Don’t let creases and seams control your layouts
I have always been a believer in using imaginary borders when it comes to sign layout. Readability will always prevail when enough unused… Read More
Online Exclusives
How to make a faux vintage sign
Nothing quite spells “old tyme” for a sign better than the old, beat-up, chippy antique variety. And while authentic antique signs can still… Read More
What’s it cost to produce this truck lettering?
I did this job for a customer who drove up in a nice truck and let me know right away that he wanted… Read More
What’s it cost to produce this free-standing sign?
Save this article! You’re probably thinking, “Oh, I’ll just put it on the shelf with all my other SignCraft back issues.” Oh no,… Read More
Make a vehicle look like it’s part of a fleet
We’ve all seen the trucks on the road whose design makes us believe—if we know nothing else about the company—that it was part… Read More
Before & After: Traditional principles inspire new layouts
I really got charged up when those color sign sketches from Beverly Sign Company resurfaced last spring [see Sketches from the Golden Age… Read More
Design & Price: Lettering for a 16-ft. trailer
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
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
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
