Most of us have done this at one time or another;
Okay, one more. "I've always liked the Park Avenue script font, but I want it in red with a blue outline and a drop shadow, set into an arch, in ALL CAPS on a brown background that's not too you know, brown, but brown enough. But not brown brown."
This is a symptom as yet without a name. Perhaps we can refer to it as "The (what was I thinking) Trying to Save Money Shot", although that's rather verbose. Like the desperate Hail Mary shots in sports, sometimes it works to go directly to the printer or sign maker, and everyone's happy. Most of the time IRL, it's not such a happy ending. Almost ever.
How about C.R.U.D.D.? Cheap Rookie Unrefined Drama/Dilemna?
I'll keep working on this.
This very brief overview will cover what's happening when
we bypass the design and web experts, as well as a method on
how to 'fix' this problem effectively.
First, let's look at how this phenomenon has come about.
Obviously, graphic designers are not selling their services and expertise very efficiently, else everyone would know that in order to design a sign efficiently or a printed piece, business card or web site effectively, you must first go with your project idea to an established expert.
The second part of the equation is that the less-than-ethical trade-only printers and sign makers have set their sights on increasing their market share by advertising directly to the public.
Who wouldn't want to save a few dollars by going directly to the source?
Ah, but there's a caveat.
"The sources" which are sign shops and trade printers in this case, are specifically designed to work with graphics professionals, not with a powerpoint layout or some low-resolution 5th-grade level artwork made of clip art and overlayed letters. The results are predictably comical if not sadly entertaining, but not in a positive and constructive manner for the business whose image is concerned.
Recently companies like Moo, Kinkos and Vistaprint have created hybrid companies that take advantage of this vacuum left by graphic designers and those who don't know that they're supposed to use them, to come up with template-driven signs and printed products.
Terrific, it's like the zombie apocalypse of seeing the same mediocre design, but everywhere.
(Imagine the conversation, "How do you like my business card?" "Why, it's very much like my own card!" where the conversation degrades to cost v. design or quality: "I only paid $10 for 50,000 cards!" followed by, "Well, I paid $4 and got free use of a Bentley Continental Iron Spur convertible for a weekend!")
Cookie-cutter templates work for... cookies.
You can't expect a design to work equally well for all businesses.
What happens when we have cheap or 'arty' signs and printing?
It's the same or worse than not having anything at all, surprisingly.
The net effect of spending $1,000 or $10,000 on a sign is less significant than one might imagine, actually. The biggest indicator as to whether a sign is going to be effective is in how it is designed to stand out in its own environment. I will not get into the details of what this means here, but basically if you don't take into consideration your business environment (trees, wires, building color, shadow, light, distance to the street, competing signage) and the sign design (colors, readability or function [identification, directional, entrance, or plain decorative], and overall design elements [can it be read and understood within 3 seconds, the average American attention span]), it may be a waste of money.
There's a formula for this stuff, so you can stop trying to reinvent the wheel!
So to summarize this as best I can in this limited forum, you should start by looking for signs you like, or a particularly attractive print job you've seen. Or you can cut out magazine ads, take screenshots (or get the URL) of web page designs and layouts, and share these with a graphic designer.
You can choose to have your designer talk directly with our designers, as we speak the same language.
Surprising to find out after all?
Spending a little time and money with a designer will usually generate more business and a higher retention rate for your business, event or campaign.
How to fix the problem
Plan for your print and sign campaign. A reputable designer and graphic artist can help you with this.
Choose someone with a track record who stands behind their work. They're most likely to want to keep their own good reputation and yours as well. Face it, it's going to cost more than doing it yourself. In the long run, you can do it anyway you want to, but if your goal is to bring in more business to your company, or more attention to your event, or more awareness in your community, the choice is up to you. Wing it or hire an expert.
A little more about Graphic Designers.
There is no certification needed to call yourself an artist, and that goes for graphic designers as well. So with so many people claiming to be professional or expert as graphic designers, where do you begin to find the person for your project?
You can work in reverse and stop to ask the owner of an attractive sign (see my other article on what makes an effective sign), or can go to a webmaster and ask who made their site. There are many covert ways to find out who's designs you like or will work for your promotion. I'll leave those up to you, but you can contact me for some ideas.
Contact us with any questions on sign design and decal printing
How-to links
We're here to help.
And just for fun, take a look!
