Don’t give your designs away
Maybe they’re just going into business, or maybe they are an established business that doesn’t really have a consistent image. But when you… Read More
Online Exclusives
Succeeding as a design-oriented sign shop
When we first featured Dan Antonelli in SignCraft in the May/June 1998 issue, he had left the world of advertising design to run… Read More
The fine art of sensible sign design
Wherever life takes me, I find limitations, rules and just about every regulation under the sun. I’ve always hated living in the box… Read More
Download this worksheet and avoid lost profits
Like most sign companies, we handle a wide variety of work at our shop. When you have to price a plaque one minute… Read More
What’s it cost to produce two 2-by-20-ft. digitally printed banners?
One of the things that digital printing makes easier is banners. Recently I noticed in a SignCraft Design & Price feature on a… Read More
A quick trick for more powerful layouts
Bob Behounek, Berwyn, Illinois Ever wonder why some signs have so much more impact than most of the others? It’s because the designer… Read More
Design & Price: Pan faces for a 4-by-8-ft. illuminated sign
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
An effective logo is easy to grasp
As designers, we’re often asked to create new logos based on a client’s existing logo. Oftentimes, the logo has not previously been designed… Read More
9 sales secrets I learned from car dealers
Tomm Moll, Signs by Tomm, Utica, New York, started out in graphics then wound up selling ads for a newspaper. Many of his… Read More
The fun stuff keeps the work interesting
Every year at this time, I take time to sit down and review all that’s taken place so far this year. It’s really… Read More
What’s it cost to produce this 3D PVC sign?
We designed, fabricated and installed this 29-by-95-in. dimensional sign for a local developer who also happens to be one of our longest running… Read More
Turn the building into a sign
Sometimes it seems a sign isn’t big enough to get the job done—or it can’t be big enough, thanks to sign code restrictions…. Read More
Building an identity one step at a time
I’m often asked about the process of building some of the logos that we create. Do I have an image in mind before… Read More
Design & Price: Pickup-truck lettering
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
Handling linear layouts
Back in the mid-1960s, my travels in and around the greater Chicago area were a source of inspiration and amazement. Right in the… Read More
What’s it cost to produce this 4-by-4-ft. dimensional sign?
This client came in with a general idea of the look they wanted. We produced a layout in FlexiSign software then submitted the… Read More
Marketing your business: Perception is everything
How the customer perceives you and your business is a critical part of what you will be able to sell to them. If… Read More
What’s it cost to produce this 12-by-24-ft. sign?
Late last summer, a client asked me to produce this off-site sign to advertise his body shop. It was a big job, but… Read More
Race cars: Graphics at high speed
A good friend once alerted me to an online source devoted to Santa Fe Park, a stock-car racing track in nearby Hinsdale, Illinois…. Read More
What’s it cost to produce this truck lettering?
The day this truck was in the shop I did two other similar jobs—and I could have squeezed in one more and still… Read More
