[Neil Kelly]

Well spotted Alan after reading your post
I phoned Mr Butterwick and inquired as to why the small fury like creature had come to be perched on his vehicle his reply was quite logical and explained his taste in bespoke signage.

After realising he had backed into a five bar gate and broke his indicator he searched high and low for an item suitably coloured to give the impression of a complete tail light his intention was to avoid attracting unwanted attention and foil the local constabulary. the end result was a orange coloured hamster that he had wired into the loom he stated that the little fellow lifted its head and fully synchronised with the fully functional front indicator when activated. He did add that since installing the new tail light business had dropped of a little and this might have been due to the lack of attention his sign was getting, he’s contacting Renaldo @ Team Satchi to organise a think tank for next week.

[Neil Kelly]

Sorry I coudnt resist that
😆

finding customers isnt the problem its knowing what to do with them thats the skill.

If no one else jumps in on this one when ive got more time il try to give you some more info.
why do you ask are you about to make the jump into signspace.

[Neil Kelly]

A Customer

[Neil Kelly]

Cant see it here either
must be a glitch in the matrix

[Neil Kelly]

3m frosted crystal is my favourite but at a price, APA do a range of coloured frosted film not quite as sparkley but at a better price
green blue red & gold as well as white look great inlaid like a pastal stained glass effect..

[Neil Kelly]

Great work !

So who’s going to be the first to use it on a commercial sign project lets see what interesting and divers ways we can apply this excellent technique

Cheers Barna

[Neil Kelly]

to many dots I think and it seems to have changed shape
need to practice more
I think this would look great on a window would it look act like contravision

thanks for the great post Barna

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[Neil Kelly]

Need more info show us a picture It could be a custom tweek to an standard font so may not actually be a font.

Neil….

[Neil Kelly]

TERMS & CONDITIONS:
All prices are quoted Net of Value Added Tax at current rate. Quotations are valid for 60 Days from date of Quotation
Orders will only be accepted in writing on official company stationary. A 50% Deposit is required with all orders and final balance of payment is due immediately on completion of work unless agreed otherwise and confirmed in writing.
All goods and services will remain the property of Action Signs until the price has been paid in full and the customer shall remain a bailee only until final payment is made.

This works for me dont stick to it all the time but it sets the stall out

Neil…

[Neil Kelly]

Great work Steve
one for the album
Neil….

[Neil Kelly]

3 ways to deal with phone sales people, try them and report back if you dare to give them ago or if you think of anything better.

Rule 1. Sell them something.
When they are in full flow interrupt them and say “excuse me Sorry to interrupt but What type of sign are you looking for ”

they answer something like ” im not looking for a sign ”

you say “Why are you not interested in a sign you phoned a feckin sign company……….derrrrrrrrrr hang up

Rule 2. Call me back
Ask them to call you back on your mobile, as you are expecting an important call from the hospital reference your throat cancer results.
If they do call back on your mobile ask them to hold a moment while you carry on with your work making the odd throat clearing sound and cough every now and then. leave them for 5 minutes holding ……….derrrrrrrrrr hang up
If there call costs go up maybe they will think twice in the long run. and if they have a conscience they may go get another job.

Rule 3 glad to be speaking to someone

If your board listen to the blurb and sound interested make the odd reference to what a lovly voice they have let them go right to the end of the speech sounding ever so interested dropping in the odd well you do sound ever so clever or my freind David wet the bed last night .and just at the point when they think they have you or are making the appointment to send the guy that’s in your area tomorrow round say sorry I cant speak any more
the nurse is here to give me my medication now………derrrrrrrrrrrrrr hang up

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks Robert
its great to see a working example of the finished sign Il be sure to let you know how things progress.

Neil…..

[Neil Kelly]

Good luck with your new buisness and please share any new discoverys you never know us old sign folk might learn a thing or two.
A warm welcome Neil…..

