help needed please with new shop?

[David Rowland]

hi there.. just chased back through your threads before replying..
firstly:-

Do you have a digital printer of some kind (so you can print rainbow colours?)

Secondly:-
The most important and influencing thing about Sign Writing is your own Sign has to be the best you can put together. For outside the LOOOONG shop you need to make the best use of a practical sign, maybe raised letters on locators.

For a vehicle, wrapping can be effective (or part wrap) but to keep costs down concentrate on just a few bits.

e.g. What do you do? Fasicas, Vehicles, Point of Sale, etc. Add that as keywords.

Thirdly:-
I am going to be cruel to be nice, scrap your font CD, I dont like it one bit! I mainly use the Fonts that come with Corel Draw.
The words “Sign and Graphic Shop” is not working…
The Duke Street Text looks interesting, you could make that more interesting and maybe attach the word “signs” to make “DUKE STREET SIGNS”. Infact as pointed out, you have got a location name “Duke Street”, well maybe dump “Street” to “Duke’s Signs” so it isn’t location based. Our neighbour business moved few years back, they are called “Silver Street Motors” but they are no where near Silver Street now!

The bulldog may work, but you got to work with it more or could the bulldog look agressive to customers? You may frighten them off.

I think I have read somewhere that you have just bought the business, but I also think you have a lot to learn in the design department or I suggest you sub-it-out / get staff. I am sorry to be so nasty but someone has to tell you what to do.

1: Never use Rainbows (cant cut them anyway)
2: Maximum in a design should be no more then 2-3 typefaces (good ones)
3: Stick to colours in a vinyl swatch
4: Never Stretch a typeface (like with the dog on the SIGNS) and then repeat it differently elsewhere, stretching is banned, scaling is the rules.
5: Clipart, can be okay if used right, but rule of thumb is let a logo dominate, normally how you present the logo is what people will remember.

Please, practice and practice… look over the signs that our members have posted also look over the Sign Xtra areas for inspiration and see what ideas you can come up with. Simple designs are more effective then anything. It took us about 4 months to come up with our logo with many thrown on the floor, our logo is now our image and people recognise us through it. (I cannot post our logo, rules prevent me for advertising reasons)

Get some good books, go to Amazon and search under books for “Logo”, get inspired, look down the High-Street and study signs.

Wish you best
Dave

[Terry Beech]

thanks Dave good advice
i have a Roland vesa cam so yes i can cut and print
I’ve already thrown about 10 ideas away this might follow
i am fairly new to the business and i am doing lots of reading and practicing but the best advice comes from UK signboards
I’ve got no one to sub the work out to its just a steep learning curve for me

[David Rowland]

ok no worries… look at the logo UKSignBoards, it uses orange to blue to orange… take the font Futura (bold and normal) and see what you can come up with.

DUKE’S SIGN & DISPLAY

could make a funky & … who knows

good luck

[Peter Normington]

Terry, I mostly agree with Dave, (thats odd for a start)
His comments and crits are all valid, I was going to say similar, but was thinking how to put it tactfully. Saying what I think has got me into trouble here before.
So I will leave it at that, have a great holiday, I’m sure you will come back with some fresh ideas.

Peter

[Terry Beech]

i go on holiday in the morning i’ll take my laptop and practice some of the things you said
thanks and all the best for the new year :thumbsup:

[Lynn Normington]

have a good holiday bring some sun back enjoy

love Lynn

[Nicholas Hedges]

Sound words of advice. Dave, the logo looks great “we” -the plural you’re talking about- must have put a lot of work into it.

[David Rowland]

Nic, think your missreading.. the line with your words to your company name is nothing to do with you lot. Refering to the UK Sign boards logo.. however there is nothing wrong with your logo or your vans.. i said i liked them when i saw you working on them.

..if that is what you are implying.

..go home nic!

[Nicholas Hedges]

Wasn’t referring to BO stuff. Confusion all round perhaps. Am at home… finally got the Ferrari wireless hooked up. 😀

[David Rowland]

oh so u got the F1 laptop…. hmm nice… currently my main PC is dead… cleaning dust out of it at the moment.

[Nicholas Hedges]

Yep. Love it. If ever I take it out to see a customer with, they’re more interested in the laptop than they are in the artwork! 🙄 😀

[Nicola McIntosh]

quote Nicholas Hedges:

finally got the Ferrari wireless

lucky you….ive been looking at one of those for a while now….deciding wether to get one or a mac lappy 😕 (shooo dont tell ed) 😉

nik

[David Rowland]

quote Nicholas Hedges:

Yep. Love it. If ever I take it out to see a customer with, they’re more interested in the laptop than they are in the artwork! 🙄 😀

Oh nic, does this mean that your now doing the artwork on your own computer?

[David Rowland]

and Nik, you really dont want a Mac… have u used 1?

[Nicola McIntosh]

quote Dave Rowland:

and Nik, you really dont want a Mac… have u used 1?

ye ive got one in the workshop…but its never on 😕 i just love the huge screens on the laptops 😀

nik

[David Rowland]

yeah… but laptop for PC’s have huge screens too.. Keep thinking on the 17″ laptop.. maybe one day.

[Nicholas Hedges]

I use PC in the office. If I need to go and see a customer there is a laptop available for me to use, but I tend to take my own. Seriously considering using the works laptop; had a customer asing after my laptop on the phone the other day. 🙄 😳