What would you say to a potential customer that furnishes a layout that is just plain bad 'nephew art'?
I do not need my business getting credit for this job and I would not mind letting this one pass if they insist on their layout.
I will make a quick pencil sketch of my idea and still stay within budget. Just how do I communicate this without ticking them off.
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Many ways- all are not easy... 1.That will cost you $2150, while this layout will cost you $750... 2. I'm booked up for the next six weeks, but... 3. In my experience, this layout might/could/will not be as effective in helping the business grow, as a layout which...(fill in your own explanation of what they want) 4. I will have to rework that to be able to do it... 5. what do YOU want the sign to be able to do for you? I feel that...(add own tactful explanation of need for a more professional image) 6. Oops, sorry we seem to have misplaced your suggested idea, but drew this up based on our experience of what it takes to make a sign work effectively... 7...(someone help me here!)
Posted by Bill Davidson (Member # 531) on :
"Would you let me give you my interpretation of this design, based on my skills and experience to make it do what you need for this project"?
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
I'd say,"That's a good start, but I will need the artwork in a vector format. Let me see what I can do with this?" If it's a real complicated thing, then I'd say that I can't reproduce that, but I can redesign it, based on the original. Most of the time when I get customer desgned artwork, it's prined out on a 8 1/2 x 11 paper, and of course will not properly fit the general shape of the sign.
Posted by Tony Vickio (Member # 2265) on :
When I get "nephew art", I make ONE attempt at suggesting an alternative layout. After that ONE attempt fails I proceed to make a perfect "nephew art" sign. I have never turned away work on the basis "I didn't like someones layout"! If they are happy ..... .......I'm happy!
The money is good too!
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Depends on how desperate I am for work. If so, I would do like Tony, but would still be tempted to make as many improvements as possible.
I just finished a job which was quite similar, except it was a 'graphic designer'. The job was delayed about a week waiting on the design firm to submit their layout. But when he saw my layout, and ran it by his wife, they chose mine with no changes.
Maybe you should do that, show them a better layout, and if they do object, explain to them why yours is better.
Posted by Jeff Wisdom (Member # 6193) on :
I would say, "okay so you want to use this as your art?" Well you won't mind if I have my son do the sign work do you? (My son is 7 years old) LOL
Posted by W. R. Pickett (Member # 3842) on :
Curt, Use the second line of your post.
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
Buh-bye.
Posted by Bill Lynch (Member # 3815) on :
Same old debate...but which is worse, nephew art or bad professional designs? If a company with 20 trucks to letter handed you a graphics package from their design company that you didn't like, would you have the same problem? As I was driving cross state the other night I started taking a poll of the billboards along the way with only one design criteria, could I read it, over half failed. Not one of those was nephew art.
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
quote:but which is worse, nephew art or bad professional designs?
That is exactly what I ran into yesterday. A client came in with her entourage looking for a price to put her logos on shirts, caps, koozies and a bunch of other stuff for her convenience store and her bar. I told her I would need the logos. She called "xyz signshop" and asked them to e-mail their logos to me.
This is what I got........
These "logos" were "designed" by a "professional" designer working for a "professional" sign shop.
The Roth rat on the chopper looks like it was taken from someone's website and saved at 400dpi.
The dude eating the burger had to come from some crappy $29.99 clipart package. I can't even begin to describe the quality and construction of the vector file. And the font choice.
The sad thing is that I know the sign shop owner pretty well. He's a nice guy. I just don't get it.
[ May 11, 2010, 05:07 PM: Message edited by: Glenn Taylor ]
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
Bill, I play the "try to read the billboard " game too and , yes, at least half fail if not more.
Glenn, I don't get it either but unfortunately it's the way things are now. "Professional" designers are trained somewhere, often in schools. Somewhere along the line standards went in the toilet.
Can you imagine somebody with this ability applying for a job at a sign shop 30 years ago?
I like the guys clear hat.
Posted by Marge Cameron (Member # 11336) on :
HAHAHA, good catch on the hat!
I don't do the quality or quantity of sign jobs you guys do, but I do get this a LOT with bike work. Somebody's got a mishmash of stuff they pulled from the web, & they want it all crammed on there with no rhyme or reason. Or the idea is just plain stupid, sorry to say.
I usually say something to the effect of "well, I can see why you'd like something like this on your bike (struggle to find something complimentary to say), but I'm afraid sometimes a cool concept doesn't translate that well to an actual bike design. The problem we might run into is (describe why it doesn't work). But if we maybe do something like this instead (show what would be better), then I think you'll wind up a lot happier in the long run."
99% of the time, they trust my judgement. For the other 1%, I've actually said "sorry, I don't think I'm the painter you're looking for". If I really needed the money & it wasn't just horribly embarrassingly stupid, I've done a couple small jobs like helmets that I have "forgotten" to sign.
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
George, you missed the semi-transparent hamburger. Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Bill nailed it...
quote:If a company with 20 trucks to letter handed you a graphics package from their design company that you didn't like, would you have the same problem?
Artistic integrity is one thing...making money is what it is all about..Well, maybe not for some folks..but making money sure does help a bit for most.
[ May 11, 2010, 09:19 PM: Message edited by: Dave Grundy ]
Posted by Curt Stenz (Member # 82) on :
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