Hiring Designers for my Sign Company

[Royal Signs and awnings]

I'm facing a challenge in recruiting designers for my sign company. Despite posting job openings on Indeed and Linkedin, I've encountered difficulty finding qualified candidates who grasp the technical intricacies of signs. I would greatly appreciate any tips on how to effectively hire skilled and quality sign designers.

 

[2B]

if you are looking for an IN-HOUSE, go to your local school (HS, Trade, Junior College) that has FINE ART or the like

Typically when we have tried hiring a "graphic designer" they are only interested in how it looks on the screen and have no idea of how to produce or design to be produced
a fine art trained understands more about how colors work and the use of layers, it is also easier to train to use a design program (CorelDRAW) versus training how to produce / correct bad design habits


If you are looking to OUTSOURCE, there are LOTS that offer this service and are very competent,

 

[Royal Signs and awnings]

if you are looking for an IN-HOUSE, go to your local school (HS, Trade, Junior College) that has FINE ART or the like

Typically when we have tried hiring a "graphic designer" they are only interested in how it looks on the screen and have no idea of how to produce or design to be produced
a fine art trained understands more about how colors work and the use of layers, it is also easier to train to use a design program (CorelDRAW) versus training how to produce / correct bad design habits


If you are looking to OUTSOURCE, there are LOTS that offer this service and are very competent,

Thanks

 

[Royal Signs and awnings]

Thank you. Could you recommend a place where we can explore outsourcing options?

 

[gnubler]

It's a dying/dead trade. All the "designers" are using Canva now and they're littering the planet with low-res PNG files. Glad I got out when I did.
You might be better off just hiring someone smart and training them from within. "Sign design" is a very specialized arena.

 

[Signstein]

I agree with the others. Hiring a sign designer is an uphill battle. I would also recommend the trade school route. We're currently partnering with a couple local trade schools and implementing a career pathway for graduates to apprentice with us. We have folks from all the trades, so it isn't exactly the same, but so far this year we have a couple younger gals (carpenter and arborist) who are working out great. I would think you'd have more success finding someone with the foundational knowledge that you can then train on the sign industry specifics.

 

[DL Signs]

If this is a sign of the times, get ready for a shortage of designers as time goes by.
Our local tech college had a graphic design program, but they pumped out tons of budding new designers for every job available locally, so the only one making a living off it was the school. They discontinued it and replaced it with a "web graphic design" program. So yeah, now they'll be pumping out raster masters instead of graduates who can do vector

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Maybe look at HS and/or Trade. Any traditional college route, I personally wouldn't go that way. Usually bad habits are formed there (which can happen at the others as well, but it seems like it's more common, at least around here, that sticking with some foundation, but not much more compared to that is going to be better if looking for someone to hire in). With what I deal with, even if they are good to go with vector, when talking about software needs, very rarely do they actually know what still will or won't work (even if the vector is gorgeous, it still may not work for our production).

It's going to be harder and harder, until more people want to see more old school ways again (I do like my tech, I just wish more and more of them focused on just digital versions of the old school tools versus trying to abstract so much away from the user). As people get more and more used to bad results and don't know any better, more reliant on software that abstracts more and more from you (AI (such as it is, not really AI, but that's what the normies have accepted) will just accelerate this), in the end, it's just going to be harder and harder to find someone that knows what they are doing. Especially if trying to get them after they have gone so far down the formal education route.

 

[DarkerKat]

I run the art dept at a sign shop and we have this issue every time we look to hire on new designers. Finding designers with any type of signage experience is hard. Best advice I can give:

For the add itself: Consider looking for candidates is associated trades - our go to is to list in the add a requirement that the candidate has worked at a sign company (pipe dream) or at a Print Shop < While not the same, a subpar designer that has worked at a kinkos or staples is going to require less training than someone who has only ever worked on a computer. + Require a portfolio link. anyone with an adobe account can create and host an online portfolio, there's no reason that someone looking for a graphic design position would not be able to produce one.

