Advertising, where are your customers

[Robert Lambie]

do you have a cutter also gav?

if not i take it you use the pc600…
just trying to get a feel for your position….

what do you do most of.. ?
what do feel you know most about or are best at?

[WP_Graphics]

Hi Rob,

I’ve got a Graphtec FC2100-50 which is a 500mm plotter which has never given me a problem!

I started off doing sunstripes for mates and then some vans and then I got the PC600 to do a job for 5000 detailed medium labels which TBH paid for quite a bit of the machine.

I don’t actually do this full time as http://www.wallaceperformance.co.ukis what I do. This is just a side line which I enjoy and want to expand.

I feel that I’m good with graphics design and can generally think of good ideas…

I hope this helps 😕

Gav

[Phill Fenton]

I looked at your site and see that you deal with performance car accessories.

I am often asked for things like stripes, sunstrips, SRI lettering and the like – so there is obviously a market for these things. Motorcycle decals are also asked for and I am suprised at the prices I am told the manufacturers quote for supplying replacement decals – this is why Bikers and car types often call in to ask for some reproduction lettering or striping. Perhaps this is an area you could specialise in? Producing striping kits and reproduction Bike and car decals which could be offered via your website (I am often told no-one sells these thing). I have always thought it wasn’t cost effective to produce these as a one off – but a business specialising in these may make it viable.

The colorcam is at it’s best producing short run labels – so perhaps intricate decals for motorbikes, or distinctive looking decals or badges for cars may be a route to follow.

As far as marketing these are concerned – this could be done through your website if this is a site with a high number of daily visitors. Failing that a well designed promotional vehicle such as a van or well presented performance car seen in the area can be a good way to promote what you do.

I certainly get a fair bit of work from my van being seen around and about which describes and shows examples of what I do (which includes colorcam printing).

You may also wish to consider contacting other signmakers in your area to offer a trade service using the colorcamm

[red dragon]

Oh yes they do Phil, me. Even if I specialise in one marque, all the others are also available.

[Phill Fenton]

I stand corrected 😳

[red dragon]

You may sit sorrected if you want Phil 😀

No it’s taken a long time to build up the database, that’s why I haven’t shouted about this side of things, still a lot to be done though. 😥

[WP_Graphics]

Hi Phil,

Cheers for that, I always thought about doing more like that! Where do we all stand on re-production of images ie “kawasaki” logo on a bike with copyright and such other things??

If anyone is interested, I was thinking in trying to organise a confidential database of these kind of logos. If everyone was willing to chip in, we could have a wide range of re-production logo’s!!

Views? 🙄

Gav

[Mike Brown]

Hi Gavin,

Many of us have CD’s and the like that have most world-wide manufacturers logos on including motorsport badges etc. – that’s not being pompous it’s just that you may not know such CD’s are available. Brian Hays who regularly visits this site belongs to a company called Impact Sign Services and they do such items.

Of course, the problem with super bikes and the big car companies is that they change their logos every season anyway – so it’s difficult to have everything up-to-date at your fingertips all the time anyway…

Here at the UKSG we do not infringe copyright material wherever possible. That’s not to say that we won’t help each other by giving and receiving the odd logo, font, or flourish etc. – but we try not to make a habit of it and it tends to be done privately between members.

Sorry if all this makes us sound like a bunch of old farts! – we’re not!

Look into the CD’s for yourself, they’re bloomin useful anyway – if you get genuinely stuck for something then do ask – and if you’ve any original artwork of your own that you want to share then post it up!

more soon

mikethesign