posted
Ok, here's an idea. You're all probably as crazy about checking out the latest winners in sign contest "X" as I am, either at shows or in magazines, so why not get a contest going right here? Have you ever seen a stinker in victory lane & wondered -who picked that one? I can't imagine a better way to have a design judged than having it voted on here in Letterville. Maybe the winner can get a key to the city & free residency for a year! Please, give it a thumbs up so the town council can get it rolling. Who's Mayor anyway?
-------------------- Jerry Steward Sign&Print Bethlehem, PA Posts: 126 | From: Bethlehem, PA | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
Yeah, I like this idea!... Not that Mark Fair's contest is absolutely anything less that spectacular, but how about one here? Maybe even have catagories so the pinstripers and window splashers can compete with the sand blasters and tube benders. Catagories, anyone?
-------------------- Preston McCall 112 Rim Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 text: 5056607370 Posts: 1554 | From: Santa Fe, New Mexico | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Our "judgement" of good form or function affects our work every day. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder anyway so a democratic poll of design favorites sounds like a great idea. We will have an abundance of design entries we can all enjoy seeing, and a few entries will be recognized as turning the most heads. Art appreciation may be subjective, but good signs need to turn heads.
posted
Thanks for the input fellas, lets here from the rest of you! As far as being "judged" by others, I truly believe competition & the creative influence drawn from others are crucial to the growth of any sign artist, & denying criticism might feel better on someone's ego, but won't help them push to be better. The great designers recognize how to make the greatest designs even greater! I doubt I'd even have a shot at contest like this, but I need to look up to see where I'm going!
-------------------- Jerry Steward Sign&Print Bethlehem, PA Posts: 126 | From: Bethlehem, PA | Registered: Oct 2001
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"Sign of the Month" or SOTM has been a pet project of mine since 1996, i have done it because i love looking at great work.
I have always thought it would be better if say one person goes through entries and picks 3, then take it to the bullboard and poll the results, i.e. pick A, B or C.
I have received over the years some beautiful sign, pinstriping, sculpture, carved, sandblasted work.
plus i could actually enter something! (i would feel weird awarding myself SOTM )
posted
It's always nice to win an award for one's work. There doesn't need to be any prizes, as the recognition whould be plenty. A printed certificate would be kinda nice to hang on the studio wall. Being an award winning shop or studio always impresses the clients (and mother-in-law too).
A couple of categories is a good idea, as is the idea of prejudging prior to posting for final selection.
And having a piece selected by your peers would be the highest honor for me and I think most poster who come here. Who would be better qualified to judge.
And Mark Fair does deserve a chance to enter some of his fine work.
-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!!!
posted
DAN..Don't tell me that even you have to prove to your parents/mothers-in-law that you have a "real" job?????????????
quote:Being an award winning shop or studio always impresses the clients (and mother-in-law too).
hehehehhehehehehe
-------------------- 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
Very few folks I know think that I ever "WORK" for a living. And I don't understand it at all.
I mean 85 hours gluing sugar cubes into a huge stack is HARD work.
-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!!!
"I won't be entering for the same reason I don't enter Mark Fair's Sign of the Month "special" Thanks any way.
what's the deal bubba? i have always been nice to you. i let you tote off a cooler full of poster color and 1-shot samples from my meet in december1999. (you acted like WE don't use the stuff around mark fair signs.)
plus, you did submit an entry from bobbie in october.
Even if this idea flies... don't discontinue your SOTM. I am trying to think up something creative that will get me a grand slammmmmm.
With all the great work produced by the folks on this site it could take a while.
-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!!!
posted
Jerry, a new contest, sounds like a good plan for Letterville, I wonder what Steve thinks of this? Sort of what like Mark Fair has now, and I think he makes a great judgement about who makes a bad ass sign, see *archives. (*plug going into effect...Mark, if I can't have the hat can I have the cross bones). just kiddin amigo, yous the bomb! Like Dan says don't stop your SOTM, and yeah send in your Sign for the month, as you know on this BB if it stinks or smells like peaches, they will let you know! Jerry I don't think you are wrong to bring on something new here. That's what life is about, people always want to see "something different" in this case it's signs. It's sort of like race cars. Here's my car, and it's fast, bet it's faster than yours! Oh ****t, sounds like a challenge, same thing as signs. Anybody doing signs now knows they would like to make a bad ass sign, because well designed signs bring customers. If someone came to my city I would'nt be ashamed to show them here's what I've did. You're proud to let people know of your work. One of the reasons is because it has taken you years to learn a trade that is becoming very competitive. You have to be BAD, because only the strong survive in this sign jungle! I guess we will see what you consider bad ass dynamite sign work. I tip my hat to you and bienvenidos ah Letterville...Cisco
-------------------- aka:Cisco the "Traveling Millennium Sign Artist" http://www.franciscovargas.com Fresno, CA 93703 559 252-0935 "to live life, is to love life, a sign of no life, is a sign of no love"...Cisco 12'98 Posts: 3576 | From: Fresno, Ca, the great USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
posted December 14, 2001 05:19 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've been going through this entire Letterville site (and most of your sites too) the past few weeks but notice a - H U G E - problem: For instance: everyone here links offsite to their examples of their work. The problem: after a week or whatever, if you go into the archive of ALL threads, you'll notice approximately 80% or more no longer link to thre image intended to be viewed.
Even the How-To's are missing their images.
The reason I'm bringing this up has many facets involved:
What's the use in having an archive if it doesn't include the images in the subjects discussed or your signs to display?