When looking through resumes: If sign & print shop experience are off the table, look for any other examples of physical media - screen-printing, business cards, posters. Watch out for portfolios that only contain college projects - look for real client jobs, beyond just logo design - that doesn't mean don't hire people right out of school, just know what you are in for. IF you are hiring right out of college, ask about vinyl plotting, laser cutting, or 3d printing - many schools have these now for students to work with & it gives you a base to work from.

^ most of these rely on you having a designer in house already who can help train, if you don't then working with someone on a freelance basis might be a better idea to start with. That would let you build up an archive of signs that are setup the way you want before you try and bring in a designer to do it full time. (using something like Signpack)

At the end of the day, unless you get really lucky, understand that there is going to be a learning curve, especially with the niche stuff like lit signs (channel letters/monuments) or ADA (tactile/braille)

Follow up tip - when you hire on designers, make them work in production for at least a week. Gives them a good base relationship with the production team and helps them think design through for physical application "will the vinyl guy hate me for this?" "can this even be printed?" "is this possible to produce?"

 

[GaSouthpaw]

Follow up tip - when you hire on designers, make them work in production for at least a week. Gives them a good base relationship with the production team and helps them think design through for physical application "will the vinyl guy hate me for this?" "can this even be printed?" "is this possible to produce?"

Prior to returning to the sign business in the 90s, I worked for an industrial supply company that made, among other things, gaskets and hydraulic hoses. The owner of the company wouldn't allow anyone to work in sales unless they'd spent six months in the gasket shop and six months in the hose shop. I always thought that would be a great way to "train" designers in what works and what doesn't, because we're constantly having to adjust because the ones we get are laughably wrong/impossible to build to spec.

 

[DarkerKat]

Doesn't prevent every problem, but, boy does it help + the building a relationship thing is important, if your designers are too intimated to go ask someone how to set up a job, you're going to have a lot more issues come production time.

Now if we could just make this standard for our project managers too it would be great...
"why cant we print this?"
"it's gold metallic. We could vinyl it or use paint?"
"I don't understand why we cant print metallic."
"we don't have a metallic printer"
"so?"
"... it's sparkly and reflective, you can print that"
"so what, you just don't know the right print settings?"

 

[rvolkers]

i retired from commercial arts and also a sign shop and moved to Maine 9 years ago but became bored and wanted to go back to work! with more than 35 years in the field and at the age of 66 i went looking to keep going - i was shocked that in maine age doesn't mean much - what means a lot is a solid background in design and production - good work ethics - common sense and creative talents - i was hired at a good hourly rate as i requested - i work when there is work to be done i requested - usually 20 - 25 hours a week sometimes more again as needed i requested! - it is perfect we are a small operation signs - vinyls - embroidery and silk apparel - the age at our shop - 76 - 45 (6 of us) --- if i could give you any advise recruiting designers or co-workers for your sign company - GO for older talents - they will have the knowledge you need - great work ethics and will bring a wealth of creative ideas they have done through the years AND they in (my case) just wanted to keep the art in my blood and subsidize my SS! -- EVERYONE ONE WINS - and that includes you clients! - most young folks today have no idea what good design is when it comes off the screen! and as far as work ethics lets just say GOOD LUCK with that! and the wage they expect to start with is again good luck with that!

 

[Bobby H]

I'm facing a challenge in recruiting designers for my sign company. Despite posting job openings on Indeed and Linkedin, I've encountered difficulty finding qualified candidates who grasp the technical intricacies of signs. I would greatly appreciate any tips on how to effectively hire skilled and quality sign designers.

The only designers you're going to be able to hire that are ready to hit the ground running are people with previous sign company work experience. And not all of those people are any good either. Our industry does tend to be a catch-all for f***-ups. You'll need to look at examples of their work and maybe even "test drive" the employee candidate to see their problem solving skills in action.

