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working on new concession trailer

ucmj22

New Member
trying to move the trailer design industry up a notch. thoughts? glaring sore thumbs?
 

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Marlene

New Member
the funnel cakes is really hard to read. on the version with the teal & orange, the bottom of the circle is teal but the top is white, mistake or on purpose?

not sure the color gray is good for this. I do like the overall idea of it with the lines and dots.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Sorry........
  • Doesn't look carnivalish to me at all.
  • None of those are appetizing colors.
  • Nothing seems to appeal towards kids.
  • Too boring for something at a fair or street block party.

Ya need pictures and crazy color combinations with almost all the stops pulled out for one of these things.

It is a nice design and has some nice color combinations, just not for this application...... in my opinion.


If I had to choose one stand over the other as to where I was gonna buy my next food items...... no questions....... used-concession-trailer.jpg
 

HulkSmash

New Member
Sorry........
  • Doesn't look carnivalish to me at all.
  • None of those are appetizing colors.
  • Nothing seems to appeal towards kids.
  • Too boring for something at a fair or street block party.

Ya need pictures and crazy color combinations with almost all the stops pulled out for one of these things.

It is a nice design and has some nice color combinations, just not for this application...... in my opinion.


If I had to choose one stand over the other as to where I was gonna buy my next food items...... no questions....... View attachment 83933

to each his own, but his design would get my business before the one you (gino) attached. People like clean looking facilities. Even from advertising perspective.
 

genericname

New Member
Sorry........
  • Doesn't look carnivalish to me at all.
  • None of those are appetizing colors.
  • Nothing seems to appeal towards kids.
  • Too boring for something at a fair or street block party.

Depends on the demo. Boutique food carts are huge right now, and anything carnival-like would be avoided like the plague. The same demo that frequents boutique carts is also decidedly older, in the early 20s to mid 30s.

It looks great, given the right venue.
 

ucmj22

New Member
these people are looking to be easily distinguishable from the rest of the clutter. They are also going a little higher end on their product IE red velvet and coconut macaroon funnel cakes. its still a work in progress, and I am making multiple looks, but going for a more focused approach. here is another mock up Im working on.
 

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Marlene

New Member
I do like the direction the first post is going in as it will stand out as it isn't gaudy and looks high end, if that is possible selling corn dogs :)

the funnel cakes super thin overly tall font bothered me as depending on where this trailer is parked, it will be hard to read it (try doing it in thumbnail). since people decide on what to eat by the item, it seems like they would need to be able to see that clearly. you are going out of the box on style/colors so the visual cues they are used to seeing aren't there. that's why I brought up the font and how readable it is. when you do something out of the norm, you still have to make sure people get it as people are so used to things as they are like the trailer style Gino posted. I'd much rather try a corn dog from these guys as it looks like it might be made better just from the over all clean look of the trailer:corndog:
 

rjssigns

Active Member
I like the overall look, buuuuut...my focus is shifting between funnel cakes and corn dogs. A tad more differentiation between primary and secondary copy would help. (well it would help me anyway)
 

ucmj22

New Member
I do like the direction the first post is going in as it will stand out as it isn't gaudy and looks high end, if that is possible selling corn dogs :)

the funnel cakes super thin overly tall font bothered me as depending on where this trailer is parked, it will be hard to read it (try doing it in thumbnail). since people decide on what to eat by the item, it seems like they would need to be able to see that clearly. you are going out of the box on style/colors so the visual cues they are used to seeing aren't there. that's why I brought up the font and how readable it is. when you do something out of the norm, you still have to make sure people get it as people are so used to things as they are like the trailer style Gino posted. I'd much rather try a corn dog from these guys as it looks like it might be made better just from the over all clean look of the trailer:corndog:

When I first started, it was on the main text on the marquee, and I didn't think this font would work that well, but once I put the black behind the white text, I felt it actually read better than most of the trailers I've seen based solely on contrast, even at what would equate to a football field distance. But I appreciate your input, and I know I would have to sell it hard, thats why I am already working on back ups. :)
 

John Butto

New Member
Think that he is going in the right direction with the first design. He is taking it up a notch from just typing an old signpainter font and putting some art he stole off google with it. And I buy food at the carnival by the quality and taste, not by the layout of the trailer. He could have the best looking signs but the toothless carni spinning the cotton candy with magenta old sugar from last month around the edges is not getting my business.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Think that he is going in the right direction with the first design. He is taking it up a notch from just typing an old signpainter font and putting some art he stole off google with it. And I buy food at the carnival by the quality and taste, not by the layout of the trailer. He could have the best looking signs but the toothless carni spinning the cotton candy with magenta old sugar from last month around the edges is not getting my business.

This is a very interesting concept or approach.

You say you will buy something to eat based upon it's taste and quality..... not the wrapper or advertisement. I would imagine that same theory would cross over into the kind of automobile you buy or the clothes you wear. I believe many of us think this way, but really only think..... and don't practice what they preach.

