Articles

Longtime SignCraft contributor and outstanding Chicagoland signpainter Pat Finley died tragically Saturday, September 30, 2023. He was 78. Pat always described himself as… Read More

“Lately, I’ve been using a lot of white lettering on dark backgrounds,” says David Showalter [David Design, Bryan, Ohio]. “The dark-colored backgrounds help… Read More

In the 1950s and ’60s, hand lettering was still widely used in advertising, often with a loose, casual feel that made it fun… Read More

The customer who just walked in your shop may have only bought one or two signs in their life—or quite possibly has never… Read More

Most typefaces don’t work well on signs. There are tens of thousands to choose from, but since most were designed to use on… Read More

With so many wraps on the road today, many customers assume that they need one on their truck, too. But a full wrap… Read More

Readers want to know: “I want to offer t-shirt printing to my sign customers and plan to outsource that. Can anyone recommend a… Read More

You can never have enough bold, condensed typefaces on hand for sign work. Most primary copy requires a bold letter style, and so… Read More

Few businesspeople wake up some morning thinking it’s a good day to spend $1000 getting some great lettering on the company truck. Rather,… Read More

“Design is everything. It’s what makes a sign work,” says David Showalter, David Design, Bryan, Ohio. David leans on traditional sign design principles… Read More

Scale—that’s probably the biggest difference in the products commonly referred to as early outdoor advertising and what we now think of as commercial… Read More

You don’t have to look at too many of his signs or vehicles before you realize Braun Bleamer [Jet Signs, Palmerton, Pennsylvania] is… Read More

Here’s a another batch of impressive work by SignCraft readers. Don’t forget to send us yours! Round-faced letters finished with 23K gold leaf… Read More

Fifty years ago, David Showalter was a young housepainter. While painting a house next door to a sign shop, he mentioned to the… Read More

Vintage movie posters of the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s often packed powerful punches of both color and expressive lettering. Westerns were the movie… Read More

For most small businesses, the primary use of their logo is for their signage. And since most signs are viewed by people passing… Read More

A reader wants to know: “Has anyone found a prep and finishing system that works well on ACM? “I like the material because… Read More

Digital printing goes smoothly when you create your own files, but that can change when you have to deal with a file that… Read More

I worked for 35 years without making any money. Then this old farmer came along and helped me see the light. He told… Read More

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you don’t get much say in the layout of a sign. Customers get ideas in their… Read More