Next to no schools covering art/design teach anything at all about graphic design related to outdoor advertising. It's all print, video or web. Regardless of how much education and/or natural talent a candidate may possess they're going to have to do a lot of learning on the job if they want to work for a sign company. Whether the candidate has formal training or is self-taught he/she needs to be a visual thinker and at least have some creative talent. Otherwise they're not going to be productive.

If there is a good career-tech school in your location you can look at having students do a work-study/intern arrangement. Sometimes it works well if you're not having to spend a lot of your time holding their hand thru the work process.

It's a dying/dead trade. All the "designers" are using Canva now and they're littering the planet with low-res PNG files. Glad I got out when I did.

I have almost as pessimistic an outlook. If I was in high school right now I wouldn't even consider going into the graphic design field, much less going to college to study it. 30 years ago it was a profession. Today it's as if the Karaoke crowd took over the music industry.

This onslaught of Canva crap is just another thing that increases the chances for the sign industry to get into deep trouble. I know I probably sound paranoid, but it's no joke when a city council decides to "clean up the town" by targeting ugly signs with a new, sweeping ordinance. There is a lot of people working in the sign industry who just don't care how good or bad something looks, build quality, etc. The public does notice. When a town has enough dilapidated signs, junky looking signs, etc a backlash eventually happens. Residents get embarrassed by how their town looks compared to other towns (often ones that are more affluent). Signs are an easy target for a city council to hit. We have a somewhat sign-friendly environment where I live. But I figure it's only a matter of time before our city council changes that.

 

[JethroMc]

I sent you a PM with my direct contact details - If you still need a designer I might be able to help.

 

[NazGraphics1]

It's a dying/dead trade. All the "designers" are using Canva now and they're littering the planet with low-res PNG files. Glad I got out when I did.
You might be better off just hiring someone smart and training them from within. "Sign design" is a very specialized arena.

omg very true sending nice designs but very low res and want to have it 4x4 feet print

 

[DL Signs]

Didn't realize how bad it had gotten, or how hard it is to find qualified people today.
When I got bored and came back out of retirement, I didn't think I'd find anything back in the industry, usually old dinosaurs like me end up as Walmart greeters or convenience store clerks, regardless of what you can do. First company I spoke to hired me immediately, sight unseen when heard my background. Eventually, when I decide to retire again, I'm gonna find someone well in advance and train them for the company.

 

[RandyDe]

I'm facing a challenge in recruiting designers for my sign company. Despite posting job openings on Indeed and Linkedin, I've encountered difficulty finding qualified candidates who grasp the technical intricacies of signs. I would greatly appreciate any tips on how to effectively hire skilled and quality sign designers.

This is so hard to find qualified and experienced designers. Especially in smaller communities like where I'm located. I would say that I could offer my services freelance (I'm a schooled designer working in offset, digital and wideformat) but I'm in Ontario, Canada and not sure how that would work out at distance and cross-border.

 

[bob]

Your first mistake is thinking that signs are designed. A sign is something you layout given the available space and the message you are supposed to display. No design involved, just a layout exercise. The best you could say is that making a sign is synthesis, still not art. You are given the pieces, you assemble them in a manner that at once announces the message, is pleasing to the eye, and can be manufactured. Nothing, zero, zip, nada, to do with art and design.

 

[Boudica]

What Bob fails to realize, is that generally on this forum when we say "Design" we are referring to "Graphic Design"

Graphic design is the practice of composing and arranging the visual elements of a project. Designing the layout of a magazine, the layout of a sign, creating a poster for a theatre performance, and designing packaging for a product are all examples of graphic design.

 

[gnubler]

Your first mistake is thinking that signs are designed. A sign is something you layout given the available space and the message you are supposed to display. No design involved, just a layout exercise. The best you could say is that making a sign is synthesis, still not art. You are given the pieces, you assemble them in a manner that at once announces the message, is pleasing to the eye, and can be manufactured. Nothing, zero, zip, nada, to do with art and design.

Huh? I have an hourly rate for design services and spend at least 1/3 of my workdays at the computer, designing.
I'm not understanding your comments.
I've seen many absolutely beautiful signs that to me look like a work of art.