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Starting out in signs … heres my plan?
Well here goes with my big idea
Get a cutter and software practice working from home till i feel ready to go for it.
Advertise for work i’m thinking vehicles , windows and basic signs for now.
Design and cut at home then go the the customers to fit.So is this best way to start or am i going about it the wrong way?
Lee
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7 Replies
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Lee,
Sounds sensible to me, you do need to practise first, rather than make a mistake on your first customer. A good way to start is to offer to do a friends van, foc for practise, or your own car. that way you will not feel embarrassed if you coock it up, Also adverts take time, so dont be afraid to knock on a few doors, or make a few phone calls…Peter
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I was going to practice on my car to get to grips with some of the curves and dips. I might even use my car for a advert if i can come up with a good design.
Its a peugeot 206 if anybodys got any ideas
Lee -
a great investment for you would be to buy "impacts vehicle outline"
while you Wait on cutter or even a customer, create some mock-up designs on one of the van outlines, take a transit… design and post in the graphic help and discussion forum. from here some "may" help and tell you where you are going wrong. simple suggestions and tips from the members here will gain you allot of ground when designing… (please keep in mind this section of the site is not a service)practise makes perfect as peter says… there are techniques to everything in doing it right. "it is NOT as easy as it looks"
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best way is to post your ideas and let the others comment, and suggest alternatives, that way you get a good imput and you will end up with a starting point 😕
You need to have a vehicle outline to play with, so I would reccomend impact, Maybe Brian will let you have the 206 as a freebie, to get you started?Peter
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As Peter said, sounds like a sensible way to start.
I don’t know what your design ability is like, but as has been mentioned on here countless times before, you must get a copy of ‘Mastering Layout’ by Mike Stevens. It covers the basics of sign design and is considered to be the bible of sign design.
I’ll give you a task, design your own logo. Post it on here and we’ll give you our opinions and pointers.
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Lee
another very good book is "signwork, a craftsmans manual" by Bill Stewart. I believe its still available, try amazon.
It’s a lot about the traditional methods, but also covers modern stuff, all of which is very valuable, and gives an insight as to how to do it proper.Peter
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Hi there, I started with a college course at Preston college, It was invaluable to my entry into signmaking. The teacher had been in the industry for over 25 years. He taught me from the basics in hand painting to vinyl. I used him for advice on my first machine and he gave me all the suppliers of everything. Expect to waste a lot of vinyl to start with, see it as an investment in you craft. Good luck into this great way of earning a living, ill never be without a cutter.
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