-
Sign making in different countries
Morning All.
Just got back from a trip to Portugal and it really struck me how poor the quality of print and signage is compared to us in the UK. Lots of roller banners with banding, printed on cheap fraying banner vinyl and poorly aligned cut vinyl on shop fronts. Banner vinyl was “hemmed” with carpet tape and wonky cut foamex boards!
Not sure if this is customer led, who are demanding cheaper printing or just a product that’s seen as disposable? Are our customers too demanding when the public just sees the shop name and wouldn’t care whether their sign was pixelated or bandy…?!
I appreciate every economy / market is different but my customers wouldn’t pay me for the work I saw on holiday!
Neil D.
-
10 Replies
-
I too have noticed that over the years while holidaying in Portugal, Spain and Majorca. Little or no stand out jobs you would stop to admire. Florida had some good stuff though. Dont know the reason to be honest
-
quote KevinGaffney:I too have noticed that over the years while holidaying in Portugal, Spain and Majorca. Little or no stand out jobs you would stop to admire. Florida had some good stuff though. Dont know the reason to be honestWhat I’ve seen in Florida is either
Absolutely breathtaking signage or the worst rubbish imaginable, you don’t see any middle of the road stuff. I saw an incredible 3D Spider-Man that was 50ft tall in the same street as a hand daubed piece of cardboard zip tied to a lamppost advertising park tickets. I can’t see where any of us ‘normal’ sign makers would fit in that marketplace -
I have always been taken by how ugly and cheap most of the signage in the USA is.
With the odd notable exception, the whole commercial environment in the united states is depressing. -
I can’t imagine anybody goes to the states for culture & sophistication but I get your point, tasteful signage is pretty much non existent over there, it’s so commercialised that even great quality signs become invisible because there’s so much around. They also don’t replace tired old signs until they’re well & truly goosed. The Gordon Ramsey party piece is always new signs at the end of his tantrum & everybody thinks he’s invented the wheel.
-
Sounds like your a fan of "Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares" Kevin? I’m amazed someone hasn’t punched him by now!
-
Perhaps it’s seen more as a service here and abroad it’s more of a cheap commodity, a bit like an A5 leaflet maybe? There’s certainly not the level of care put into each job. It’s the banding that gets me, I once had a few nozzles drop out and the job was acceptable and the client knocked it back for very feint pin strip lines – it was going 10ft high too! Whereas where I was every job had huge banding but these formed the majority of the signage on show.
-
quote David Stevenson:Sounds like your a fan of “Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares” Kevin? I’m amazed someone hasn’t punched him by now!
Not a fan of him to be honest David.
The problems he solves are bloody obvious to anyone with half a clue.
‘Let’s decorate, cheer the chef up & get some new signs up’
Hardly rocket science is it? -
dont forget the change and reduce the menu, and use local produce
-
Bingo! Nice one Gordon,
Any tips on wrinkles & infidelity? -
quote Kevin Mahoney:Bingo! Nice one Gordon,
Any tips on wrinkles & infidelity?Haha! Brilliant!
Log in to reply.