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks Robert

for the detail’s in your last post I am sure this is the way to go, im going to make my recomendations and get the client to refer the structural implications back to the architect for his imput on loadings to the cladding face. (to cover my ****) when you fixed this type of sign before did you get fixings into the steel frame work ( valley ) or just into the sheet cladding ( peak ) also do you have pictures of the 3 m x 70 m sign
and would you mind me using them as an example of this type of work to show the client.

Regards Neil…

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks Phill,

Yes the size is spot on Its on a large warehouse by a Motorway. Il be sure to post some pickys if it goes ahead.

just not sure what to make it out of (?)

[Neil Kelly]

Did a full system scan with norten corporate but found nothing its a bit concerning that you got that mail Becky anyone got any ideas on what I can check next.

Neil….

[Neil Kelly]

I built a custom bench out of an old light box I took down its 12′ x 4′ with 2x 2′ end peices made of mdf to hold the app tape rollers at each end total bench size 16′ x 4′. I fitted 5 mm opel to difuse the light inside the box on 100 mm clear acrylic supports that span from eather side of the frame with cut outs for the tubes and give good solid support.

On that 6 mm toughend class into the frame and to top it off 3mm polyprop from amari its like a cutting mat ( Henry’s idea) it all works a treat you can cut weed and its a huge light box for referencing intricate work. glass is great to cut and tape on and touch wood no breakages yet. id post a scetch of how it was made if I knew how to.

Regards Neil….

[Neil Kelly]

nice work if you can get it 😆

Neil..

[Neil Kelly]

Mammoth job on your own Robert but I can see were your coming from one of the things that motivate me when doing repetitive jobs is settting time goals as to how quick we can get them done, trying to chip a few minuites of each fit. Setting goals on when you will get finished makes the day pass much faster.

and you get to take great shots of them all lined up afterwoods

Id of dug my heals in on the red on blue or shown it with a white outline or shadow. (what do mean its there corporate colours give it another 18 Months and re do the lot again 😉 )

Neil….

[Neil Kelly]

What a interesting and varied past we all have………sorry to here about your devastating crash Martin 120mph what were you driving

well here we go

……………..Mr Kelly……….. THIS IS YOUR LIFE……………..

I started out my working life at 14 as a paper boy for a Dillon’s newsagents in Stockport, doing the morning papers before school Monday to Friday on sat morning I got up at 4.am I helped do a milk round until 8.30 then I went on to Saturday job in a car accessory shop until 5.30 on Sundays I slept . It was a great introduction to working life and I had more money than my Dad.

After leaving school well I never really went there anyway I did a 4 year apprentiship as an electrician qualified and left to work in my mums Pub.
Pub got sold and I was out of work stacked shelves in kwicksave, sold insurance, saw an add for trainee managers at McDonalds two weeks later I was living in London worked for two years as manager had enough and left.

Then went to work for a large catering Company help set up a new fast food chain but it didnt work closed after a year, worked on outside catering for Wimbledon buck place garden party’s, Henley regatta I was the manager of the last J. Lyons Tea shop in the strand that closed October 1987 if you don’t know who they were ask your gran they were a 200 strong chain in 20’&30’s. the original Starbucks.

Ended up at Heathrow t4 job title Promotions and Merchandising Manager did sweet fa for 18 months cushiest job in the world one of my responsibilities was to organise display and signage for all the catering outlets in t4.

I contracted a chap called Peter Gage (of SignPost. Eastbourne ) to do a resigning project and after we had worked together a while he offered me a job as a rep for his company, He showed me how to fit my first van (Thanks Peter) Vauxall Astramax, Hubard Refrigeration. 6 months later Action Signs was born Feb. 1989 and that’s how it all begun.

I like this job well I must do its the only thing ive stuck at, its not so much work more a hobby that pays well…

Neil…..

[Neil Kelly]

Not a techy meself but you can link the system clock in nt to update on a regular basis i think…. woudnt know how to do this but im sure its possable
as my tecky mate set somthing like that up for me.

re the flat screen could this be somthing to do with resolution??

sorry i coudnt help more

Neil…

[Neil Kelly]

Put a tempory sign up asking local kids to design a sign for their own BMX park use as many bits of as many different designs submitted and give credit to the kids who got involved on the sign.