I'm not pointing the finger at you John, but what about all the many, many threads and posts here... where everything is based on price, availability and what the general consensuses is ??

How many people on this forum alone, ask for opinions on particular printers or inks or even substrates to use without any personal preference whatsoever ??

I too, buy based upon my personal preferences as you claim you do, but I, along with you and some others, think I'm in the vast minority in that department.

If I was at a carnival and the lines were very long at any given stand and the air just smelled amazing, I would go there. Now, don't get me wrong..... I also experiment and try new things, but I'm usually very cautious when going that route. However, again like you..... the outside colorings don't really intrigue me, cause I know it's all based on what the mind's eye sees and the average person can be fooled.... even if someone is trying to look upscale and hip. Now, if when I get up to the head of the line and the person is oozing from sores all over her/his arms and hands, I'll probably just turnaround and walk away. I'm weird like that. I'll stick to what I know is good, however the tooth count doesn't bother me.... as long as they didn't take a bite out of my funnel cake when I wasn't looking.

Nope, one can be easily fooled by the cover and if it's too clever, I just figure they had some smart sign person on the other end filling their heads with all kinds of mumbo-jumbo about some effect they can get in Photoshop or something.
Ya mean you wouldn't buy cotton candy from this sweetheart. Look at that lovely smile......... cotton candy girl.jpg
 

Marlene

New Member
You say you will buy something to eat based upon it's taste and quality..... not the wrapper or advertisement

that would only work if you had bought something or eaten something before and knew the quality or taste. up until that point, the wrapper or ad or overall look of it is what helps people decide to buy or not to buy. if it weren't for that, none of us would be in the business we are, people would just put up hand made cardboard signs as they wouldn't need us.
 

John Butto

New Member
that would only work if you had bought something or eaten something before and knew the quality or taste. up until that point, the wrapper or ad or overall look of it is what helps people decide to buy or not to buy. if it weren't for that, none of us would be in the business we are, people would just put up hand made cardboard signs as they wouldn't need us.
If cardboard held up good and lasted, yes, a lot of us would be out of business. (a number of people on here make a living with coro signs which is almost the same) I also have seen a lot of signs that were so badly done that the handmade cardboard would have worked just as well. I have traveled the islands where I have purchased some of the finest food and there is no sign, whereas I have eaten in high end restaurants with expensive signs and the food sucked. Signs are like bait to catch the customer's attention and then it is buyers' beware. In a perfect world we make signs as best we can and we expect the business to be of the high caliber also.
 

Marlene

New Member
If cardboard held up good and lasted, yes, a lot of us would be out of business. (a number of people on here make a living with coro signs which is almost the same) I also have seen a lot of signs that were so badly done that the handmade cardboard would have worked just as well. I have traveled the islands where I have purchased some of the finest food and there is no sign, whereas I have eaten in high end restaurants with expensive signs and the food sucked. Signs are like bait to catch the customer's attention and then it is buyers' beware. In a perfect world we make signs as best we can and we expect the business to be of the high caliber also.

I don't want to pirate this thread but since this is about the design, I don't think it's a bad idea to address your thoughts on this. of course the business may not be as good as the look of the sign says it is, that just happens. the whole point of a sign design/trailer design or any design for products or services is to catch the attention of a potential customers and tell them with the design what the product or service is or does. take a look at McDonalds vs a high end restaurant. before you walk into either, you have a sense of what to expect from the design of the sign and overall look of the place. we are visual and respond to visual cues. it's why marketing works, why signs work and why a trailer design works. it does matter.
 

John Butto

New Member
I agree that it does matter, that is why when he posted his design it was something newer and a breath of fresh air. Gino posted a old tried and tested carni concept and most of the people on here are afraid of newer design and will wait for everyone to accept it before doing it themselves. BTW, McDonalds puts more money in design of their signs than 90% of any high end restaurant that has the same food groups but served in a different manner.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Now don't go putting words in my mouth..... :Big Laugh

I was merely stating those colors to me are not at all appetizing or even makes my mouth water. The layout was not one of making me hungry either. The fonts didn't work and the styles seemed a bit like he was selling paintings or furniture.

The one I posted was old for sure, well tested but works. Putting the two of those side by side at the same event like a carnival or fair..... I'll bet ya anything the one I posted would outsell the other one until someone tried the other trailer and started a rumor that the food was exquisite, but not until someone ventured out and tried it. Nothing about it would make me try food from something like that if all smell, taste and ears were closed off and left to just sight alone.

As I said in my first post, the layouts and colors are good, but not in a food venue in my opinion.

Stepping outside the box is a great procedure... so long as you can pull it off. For me, he didn't reach it. Doesn't make his right or wrong, you just get a taste of how some things are locked in until proven differently.
 

Jillbeans

New Member
I like the first one a lot but I agree about the colors not being very appealing.
What about a rich red on the roof and where you have the corn dogs but with light creamy ivory for the lettering?
I'd lose the blue.
The layout looks non carny and upscale and might be a nice contrast to all the computer ugly you see at a fair.
Love....Jill
 
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