I apologize to Arthur for my rampant Hellvetica bashing. That said, I am issuing a design challenge to anyone who feels up to the task.
Let's all try our hand at designing a sign ONLY in Helvetica (any weight, or mixed, as long as it is ONLY Helvetica)
The sign is for the entry to a development. The ONLY copy is COOPERSTOWN ESTATES. This can be anything from condos to carriage homes to mobile homes. It can be any size, shape, material, or color. Feel free to throw on some clip art or cheap tricks.
If you can post pix here, size em at 72 dpi and no bigger than 600 pixels wide, or just email em to me (same size) by clicking the button on the top of this thread and I'll post em here for you.
Up for it? C'mon! Love....Jill
[ December 08, 2005, 07:58 AM: Message edited by: Jill Marie Welsh ]
Posted by Arthur Vanson (Member # 2855) on :
Jill, no need for apologies, that wasn't a dig at you or anyone else here. I just wanted to make the point that we all knock Helvetica when it should be the inappropriate use of it we rail against.
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
Hey . . . can you except & convert an eps from paint shop pro??
(I don't have helvetica in my sign program but used to use that a lot when I ordered from Gregory. Can Zurich Black count?? It looks about the same.)
If I'm not playin' right and am therefore disallowed to play, no biggie.
Posted by Bob Stephens (Member # 858) on :
Okay, I'll show you mine if you show me yours. Edited to add this would be done on my MultiCam router and sell for $12,873.25
[ December 08, 2005, 04:27 PM: Message edited by: Bob Stephens ]
Posted by Chris OBrien (Member # 5409) on :
hey all.... here's my contribution. Looks like a nice place to live, I wonder if they have any vacancies? Posted by Bob Stephens (Member # 858) on :
another variation. Edited to add this would be done on my MultiCam router and sell for $15,175.00
[ December 08, 2005, 04:27 PM: Message edited by: Bob Stephens ]
Posted by Catharine C. Kennedy (Member # 4459) on :
Can I play, too? Posted by Arthur Vanson (Member # 2855) on :
Posted by Ryan Long (Member # 5881) on :
I'd much rather someone overuse Helvetica than, say, Brush Script or Papyrus Posted by Stevo Chartrand (Member # 2094) on :
Posted by Bill Preston (Member # 1314) on :
Be careful, people.
Cooperstown, N.Y. is only four miles from me, and if I ever go back to doing signs, instead of just trucks and boats, I might have to swipe some of these ideas.
If one can stand being overwhelmed with tourists, it might be considered a nice place to live. It is the alleged home of baseball, and Main Street is one baseball memorabilia shop after another, to the exclusion of 'most everything else.
During the summer, I stay as far away from Main Street as possible.
Real estate is way high, and so are rents. Still want to move here?
[ December 08, 2005, 11:19 AM: Message edited by: Bill Preston ]
Posted by Bob Stephens (Member # 858) on :
I guess you can tell Im effing off today. Oh well at least I'm having fun doing it. Edited to add this would be done on my MultiCam router and sell for $9,873.25 Edited to say "Awesome design Stevo"
[ December 08, 2005, 04:28 PM: Message edited by: Bob Stephens ]
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Why fool around?
Posted by Chris OBrien (Member # 5409) on :
I was thinking of playing up the baseball thing too, so heres a shot. Looks more like a minor league ball team than a residential developement. Posted by Don Coplen (Member # 127) on :
Chris, maybe a minor league baseball team bought a housing development as an investment.
You guys ALL are doing some cool things with helvetica! I'm not sure if I'm up for this game or not. Still thinking about it. Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
Helvetica is looking better all the time. Hey, I'm old enough to remember when Helvetica was new.
Si...where did you get that rock background? Just what I need for a presentation that is coming up.
[ December 08, 2005, 12:42 PM: Message edited by: Raymond Chapman ]
Posted by Don Coplen (Member # 127) on :
Posted by Bob Stephens (Member # 858) on :
Nicely done Don!
Posted by Arthur Vanson (Member # 2855) on :
Posted by Rick Beisiegel (Member # 3723) on :
Jill
What a great post!