You could make it out of tissue paper then. The kids will be so proud they will police it for you.

Neil…

[Neil Kelly]

Sorry to here about your dilemma 😥
Send him a written quotation for repainting the sign and replacing the letters break the quotation down in two parts so he can clearly see what he is paying for. Preparing sign base suitable for lettering £x and to supply and fit new letters £x clearly state that due to the unfortunate circumstances that led you to removing your property that any future work will only be undertaken after you receive full payment in advance.
and on receipt of this you will guarantee a replacement sign be reinstated within 1 Week.

and don’t do it to cheep (:) (:) (:)

Good Luck Neil….

PS insist on 50 % in advance in future and final payment when the jobs done we are sign makers not Banks.

[Neil Kelly]

I have thought in the past that a way of stocktaking vinyl could be to weigh the roll when it arrives and log how much you use on a log sheet come the end of the month you can tally up used vinyl and weigh what you have left this could make you aware any in house pilfering or excessive wastage by uncaring employees.

I have never put this into practice but it occurred that the same method could be used to check deliveries if you establish the weight of an empty core and divide the rest by 50 to give you a weight per meter. not sure what type of scales would be suitable and how sensitive they would have to be. you would also have to establish different bench marks for different vinyl ranges as 60 micron or cast would obviously weigh less than calendared. If any one here does this or knows if it works lets here about it.

Neil……..

[Neil Kelly]

Here we go Mr Lamb try this

in signlab
left hand tool bar
prisum icon ( the one you use for vectorising )
second pop out (photo machine)
mess about with the settings untill you get the desired effect.

If you get stuck ring me

Neil……

[Neil Kelly]

I may reside down in the Smoke but im a Mank Through and Through most definatly A northern Monkey. Il over look that insult this time but as we have spoke on the phone before in the future il try harder to use a broader northern twang if we speak again, allreat me duck.

Neil..

[Neil Kelly]

Doing some research on DC3 and see there has been a few board members showing interest has anyone taken the plunge or does anyone else on the boards use a DC3 at the moment any working feedback would be great to hear.

Neil…

[Neil Kelly]

Hi John
I have found that a grout fix works well for brick or concrete I use Grip fill pumped into pre drilled holes that have been blown out to remove dust I have a great blow tool that I acquired from a hilti chemical bolt fixing kit. A bike pump would do the same job.
Pump the grip fill or panel adhesive into the hole and slightly bend the pins so when they push into the holes they put pressure on the side of the hole this will enable the letters to grip the wall while the adhesive goes hard, If you want them to stand off the wall use a piece of 20 mm polystyrene to act as a spacer then when the adhesive has gone of you can just break it away makes a mess but hey what kid doesn’t like breaking up polystyrene.

( is that spelt right Steve oops there goes this weeks profit ) If you’re fixing them onto a panel then you will need some nuts and washers and if you want to space them of the panel B&Q do some thin ally tube that can be cut to length a bit of a pain if you have a lot of letters but it does a good job, Hope this helps.

Neil…

ps you will need to make a paper fixing template first

[Neil Kelly]

Nice work Gray just a quick observation was this hand painted as I noticed different depth and angle of shadow on the main body of text is this done to give a more bespoke look or am I being over critical tell me if its so.

Neil..

[Neil Kelly]

Glad to be of help Gray
discussion stimulates the creative juices, Martins point on FOC is a great way in getting your customer to realise just how much time and hidden effort has gone into the process in manufacturing there signs and its a nice touch at the end of an invoice to see something for free its just good marketing making the customer aware and added value.

there is nothing like stating the obvious it reminds me of a story of two diners either side of the same Desert highway in the States.

