My last sign pays off

[dariggs]

Well my last sign, "Big Woods Village" has netted me another job. This one is for a photography artist. We are basing this sign around a changeable 8"x10" photo. It will be double sided. The main frame will have a slot on the edge to slide in and out the photo. The customer wants "photography" to be more prominent than his name. I want to add layers and maybe some texture to this one, as well as a bit of style. All the while keeping with the general feel of signage in the town.

The color palate has not been decided on yet. On the samples with the contoured letter board, the "bubble letter outlines" will not be there on the actual sign. I couldn't figure out how to remove them quickly. I wanted to give him a few choices. Our last conversation was rushed and I didn't get much detail on his thoughts.

I personally like the first pic best. Any input, ideas or criticism would be appreciated.

[steve_g]

Do young people today relate to the sprocket hole motif?

I actually like the last one the best... It has a "formal" feel. everyone envisions themselves as a candid photographer today, but will still go to a photographer for formal shots... even if the formal shots are good candids!

Steve

[dariggs]

I see your point. For me old film stock is an iconic image. But it may not be that for all now a days.

[rcnewcomb]

Does your customer still shoot film or is he all digital? If he is all digital then I'd shy away from the film meme.

BTW, I refer the last design

[paul_z]

I like the last one as well but the two shades of blue seem to clash.

Paul Z

[myxpykalix]

This is my opinion and "opinions are like A**holes, everyone has one and most of them stink":rolleyes: so bearing that in mind, constructive criticism, i don't like any of them.

I don't know if those are supposed to be individual letters but if so, the possibility of one breaking loose or being hit is higher plus in my eye it is "clunky" and just doesn't look right.

If it is going to be outdoors but be protected from the weather then i would go for a more elegantly carved 3d frame so people could envision one of his photographs in a fancy frame hanging on their wall or sitting on their mantle. Make it so that people could also buy a frame from you, or thru him that you carve for them.

Make his name and other elements seperate from the frame so that the frame and photo are one element. I would look at these places for inspiration and elements to use in a fancy frame:
www.vectorarts3d.com
http://carver3d.com/home
and others like them. The idea is you want to make people envision their photos in this frame so it is a selling tool for him as well as you. Go back and look at art decco designs and other elegant "swooshy" type of designs.:D

[joe]

The concept is good but the letters are the weakest point. To me there's a visual fight going on. The style of letters do not enhance the flavor of the background.

Joe Crumley

[dariggs]

On the "bubble letter" look the grey area was one board attached to the "frame" the black letters were intended to sit on top of that.

joe - This is the font that the client has been using and requested it. I really didn't like it either. I will try to persuade him to let me explore different font options.

rcnewcomb- I dont know if he still uses film or not but I'll find out.

Paul -The blue on blue colors were just quick grabs, and were not going to be used.

This was just an exploratory brain storm. I will have another meeting with him no narrow it down some.

Thanks for the insights.

[joe]

My experience tells me clients seldom know much about letter styles. It's the pro's job to pull them in the right direction.

I always show a couple of letter options to help them alone. With a friendly and kind attitude I sometimes offer to help them find another artist. Keep in mind, this is ultimately about you. I know it's me, but I won't hang any sign out that I'm not proud of. If a client is stuck on a concept and I if am not in agreement then it's time to move on to another customer.

Joe Crumley

[myxpykalix]

Joe has the option to turn work away if it doesn't work for him which illustrates his point that the client is not only paying him to build a sign but paying for his knowledge and expertise in designing a sign.

This happened to me when working on commercials and videos my clients, all the sudden thought they were directors and you have to make them trust your knowledge and expertise. :eek:

[chiloquinruss]

One of the items that gets in the way of using a 'customers' font is while it may be what 'they' want it may not do the job as far as directing traffic to their business. After Joe's advice on a sign design I did some surfin' and found a neat site that had some good lettering / size / color info.

http://www.elliott-design.net/letter_size_chart.htm

If the sign is a sidewalk sign artistic lettering is very cool, if its a driveby sign then the rules for fonts change. Anyhow that is what I have been using as a guide. As Ted often says we are ALL in the sign business (so that MAY make us all EXPERTS)!

And yes this is just my opinion! :):):) Russ