posted
So, whats your cheapest signs you've seen???
I was on the way to Pittsburgh, and we pass up this really nice, brand new ford ranger with extend cab, then there I saw a white cardboard with black marker written on it, and had brown taped to it... I laughed so hard I thought I ought to take a picture of it, but it wouldn't come out very well since it was little bit dark out... That would have been the best picture though....
Let me know, what the cheapest signs you seen...
-------------------- Jaime Doyle Doyle Sign & Web Design RR1 Box 351-C Grampian, PA Posts: 79 | From: Grampian, PA | Registered: Oct 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
A buddy of mine who just ran for a poloitcal office got 3 sets of 18 X 24 magnetics for his vehicles for $25 a set. BS on that dadgummit!!!!!! Free enterprise YES, COMMUNISM..NO!!!
-------------------- John Thompson JTT Graphics "The big guy with a little sign shop!" Royston/Hartwell Georgia jtt101@hotmail.com Posts: 626 | From: Royston Georgia | Registered: Feb 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
yard sale signs crack me up. Pencil on cardboard, and they NEVER take them down later. best one I saw said YAR SEL. I drove past it several times before I realized what they were trying to say ____________________________________________________
We all started somewhere, eh? I would LOVE to see a 50 cent Ray Chapman sign, ha ha - do you have a pic of that one, RC?
In the Navy I lettered jackets and hard hats for 50 cents, but it's basically prison wages and also, *ahem*, ya get what ya pay fer...
Posts: 1859 | From: / | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
Guy comes walking into my shop today, looks over the work on the table for a while (14'long word on 3/4" MDO, handpainted Old English, cut to shape along a heavy outline) So, he says, what would something like this cost? About a 100 bucks? (Canadian bucks that is, make it 60$US)
posted
I've seen this on another letterhead website of work he's seen (not done!) I always got a laugh out of it, & posted a copy on my server a while back to put up on some other thread... Note the small text too.
posted
When I first started out, I was working at a trophy / sign shop doing the vinyl lettering.
Right down the street a new car wash opened up, and the owner came in to see how much we would charge to letter his van. I came up with a price for the lettering (about $300 bucks) and told him I could do it the next day.
The next day he never showed up, and I thought he would wait till it got off the ground. That following Monday, I see his van (a late '70's model) parked where everyone could see it, with his new "signs". He took stencels and spray painted the top line of lettering on an arc and everything sort of straight under it. The funniest thing is he didn't mask off around the squares, and over spray showed just were each stencil was.
I wish I had pictures "of the one that got away".
-------------------- Mark Kottwitz Kottwitz Graphics Ridgely, MD www.SeeMySignWork.com -------------------------- Imagination is more important than knowledge. -- Albert Einstein Posts: 746 | From: Ridgely, MD | Registered: Oct 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Its not exactly a sign but a few years ago I was at a car show and I saw a really nice flame job on this truck (from a Distance) When I had got to the truck I had realized the the Mettalic Blue paint and nice flame job had no shine when I got to talking to the guy he said the body shop that done it for him wanted an extra sum of money for clear. I asked the guy why he did not do it he said because his wheels were on order and he did not have the money for both. So he told the shop to do what they could with the money he gave them. And this is what he picked up.
A thought I was going to fall down from laughing I asked him why he didnt do somthing about it because the flames and paint would not last a week without clear and he had no idea. He really thought he got what he paid for. Rather than the fact he got screwed
posted
I really like those Yard Sale Signs... Sometimes they are hard to read when they used pencil or pen... So, your driving down the street trying to read that sign, and next thing you know your driving so slow that you have lines of cars behind you beeping at you... And most of the time driving by and still can't read it... I would like to go up to these people and tell them, if they can read it when the drive down the road...
Definetly Cheap writing on dirty car and say Wash Me... I like that the best... I have been seeing those once awhile...
Hey Doug I really like that picture... Awesome Lettering!!! HaHaHa!!!
-------------------- Jaime Doyle Doyle Sign & Web Design RR1 Box 351-C Grampian, PA Posts: 79 | From: Grampian, PA | Registered: Oct 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
My competitor down the road makes lots of 'em.
Doug, there's a guy in town who letters them just about like your little truck there.
One of my competitors just did some political signs....black on 4x4 coroplast. They used maybe Times Roman and instead of putting the name on two lines(the candidate has a long name) they condensed it to about 40%. The rest of the copy, even thought the lines are much shorter, is all squashed in the same amount leaving vast areas of negative space on either side. Needless to say, it's mighty hard to read and I'd say that's EXPENSIVE at any price...except maybe free.
Lots of signs here that are really hard to read. But, many folks don't seem to know the difference.
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7403 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Along the lines of the yard sale signs- Driving through the park the other day, There must have been about 200 people demonstrating something. They had come in school buses. They were marching around waving their signs around making a big deal, but I have absolutely no clue what it was they were demonstrating about. All their signs were written with pencil or fine magic marker. Couldn't read anything!
turned out he was selling pigeons. Not so far off once you know what it is.
