy this mischief.
I realize this wasn't a mistake, but thought it might fit into the exchange well.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6720 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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This wasn't a goof, but it could have been hard to live down.
About twenty years ago, we installed a sign for Dal-Tex Glass Corpration using 24" upper case letters facing LBJ Freeway, the most congested road in North America.
My installer started putting up the letters from the back of the sign toward the front. He got up "CORP." and the last three letters of "GLASS" and noticed it was pushing 6 PM. He packed up the ladders and started to drive off, glancing back at what he had done so far.
The realization hit him that he had better install at least one more letter before he left or we would have lots of explaining to do. The fact that I am able to relate this story shows he did the right thing.
-------------------- David Harding A Sign of Excellence Carrollton, TX Posts: 5089 | From: Carrollton, TX, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Painting a name down car lot back wall "Peter Roberts Honda" ,,,, finished up to the 2nd "t" and stopped for lunch not realising what it read. !!!!
Lucky Peter is a good friend and has a sense of humour!
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I was 8 or 9 years old and the eldest son of a divorced working Mom. I wanted a dog desperately, and while Mom was at work one day and with no permission or knowledge from her, I found some paint, some wood and a brush and painted my first sign:
"ATTENTION! THIS IS A HOME FOR UNWANTED DOGS!"
It was crude but effective, and after I somehow planted it in the front yard it didn't take long...an adult female Lab mix was promptly dropped off by our postman, who evidently saw the sign and went scurrying home to get what he had to help me out. I took my new dog down into the basement to surprise Mom when she got home, and named her "Princess", even though she appeared overweight and wasn't very friendly. Didn't matter,...I had me a DOG!
Mom got home late that evening from a hard day's work and I drug her down to the basement for the grand surprise, but in the interim, "Princess" had birthed a litter of about 12 pups and met us with a threatening snarl. The way my Mom looked at me could have cut glass, and I got chewed out the way you get chewed out and never forget about.
Mom somehow managed to get the dog and pups to the pound the next day and was furious with me for about a week when she then said; "You did a nice job with that sign you painted, son. You may be stupid, but you ARE talented!"
[ May 20, 2007, 09:32 PM: Message edited by: Mark Tucker ]
My first official sign was painting sale signs for a greenhouse I use to work in, must have been around 12?? yrs old. I had no idea what I was doing but thought it was cool all the same. I found some paint and set to work. I'd done alot of painting but never a real sign viewd by the general public!
The next day I was in charge of all these plants for sale at some flea market. It was a VERY hot sunny day and my instruction was to water them every couple hours in between those expected busy sales moments. And I proudly did. Biz wasn't busy at all but plants got watered just fine. When the boss returned, I had managed to scorch every one of them. He didn't tell me to not get the leaves wet...
Even though I 'really helped big' that day, he still told me with light heartedness, "These signs ARE great though! I just love the colours you used together! Very effective! You have a future in this!" To this day, wish I still had them to see what the heck I had done to impress him so. I didn't even pay attention to the colors!
Cody's first sign was last year at the campsite. We were there all summer and situated in a busy part so he got a brainstorm that he'd like to make some money while sitting and playing. He promptly found a piece of paper and pencil and scrawled, "good singing, 5 cents." He sat at his picnic table beside his sign with this hopeful look and even gave out 'free samples'. (unfortunately, my boy canNOT hold a tune) In an hour or so he came to me upset and asked why no one wanted to hear him sing. I told him they were too busy but I'll buy, and paid him a nickle. Guess I should have suggested he try a lemonade stand instead... LOL
[ May 20, 2007, 12:40 PM: Message edited by: Donna in BC ]
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My first van was "JIM'S MOBILE LOCKSMITHING". I started on the back, working in a small garage where I couldn't step back & look at it. AT least not till I went dwn the steps leading to the basement. On my return I saw "JIM'S MOBILE LOCKMITHING" I fixed it as it was only the first color but have for ever regreted not going w/ my first thought which was to have a bandit making off w/ the S under his arm! I did save a picture of the misspelling to keep me alert in the future. The bandit would have been great though.
-------------------- bobbergen 3324 hwy 55 new meadows Idaho 83654 Posts: 1 | From: mtns of Idaho today | Registered: May 2007
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I've misspelled "Ophthalmologist" - TWICE! ...hand lettered of course. I also mispelled "Recreation" as "Recreaction"; once again, hand lettered with a fitch on concrete block.
-------------------- Ricky Jackson Signs Now 614 Russell Parkway Warner Robins, GA (478) 923-7722 signpimp50@hotmail.com
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Issac Newton Posts: 3528 | From: Warner Robins, GA | Registered: Oct 2004
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-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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Many of the funny ones that come to mind are ones I've seen fellow signpainters do (I'm like Raymond, haha).
"Swedish Body Massage" came out as "Swedish Body Massacre."
"200-count Filler Paper" came out as "200-count Killer Paper."
Both by the same guy.
One of my favorites is one I spotted when I visited the Don Garlits Racing Museum in Florida years ago. Hand-lettered on one of his rail dragsters is the line "Top Elimator." (!!!) I have a picture of it somewhere; I'll post it when I find it.
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I misspelled the word concrete on truck doors. Funny thing is.......he never noticed CONRETE was not the correct spelling - but a customer of his did - 3 Years Later!
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