One always seemed to be busier than the other it wasn’t that there was more traffic on one side or that the appearance of the diners was any different both had signs out side offering food and drink and it puzzled the owner of the quieter diner for years why he wasn’t doing as well, one day he was so fed up he saw a car who was going along on his side of the road do a u turn to visit the dinner on the other side.

He ran across and asked the driver Why had he gone to the other Diner The Guy said well I’m real thirsty at the moment and I saw the sign that said Cold Drinks and that’s why I pulled in here The Diner owner who also sold cold drinks but who’s sign stated just Drinks altered his signs the next day and saw A marked improvement in trade instantly.

Neil..

[Neil Kelly]

This reminds me of a friend who 10 years ago was working as a self employed decorator he always used to charge his customers £75.00 A day + materials his customers excepted this as a reasonable days pay at the time for a skilled decorator and would not have paid him much more on a day rate basis He was always busy but was never going to earn more than £450.00 a week for 6 days work.

The material s were always a fairly low percentage of the overall job price
(similar to vinyl work and signwriting) But his customers had this perceived value based on his day rate.

Take off his advertising costs running costs of his van time in the evenings doing estimates seeing jobs accountancy fees ect ect … well you get the picture he may as well have worked for a company he was getting by but only just.

My advice was simple quote the jobs on a fixed price he had the experience to judge how long the job would take him so he worked that into his price at £150.00 a day + materials. And quoted the job on a fixed price. this also gave him the opportunity to adjust his prices in slacker times and quote profitably when the going is good adjust prices for more affluent customers and reduce them for people who weren’t so fortunate.

He hasn’t looked back literally overnight he doubled his income now employs 4 full time staff and plays Golf religiously on a Thursday,
What im trying to say Gray is I don’t think giving a detailed breakdown of costs before or after a job is done is to your advantage If you quote A job and its excepted why tell them after its done on your invoice what your profit was ( labour ) what they don’t know wont get there back up
after all if you buy fruit in a shop when you get to the till the receipt doesn’t tell you how much the farmer got how much the cashier is on and what the store manager, cut was. you see the price on the label and you pay your money.

well that’s my theory ill stop rambling now ….zzzzzzzzzzzzzz time for bed

Regards Neil…

[Neil Kelly]

Good luck Phill

Neil…

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks lorraine for having a look

Big Thanks to Kawy
its perfect Hope I can return the favour sometime

Regards Neil…

[Neil Kelly]

What about a piece of 10 mm acrylic cut to shape shamferd polished edges decorated in 3M fosted crystal like a solitar
mounted with 3 chrome head 75 mm Stand of brackets.
estimated cost price to Make £150.00.

Neil..

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks Joe

I like like the Lewis font is it a standard font or have you re worked the swish on the L

Thanks for your ideas il let you know how I get on

Neil…

[Neil Kelly]

http://www.wheelcover.com/trade/

they do the full range never used them myself but I would if someone asked me for one.

Neil…

[Neil Kelly]

http://www.wheelcover.com/trade/

they do the full range never used them myself but I would if someone asked me for one.

Neil…

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks Gav for the layout you have me thinking

re the name its

Lewis Professional Decorators

Regards Neil..

[Neil Kelly]

I had to digitise this from a rough scan its not perfect but if it helps any one else in the future feel free.

Regards Neil

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painting decorating association.ai

[Neil Kelly]

thanks for the feed back Carrie & Joe things progressing well

Neil..

[Neil Kelly]

is this any good

Neil…

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staff of life.ai

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks I tried them Martin but its not there cup of tea anyone else no of anyone

Neil…

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks Dawn
If im on the right track here then the heat press that we use for making t shirts etc can be used on other products if so how can i find out about whats available and how this is done.

Regards Neil..

[Neil Kelly]

sorry to sound a bit thick but what are you guys talking about what are

sublimation substrates.

Neil..

[Neil Kelly]

I supose they are the best at extreme heights but no good for small scaffold work
The stupid thing is our fitter who also works freelance installing at petrol station’s for the big boys was told he must wear a harness of that type while up two stages of scaffolding the stupid thing was by the time he’d hit the floor the shock cord wouldn’t have been fully extended another one of those idiosyncrasies that common sense should override.

