Articles

Cover photo: Pizza – Rob Cooper

Pizza is a worldwide favorite, and pizza shops can be found almost everywhere. They especially abound in tourist areas like Koh Tao, Thailand,… Read More

Knock out a Christmas window splash!

Traditionally, one easy way for a sign painter to pick up holiday cash was to paint Christmas window splashes all over town. It… Read More

Cover photo: Real Products Mfg. – David Showalter

Cover photo: Real Products Mfg. – David Showalter Cover photo: Real Products Mfg. – David Showalter “Lately, I’ve been using a lot of… Read More

Putting it together – Spence and Lane

There’s often a lot more to a sign project than the photo of the finished product can tell you. The materials that were… Read More

Cover photo: Performance Diesel – Lane Walker

For many sign designers, the quick rough sketch is the fastest route to a closed sale. Doing a rough drawing in front of… Read More

This jig makes sign and letter installation easier

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and necessity is what pushed Dayna Reed to put this jig together to speed the… Read More

Cover photo: Monk Heating and AC – Braun Bleamer

A well-designed full wrap can have a lot of impact, but it isn’t the only option—or always the best solution. Braun Bleamer does… Read More

Case study – Negative space at work

Whomever said “a picture is worth a thousand words” may well have been talking about the concept of negative space. The concept of… Read More

Cover photo: SRS Trucking – Brian Schofield

Few people really want to buy vehicle lettering. For most it’s just a necessity to have something on their truck. Until, that is,… Read More

Making a faux stone monument base

An effective custom sign relies on its unique look to catch the viewer’s eye long enough for two critical tasks: To deliver its… Read More

Cover photo: Candlelight Bed and Breakfast – David Showalter

“Design is everything,” says David Showalter, David Design, Bryan, Ohio. “It’s what makes a sign work.” To make sure his layouts do their… Read More

Shop Trucks revisited: 2003 to 2005

This is the third in our series of articles recapping some of the shop vehicles we featured in SignCraft starting in 1981. If… Read More

Cover photo: MJ Shisslak – Braun Bleamer

Customers often want a list of services that they offer on their sign, or worse yet, on their truck—which will be on busy… Read More

Putting it together: MGVG Apartments monument sign

There’s a lot to learn from a behind-the-scenes look at how a sign project came together. How the sign was built, what materials… Read More

Cover photo: Tiny Town – John Deaton

In a recent article on sign layout, Joe Jarreau, Jarreau Signs, Chino Hills, California, said, “If you want to improve your layouts, you… Read More

The Tiny Signs of the Colorado Model Railroad Museum

Greeley, Colorado, is home to the United States’ largest model railroad museum. Its massive HO train layout includes many zones of activity, including… Read More

Cover photo – Newcomer Farms– David Showalter

Fifty years ago, David Showalter got his start in sign painting. In the years that followed, David painted signs in and around his… Read More

Ross Trimmer’s Virginia Conclave

More than one sign maker has told SignCraft that getting together with a group of like-minded sign people—like the Letterhead meets—has been a… Read More

Pssst…Here’s the secret: Contrast

What makes one sign more visually appealing than another? It’s contrast. Take a close look at sign layouts that really appeal to you…. Read More

Cover photo: Capurro Trucking – Lane Walker

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