I was gonna post something, but between Stevo, Don & Bob, I think I'll go back to my room. I'll wait for the "arched cap brush script challenge"
I think I deleted that font....anybody got it?
Posted by Bob Stephens (Member # 858) on :
Edited to add this would be done on my MultiCam router and sell for $18,525.38
Or this version:
[ December 08, 2005, 04:48 PM: Message edited by: Bob Stephens ]
Posted by Jill Marie Welsh (Member # 1912) on :
Wasn't this fun? Here is my take. Top one for a condo development...on brushed aluminum maybe. Bottom one is on Lexan for a trailer court.
(I live 1 mile from Cooperstown, PA!) Mark Fair emailed me this beauty:
What fun to come home to! Love.....Jill
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
Sorry, Bob. You got underbid by this guy!
Edited to upload clearer picture of this fine layout!
[ December 09, 2005, 09:07 PM: Message edited by: David Harding ]
Posted by Jill Marie Welsh (Member # 1912) on :
From David Drane: Thanks! Love.....Jill
Posted by John Deaton (Member # 925) on :
Posted by Steve Shortreed (Member # 436) on :
Amazing stuff! I really like what Arthur did with the business cards. Isn't it great to hear an old worn out instrument played by a real musician?
Makes me wonder what the same project would look like using just Brush Script? Naaaaa.
[ December 08, 2005, 11:15 PM: Message edited by: Steve Shortreed ]
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
OK! Just to make Steve happy:
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
First off I read through the "REGULATIONS" carefully because I ALWAYS follow the rules.
quote:Let's all try our hand at designing a sign ONLY in Helvetica (any weight, or mixed, as long as it is ONLY Helvetica)
The sign is for the entry to a development. The ONLY copy is COOPERSTOWN ESTATES. This can be anything from condos to carriage homes to mobile homes. It can be any size, shape, material, or color. Feel free to throw on some clip art or cheap tricks.
As stated above cheap tricks ARE ALLOWED. And Phoebe really encouraged me to have some fun!! So I typed out the Helvetica lettering in Illustrator, converted it to outlines and then MODIFIED it a little to suit the development. In this case it's Cooper the Moose's Estates - a land in a theme park. It would be THREE DIMENSIONAL in a really big way... of course.
I kinda got carried away with the modifications to the Helvetica font in Cooperstown, but BELIEVE me is REALLY is Helvetica. Honest! And to poke at those who HATE the first and last letter in bigger letters than the rest I just HAD to do it that way. I'm just bad.
To make up for my heavy modification of Cooperstown lettering I didn't modify Estates at all - with the exception of my 'world famous' shakey linework. While I was at it I added it to everything in the concept.
I'd do it all on the MultiCam of course - as big as the client would allow.
And I would probably charge much more than Bob Stevens!
-grampa dan
[ December 09, 2005, 01:05 AM: Message edited by: Dan Sawatzky ]
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Rick B...
Ya got any room in that room fer me??
"humbled" is an understatement for what I feel.
No wonder you guys make the bux ya do!!!
Posted by Kelly Thorson (Member # 2958) on :
What a cool post. Great idea Jill Posted by Bob Stephens (Member # 858) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dan Sawatzky: First off I read through the "REGULATIONS" carefully because I ALWAYS follow the rules.
[QUOTE]And I would probably charge much more than Bob Stevens!
-grampa dan
Anyone who will charge more than me has my utmost respect Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
Si... your design is ugly. Try changing everything to all caps Posted by David Wright (Member # 111) on :
I can't believe Harding left off the finials. Other than that, killer design David.
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
Harding is planning on hand painting his design. Yea....right.
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
Adding the finials would have run the price up into Sawatzky's range.
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
SHEEEEESH! Some poeople are never satisfied!
OK Dave ...here it is:
Posted by Arthur Vanson (Member # 2855) on :
Sorry Steve, had to try! That Jill has a lot to answer for.
Posted by Don Coplen (Member # 127) on :
Hey Arthur...you're my new hero! That looks nearly, almost cool.
Posted by Stevo Chartrand (Member # 2094) on :
Geeeze Arthur that does look kind of cool!!