[Neil Kelly]

quote :

if you plummet 4 metres to Terra Firma it might stop you getting a fractured skull but wont stop a broken jaw, fractured spine, broken hip/leg/arm, smashed up face etc. etc

Thats the job of the safty harness.

Neil…

[Neil Kelly]

Hi Martin

You may need a bit more we use x4 2m sections on most jobs this gives us a an adjustable platform height for all situations and allows for hand rail etc at this height we tend not to use the outriggers as I think on most retail installations they are bigger hazard to the passing public than a benefit to stability tut tut I here. kick boards are a must as I once nearly found out as a claw hammer was accidently knocked off missing the thinking department of action signs by two inches .

if you haven’t got any they are easily made with scaffold boards.
kick boards that is not hard hats

PS dont forget your hard hat.

Neil…

[Neil Kelly]

Each to their own beleifs
Mine is simple live a happy life and do what ever it takes to acheive it as long as you dont make anyone else unhappy along the way.

And Im positive

A Scientist.
A Religious Person
An Ape
And An Alien

Would Agree

Neil…….

[Neil Kelly]

E by gum she must be from up north

[Neil Kelly]

hears the file if anyone els fancys a little tweek

Neil…

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perfect couple.ai

[Neil Kelly]

oops there a bit shy

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[Neil Kelly]

the perfect couple aaa

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks Mate il try and give one a Tweek

Neil….

[Neil Kelly]

Make sure you can get hold of the web site before you decide it could help with future plans. I have a few registered that may be prized away from me at a small price if they are any good to you im open to offers.

Domain: greatsigns.co.uk
Domain: first4signs.co.uk
Domain: vansigns.co.uk
Domain: thesignfirm.co.uk

Neil….

[Neil Kelly]

Happy Birthday Mate
you have made a great impact on a great industry and at such a young age what will the future hold the skys the limit

Cheers for later (<(

Neil….

[Neil Kelly]

Can you print direct from signlab with this machine.

[Neil Kelly]

£30.00 each id say
Neil…..

[Neil Kelly]

Id say its probably ok but if you start to cut media over a 1m then the drop of the vinyl off a stand and vertical to the floor will help with any alignment problems its agravity thing 😆

I made my first stand out of mdf and had the graphtec media rollers on a shelf below worked a treat for years the current plotter has rollers built in underneath Muto 1300 s the only problem was the media hitting the floor and picking up fluf and dust so we made a clear acrylic cradle to keep it clean its amazing how much longer our blades last now.

Neil….

[Neil Kelly]

Nice Sign have you got a shot at night I bet it look’s the nuts

shame about the quality of the installation ( white clips )
not very subtle on such a quality sign.

Neil..

[Neil Kelly]

Here Here Henry Point well made

To the up and coming competition
Come and have a go if you think your good enough.

Over the last 14 years they have come and gone more will come and more will go it’s not just about buying a plotter or a franchise.

It’s about being good enough to run a good business.

I welcome good healthy competion it motivates me to improve and be better and stay one step ahead. I remember when A Signarama opened a few years ago people were asking me how are you going to cope with the impact on my business? you can buy into a burger franchise and within 3 months with training make burgers as good as anyone else but If you buy a plotter or invest in a sign franchise its going to take years to develop your sign skills and gain the experience to rival someone who’s been around for 5 or more years who is still learning and improving.

Don’t get me wrong anyone who is just starting out the best of luck but remember it’s the survival of the fittest.

Neil…………

[Neil Kelly]

Top of the head guesstimate £325 to £375 its hard to say without seeing the artwork

Regards and welcome to the boards

Neil….

[Neil Kelly]

This is our ickel van AKA Sooty

not an elaborate design just logo + tel + web but after driving it round for over a year with nothing on a massive improvement. spent a bit of time on logo and created it in vinyl to try and give a chrome effect.
Its great to see some fine work on other vans I may have to have a rethink.

