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So today, I meet with this restaurant owner about his new signs at his new restaurant. We had already gone through the design process etc. I'm in his office with three other guys. This one guy looks at my design and says that restaurants are now down scaling their signs etc. I said too late already got the bracket made. Then he starts in about a few other things I designed. Then I abruptly say "Who are you?". He says he's this restaurant designer, he did so and so restaurants in Seattle. I said, "Never heard of them!" Then he makes mention about the shape that the sign is cut, he says it should be more simple. Then with my big mouth, I say, "Oh yeah, let's make it more simple like all of the other boring looking sign around town" You should have seen my eyes too.Then the guy goes back to his laptop and says, "Well you guys decide what you want" Then the restaurant guy says he'll call me later. Back in the parking lot, the salesguy from Sysco foods told me this guy has desinged restaurants all mover the world. BFDeal! He got a kick of how I talked to this guy. I was ready for a fight. Bring it on! Funny, but ever since I got dianosed with leukemia, I dont' give a flying phart about a lot of stuff, and I'm not as shy about opening my mouth and letting it out.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3812 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
Mention 'DESIGNER' and I tell the client to take a hike. Had one last week. A kitchen designer try to tell me how much I should charge, what fonts and that I should do it on the outside for better visibility....the temp was 25. She asked me if I could get it done on Friday and no, she was only willing to go 45% of my regular fee. She did offer to tell other deigners about me. She said I had to include all the other designers and architects names whom work with her...3" tall and helvetica, but she would have to send me the list. Of course it is seen from the street, 100 feet away?
I smiled and waved. Needless to say she is still out there looking for some desperate soul to get her winders done. Might have to go in there and ask one of her 'designers' to draw up a proposal for my kitchen and teach her about paybacks. You know: granite, new cabinets, move some things, measure everything, add some odd appliances and ask them if they finance with no money down once I get the proposal. DESIGNERS!
When I owned the gallery in Santa Fe, I used to get designers come in and try to take work out to places to see if it would work. Of course they would not mention names and balked when I asked for a signature on a contract. They wanted 30% off and wanted weverything de-framed. Artists really love having someone remove their frames and try to sell a naked piece, just so some designer can make a killing on some other frame. Needless to say, nary a designer ever bought anything.
-------------------- Preston McCall 112 Rim Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 text: 5056607370 Posts: 1552 | From: Santa Fe, New Mexico | Registered: Nov 1998
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quote:Originally posted by Alicia B. Jennings: Funny, but ever since I got dianosed with leukemia, I dont' give a flying phart about a lot of stuff, and I'm not as shy about opening my mouth and letting it out.
When have you ever been shy.....?
-------------------- Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain ! Jim Moser Design 13342 C Grass Valley Ave. Grass Valley, Ca. 95945 530-273-7615 jwmoser@att.net Posts: 488 | From: Grass Valley, Ca. | Registered: May 2006
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Here is the most selective words I've heard.
1. let me get with my partner 2.let me see if it will fit 3.let me talk to my wife 4.after we hired that add agency..we're over budget 5.the gold light fixtures,gold railing,and all these plants cost more than we planed. 6.we will buy a nice sign after we start making some money but we might call you and let you make a big banner about maybe 4 feet long. 7.my nephew took art in school and he can paint something real nice on the windows,this will help him out. 8.if we buy the sign from you,maybe a little bit smaller, can we make payments. 9.i appreciate all the help you can give us and if we let you make our sign ,we will tell everybody who did it and we will sell some for you. 10.We're trying to save some money.
11.Sir,just sit there for a moment and relax while I go to my truck. I guess he finished relaxing and it finaly hit his money saving brain,that I had driven away.
-------------------- Bill Wood Bill Wood, Sign Artist 3628 Ogburn Ave., NE Winston-Salem, NC 27105-3752 336-682-5820 Posts: 397 | From: Winston-Salem, NC | Registered: May 2006
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Overall, I still sent him a quote on the signs. Hey, a job a job. I even uped them a bit. Let them curse me, as long as I get to get some dough and stick it my oven.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3812 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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I've found many times that I'd slow down and might learn something from some of these successful designers. I'd proceed with humility hoping to improve my understanding. Mostly, I learned that I knew more about my subject than they did but lacked some credentials.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6712 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Shouldn't restaurant designers design restaurants and leave signs for sign designers??? I mean yes, the signs should go with the restaurant general design and theme, but I am sure your design does.
