Discussion What's the most common design mistake you see made in sign design?

[Boudica]

and I'm a Boudica

You wish.

 

[Boudica]

I see your snark and raise you one better. WTF do you live that an elephant seal is colloquially referred to as a common animal?
This reminds me, I've grown bored with Bender, seeing as how that discussion I had with Homer ended.

No now your a wild bore?

 

[Gino]

Earth.

Didn't you ever learn about them in school ?? They're mentioned about as much as a hippo. What's common in your neck of the woods ??

This is more normal for you ?? Hmmmm.................. ............

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Earth.

Didn't you ever learn about them in school ?? They're mentioned about as much as a hippo. What's common in your neck of the woods ??

This is more normal for you ?? Hmmmm.................. ............

Bet this is more like it

 

[Johnny Best]

and the phone number also

 

[Johnny Best]

No now your a wild bore?

He is a bore.

 

[Scotchbrite]

Most common design mistake:
Customer: "Let me show you the design I have made - do you have PowerPoint?"

I call that getting "PPT'd"

I saw people mention Bleeding Cowboys and Papyrus; 2 fonts we've laughed about around here a lot.

I hate Arial. I have a designer that will use it by default for simple stuff like VIN & DOT numbers. I tell her just because it's simple numbers, you can still be creative with font choice. I've threatened to uninstall Arial from her computer.

My favorite is when people use Arial and then squish it. Do you not realize there is a font called "Arial Narrow"?!

When I get a poor design from a customer, I will send them my own version. Sometimes they pick mine, sometimes they stick with theirs. At least I gave them the option and later when they figure out their design sucked they can't say I didn't warn them.

My father-in-law likes to say "we've done lots of really ugly signs for really happy customers". Sometimes people want what they want no matter what you try to tell them.

 

[Scotchbrite]

Another mistake I just thought of is inflexible design criteria. I've gotten logos that a customer has paid for so they are totally committed to only using the logo they paid someone to make. Inevitably it will be a long horizontal layout that needs to go on a basically square sign. The logo ends up super tiny and they will not consider modifying the layout to fit better.

Lesson is if you're going to pay for a logo design, make sure they give you a design for more than just 1 scenario.

 

[Gino]

It's just that it was a well made, perfectly executed, ugly typeface. Every now & then a good one'll slip through...................

 

[Gino]

Another mistake I just thought of is inflexible design criteria. I've gotten logos that a customer has paid for so they are totally committed to only using the logo they paid someone to make. Inevitably it will be a long horizontal layout that needs to go on a basically square sign. The logo ends up super tiny and they will not consider modifying the layout to fit better.

Lesson is if you're going to pay for a logo design, make sure they give you a design for more than just 1 scenario.

Just did some signs where the guy's logo was 2' tall and 5'5' wide. However, the area he wanted it, was 3' x 3'. Uh-oh. So, I show him and he says, can you fix it ?? Sure.
Me: So I stacked the two words and it fit real nice.
him: He looks at it and says, that isn't my logo. It hasta be all on one line.
Me: But it won't fit, unless I squash it real hard.
him: Soo ??
I squashed it and he says, ya can't read it. Make it fit !!!


Did it on 2 lines and he's happy.

 

[Boudica]

He is a bore.

Y'all got me, nothin but a whole mess of cletus's riding around on hogs.
WOOOOOOOOO! PIG SUEY!!!

You're hired to sell cars at my dealership.

 

[Stacey K]

Remember that Comic Sans logo I posted about a couple weeks ago? He liked his truck SO MUCH he begged me to put one of my business logos on it for some free advertising for me...My heart skipped a beat but I was able to decline by using the "If I put it on your vehicle, others will think I gave you a discount or I did it for free and I can't have that. Please just take some of my cards and pass them to your friends, I'm very appreciative of that!"

I have small stickers I place on the backside of banners and signs, etc. I never put my logo on vehicles or the phone calls for "discounts" and "sponsorships" start coming in. Years ago I gave discounts for my logo on trailers, etc. but now I don't really want my name of customer supplied logos.

 

[Johnny Best]

JBurton has been riding the hog for sure! "WOOOOOOOOO!"

 

[Boudica]

and the phone number also

Should I be critiquing this for the most common design mistakes made in sign design?

 

[Scotchbrite]

Remember that Comic Sans logo I posted about a couple weeks ago? He liked his truck SO MUCH he begged me to put one of my business logos on it for some free advertising for me...My heart skipped a beat but I was able to decline by using the "If I put it on your vehicle, others will think I gave you a discount or I did it for free and I can't have that. Please just take some of my cards and pass them to your friends, I'm very appreciative of that!"

I have small stickers I place on the backside of banners and signs, etc. I never put my logo on vehicles or the phone calls for "discounts" and "sponsorships" start coming in. Years ago I gave discounts for my logo on trailers, etc. but now I don't really want my name of customer supplied logos.

That's always a tricky one to play off. I'm also afraid they will try to use it to shoehorn a discount next time. "Don't you remember how I let you put your logo on my last truck...." Unfortunately we have to put our name on electric signs for the UL certification, so then you can't get around having your name associated with some crap-tastic design.

 

[kcollinsdesign]

People trying to tell me what to do. Clients can tell me what they want, but let me figure out how to do it.

 

[ProSignTN]

At my first job as a GD in a sign shop the bosses wife was in charge of final design decisions. All I heard all day long was, "Fill the space fill the space!" It didn't matter if it was a simple text 10' 'x 2' banner, the text had to be stretched to, "Fill the space". I turned out a lot of bad signs at that place!

Did she ever tell you which space: foreground, background?

 

[ProSignTN]

When they say..... ahh, let me give it a try. I'll show you what I'm thinking.

BC, before computers, that was easy, cause nobody could draw past a stick figure, but ya have these puter ninjas and just start pressing buttons like flies on sh!t. They're all over the place. In the good ol' days, we'd just hand 'em a magic marker and say 'go to town, kiddo'.

Damn Gino, I still got a pencil set and colored charcoal. I just haven't used it in 20 years.

 

[ProSignTN]

Where in the world was I negative towards you ?? You'd get better results asking your own questions in your own threads then asking for explanations on terms you don't know in a thread complaining about the very people asking the same question YOU just asked. I thought I was being helpful. Guess not.

​

Let me ask you.... did you google K E R N or K E R N I N G and not understand it or just didn't bother reading and trying to figure it out ?? Cause Signbrad just said the same thing google did. Does that help ??​

Forgive them Gino, for they haven't ever penciled or painted. I am old too and they check my patience with their lack of knowledge. But help them all we can, because they are the next.

 

[ProSignTN]

Clutter and too much info bothers me. Multiple phone numbers are my peeve. Really, a phone number is likely not needed at all (unless you're a pizza place or a phone hot-line)

Lack of style and lack of bold design choices is also a bummer. Lot's of boring signs around my town.

Keep it simple. Cut to the point & throw in some style.

While doing 7'6 x 16' outfield wall banners for the local college baseball team the regional manager for
Pizza Hut wanted two locations, numbers, etc, blah, blah. I sat in the bleachers behind home plate and Googled Piz....
I was directed to the Hut a quarter mile up the road with number and men. Taad Da!