The contests and any other image linking you're about to do will be negated in a short period of time making 80% of the site "useless" for the future.
WHAT IF: (ATTN: Mr. Shortreed) . . .
. . . the images were to be stored here within Letterville?
And another facet: ('member I mentioned many involved?)
The "posibility" of supplying HOSTING for paying Letterville residents.
I know I would be a participant and this would increase revenues for the site.
yay - nay?
------------------------
I originally started a new thread but nobody seems to be addressing this . . thus voila
quote: FranCisco Vargas Visitor Member # 145 posted December 14, 2001 Jerry, a new contest, sounds like a good plan for Letterville, I wonder what Steve thinks of this? Sort of what like Mark Fair has now, and I think he makes a great judgement about who makes a bad ass sign, see *archives.
Letterville cannot handle the images a ARCHIVE it has now.
How about running it at your site?
[ December 14, 2001: Message edited by: Brian Cornwell ]
-------------------- Brian Cornwell AutoMotivation Plymouth - MA - USA
"The Customer Can Have Any Color He Wants So Long As It's Black" -- Henry Ford Posts: 120 | From: Plymouth MA - USA | Registered: Nov 2001
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posted
Hey guys & gals, I don't have any idea how this can be done, I haven't even figured out how to post with a pic of my stuff yet! BUT, I know there must be a solution to the problem of archiving the work that is to be voted on. I have submitted to other contests, I believe they were called "art exhibits" & you know, all of them had an entry fee. I don't think that would be such an awful idea, especially for an award given by Letterheads from all over the world. Alot of work is often worthy of artistic praise beyond any commercial value, & should be recognized as art. I see a traveling exhibition of Goldleaf & Abolone windows, Carved signs with pictorials, truck doors & sugar castles! I'd pay to submit work to an on-line exhibition. The Moma will be next.
-------------------- Jerry Steward Sign&Print Bethlehem, PA Posts: 126 | From: Bethlehem, PA | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
So...is this Sign of the Month thingy still happ'nin'?
-------------------- Brian Cornwell AutoMotivation Plymouth - MA - USA
"The Customer Can Have Any Color He Wants So Long As It's Black" -- Henry Ford Posts: 120 | From: Plymouth MA - USA | Registered: Nov 2001
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posted
First of all, I want to apoligize for being so tardy in replying to this post. It's been a hectic week around our house with all that is happening. I did read the post and it's been rolling around inside my head the last few days.
At this time, I do not see a Sign Contest being hosted here in Letterville. We've experimented with this sort of thing in the past and we were never really happy with the results. Here's what is on my mind.
When I look at the magazine versions of these Sign Contests, it is the same people winning year after year. If you talk to the contest judges, they will tell you that the number of entries is very disappointing. I'm sure Mark will be the first to agree that it is tough to get people to send stuff in. In our opinion, Mark is doing a great job with his Sign Of The Month. He just needs more input from us in the way of entries.
There's also a more personal reason for not adding a Sign Contest at this time. Letterville may be the most popular sign related website, but it only has 1 1/2 employees. Those of you who have met us know I have some serious health problems that limit how much I can do, so I count myself as a half an employee. Maintaining Letterville is a 24/7 job. Barb is at the computer and/or phone from 7am until 11pm most days. Time is at a premium, so we have to look at every new project very carefully.
Recognition is wonderful, but I would rather invest our limited time and budget on features that benefit all in Letterville. The Portfolio Table gives you all an opportunity to showcase your work and get the recognition and feedback you deserve. I keep trying to go back in time and try to guess what the original Letterheads had in mind when they started meeting. They were all apprentices, so I'm almost certain exchanging knowledge was much more important than deciding who was best. With that in mind, we'd love to see more step by steps and other ideas that improve the quality of our work and lifestyle.
I was very troubled by Brian's comments that 80% of the website was useless due to missing photos and broken links. Letterville is now over 600 meg in size and growing. That's a pile of links, but we're checking them. With the exeption of a few of your BB photos and a couple meet links, everything appears to be working fine. We've phoned Brian and asked him to email us a list of any broken links and/or missing photos. When we get that list, we'll fix as many as possible. We ask all of you to do the same. If you find a missing link, please let us know. Brian's evaluation of Letterville may be a tad harsh, but there is no doubt that we can and should be doing a better job.
At the end of the day, those that are expecting Letterville to become a slick, corporate sign industry website will probally be disappointed. Barb and I are SignMaker/Letterheads first. We'll never be fancy computer geeks or corporate types. Letterville was built with HTML For Dummies and a burning desire to create a spot where small shop owners like ourselves would feel at home. Our goal is to recreate a live Letterhead/Pinhead Meet here on the Internet. To understand what that means, we urge you all to get off your best intentions and make an investment in yourselves. Get to a live meet.
posted
Thanks for addressing this Mr. Shortreed, you do a fabulous job with the site & noone could really ask for anything more. Hopefully you'll get help in running it, because I'd hate to think it would all disappear without you & your wife. Enjoy your Holiday & take care.
-------------------- Jerry Steward Sign&Print Bethlehem, PA Posts: 126 | From: Bethlehem, PA | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
Hey, one day, maybe I'll even get to put something into SOTM. When I can do something brilliant, and wonderful, and... hmmm... not fully artistic.. something with purpose, meaning.. a sign...
Ah well.. one day. *grin*
-------------------- From Kat Johnston (previously Katie Wright, for those who can remember that far back)
Posts: 530 | From: Brisbane, Australia | Registered: Feb 1999
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