Neil…

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[Neil Kelly]

Chin up Mate
get the kit replaced ASAP it doesn’t redress the situation but the sooner you can get back to ware you were the quicker you will forget about it If you need any help with prepping layouts or quotes drop us a line and ill try to lend a hand.

Best wishes

Neil……

I like the bolted down chasis might try that, any one got any other security tips that could help others. Marty’s situation got me thinking a PC has a much smaller value to us signlab users than a dongle if you tighten up the screws on your printer cable if you print through your dongle but leave the conection to the PC as a push fit if a would be tealeaf lifted your PC chasis they are more likely to leave the dongle on the end of the cable than attached to the PC , even if you dont print through it fit acable and tie it round a table leg.
Just a thought..

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks for the interest, its in progress I wil post some pictures when i get it finished
Neil………..

[Neil Kelly]

Hi Gray
The most unusual A board ive seen recently was out side Marks and Spencers I think the panels were 10 mm clear acrylic they may have even been toughen glass, for portability I recently used a sign made by Signwaves it has a base you can fill with sand or water and some discreet wheels so its quite portable its more a practical sign than an upmarket one so it may not be what your looking for.
have a look at

http://www.signwavesgroup.com/html/range.php?cat=ps&item=ps012

to be honest the pictures on there web dont do it justice
Not the cheapest but a good product and good service

Neil…..

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks Gray & Bob, I was thinking of a print on to flexi but I liked Robs idea of a cut out Butterfly hovering just off the face. has anyone got any ideas on how you could fix that to a flex face sign. also can anyone help with a good place to locate some high res artwork for butterflies.

Steve I agree that a front lit sign would add to the character of this piece but before I created the design id shown them a back lit digi print job and they have come back and asked for it in that style.

Neil….

[Neil Kelly]

Great effect Rob.
was the paint effect with spray cans air brush or a gun Id like to try somthing like this in the future maybe the butterfly trail on the Darling buds sign do you think it would work.

neil………..

[Neil Kelly]

hear are a couple of logos we have used before
i think that one is the one you are looking for

Neil……….

ps what happend to Westdyke Joinery did you do that one in the end

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pg gold.ai

[Neil Kelly]

The L/C O does look better thanks for that Steve

quote :

you mastered corel then

this is created in 100% Signlab mate

Neil……….

[Neil Kelly]

Not shure how im going to make it yet I like your idea of a raised butterfly Robert I might digi print the flower or try and do a Mike on it and recreate it it vinyl, the client has asked for it to be illuminated but hasnt specified front or back any more ideas would be appreciated.
do you think the fonts work its my first attempt at a custom text infill.

Thanks Neil……..

[Neil Kelly]

The answer is in your own post mate, ask yourself Martin Why are there so many big adds in sign makers section if they didn’t work they wouldn’t be there. Banners as you have discovered is a loser and in my experience so is the Thomson local. I don’t know much about the web as I am still developing that side of my business, id be interested to know how you promote your site and what works best for you.

When I started out I placed an add bigger than I could afford 1/4 page it gave me the start I needed 2 to 3 enquiries a day nowa days its mostly referrals from existing customers but I still have a good presence in our local book but im a bit more selective on what leads I follow up. I can’t guarantee that it would work for every body as I am lucky enough to be in a large yellow page catchment area very commercial with one of the biggest distribution figures in the UK and consequently one of the most expensive books.

Good luck Neil…..

[Neil Kelly]

Hi Steve
Good to see you finally made the jump to hiper speed

let me know how we get on with xl

Neil……..

[Neil Kelly]

Hi Gray im shure the edges would be fine painted i supose my line of thought was you could have avoided the job with a Black cored Foamalux this is the product I was thinking of not Forex but as you said this may not be available from your local distributers.

well just an idea.

neil…..

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks for all your help everybody ive managed to open/uncompress the .sit but now i have alist of .rsrc files

any ideas what opens thease ?

neil……….

