20 Awesome Things About Being a Sign Pro

Adapted From: Signs of The Times

To read the full article on their website go to: 40 Awesome Things About Being a Sign Pro (signsofthetimes.com)

1. As a design professional, you have a huge impact on the visual environment of the cities and towns where you live.
2. It’s out there for thousands of people to see.
3. Knowing your work on a sign played a role in a business owner’s success.
4. When the 5 p.m. news comes on and there’s a story about a successful local business, and while the camera focuses on the reporter and the owner, in the background, all you can see is — ta-da! — your sign.
5. You can sign-browse pretty much everywhere — malls, airports, arenas, cosmopolitan European cities or large-scale amusement parks.
6. The chance to embrace new technologies and products to stay ahead of the curve.
7. Taking a tired-looking business and completely reinvigorating it with an exciting new sign.
8. Designers, Colorists, Engineers, Electricians, Welders, Installers, Salesmen. Name another industry that requires such diverse skills.
9. Telling you friends you did the signs at a local restaurant. And when they ask which sign, you answer “All of them. Every single one.”
10. Showing clients and friends projects you’ve worked on — from drive thru signs to mall storefronts — and watching their faces as they realize that the scope of what you do is a lot bigger than they thought.
11. Every day is a new challenge. The materials we use include polycarbonate, acrylic, aluminum, steel and more. Plus, multiple ways to illuminate the final product.
12. The excitement of seeing a project go from a napkin scribble to a digital rendering to a physical, tangible product.
13. How the general public underestimates the amount of creative thinking sign professionals have to do. It’s not just about designing signs — though creativity is critical to great design. It’s about being creative when choosing materials, solving problems, finding efficiencies.
14. When the client tells you, “It looks even better in person!”
15. Walking away from a beautiful, finished installation.
16. You are an expert in a field where customers are completely in the dark. No matter how many hours of research they do on the Internet, the average client can’t just go and put a sign on their property. They need you.
17. Knowing which materials to use depending on the project. It takes research to keep up with new products and how they work. It’s something that only comes with time and experience, and most of my clients take for granted.
18. Working with hundreds of nationally recognized food chains and retail stores as well as very well-known hospitality brands.
19. The variety of problem-solving you get to do. So much of the job is planning to make the difficult simple. Reducing complexity is an art. Planning and thought are required in abundance.
20. Getting to explain what the sign business actually entails to those who think signage just magically appears on buildings. They are always surprised (and impressed) by the number of moving parts — site visits, design, mock-ups, production drawings, fabrication, quality control, engineering, public-safety logistics (land/sidewalk closures, transportation/shipping and installation).