Wrap with readability in mind
Not long ago just having a wrap on your vehicle turned heads. Today it’s hard to go more than a block or two… Read More
signcraft
Cover photo: Miss Kokomo – Randy Howe
There’s more to creating an interesting, effective sign layout than grabbing a cool typeface and typing the text into the layout. The spacing,… Read More
Custom graphics make a statement
In a world where there are loads of generic things—from hamburgers to graphics—there are still plenty of customers who value custom graphics. For… Read More
Pierre Tardif: Hand lettering trucks across Quebec
Pierre started painting signs and banners in the late 1980s. By the time he was first featured in SignCraft magazine 25 years ago,… Read More
Cover photo: Ace Towing – Brian Schofield
What’s more amazing than to see your company name as a gleaming chrome or gold emblem that appears to be mounted on your… Read More
Design & Price: Semi graphics
In every issue, SignCraft gave a few sign makers an imaginary project. We asked them to do a sketch of the sign they… Read More
Q&A: “Why didn’t this vinyl stick?”
Shortly after a reader applied a cut vinyl logo on a customer’s office wall, the graphics began to peel off. The sign maker… Read More
Putting it together: a welcome sign for Blumenort – RT Signs
Even though you can’t see it in the photo of the completed sign, every sign has a backstory—the issues the sign designer has… Read More
Cover photo: Star Solutions – Braun Bleamer
Signs face a lot of visual competition out in the real world. Other signs, billboards and traffic are all drawing readers’ eyes away… Read More
CNC routers speed production and open new markets
CNC routers are a common production tool in more and more sign shops. Cutout letters, sign faces, 3D carving—all these and more are… Read More
Cover photo: The Red Barn – Sean Beauchamp
Custom sign shops are unusual, creative places that design and fabricate a custom product—designed for one specific use for one specific customer. And… Read More
Cover photo: Phatt Pho – Roger Cox
Sometimes it’s time for a change. That’s what Roger Cox decided after 30+ years of making signs in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. He sold… Read More
11 script typefaces for under 25 bucks
Script adds a personal look to a layout and brings energy that stiffer typefaces can’t match. It works well for primary copy as… Read More
Cover photo: VanHeugten Contractors – Randy Howe
The typefaces you choose for a sign project have a huge impact on the effectiveness of the sign. The font must be highly… Read More
Cover photo: Glenn Sheckler Electrical – Braun Bleamer
It’s a fact: The right graphics can turn a vehicle into a rolling billboard for about the cost of a candy bar each… Read More
Choosing paints and finishes
Many signs, with the exception of printed graphics or substrates, get a painted finish on all or part of the sign. Knowing which… Read More
Shop Trucks revisited: 2005 to 2007
Like most small businesses, a sign business’s vehicles are one of the best advertising opportunities going. Besides attracting customers, it showcases your design… Read More
Cover Photo – Prairie Sky Apartments – RT Signs
3D signs pack a lot of appeal, and it’s easy to add them to the type of signs you offer. It opens the… Read More
Using the Sign Pricing Guide
While most sign makers find the process of creating and producing signs interesting and exciting, they would also agree that determining what to… Read More
How to determine your hourly shop rate
The basis for knowing what to charge for your signs is knowing what it costs for you to operate your shop for each… Read More