[Neil Kelly]

Hi Gray I think everyone has coverd the jigging out side but the fomex edges might be long term problem if you want them black.

I have recently used anew product made by Bret Martin ( they make Forex ) its 10 mm thick and made from recycled material and is has a black cour with a 1mm white face we use it for builders site boards it stops the edges picking up the dirt and looking a mess, If you can get hold of it it might be a permenent edge solution.

[Neil Kelly]

Hi Martin
We have a similar set up as Robert we have a 24 V Bosh And a 14 V Dewalt screw Guns. if you are gong to install on a regular basis then I think thats the best kit, for years we used mains drills but as the work load increased we were burning out drills in less than 6 months and then theres all the hastle with leads and generators if your in the middle of know were, A good long term investment.

Protect your investment though we have had are vans broken into twice and its the small power tools there after our policy know is no tools left on van and i insist the vans are emptied every night even if there outside the fitters house.

Ps they make thoes little DIY jobs at home a lot less of a chor as well

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks Phil actually all my insperation came from musto’s own web site and the graphic was of champfleurie mews pasted straight out of the web site
Re using the layout It would have been a complement if you had, any designs or ideas I post here are public domain and you are welcome to use them my only condition would be to see a picture of the finished job to see how it all turned out.

Regards Neil………

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks for the explanation it all makes sence now

still learning……Neil……..

[Neil Kelly]

Lovely work Steve just one question with such a beautiful butterfly in the centre why did you repeat a mono one on the left.

Neil…….

[Neil Kelly]

I understand what you are saying and if every client was asking for designs from three companies then yes that’s a lot of wasted time and effort and I would be very reluctant to do anything for this chap if I thought he was a time waster

But if you have confidence in your ability and your name is Nero and you are the ONE ( sorry went to see Matrix Reload last night couldn’t resist that ) then your going to be the one out of the three who gets the jobs.

I suppose the norm is we don’t know how many other people are being asked to quote against on any one job, and in some ways it shouldn’t matter, but if you think you have lost before you start then you have, think you have won and you stand a chance.

quote :

either sign companies going out of business – or increased prices. Both scenarios are bad news for the customer

But both are good for you Its a tough world and I wouldn’t wish this to happen to any body but if you were an unsuccessful Doctor then Id be glad you were out of business (:) + Im not here to rip anyone off but I want top dollar for every job I do it means I do less jobs for more wonga.

Just my theory anyway 😉 😉 Big thumbs up to weekends off

PS
How did you get on with the Musto job did you get the job, if so what layout did they end up with.

Kind Regards Neil……

[Neil Kelly]

Good point Martin the More designs and layouts you do the better they get and the quicker you become in creating them.

Neil…….

[Neil Kelly]

I disagree if 2 out of the 3 become your jobs what’s the problem its time well spent I’m a designer not a marketing expert my designs do my selling the result is no quiet periods.
I agree with saying no every now and then I don’t spend time on every enquiry but if I think they have potential ill commit to layout before ive secured the job, It works for me.

Regards Neil……..

[Neil Kelly]

I often do designs for nothing but guard them against copying by not releasing them to the customer until they have committed to the job with a deposit, I encourage them to visit me in the shop to see the work I have prepared and they cant help see what we are about and the type of company and professional image we try to project.

If your designs are good they sell them selves what you have to try to convince them is before you even start to do a design that they are dealing with the right company and getting other quotes if they bother is a formality, In fact sometimes if they query the price I encourage them to source another sign company and set a challenge that they are not going to get better value for money.

Ill never rubbish another sign company but just get the customer to question why is it cheaper are they using cheaper vinyl thinner plastic spending less time on there design and like to throw in a well there will always be someone that’s cheaper but that’s not the type of signs we have built our reputation on.

On the hole I would say our success rate on converting new enquiries to jobs is 7 out of ten out of the 3 we don’t get one is Mr cheep and the others were jobs we weren’t that bothered about anyway. So invest time in designs they are what wins the jobs the secret is judging how much time you put in. For me doing the designs is the second best part of doing this job after banking the cheque.

