Profile: Henry Barker
Need some vinyl truck lettering? No problem. A sign for your storefront on aluminum composite material? No problem. A 10-foot-tall scale replica of… Read More
Articles
Cover Photo: Anatomy Tattoos – Kelsey and Andrew McClellan
Kelsey and Andrew McClellan are a Chicago-based sign painting team with a penchant for gold leaf window signs—yet are equally comfortable painting 30-foot-tall… Read More
Shop Trucks revisited: 2007 to 2009
When talking with a new customer, it’s a lot easier to make a case for quality vehicle lettering when your own shop truck… Read More
Cover Photo: The Rose Theatre – Port Townsend, WA
Port Townsend, located on the remote northeast corner of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, is a picturesque coastal town, nestled alongside the remote shoreline of… Read More
Pierre Tardif on faux lettering for vintage trucks
Not every classic vehicle gets restored to look just the way it did the day it rolled off the showroom floor. Over the… Read More
Cover photo: Flip Side – Randy Howe
As we all know, some designs come together really fast, while others are not so cooperative. There’s usually something, though, that gets the… Read More
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
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
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
Signs of Bozeman: Main Street
Bozeman, Montana, has been a top destination for travelers seeking outdoor adventure and solace for decades. Besides making every “Best Outdoor Town to… 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
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
