All You Need To Know About Faux October 21, 2009
Posted by yellowdoggraphics in Business Spotlight.Tags: Faux Painting, Fresno, Small Business
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Faux painting is one of those things that looks hard, until someone shows you how easy it is. Then you try to do the easy steps on your own and they end up not being as easy as they look. If you give me a sponge, some paint and a wall, it’s going to look like I put paint on a wall with a sponge. That’s why any painting projects are done by my wife, Heather. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s a faux and mural painter who has been trained in the different techniques and has been doing it for years.
From Heather having her business Faux By Heather, I’ve learned a lot about faux finishing. When I go from one room in our house to another, there is a different style of faux painting on the walls. The entry way has a dark red Venetian Plaster. What stands out most about the Venetian Plaster to me is the super smooth feel it has once it’s on the wall. In the bathroom she did a glaze on the walls. The bathroom has a nautical theme, so she used a couple different shades of the blue glaze to help give it some depth. In the family room she did one entire wall with a sunset beach scene mural. I think the mural is what people remember the most if they’ve been over.
Before & After Faux Painted Garage Doors
One of my favorite things she has faux painted was a garage. The people she was working for had already painted the outside of their house, but wanted something different for their white garage doors. They wanted them to look like barn doors. This style of painting is called Tromp L’oeil. Tromp L’oeil can best be described as an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions, instead of actually being a two-dimensional painting. She said that painting the garage doors took a little longer than she had planned, because people kept stopping to talk to her about them.
I’ll admit, I might be a little biased, but I feel Heather of Faux by Heather is by far the best faux painter in the Fresno & Clovis area. Probably the best in the valley. I would say best in the world, but I don’t want her traveling everywhere and leaving me at home to play Mr. Mom.
Pros & Cons of Vehicle Magnetic Signs October 8, 2009
Posted by yellowdoggraphics in Advertising / Marketing, Product Spotlight.Tags: Advertising, Magnetics, Small Business, Vehicle Graphics
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Our magnetic signs look real... but not this real.
If you have a refrigerator, then you probably have some magnets. They are great for holding grocery lists, coupons and business cards for cool sign shops (hint, hint).While we can do small sizes magnetics like that, that’s not what we are talking about here. Vehicle Magnetics can be a great way to advertise when you are driving around. But they do have their good points and bad points.
First off we will start with the advantages of the vehicle magnets. The best part about the magnets are that they are easily removable. You can put them on during the week and take them off if you go out of town on the weekend. Some people also like to take them off at night if they are going out. They are nice because you aren’t locked into having a just a work vehicle. If you have multiple vehicles that may be used, like for deliveries, then you can transfer them from one vehicle to another. So the main advantage of the magnetic sign is it’s ability to be removed and reapplied.
There are some draw backs to using magnet signs. They need to be positioned on a fully flat surface which means they should not be used over vehicle molding or go over gaps in the vehicles body. If you do this, you will very likely lose it while driving down the highway. They can also become a target for teenagers to run off with. They have no real use for it besides showing it off as a trophy. They magnetic signs also need to have a little maintenance, such as taking them off once a week and cleaning any dirt or water that has creeped in behind it. When you do take them of for any extended amount of time, you need to store them flat or else they will become warpped and won’t lay flat in the future. Also a word of warning, if you leave them on for years with never taking them off, they can become bonded to the vehicle. We haven’t seen this, but have heard horror stories about it happening.
So overall, they magnetic signs need a little upkeep, but it is relatively easy. It’s greatest asset of being removable can be it biggest detriment also. But if you are careful and follow the steps outlined above, you magentic signs can last you for years. Maybe someday we will start creating magnetics with gps trackers so if they do become lost, you’ll be able to find them. As of now, it is cheaper to just buy a new one.
Three Signs of a Good Sign October 1, 2009
Posted by yellowdoggraphics in Advertising / Marketing, Signs.Tags: Advertising, Marketing, Signs
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That's rarely a good sign.
Anywhere you go you are going to see good signs and you will see bad signs. You might not know the specifics as to why the sign looks good or bad, but you can just tell when you see it. Three of the big things to look for when trying to make a good effective sign are a clear message, easy readability & the right substrate.
Having a clear message on your sign sounds like a no brainer, but often times people lose sight of this. Signs are typically larger than something you will hold in your hand or have time to study. Because of this fact, your sign should have one message that can be conveyed quickly. Often times you are better off with a sign that says ‘SHOE SALE’ than one that says ‘Men’s Shoes, Women’s Shoes, Children’s Shoes – All Sizes Are On Sale Now!’ It’s not always easy to condense your sign into a quick clear message, but that should be your goal.
Making the sign easy to read partly ties in with the clear message. More times than not, bigger lettering on your sign is better. People often ask is we can fit more information on a sign. We can fit as much as you want, but the more you add, the smaller everything will become and thus, harder to read. Another major factor in being easy to read is having a good color combination. In most cases you want to have colors with a high contrast. Good examples of this is yellow & black and red & white. Do not put a two dark colors or two light colors directly together. Customers ask for red lettering on a black background, which looks good up close, but is harder to read from a distance. You can still use these if you add a white border around the red lettering, as it will add the contrast against the red and the black. So to make you sign easy to read you need a contrasting colors and to have the lettering big enough to read from a reasonable distance.
The third part you need for a good sign is the correct substrate. Different substrates have different characteristics. Coroplast, which is like a plastic cardboard, is cheaper than most substrates, but it also looks cheaper. Acrylic shouldn’t be used in a tight frame, because as it heats up and cools down it will expand and contract. So if used improperly your acrylic sign will bow out or crack, which never looks good. So even if you don’t know the differences in the different substrates, let the people you are ordering the sign from know how and where you plan to use it and they can inform you of the different options.
So there you have it. Next time you are with your friends and they point out a bad sign, you can tell them exactly what is wrong with it and how you would make it look better. Of course, you’ll probably get a bunch of funny looks from them.
You can fit almost any amount of wording on a sign.
