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Name: Abby
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- Design software: Adobe Creative Suite Design Standard, $1,299
- Computer: MacBook Pro, $2,199
- Additional computer monitor, $544.99
- Pantone Color Bridge, $129 (used to match colors exactly)
- i1 Basic Profiling System (color calibrates monitors to match colors that will be printed), $995
- Grand Total: $5,166.99
- Our client provided us with the original, hand drawn sewing pattern.
- We scanned each of the pieces to create a digital image.
- I dropped each of the images into Adobe Illustrator and retraced each line and typed in the instructions.
- Then after placing each of the pieces together on one art board, wha-la – finished product!
Signs to Inspire
February 28th, 2012I’m an active person and recently, I finished my second half marathon. Yes, I ran 13.1 miles. Yes, I’m that kind of crazy.
The race took place in Austin, TX which is a very unique city. I was amazed at all of the elaborate and unique signs that were featured on different buildings. They were amazing! But, the signs that inspired me the most were actually the cheapest. They were home made. Some of them actually didn’t look very good either, but none of that mattered.
Because they were signs like this:
OK, that one’s not that bad, but it is definitely homemade. So how about this one?
Still inspirational and funny. There was also this one:
You don’t really get more inspirational than that, but sometimes you just need a good laugh.
It may not seem like very much but when I was trudging up a hill just before mile 12 (only 1.1 miles from the finish) these signs were the difference between me walking or running up the hill.
This weekend is the 10th anniversary of the Little Rock Marathon. Maybe you too can inspire some one to reach their goal with a simple (possibly ugly), inspirational homemade sign.
To see more pictures of the signs from the 2012 LIVESTRONG Marathon & Half Marathon, click here.
What Goes Into Design Time?
January 31st, 2012At Pinnacle Signs and Graphics, as our name states, not only do we create and make signs, but we also create graphics. We get inquiries frequently about our design fees and when I say that we charge $85/hr for design work, I would say that 75% of the time I get this response, “What!?! That’s ridiculous!” OK, maybe the response isn’t that dramatic, but it’s closer to that response than you would believe.
What some people (of course not you [wink, wink]) don’t understand is the skill, equipment (including software) and thought that is used during design time. A story that I reference in a situation like this is from when I was in high school. I was taking a ceramics class and we went on a field trip to a local ceramics studio. Our teacher (who also did some ceramics at this studio) took us for a tour and introduced us to some of the artists. One artist was at the wheel and in the five minutes that we stood to watch her she had made a vase and was starting a new one. Someone asked her how much she charges for her ceramics and I can’t remember exactly what she said, but it was at least several hundred dollars. I was astonished. How can she charge several hundred dollars for something it took her five minutes to make!?
This is when my teacher explained to us that the artist was paying for studio time (time to throw her vases, time to fire her vases, time to glaze her vases) on top of the cost of all of the materials (clay, glazes, tools, etc.) and the fact that it took years (possibly decades) for this artist to perfect her skill. OK, I guess several hundred dollars doesn’t seem so bad now.
I know I’m not a traditional artist, but in many ways my design skills are very similar to that of the ceramic artist’s. I have been working in the graphic design field for the last five years and during that time I have not only learned the different software programs necessary for creating professional designs, but I have also learned a lot about the different printing processes that give me extra insight into what makes a logo good or bad. Still not sold on the cost of design time? Well, I put together a little list of the equipment I use while creating a design at PS&G:
Obviously this cost can’t be associated with just one design, but as a business, this is what is required and should be expected for a professionally done design. So you see, $85/hr doesn’t look so bad, does it?
ARVets
January 3rd, 2012
A few weeks ago, we received an estimate request through our website for an interior dimensional sign from a representative with ARVets. The caveat, they needed the sign to be installed within a few weeks. I quickly gave them an estimate for an acrylic panel with vinyl graphics and stand-offs which would be the best option for the timeline they specified while also still giving them the dimensional look they were looking for.
Sure enough, we soon got the go ahead to begin production. With a few minor changes to their logo, we soon had this project in full swing. With the quickness of our team and the decision making of the ARVets crew, we were able to deliver a great looking sign that fit in their budget and was installed a day before schedule. Now that’s what I call team work!
Patience is a Virtue
December 6th, 2011Since it is almost the end of 2011, I have recently been reflecting back on the year. This year has been interesting for Pinnacle Signs and Graphics with ups and downs as there is with any business, but I have found a trend for me professionally this year — ongoing design projects.
I enjoy graphic design and at a sign shop I don’t always get to flex my creative muscle as much as I’d like, but this year I have had the opportunity to work on several ongoing design projects. I enjoy these projects because they challenge me creatively, but they also take patience. There is a lot of going back and forth and a lot of small changes, but in the end I know that I’m helping an organization to better represent themselves, which could quite possibly lead to more revenue and that organization’s success.
One of the projects that I’ve recently finished up was for the Arkansas Student Loan Authority. Kaye actually made the first contact with this organization at the beginning of the year at a trade show. A few months later two ladies with the organization came to our show room and Kaye and I consulted with them on different options. Eventually they decided to go with the Contender retractable banner stand but they wanted to use it for both a floor display and table display (a creative challenge!), it was definitely a job for me.
I’ve been working back and forth with our contact at the ASLA to make sure that I accurately portrayed their brand while also making sure that it could be used for many years to come. Here is the end result:
First as a table display.
Now as a floor display.
By the way, if you are interested in getting a banner stand for your organization, now is the time to do it! We have sales going on on five different models of banner stands and they will run up by the end of the year. Click here for more information.
2011 Cornbread Festival
November 8th, 2011
You may remember that a few months ago we sponsored the World Cheese Dip Championship, well, this past weekend we also sponsored the Arkansas Cornbread Festival. This was the first year for the Arkansas Cornbread Festival and it was put on by the nice folks at the Bernice Gardens. If you haven’t heard of the Bernice Gardens before, it is a great garden space located on South Main Street in downtown Little Rock that many people may have never been to before. After talking with the organizers, they said that they wanted to put this event together to attract attention to how great this area of Little Rock is and how much it has changed. Being a local business we knew we wanted to help with supporting this family-friendly, local event.
“How did you help?” You ask? Well, we provided a variety of signage for the event that helped attendees find their way throughout the event. This signage included several banners and quite a few “A” frame coroplast signs.
I had wanted to go to this event myself, but due to other commitments, I was unable to attend myself, but the rest of the Pinnacle Signs team were all able to stop by. From their reports (and others) it seems as though the event was a great success! They had initially expected somewhere between 800-1,000 people, but were able to triple that goal with nearly 3,000 paying attendees! As a sponsor for this event, we feel as though we share a part of their success and we know that the signage we provided definitely helped. Congratulations to everyone with the Bernice Gardens for a great event!
Check out some of the great photos and a short video Mike took at the event:
The Secret to Branding — Consistency
October 11th, 2011This October marks my five year anniversary working in Marketing and Graphic Design. Reflecting back on that time, it is truly amazing what I have learned, but with the constant changes in social media and other forms of communication there is always something new to learn. So it’s kind of funny that the secret I use to make successful branding is something I learned when I was just starting off in my marketing career in one of my communication classes in college — consistency.
Sure, there are other factors too, but I’ve found that if I just focus on making a brand consistent then, somehow, magically, it all works together and creates a clear and concise message. For example, when I first started at Pinnacle Signs there were already quite a few marketing materials in place but they just weren’t working together. Yes, our logo was on all of the different materials, but beyond that everything was designed separate from each other. The website looked different than the brochures and the tradeshow display looked different than the brochures…it was inconsistent.
So, I began redesigning our marketing materials starting with the website. From there I further established our brand and carried it through to our e-communications and our sell sheets.
Do you see how I carried the header across all three communications as well as the same fonts and colors? This allows consumers to easily recognize your brand and therefore, feel more familiar with you which builds confidence and trust.
So how can you make your brand consistent? Well, the biggest mistake I see business people make when starting off is that they feel the need to get all sorts of marketing materials right off the bat before thoroughly developing their brand. Instead, I would recommend taking it one step at a time. First develop your foundation, like how I started with our website. Make sure you really get this piece right — take your time. Once you have developed this you will have a good idea what your brand is and carrying it through to the other pieces should be easy.
Creating a Sewing Pattern
September 14th, 2011One of the things I really like about my position at Pinnacle Signs (and working at a sign shop in general) is that every day is different. One day I may do a lot of designing, the next I’m putting together estimates or working on marketing to increase business. So, I guess you could imagine that with doing something different each day that there are some days that I do things that I’ve never done before. I like those days because they challenge me creatively. One of the new things that I got to work on this week was creating a sewing pattern.
A client of ours, Jane Bell, from the Stitchin’ Post came into the shop and showed Kaye and I a pattern she had developed for a babies outfit but it was hand drawn and she was going to be attending a tradeshow soon and wanted the pattern to look more professional. So, she asked if we could convert her pattern into a digital file. I had never done anything like this before and it’s not something we get a lot of at Pinnacle Signs, but Kaye and I discussed this and decided that it was something we could do.
Here is the progression on how I converted this pattern from a hand-drawn pattern to a professional easily re-created pattern.
Amazing Detail, Amazing Deal
August 16th, 2011
For those of you who follow us on Facebook, Twitter or are on our email list, then you are well aware that back in June we started the Pick Any 25 promotion. This promotion allows new clients to pick any 25 items from our apparel catalog which can then be embroidered with your logo with NO SETUP CHARGE! This is a great deal considering the setup charge is usually in the $50 to $90 range.
One of our clients, Hillcrest Garden Club, took advantage of this offer and got these awesome sports shirts! They chose a shirt style that was available in both men’s and ladies cuts. The shirts (among other things) are also odor-fighting with a soil-release finish, which I think would be great for gardening. In the close-up image to the right, you can see all the detail the embroidery was able to add to the shirt. You really feel like the lamp post is glowing.
You can still take advantage of this awesome deal, but don’t wait too long — the sale ends August 31st.
Update: Pinnacle Signs vs. Online Printer X
July 19th, 2011
Well, it has been a whole month and while I’d like to say that Online Printer X’s banner was brittled and shredded by the wind, faded by the sun and overall a complete mess, that didn’t happen. Although, as you will see in the picture above, the banner from Online Printer X (left) has become quite droopy. This was most likely caused by the combination of extreme heat and wind we’ve been having lately.
Another thing I noticed, since I look at these banners every morning when I drive into work, is that in general the banner from Online Printer X moves around and flaps in the breeze much more than our banner. This is because not only does hemming reinforce the edges of the banner, making them stronger, but it also makes the banner more rigid.
Why is it important to minimize flapping and drooping? Because that means it is that much more difficult to read your message! Therefore, reducing the effectiveness of your advertising.
Well, now that my experiment is over, what are your thoughts? Which banner would you go with?
Pinnacle Signs vs. Online Printer X
June 21st, 2011
At Pinnacle Signs and Graphics we are always working to make sure that we are providing the best quality product at a competitive price. Sometimes this means that we aren’t always the cheapest, but we would much rather provide our clients with a product that will last twice as long (or more) than something that is cheap. So, when we had a client ask us if we could match some pricing on a website we thought we would give it a shot. I looked up, Online Printer X* and I started to do some research.
When I went onto Online Printer X’s website I was astonished at the pricing. For a 3′ x 1.6′ exterior grade banner the cost was only $14.23 (minus shipping). That is only $2.96 per sq/ft! At our rate of $8 per sq/ft I knew we couldn’t beat it, but this piqued my curiosity. Exactly what does a $15 banner look like? So I ordered one.
With Online Printer X’s banner in hand I compared ours against theirs:
| Online Printer X | Pinnacle Signs and Graphics |
| Quickest Turnaround: 3 Days | Quickest Turnaround: 1 Day (dependent upon production schedule). |
| They use solvent inks with high VOC’s. (We could tell because the banner smelled bad when we received it.) | We use Eco-Sol MAX inks which are not only rugged and durable, but also low in VOC’s |
| No hemming (not even an option.) | Our standard practice is to hem all sides of banners. |
| No grommets but for an additional $3.99 you can purchase clear adhesive hangers. | Grommets are standard practice for all our banners as well. We grommet each corner and every 2 feet thereafter. |
| Printed on 15 oz. banner material. As stated on website, but doesn’t appear to be any heavier than our banner material. | Printed on 13 oz. banner material. |
| For our banner I chose to use one of the provided designs. When we received the banner the artwork wasn’t very crisp. (See detail picture.) | Since we have actual people reviewing artwork and two graphic designers on staff we assure that artwork will be crisp and clear. (See detail picture.) |
| Each banner is printed with a bar code on the front which may distract from the overall design. (See picture.) | Again, since real life human beings are handling your banner, there is no need for a bar code. |
I know some of these observations may not seem like a big deal, but I would like to prove to you what happens when you choose cheap over quality. That is why I’m going to do a little experiment. I’m going to hang up one of our banners and the Online Printer X banner side by side. Both of these banner are approximately the same size and about the same amount of ink coverage. The only other differences are stated above.
I will report back to you my findings. Until then, feel free to stop by and see the differences for yourself.
*Names have been changed to protect the innocent.