Neil………

[Neil Kelly]

Hi Paul great to see your work verry smart looking, did you gold leaf the letters yourself or were they bought in ready to mount. We dont have the inhouse skills to gold leaf but I would love to use letters like that in future sign projects.
your contact for the letters would be well received

Regards Neil…….

[Neil Kelly]

Signlab will do it
if you havent got it email me the file and ill email it back
send to actionsigns@demon.co.uk

regards Neil………..

[Neil Kelly]

Nice work Steve my favorite is the dreamscapes I woud be looking for a couple of hundred for a job of that quality what did you get for it if you dont mind me asking.

Neil……

[Neil Kelly]

Yes the finished graphics measured 6000mm long when fitted them but we ended up cutting them a 6600mm this could change depending on the depth of recesses I don’t think all containers would be the same.
Good luck with the job Neil………

[Neil Kelly]

Well done Rob I think the way you used humour is a great way to invite people into a frendly, fun but most of all educational web sight and i wish you every success with your campaign.

PS If you track down the misses and she comes back will you be making her range of vinyl equipment available in the shop. As my misses might get a bit more attention if she got herself a new wrap like that.

[Neil Kelly]

Hi martin I did 50 containers white text on a blue background was a pain to get the logo to look right we ended up extended the customers logo by 10% to compensate for the corrugation. we started the installation from the middle and worked out put the blue down first and then the text in 3 sections it took 6 hours to do the first one by the time we got to no 50 we had it down to an hour and a half per container we used that 3M scotchcal 60 vinyl but I wouldn’t use it again we had problems with the white vinyl sticking to the blue! strange stuff. The containers were new so the paint was ok and took the vinyl well.

ive posted a picture in show us your stuff if I can be of any help do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards Neil….

[Neil Kelly]

Did this for a freinds Hen night based on Charlies angels theam if you can use this send me a pm and il mail you the roughs

Neil……..

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[Neil Kelly]

Try Ashby Trade Sign Supplies
0118 981 5343

fast and verry cometitive

neil………….

[Neil Kelly]

Had trouble with this one in the past try to avoide any signs that are bigger than two pieces not being fitted in a frame

also slack fixings is the right way to go with domed plastic caps as the washers hides the larger hole.

neil………

[Neil Kelly]

Thanks Phill
Let us know what you end up doing for them

Regards neil………….

[Neil Kelly]

I Think your spot on with your comments Phil but have to agree with Bob that you just have to just get on with it sometimes as ” the customers always right ” even if you are Right.

Had a play with the layout

A different budget to the first layout but I enjoyed the practice.

Neil……….

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[Neil Kelly]

Hi Bob If there’s a demo about id like to see it as this text thing is still not familiar to me any help would be appreciated.

Regards Neil

[Neil Kelly]

sales@laserind.co.uk

should do it

neil…………….

[Neil Kelly]

I think some of the maunufacturing is outsourced ive had problems with quality before.

I know get my stainless letters cut by a lazer cutter at half the price and glue plastic locators onto the rear ( As per Robs Demo ) works realy well

if studs are needed I get a local fabricator to stud weld them on

Try Laser Industries tel: 01752 841700

Also D Signs are offering a complete service with fixing templates at verry good rates. tel: 01442 828968

regards neil……

[Neil Kelly]

Pipex doing a great deal no conection fee + free modem under £ 25 pound
i just connected my mum stress free and online in 7or 8 days
hope it helps.

Neil……..

Sorry to hear about your 56 K Mike I coudnt imagine not having BBand
are they upgrading your exchange soon

[Neil Kelly]

Autohaas ? do you have a number
its not a supplier i am familiar with

Neil…….

[Neil Kelly]

Nice contempory feel to the sign. have you got a picture at night i bet it looks the nuts.
Re Aurora Frosted Purple Perspex who sells this product

Regards Neil………..