I have a pic of that whole truck that Doug shows, but I can't post it. On the bed it says Truck Lettering a Pstecialty
I know a lot of you won't get it, but it's misspelled. I understand Steve is actually a very good man with a brush, and this is his joke = dressing down. Sort of like Shaky Jake and his Mirackel Signs...If It's a gud sign its a Miracal
Ha ha, Terry, every year out here there is a "Doo-Dah Parade" through Pasadena, where anybody can get in it and do any sort of crazy parading they want to do. Hundreds of entries, and lots of them have an axe to grind and whole groups will carry signs, that are paper taped to a stick and all floppy, written with pencil on cardboard, yellow on white, made out of electricians' tape, or just so badly done they look like Martian writing, and NOBODY watching the show can ever get a clue as to what these people are trying to accomplish, except maybe to show they're nuts.
It's so funny I always laugh 'til I can't breathe.
[ October 02, 2002, 12:37 PM: Message edited by: Mike Languein ]
Posts: 1859 | From: / | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
I see signs all over town advertising "50 signs for $89" and a website. The ones I see are printed and covered in clear plastic. They are mounted on the wire stakes for coroplast.
-------------------- Dennis Goddard
Gibsonton Fl Posts: 1050 | From: Tampa Fl USA | Registered: Apr 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
The cheapest sign I offer at the local trade shows is a piece of toilet paper still connected to the cardboard.When you unroll the toilet paper,it reads "our bottom price".I offer this sign with black or red lettering and always tell them if they are not happy with sign,or the price,they can find a good use for their investment.Most people ask for something in the next higher price range.
posted
The "Cheapest" or really "Cheapskate" sign I have been involved in ....
Phone call from a regular customer ... "jon, How much for 6 x 3/4" Black Vinyl Helvetica #5's?" me ... ???????????????????????? "I have changed all the prices on that board you did for me last year and have run outa 5's"
This guy had picked off and reapplied probably 30 3/4" vinyl letters to save himself a buck!!!!!
Same guy asked me what I did with the vinyl letters I weeded out of a reverse panel I did on some trailers for him. Said he could use them somewhere else hahahahhahaha
posted
Here's one, happened yesterday, we will NOT be seeing - not made by me anyway.
"Could you put letters on a car" "Yes" "How Much" "I don't want to discourage you but price is not the first question I can answer"
After a few tentative exchanges it was established he wanted magnetics, of the simplest kind.
"80 bucks" "Is that your best offer?" "It's not an offer, it's the price"
"Could you make that on some of that plastic cardboard, I'll just tape it to the door, how much would that be?" "80 bucks" "What if I take out some of the words, it could be shorter" "80 bucks" "Why" Because you have to pay me to have my name involved with something like that. "What do you mean" "All the money you chose to spend will be wasted and you will end up looking cheap and I will look non-professional".
Click
-------------------- Myra A. Grozinger Signs Limited Winston-Salem, NC
signslimited@triad.rr.com Posts: 1244 | From: Winston-Salem, NC USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
Saw this one on a back road from Talladega Superspeedway to the town of Talladega in Alabama.
Saw one in Ithaca, NY in the window of a book store. Magic Marker on paper........it said "learn to read".
-------------------- 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
Just today, I was looking at a exterior directory sign to redo in front of a high-end building....The attorney put up his own Kmart stick on letters.
-------------------- Rob Thomas 3410 Ketcham Ct Beautiful Springs FL 34134 Posts: 965 | From: Bonita Springs, Florida USA | Registered: Feb 2000
| IP: Logged |
I want to thank Tony for posting my ATV sign - I'd have put it on the portfolio page, but I don't know how. Obviously I'm much better at doing signs than I am at computer stuff.
On this Monochromatically Themed Ad I saved a step or two by not using tape as I knew I had the bracket coming later which would clean up the top edge, anyway. It became necessary to extend a couple of the letters to aesthetically enhance the bracket but only the ones that needed it. Some people can't tell an I from a T, even when it should be obvious.
I purposely left a little extra room between the F and T in case an extra E was wanted in there, though it ain't the place for one. BTW, notice how I effectively closed that A-F gap? Just turned that sucker right on around there, yessiree. LetterHead stuff! YEEEEEEE, Doggies!
Some aks me if'n that's the Union Bug in the middle there, but, no, it's just Fancy Work, well, Hell, the customer paid for it!
I dotted the 'I's in case them alliterates that can't tell a T don't know what they are, and in this font you're not supposed to use the serifs, of corce. The arrow bleeds off the end 'cause you're suppose to keep on going, not just look over in that there direction and the path rilly does go downhill about 20 degrees or so. Y'all don't want a uphill arrow here do ya?
Posts: 1859 | From: / | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hey Mike, good reply! We were going to take a quick trip up to see this place, but then decided to keep going on our way!!!!!!
-------------------- 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
This is the sign of a local business that only lasted a few months. Auto was spelled correctly on the other side! We used to drive by this sign just for a laugh.
posted
There was a small grocery market that had a paper banner painted in tempera. For awhile I would look over when I went by to see if the real sign was up yet. After a few weeks it began to get rather ragged looking from the rain, etc, so he taped cellophane or something over it. It stayed that way for maybe 2 years, until they went out of business. Probably on a budget.
-------------------- Chuck Peterson Designs San Diego, CA Posts: 1050 | From: San Diego, CA USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
I came upon a guy at a street corner whose cardboard sign said, "Will work for Fool" He forgot to finish his 'd' at the end. I don't think he got very many offers. I take that back, there are plenty of fools in this town!
-------------------- John Cordova Gitano Design Studio Albuquerque, NM Posts: 268 | From: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
I laughed so hard I thought I ought to take a picture of it, but it wouldn't come out very well since it was little bit dark out... That would have been the best picture though.... ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic