posted
Oh joy. Another graphic file from yet another kitchen-table designer. Be still my beating heart.
This sign is for a party-supply store. The designer came in with a color printout of this monstrosity - lettering that flows in a distortion-button-happy wriggle across a background stuffed to bursting with balloons, stars, confetti and champagne bottles. At first I refused. This is not going to work as a sign, says I. Too busy, too much competition with the copy. She went away, then a week later came back with essentially the same design, somewhat (but not enough) simplified. So I threw out a VERY high price designed to scare her away. That didn't work - a few days later I get an envelope in the mail with a deposit check and a disk. She assured me that everything - all the icky crap in the background - was vectorized, ready to output, and like an idiot I cashed the deposit check and said, hey, how bad can it be?
First, I have to offer my thanks to Bob Rochon, without whom I never would have got this masterpiece into Omega. Yes, everything was vectorized - all seventy-two layers of it. The outline of the sign was drawn on every one of those layers, as I discovered when the plotter kept going over them again and again and again. I spent an extra coupla hours cleaning up the double strokes on the copy and all the miscellaneous clutter, a wearying and heartbreaking task, kind of like picking fleas off a dog, to produce a relatively workable pattern.
Honest to Christ, the next nitwit that comes through the door with one of these horror shows gets charged a 500% ugly fee, above and beyond whatever their client pays for a sign. Either that or they start screening people who buy graphics programs. Here. Go design something and come back. If it's as awful as I think it will be, you aren't allowed to have a computer.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
Hey Steve. Can we get an graemlin that indicates beating my head against a wall? The ones here just don't sufficiently convey my subtle nuances of emotion.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
whats with that glen taylor post....all that space and never said anything......??????
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Hi!!!! Brian O'Prey here, currently resident in Mazeppa. Get rid of ALL computer nonsense.....problem elliminated!!!! Or as Arnie would say....terminated!!!
-------------------- Mike Meyer Sign Painter 189 1st Ave n P.O. Box 3 Mazeppa, Mn 55956
We are not selling, we are staying here in Mazeppa....we cannot re-create what we have here....not in another lifetime! SO Here we are!!!!!!!
posted
Time too make another sign to post near your counter. To go next to the one about IF YOU APPLY IT You Warranty IT ! Time is money, Customer supplied designs and files, are charged per layer of design elements. Better count layers before the job qoute next time.
-------------------- PTSideshow, been there, probally done that. Wizard Works Show Supply Magic Props FX Signage Banners Ect. Posts: 120 | From: Mount Clemens,MI,USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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O'Prey!!!! How the hell are ya Laddie! Glad to hear you are in Mazeppa where Meyers are Men and Buffaloes are Nervous!
Actually you may be glad to hear (or may not give a shyte) that I am actually PAINTING this sign. There was just no way to muck about with this thing with vynull.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
One could always stipulate that outside computer files be provided as a single layer, vectorized encapsulated postscript file with a 72 dpi tagged image format preview.
That should weed out lots of crap.... certainly not all.
-------------------- Glenn S. Harris
....back in the sign trade full time. Posts: 293 | From: Baton Rouge, LA, USA | Registered: Jul 2001
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i tell these customer to get a copy of PRINT ARTIST.......which i have on my computer, then when they bring me a disk with there design...i show em how much nicer i can make it!!!!.....then i copy/paste into corel.....some programs work from one to the other....
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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I doubt it would help, most of these nitwits have brains smaller than pimples, I recently asked a designer to convert text to curves on a job, the B*tch looked at me like I had 3 heads.
And Cam was right the thing was butt ugly. I feel bad he painted it I cant imagine having to focus on every stroke.
-------------------- Bob Rochon Creative Signworks Millbury, MA 508-865-7330
"Life is Like an Echo, what you put out, comes back to you." Posts: 5149 | From: Millbury, Mass. U.S. | Registered: Nov 1998
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Holy cow, you must work here! I always enjoy your posts. We have open laughter time when these people leave our shop. I hope these people never go away. If you charge appropriatly, they are cheap entertainment, and break the boardom.
""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3503 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
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Kissy where something exceeds the yuk level
U.G.L.Y = Under Ground Levy, Yuk! (where the design should be stored) U.G.L.Y = Utterly Gross Limit, Yuk! (self explanitory) U.G.L.Y = Uncle Goobers Latest Yuk (family designs)
someone who is way smarted than me (everyone)could come up with something that works here
Mr O'Prey.... if we got rid of ALL computer nonsense (even the good puter stuff) then you would have to design for all of us for ever, which would leave you no time for drinking... think about it bro!
