Learning from before-and-after photos
There are at least two ways to improve your sign layout skills. One is by instruction, where a skilled designer tells you ways… Read More
signcraft
Cover photo: Bengtson Nursery & Garden – Tom Kelly
Tucking a simple silhouette graphic into one of the letters in the name is a creative effect that is both easy and cool…. Read More
Signs of Bozeman, Montana: Off Main
You don’t need to go far “off the beaten path” in Bozeman to find neighborhoods which have both maintained their charm and been… Read More
Cover photo: Old Wares – Dirk Rampling and Sonia Grothe
In the days before most everyone could read, the sign maker’s task usually included adding an image to a sign that represented what… Read More
Inside story: Fabricating three unique 3D signs
You can learn a lot about fabricating custom signs by hearing how others do it successfully. Peter Poanessa, Keene Signworx, Keene, New Hampshire,… Read More
Cover photo – Earth First – Braun Bleamer
Customers often bring a Pantone color chip or some other color swatch and want that color used on their sign. This can be… Read More
Lettering vintage trucks
If you do hand lettering, you’re going to get requests to letter vintage trucks. Many car collectors prefer the authentic of real hand… Read More
Cover photo: Paisans – Bob Behounek
Beautiful hand-painted signs—like good food—are uniquely appealing because they’re handmade. There’s something that just “feels good” about hand-painted signs and graphics and it… Read More
Design & Price: Double-faced 3D hanging sign
In every issue, SignCraft gives a few sign makers an imaginary project. We ask them to do a sketch of the sign they… Read More
Cover Photo: Tattoo Bar & Restaurant – Rob Cooper
When it’s time to redo a sign, it’s a great opportunity to make it more effective. Rob Cooper, Koh Tao, Thailand, has repainted… Read More
Bob Whelan’s unique gold leaf burling technique
Engine turning, or burling, gold leaf, is a popular traditional technique for enhancing surface, gold leaf, particularly on vehicles. It’s especially common on… Read More
Want the lowest-cost advertising going? Buy a sign.
When it comes to long-lasting advertising, an effective, appealing sign is hard to beat. Compare it to the longevity of other types of… Read More
Time-tested tips for succeeding in the sign business
Ray and Rose Grossi of Midwest Signworks in Morris, IL, have been established in their market for over 40 years. Early in that… Read More
Cover Photo: American Bud Beer – Mark Casey
Once upon a time, most beer was brewed locally—much like today’s microbreweries—rather than by big mega-breweries. Those breweries of yesteryear had unique names… Read More
Putting it together: Two freestanding HDU church signs
A photo of a great-looking finished sign can be inspiring, but it can’t tell the story behind the design—the decisions about letter styles,… Read More
Cover photo: Star Transport – Brian Schofield
There’s much more going on in emblem-style graphics than a lot of airbrush work. Brian Schofield says that one of his secrets of… Read More
More signs of Livingston, Montana
Livingston, Montana, is one of those towns with more than its share of cool signs of all vintages—fading ghost signs on old brick… Read More
Cover photo: Fort Bragg Cyclery – Rick and Megan Sacks
A little “shock value” goes a long way to boosting a sign’s effectiveness. There’s something that catches the viewer off guard. “What’s… Read More
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
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