Stevo
Posted by Tim (Member # 1699) on :
Si, it still needs a little work! Get rid of that yellow outline and change the shadow to black.
Posted by Amy Brown (Member # 1963) on :
David & Si. Have you been designing for my competitors! HE HE!
Posted by Jill Marie Welsh (Member # 1912) on :
Arthur, how did you manage to make all-caps BS look so cool? Love.....Jill
Posted by Arthur Vanson (Member # 2855) on :
Rats! Jill, I think I forgot to mention the design deposit? Posted by Ryan Long (Member # 5881) on :
Some great designs guys...and as a person who HATES brush script and points it out EVERYWHERE (much to the annoyance of my friends), I have to hand it to Arthur for his efforts in making all-caps Brush Script look better than it has any right to
This could be a cool idea, post a little restrictive graphic challenge once in awhile. Doing little design exercises within strict boundaries is a great way to stretch your creative muscles. I love it.
Posted by Don Coplen (Member # 127) on :
We could do something like that, Ryan. I've been on other art sites that have similar. One Adobe Illustrator site even gave out software and hardware as prizes.
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
My first idea using, a baseball theme, was to put a baseball in for the "o" in "town". Chris O'Brien absconded with my concept without compensation. Time for a new topic: "Letterheads stealing from the brains of others without permission". I know, I should have gotten the design deposit first!
In keeping with the baseball motif, I came up with the following:
Sign faces to be 49” x 96” sandblasted Black Galaxy Granite with 23K Gold leaf finish on “Cooperstown” and outline of home plate graphic, Palladium leaf on baseball and interior of home plate graphic, paint fill on dividing stripe and balance of copy. Overall size of sign to be approximately 9' height x 13' width.
Baseball to be stage blasted to give relief. Stitching to be stage blasted and hand painted--So there! Raymond.
Structure to be brick with cast stone column caps and arched 120” radius bull nose top cap. Columns to have embedded cast stone home plate elements on three sides. Base of sign to be tapered stone with cast stone water table.
Date panel (Yeah! I know--this is unauthorized additional copy) to be sandblasted cast stone.
Installed price, including foundation for double face sign is $23,478.00, plus tax and permit. Single face sign would be $19,863.00, plus tax and permit.
Oops! My installed price doesn't include a trip to New York. We have done out of town masonry signs of a similar nature. For us to haul our crew that far would add about 14K to the job. It's a lot of trouble to bring all that equipment and plan for the various contingencies.
I would also fly up there a month or so in advance to check out everything on the job site, handle things with the city, and also visit with and arrange for local suppliers we would need to use.
It would take us about three long days (12 hours each) to excavate, pour the foundation, and build the structure. We would have about three days each way in travel time as well.
We would probably leave on Saturday morning, start setting up Monday afternoon, work Tuesday through Thursday, goof off a bit on Friday and see the sights around the area, and start back Friday night or Saturday.
If Jill will sell it, I'll be happy to send her a 10% finder's fee on the non trip portion of the job. Of course, the customer will usually say they want something like this but then buy from Toxic Signs because they're a few bucks cheaper.
Now, I need to get back to some real work. This was a fun exercise and I'm awe struck at what Arthur managed to do with upper case Brush Script. His grasp of typography always amazes me.
Posted by Bob Stephens (Member # 858) on :
Dave that's one of the finest presentations that I've seen in a long time. Nice design.
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
Thanks, Bob. Now, I just have to get Jill to sell it! Once she does, I'll raise the red stripe a bit--it's too low. The customer will never know I tweaked it.
Posted by Judy Pate (Member # 237) on :
Wait a minute! I don't know about you but I see a lower case Brush Script "t" in Cooperstown. The upper case "T" wouldn't read well. I do think it looks kind cool too, Authur....even with the lower case "t". Judy
Posted by Deb Fowler (Member # 1039) on :
Rah, Rah, David and Si! got to have a little something to rock the boat, sailor!
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I'll wait for the "arched cap brush script challenge" ![[Rolling On The Floor]](graemlins/rolf.gif)
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