I think the old standard works here, if the customer wants to watch it costs 10% more... if they want to help its 25% more... but if they intend to create their own sign layouts then tell them when next they are at the butcher shop they should ask for an extra sheet of paper, then they should borrow the butchers big black marker pen... AND DO THE WHOLE BLOODY LOT THEMSELVES!
cheers gail
-------------------- Gail & Dave Hervey Bay Qld Australia
gail@roadwarriorproducts.com.au
sumtimes ya just gota! Posts: 794 | From: 552 O'Regans Creek Rd Toogoom Qld 4655 Australia | Registered: Nov 1998
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I love it. Sorta like the PITA fee, only different. But I have to ask, exactly could we word that on the invoice?
I have what I call the "You SUCK!!" fee.
It encompasses everything into one useful phrase, whether it's crappy vector art, a compressed JPEG snagged off the web, a lousy hand sketch, tiny crap that's tough to weed, or attitude I don't feel like dealing with.
Fortunately most of my customers are involved in motorsports and have thicker skins, so when I actually shout "YOU SUCK!!!" at them, it doesn't put them out too badly.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
It is amazing that it usually takes more time to duplicate an UGLY design than it would to just design them something from the beginning.
We have a company that we do steady work for that does "imprintables". We turn about 1 or 2 crappy designs into crappy camera-ready art every day. Learned a while back that it isn't worth the effort to create a decent design for them. Some times you just do what they ask, take the money, and run.....and NEVER claim them.
-------------------- Joe Endicott NEXCOM (Navy Exchange Service Command) Signing Programs Specialist Virginia Beach, VA jeendicott@msn.com
"I want to be Stereotyped....I want to be Classified." Posts: 681 | From: Virginia Beach, VA USA | Registered: Mar 1999
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I doubt it would help, most of these nitwits have brains smaller than pimples, I recently asked a designer to convert text to curves on a job, the B*tch looked at me like I had 3 heads. ......etc.
Exactly, if they don't understand the terminology, then you can't use their file.
The guy who does water-jet cutting for us requires a DXF file that is emaculate. He won't clean up JACK, won't convert JACK.... basically, if you can't supply the final vector art with the absolute minimum nodes possible in DXF format, he doesn't touch it.
He will however refer some of these jacklegs to me & I charge-em $75 an hour $200 minimum!
-------------------- Glenn S. Harris
....back in the sign trade full time. Posts: 293 | From: Baton Rouge, LA, USA | Registered: Jul 2001
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Brian back again. I keep entering Letterville from my own Email address but it keeps coming up 'Mike Meyer' (probably as I'm using his computer). No puns intended!!! Anyway.....Good idea Gail and Dave, but there will always be time for drinking, and travelling. Work hard, play hard......you're a long time dead. At the moment Mike is making the most of my hand-drawn masterpieces straight from the mainframe.....where the neurons keep on going when lesser machines can't cope. Hope you're keepin well Cam, and G&D.
-------------------- Mike Meyer Sign Painter 189 1st Ave n P.O. Box 3 Mazeppa, Mn 55956
We are not selling, we are staying here in Mazeppa....we cannot re-create what we have here....not in another lifetime! SO Here we are!!!!!!!
posted
Nothing like having a customer who gave Aunt Gertie a computer (for emailing the grandkids) the chance to design a personalized and "computer accurate" sign. They love Aunt Gertie and think anything she creates is a masterpiece, but I'm not gonna have here peering over my shoulder, incessantly asking me why it won't work (unless, of course she is drop dead gorgeous, in which I will make an exception from time to time.
Too bad Aunt Gertie couldn't tell a bitmap from Mapquest.
"Aunt Gertie" fee - 3X PITA fee (2X if she's a hottie)
Then there's the "computer graphics graduate" who has worked on a design for 6 months that they will need reproduced as a sign of for his own fledgling business. Opening the email he sent you (he ONLY uses email in this computer driven society) will only prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that he has never touched a pencil in his life and that clip art designers worldwide will have job security for aeons to come.
I weep for the future.
Computer Graphics Graduate fee - 10X PITA for all the time I spend reading his "technically accurate" emails which are now as frequent as those from Viagra spammers on speed. (8X if she's a hottie )
I dunno about anyone else here, but I'm always talking to the 10 year old kid first. They always seem to come up with the coolest ideas and can describe them in great detail without slapping it out on a disk and saying "It's absolutely gotta look like that!" Some of the best stuff I've done over the years came from ideas a customer's kids have had. I've spent hours doing stuff on race cars, not because of any other reason than it was such a cool idea, I WANTED TO SEE IT, TOO!!!
And the best part is they don't try to tell me how to do my job, they just say "Cool, thanks!"
Think I'll spend the day in the cereal isle and get some good ideas... Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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At first I refused. This is not going to work as a sign, says I. Too busy, too much competition with the copy. She went away, then a week later came back with essentially the same design, somewhat (but not enough) simplified. So I threw out a VERY high price designed to scare her away. That didn't work - a few days later I get an envelope in the mail with a deposit check and a disk. She assured me that everything - all the icky crap in the background - was vectorized, ready to output, and like an idiot I cashed the deposit check and said, hey, how bad can it be? ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
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