"We've tried to save some money and time by going directly to a printer (or sign maker), instead of consulting with a graphic designer or marketing person directly. We think we knew what we wanted" even though if they had to put it into words, it might sound like this, "I ... really don't know why I did that" or "I can do a much better job, I've got PhotoShop!" "Oh yeah, that was a waste" or perhaps "I wanted to use every typestyle known to mankind on my 2 x 3.5" business card."
 |
| The stuff of designer nightmares. |
This is a symptom as yet without a name. Perhaps we can refer to it as "The (what was I thinking) Trying to Save Money Shot", although that's rather verbose. Like the desperate Hail Mary shots in sports, sometimes it works to go directly to the printer or sign maker, and everyone's happy. Most of the time IRL, it's not such a happy ending. Almost ever.
How about C.R.U.D.D.? Cheap Rookie Unrefined Drama/Dilemna?
I'll keep working on this.
This very brief overview will cover what's happening when
we bypass the design and web experts, as well as a method on
how to 'fix' this problem effectively.
 |
| Business owners used to hire experts, and now because of technology, make the mistake of trying to do it for themselves. |
First, let's look at how this phenomenon has come about.
Obviously, graphic designers are not selling their services and expertise very efficiently, else everyone would know that in order to design a sign efficiently or a printed piece, business card or web site effectively, you must first go with your project idea to an established expert.
The second part of the equation is that the less-than-ethical trade-only printers and sign makers have set their sights on increasing their market share by advertising directly to the public.
Who wouldn't want to save a few dollars by going directly to the source?
Ah, but there's a caveat.
"The sources" which are sign shops and trade printers in this case, are specifically designed to work with graphics professionals, not with a powerpoint layout or some low-resolution 5th-grade level artwork made of clip art and overlayed letters. The results are predictably comical if not sadly entertaining, but not in a positive and constructive manner for the business whose image is concerned.Recently companies like Moo, Kinkos and Vistaprint have created hybrid companies that take advantage of this vacuum left by graphic designers and those who don't know that they're supposed to use them, to come up with template-driven signs and printed products.
Terrific, it's like the zombie apocalypse of seeing the same mediocre design, but everywhere.
(Imagine the conversation, "How do you like my business card?" "Why, it's very much like my own card!" where the conversation degrades to cost v. design or quality: "I only paid $10 for 50,000 cards!" followed by, "Well, I paid $4 and got free use of a Bentley Continental Iron Spur convertible for a weekend!")
Cookie-cutter templates work for... cookies.
You can't expect a design to work equally well for all businesses.
"As a sign and print business owner, I can safely say that we've seen perhaps a 100% increase annually in the number of people contacting us for print and signage who otherwise have no interest or idea that their lack of design, interest or aptitude is somehow our company's responsibility."- Joe Giral, LetterBank, MyDIYsigns.com
What happens when we have cheap or 'arty' signs and printing?
It's the same or worse than not having anything at all, surprisingly.
The net effect of spending $1,000 or $10,000 on a sign is less significant than one might imagine, actually. The biggest indicator as to whether a sign is going to be effective is in how it is designed to stand out in its own environment. I will not get into the details of what this means here, but basically if you don't take into consideration your business environment (trees, wires, building color, shadow, light, distance to the street, competing signage) and the sign design (colors, readability or function [identification, directional, entrance, or plain decorative], and overall design elements [can it be read and understood within 3 seconds, the average American attention span]), it may be a waste of money.
There's a formula for this stuff, so you can stop trying to reinvent the wheel!
So to summarize this as best I can in this limited forum, you should start by looking for signs you like, or a particularly attractive print job you've seen. Or you can cut out magazine ads, take screenshots (or get the URL) of web page designs and layouts, and share these with a graphic designer.
You can choose to have your designer talk directly with our designers, as we speak the same language.
Surprising to find out after all?
Spending a little time and money with a designer will usually generate more business and a higher retention rate for your business, event or campaign.
 |
| Decals for floors and everywhere |
Plan for your print and sign campaign. A reputable designer and graphic artist can help you with this.
Choose someone with a track record who stands behind their work. They're most likely to want to keep their own good reputation and yours as well. Face it, it's going to cost more than doing it yourself. In the long run, you can do it anyway you want to, but if your goal is to bring in more business to your company, or more attention to your event, or more awareness in your community, the choice is up to you. Wing it or hire an expert.
A little more about Graphic Designers.
There is no certification needed to call yourself an artist, and that goes for graphic designers as well. So with so many people claiming to be professional or expert as graphic designers, where do you begin to find the person for your project?
You can work in reverse and stop to ask the owner of an attractive sign (see my other article on what makes an effective sign), or can go to a webmaster and ask who made their site. There are many covert ways to find out who's designs you like or will work for your promotion. I'll leave those up to you, but you can contact me for some ideas.
Contact us with any questions on sign design and decal printing
How-to links
We're here to help.
And just for fun, take a look!
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