posted
Many ways- all are not easy... 1.That will cost you $2150, while this layout will cost you $750... 2. I'm booked up for the next six weeks, but... 3. In my experience, this layout might/could/will not be as effective in helping the business grow, as a layout which...(fill in your own explanation of what they want) 4. I will have to rework that to be able to do it... 5. what do YOU want the sign to be able to do for you? I feel that...(add own tactful explanation of need for a more professional image) 6. Oops, sorry we seem to have misplaced your suggested idea, but drew this up based on our experience of what it takes to make a sign work effectively... 7...(someone help me here!)
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
"Would you let me give you my interpretation of this design, based on my skills and experience to make it do what you need for this project"?
-------------------- Bill'n'Annie Davidson Heathcote, NSW, Aus. my Aussie wife, a Toohey's Old, my Holden Ute, Retired from the rat race! Posts: 309 | From: Heathcote, NSW, Australia | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I'd say,"That's a good start, but I will need the artwork in a vector format. Let me see what I can do with this?" If it's a real complicated thing, then I'd say that I can't reproduce that, but I can redesign it, based on the original. Most of the time when I get customer desgned artwork, it's prined out on a 8 1/2 x 11 paper, and of course will not properly fit the general shape of the sign.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3820 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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When I get "nephew art", I make ONE attempt at suggesting an alternative layout. After that ONE attempt fails I proceed to make a perfect "nephew art" sign. I have never turned away work on the basis "I didn't like someones layout"! If they are happy ..... .......I'm happy!
The money is good too!
-------------------- 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
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posted
Depends on how desperate I am for work. If so, I would do like Tony, but would still be tempted to make as many improvements as possible.
I just finished a job which was quite similar, except it was a 'graphic designer'. The job was delayed about a week waiting on the design firm to submit their layout. But when he saw my layout, and ran it by his wife, they chose mine with no changes.
Maybe you should do that, show them a better layout, and if they do object, explain to them why yours is better.
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7404 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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I would say, "okay so you want to use this as your art?" Well you won't mind if I have my son do the sign work do you? (My son is 7 years old) LOL
-------------------- Jeff Wisdom SignWorks info@oregonsignworks.com Posts: 450 | From: Oregon | Registered: Dec 2005
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posted
Same old debate...but which is worse, nephew art or bad professional designs? If a company with 20 trucks to letter handed you a graphics package from their design company that you didn't like, would you have the same problem? As I was driving cross state the other night I started taking a poll of the billboards along the way with only one design criteria, could I read it, over half failed. Not one of those was nephew art.
quote:but which is worse, nephew art or bad professional designs?
That is exactly what I ran into yesterday. A client came in with her entourage looking for a price to put her logos on shirts, caps, koozies and a bunch of other stuff for her convenience store and her bar. I told her I would need the logos. She called "xyz signshop" and asked them to e-mail their logos to me.
This is what I got........
These "logos" were "designed" by a "professional" designer working for a "professional" sign shop.
The Roth rat on the chopper looks like it was taken from someone's website and saved at 400dpi.
The dude eating the burger had to come from some crappy $29.99 clipart package. I can't even begin to describe the quality and construction of the vector file. And the font choice.
The sad thing is that I know the sign shop owner pretty well. He's a nice guy. I just don't get it.
[ May 11, 2010, 05:07 PM: Message edited by: Glenn Taylor ]
posted
Bill, I play the "try to read the billboard " game too and , yes, at least half fail if not more.
Glenn, I don't get it either but unfortunately it's the way things are now. "Professional" designers are trained somewhere, often in schools. Somewhere along the line standards went in the toilet.
Can you imagine somebody with this ability applying for a job at a sign shop 30 years ago?
I like the guys clear hat.
-------------------- George Perkins Millington,TN. goatwell@bigriver.net
"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"
I don't do the quality or quantity of sign jobs you guys do, but I do get this a LOT with bike work. Somebody's got a mishmash of stuff they pulled from the web, & they want it all crammed on there with no rhyme or reason. Or the idea is just plain stupid, sorry to say.
I usually say something to the effect of "well, I can see why you'd like something like this on your bike (struggle to find something complimentary to say), but I'm afraid sometimes a cool concept doesn't translate that well to an actual bike design. The problem we might run into is (describe why it doesn't work). But if we maybe do something like this instead (show what would be better), then I think you'll wind up a lot happier in the long run."
99% of the time, they trust my judgement. For the other 1%, I've actually said "sorry, I don't think I'm the painter you're looking for". If I really needed the money & it wasn't just horribly embarrassingly stupid, I've done a couple small jobs like helmets that I have "forgotten" to sign.
-------------------- Marge Cameron Cameron Arts, Inc. Posts: 56 | From: Salem, Ohio | Registered: Jun 2009
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quote:If a company with 20 trucks to letter handed you a graphics package from their design company that you didn't like, would you have the same problem?
Artistic integrity is one thing...making money is what it is all about..Well, maybe not for some folks..but making money sure does help a bit for most.
[ May 11, 2010, 09:19 PM: Message edited by: Dave Grundy ]
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
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