I am a sign designer. So I think today I will design an airplane. Or perhaps I should think about subways. Yes, I think I will design a subway system today. Maybe I could incorporate airplanes in my subway system. Oh the possibilities being a designer.
-------------------- Deri Russell Wildwood Signs Hanover, Ontario
You're just jealous 'cause the little voices only talk to me. Posts: 1904 | From: Hanover, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Dec 1998
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My design is my design. My price is my price. I don't work for free! To close, if you were to tell everyone that I did this job for your price I will surely go out of business by the end of the year. Here is my card, call me when your are ready to get it done and I will need the total cost of the job up front.
My goal in 2011 is to stop chasing the money and let the money chase me. So far so good!
Neal
-------------------- Neal Bickham Greatness Industry 10800 Morrison Road Suite 103 New Orleans,LA 70127 greatind@aol.com Posts: 48 | From: New Orleans,La,USA | Registered: Mar 2000
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Today the restaurant owner called me, appologized and then he wants me to start on the signs,,,the way I designed them. "I win!" I might just put the sentence "Who are you!" on the bug shield of my truck. I'm such a brat.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3812 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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Nice to have reached a nice ending to the tale Alicia!!!
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
posted
This might call for yet another one of my home made videos. I will call it "What do you do?"
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3812 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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-------------------- aka:Cisco the "Traveling Millennium Sign Artist" http://www.franciscovargas.com Fresno, CA 93703 559 252-0935 "to live life, is to love life, a sign of no life, is a sign of no love"...Cisco 12'98 Posts: 3576 | From: Fresno, Ca, the great USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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I'm in the process of working with one of these clowns in the bay area. The designs aren't too bad, but somebody needs to teach him how to read a scale ruler and do a survey. Nothing he draws fits the actual building and he can't understand why things don't look like his pretty pictures.It ain't rocket science but some of these guys just don't get it.
posted
Your overt and disarming charm must have won him over, Dr. Jennings. Trying to not act smug can be so humilitating at the conclusion of the project when you look between your pinkies and see the fat check and want to make one last stab at how you feel about 'them designers'.
I recall many years ago I had a client that was a total pain during a project. He constantly kept pushing the deadline and acting like the world would end if we were not done on time. He complained about everything and had to make nasty bitter comments at the check writing ceremony at the end. I could not hold my tongue any longer after I had the check and dressed him down with some vehement and acrimonious words. Well, that was a stupid mistake. He sued me for unprofessional business behavior. It did cost me additional grief and the expensive advice of an attorney. He blabbed on and on in court all the heresay that he had accumulated about my operation and complained bitterly about the dress down at the end. The judge actually laughed and slammed down the gavel saying 'DISMISSED'. He reminded me that had I entered 'pleadings' he would have awarded me amount equal to the cost of the job and advised me to get a better lawyer. I walked out of there trimuphant, however it was short lived, as he appealed the insane case into District Court where it cost me again the expensive advise of another attorney. Again, it was thrown out before it came to trial as being a meaningless use of the court's time. The bitter end came two years later when the man crash landed his motorcycle into a concrete abutment and has remained in a wheelchair ever since. The lesson I learned was to just smile and wave when they hand you the gitas...and no.... I had nothing to do with the placemnt of that concrete abutment.
-------------------- Preston McCall 112 Rim Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 text: 5056607370 Posts: 1552 | From: Santa Fe, New Mexico | Registered: Nov 1998
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Bill's list made me laugh, today I finished a sign for a local bike shop..."If you have to ask the wife, you don't belong here."
-------------------- Frank Magoo, Magoo's-Las Vegas; fmagoo@netzero.com "the only easy day was yesterday" Posts: 2365 | From: Las Vegas, Nv. | Registered: Jun 2003
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Hi Alecia, this may be unwelcome advice and if so you can tell me to keep my nose out. A friend of mine has leukemia also. She was given a drug called "Bleavik" (probably spelled wrong). Anyway she has been if full remission for several years now. Just a heads up in case you didn't already know.
-------------------- John Browning JBG John Browning Graphics 439 East St Hebron CT Posts: 75 | From: Hebron Ct | Registered: May 2008
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At this point, I don't need any type of treatment. It's just something in my blood, my bone marrow, no biggie for now. With the Grace of God, I may never need treatment. I have CCL leukemia. The "C meaning chronic is a good thing. It means that it's something I can live with for a very long time.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3812 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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I mean yes, the signs should go with the restaurant general design and theme, but I am sure your design does. ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
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