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I've been working for a long time on this one, I think I may be closing in it finally. The client wants a sunset with a combine, it's real easy to slip into cheesy! Suggestions for improvement are welcome.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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I think you may be carving out a fun niche market there Kelly!
Nice design.
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8739 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Thanks for your comments. Bruce, I thought that light area might be too distracting, I didn't notice it until after I posted it. I'm not so sure about the posts in general, they may be a bit too gingerbread-ish.
Dave and Pat, the number of farms in our area has been cut by about 2/3 in the past 20 years. Most of the farms around now are huge. Last year was a bad one due to a very wet spring and excess water all year. Still, a sign is a drop in the bucket when these folks are forking out 100s of 1000s of dollars every season on inputs.....
Dan, I do 4 or 5 farm signs a year, I suppose if I advertised better I could increase that amount, but I'm busy enough. I guess it's time to raise my prices again.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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I think I'd like a bit more bulk to the 7-o'clock position (bottom left) of the first S though-it just needs a bit more bulk there I feel as an initial letter. Also, for the F, the top left serif could be enlarged & dragged back left into the empty space between the words a bit more than it is. The bottom of the F could be a bit more horizontal, too so it doesn't lead your eye down into the ground so much... For a big F, it looks very narrow. (sorry to sound critical-just thinking aloud )
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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The sunset is beautiful, but if it was lighter, the combine would stand much out better. I agree with you that there are too many posts. Bill
-------------------- Bill Riedel Riedel Sign Co., Inc. 15 Warren Street Little Ferry, N.J. 07643 billsr@riedelsignco.com Posts: 2953 | From: Little Ferry, New Jersey, USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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Maybe one post per side and maybe turn them into grain looking design....corn or wheat? The two posts make it look like a funeral home. Agree with Bill on lightening up the landscape and maybe keep the contrast of the machinery dark? Why the white background on the panel with the names?
-------------------- Preston McCall 112 Rim Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 text: 5056607370 Posts: 1557 | From: Santa Fe, New Mexico | Registered: Nov 1998
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There was a company in central Kansas in the 40s and 50s that did some very illustrative and fanncy cattle ranch signs all over the state. They were out of Wichita. I remember seeing them everywhere, but they were just painted steel or plywood, I recall. The cattle illustrations were very good. They used to advertise in a magazine called "Grass and Grain" published somewhere out here, I guess. You might look into any similar local farm publications and maybe even get an article written about you or advertise there. Direct mail would also probably work. Surely there are farm address directories of your area? Interesting niche market!
-------------------- Preston McCall 112 Rim Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 text: 5056607370 Posts: 1557 | From: Santa Fe, New Mexico | Registered: Nov 1998
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It will likely be cedar. The wheat & border will be routed and the Sanden Farms will be routed letters on an add on panel. I think I'll hog out the pictorial area to make it recessed about 1/2 and then sandblast the sunset area and leave the combine/truck silhouette flat.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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the post alone are a beautiful element of the sign...but I'm wondering the same as you...are they too ornate for a farm sign...everyone loves the pictorial...the beautiful blends of color in the sunset will certainly draw attention...I have some problem with the silhouette however...no one else has mentioned it so it might be just me...but I would like to see a more recognizable shape...maybe the dark line in the sunset that cuts behind the silhouette is confusing the shape...they look to be almost the same value...replacing that dark line with one of the other sunset colors not as dark would make those shapes stand out from the sky and be more definable...also I would replace any white in the sky with color as well...another beautiful design.
I like the sunset photograph. And I like how you incorporated a 'wheat' filigree into the sign... and I think the LHF Signmaker's font *could* work.
Here's where you might reconsider:
* Less posts (as suggested above) * The sign structure itself doesn't say 'farm' to me... I get more of an Insurance Agency, or upscale business feel from it. Can you come up with something less 'City' in favor of something more 'Country?' * I didn't know the silhouette was a combine until I read it... I thought it was a large digger with the arm extended. Can you work the silhouette so that you see more of a 3/4 view... with the combine taking out a swath of corn? Showing the 'teeth' of the combine so-to-speak? * I like the LHF Signmaker's font... but the colors of the white w/black seem very harsh laid upon the pastel green. Also wondering if a combo of white (or Cream) and grass green might be more 'farm' color for the entire sign monument. * I'm picturing a monument that has an arched top, with a rail following the arch about 4 inches off the arch - attached to the arch with 'spokes'.... to bring in a country appeal. And tweaking the balance of the monument get a more 'country' feel. * Owner's names feel a bit 'jammed in'.... not sure about the script font with the decorative LHF Signmaker's font.
Sorry, lot's of critique here - but with the best of intentions and it's always good to get a look from a fresh set of eyes.
Consider what makes sense and trash the rest.
-------------------- Todd Gill Outside The Lines Potterville, MI Posts: 7792 | From: Potterville, MI | Registered: Dec 2001
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Aftre spending so much time on it, I decided to give my brain a rest and revisited it today. I'm going to change the white portion of the sign to a darker colour, remove two of the posts, lighten the sunset and remove the dark streak and refine the silouette. All the colours on the sign are picked up from in the sunset. The white is actually a cream and the black is a dark reddish brown, but I'll try and soften them a bit. Thanks for all the feedback, whether I use your suggestion or not, there are so many ways to do something and it's good to have fresh eyes.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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