Truck Sign

[ghostcreek]

Gosh, got a small herd of Goats. Make Cheese, but most Important, they clear the grass & brush. I hate weed wacking. Live here on 10 acres, Fire country. The Fire season is almost here, (end of June). Goats pay for themselves! The inlay idea has sparked me again. You got me looking througn the lumber racks. Red Cedar, Doug. Fir, Cherry, Mahogany, Maple, Red Oak & Redwood. Lets see what combo I can put togeather....

[ghostcreek]

Inlays, I see it now. Quite a cut-out, but looks like a challenge.

[dakers]

You have all that wood plus goats.
We have tooth picks and one gold fish that died. Grankids were out of town and we overfed the fish.

[dakers]

Michael, Your first design is sufficient. i always make things too complicated. I am an options person who never comes to solutions. just keep thinking of more options except when i met my wife. I knew she was the one.

[joe]

Michael,

There hasn't been much discussion about materials, panel shapes or colors.

Here's a suggestion. How about a DriftWood apprarance. This would go with the GhostCreek title. A light weathered gray would work well with cleanly finished Mahagony or Cypress letters. They could be pocketed. If these were finished in a bright red mahagony, they'd look good against the gray weathered backgound.

For the smaller copy, a Mahagony V carved banner could be pocketed.

When coming up with concepts or designs, I often ask myself what would it look like if Walt Disney was doing it, or how would Norman Rockwell view it.

When it's your time to get up to bat, it's best to try for a homerun. This is one where you could take it out of the park.

Happy routing
Joe
www.normansignco.com

[ghostcreek]

Thanks Joe, I thought I had a simple idea for my work trucks. I have gotten so many great ideas and suggestions, I feel lost. I am taking a step back, and trying to:
1) Advertise my business,
2) Show off my work,
3) Make a sign I would be proud of.
I wonder if a sign can be "too fancy" for my target audience. When I get a job for a local business sign, the comment I hear most often, I want it to look like it did in the 1800's! Made alot of Red Cedar & Redwood signs for customers that have the pocketed area weathered, then the letters/logo a bright color. Anyway, I am looking for a modern/nostalgia feel to it. Am I off base here? I really want to succeed here.
Thanks again to all the suggestions.
Michael

[dakers]

Michael, i think the middle design Joe did answers all you said you want for your target. it is a good one.

[ghostcreek]

Thanks Dick,
But I am also in love with some of the designs you showed, the decision on which direction to lean is killing me!

43267.jpg

43268.jpg

[rb99]

The blue creek might be hard to render and look really good...

RB

[powerlsc]

Michael,

Just pick one and us it as a learning tool. Nice thing about signs is they are easily changed and updated as you grow. Point is to get your sign out there and let it do its work.

I think you are probably putting a lot of pressure on yourself to produce the "perfect" sign. I'm sure if you polled everyone here they'd tell you it's easier to come up with tons of ideas for a client than for yourself.

Just dive in with one Of Dick's terrific ideas and you'll get over your initial design hump.

Thanks everyone for your design software info. I'm waiting for a CD in the mail now, have subscibed to "lynda" tutorials and am moving forward. Appreciate the input.

Found out I can get a substantial discount on software as a teacher or student.