henrik_o
04-04-2009, 05:01 PM
I’m not a sign artist. I’m not looking to become one: I am quite happy doing what I do. However, given the absolutely horrible production techniques and general quality of composition of signs around here, it is rather hard not to flirt with the idea of a little adventure.
Preliminaries: I have Mastering Layout: Mike Stevens on the Art of Eye Appeal on order from Amazon. I have purchased what is in my opinion a decent vector library of sign panels and frames plus elements, so I don’t have to re-invent the wheel (alternatively: actually master the craft, I suppose). I have done some lazy tests.
I am going to try to get some crude designs to market, one way or the other. The Swedish market is not at all like the US or the continent in Europe. Up here, it’s vinyl all the way baby – there are some very simple 2d engraving signs but the kind where one wonders if there was at any stage any non-engineer involved with designing them. I guess this thread is a repository for my attempts, and a stark reminder –should I fail– to myself not to intrude too much on the other arts or attempt to chew more than I can swallow.
Right now, I’ve only got a small library of vector designs and some sample signs. It would be helpful for me if they were critiqued, both from a point of aesthetics and commercial viability of the types. I really have little idea of how this market works; catching errors of presumption early on would be great. We don’t much hang signs around here, what little market there is it’s small brass signs on doors or vinyl on plates.
If you consider the below samples as a portfolio, which I would carry with me to attempt to gain access to an exposition space at certain retailers of home improvement goods, etc, how can it be improved – be merciless, I am not looking for an ego pat.
5486
A crude attempt at faking gold leaf. It’s Herdins bronze (pigment in xylene), painted twice over a reddish poly primer put on shellac. It sure ain’t 23k, but it does work surprisingly well in my opinion – the reddish primer does the job. Style could work for an attorney’s office, a research library, an uptown apartment door, maybe?
5487
Testing mdf substrate melamine for door sign. Some huge errors in toolpathing (look at the dots) in this one, but the point of the exercise was a success; melamine as a surface does work, apparently.
5488
Doorsign, painted mdf. Too little contrast (there’s two shades of blue, but you can’t tell). Could work with more contrast.
5489
Gaudy, but in a strange way kind of works, I think. There’s something Christmas-ish about it, though there should be more bronze than just the letters?
5490
Failed sample, toolpaths didn’t work. Wrong palette.
5491
Works, but where would you put it? It’s a bit too much to put on a door, but a bit too little to make a freestanding or hung sign. Needs context.
5492
Failed attempt to make a larger scale sign. Did learn quite a bit from it, though.
--^*^--
Anyway, it would be good to get it in the neck from the sign gods / demi-gods / enthusiasts. Maybe one day I can stab at that: for now, ambition is limited to being able to bring to market some rather simple designs that could gain at least a reasonable volume.
Aim your daggers and have a go.
Preliminaries: I have Mastering Layout: Mike Stevens on the Art of Eye Appeal on order from Amazon. I have purchased what is in my opinion a decent vector library of sign panels and frames plus elements, so I don’t have to re-invent the wheel (alternatively: actually master the craft, I suppose). I have done some lazy tests.
I am going to try to get some crude designs to market, one way or the other. The Swedish market is not at all like the US or the continent in Europe. Up here, it’s vinyl all the way baby – there are some very simple 2d engraving signs but the kind where one wonders if there was at any stage any non-engineer involved with designing them. I guess this thread is a repository for my attempts, and a stark reminder –should I fail– to myself not to intrude too much on the other arts or attempt to chew more than I can swallow.
Right now, I’ve only got a small library of vector designs and some sample signs. It would be helpful for me if they were critiqued, both from a point of aesthetics and commercial viability of the types. I really have little idea of how this market works; catching errors of presumption early on would be great. We don’t much hang signs around here, what little market there is it’s small brass signs on doors or vinyl on plates.
If you consider the below samples as a portfolio, which I would carry with me to attempt to gain access to an exposition space at certain retailers of home improvement goods, etc, how can it be improved – be merciless, I am not looking for an ego pat.
5486
A crude attempt at faking gold leaf. It’s Herdins bronze (pigment in xylene), painted twice over a reddish poly primer put on shellac. It sure ain’t 23k, but it does work surprisingly well in my opinion – the reddish primer does the job. Style could work for an attorney’s office, a research library, an uptown apartment door, maybe?
5487
Testing mdf substrate melamine for door sign. Some huge errors in toolpathing (look at the dots) in this one, but the point of the exercise was a success; melamine as a surface does work, apparently.
5488
Doorsign, painted mdf. Too little contrast (there’s two shades of blue, but you can’t tell). Could work with more contrast.
5489
Gaudy, but in a strange way kind of works, I think. There’s something Christmas-ish about it, though there should be more bronze than just the letters?
5490
Failed sample, toolpaths didn’t work. Wrong palette.
5491
Works, but where would you put it? It’s a bit too much to put on a door, but a bit too little to make a freestanding or hung sign. Needs context.
5492
Failed attempt to make a larger scale sign. Did learn quite a bit from it, though.
--^*^--
Anyway, it would be good to get it in the neck from the sign gods / demi-gods / enthusiasts. Maybe one day I can stab at that: for now, ambition is limited to being able to bring to market some rather simple designs that could gain at least a reasonable volume.
Aim your daggers and have a go.