Signmaking Tips for Equipment Purchases, Graphics Shipments and More

ABOVE PHOTO: GABE GRIFFIN, CLEAR SIGN & DESIGN

“Sit down and read. Educate yourself for the coming conflicts.” — Mother Jones

EQUIPMENT Wise Investments

1 Jack Thurmon, Jack’s Signs & Graphics (Washington, GA), advises purchasing a Van Ladder bucket truck with every attachment. “Makes installation for all types of signs and large banners much easier and quicker,” he says. Rita Siprak-Weill, Minuteman Press Annapolis (Annapolis, MD), puts in a good word about the inexpensive online app Topaz, which can clean up poor-quality artwork and images.

PROJECTS Swift and Streamlined

2 D10 Signs + Graphics (Kirkland, WA) has made an impactful change by building a structured, automated follow-up system for every bid they submit, says owner Tricia Samuel. “Instead of relying on memory or manual tracking, we now trigger a series of follow-ups at set intervals: 3, 7, 15, 30, 45 and 60 days. Each touchpoint has a purpose: confirming receipt, offering value engineering, checking where we landed competitively and re-engaging if the project stalled,” she explains. Up north and west, Perry Yaremchuk, City of Kelowna (Kelowna, BC, Canada), tries to reduce the “20 questions” game after an order is placed by creating fillable PDFs with unique requirements for specific departments.

INSTALLATION This Side Up

3 “When shipping graphics, please make sure you roll them up in order whenever possible!” emphasizes Matthew Taylor of Galaxy Sign Co. (Seattle), adding that you should roll from bottom up so that they are ready for install once unboxed. “Seems like a basic thing but we receive so many boxes that are disorganized, not only does it add time to the install, it increases the risk of graphics getting damaged or dirty whenever we have to reorganize a shipment on site.” Meanwhile, Gayle Goodman Lynch, It’s A Good Sign (Dallas, TX), has tightened up site surveys with one simple statement: “Measure twice, cut once.”

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO

RELATIONSHIPS Finding Respect

4 CAT Graphics Inc. (Great Falls, MT) is now charging for logo files based on how many hours the designer spent on them, says owner Carey Gray. To the east, Edward DeZuzio of Butler Sign Co. (Wayne, NJ) suggests trading jobs for a week or two, even a day or just an hour, if you are frustrated with a co-worker or boss. “This will help develop respect for the workload or position or person,” he explains.

MANAGEMENT Bad News Blocker

5 When things run smoothly, you need to resist the urge to “improve” what’s working. Jason Fried, co-founder and CEO of 37signals, makers of Basecamp project management software, suggests asking, “What problem does this solve?” before implementing any change that has the potential to create new problems. If you can’t name a real issue, it is best to leave the process or status quo alone.

MANAGEMENT Talk to the Rubber Duck

6 Software engineers have a trick called rubber-duck debugging. When a line of code won’t cooperate, you explain the problem out loud — step by step — to a rubber duck on your desk. More often than not, the solution surfaces within a few sentences. No consultant needed. No emergency phone calls. Just a duck. It turns out that the act of actually articulating a problem forces your brain to organize it in a way that passive worrying never does. “Rubber-duck debugging” works with a houseplant, a pet or even an empty chair. Give it a try. The next time a thorny sign challenge has you stuck, try talking it through. Out loud. The duck won’t judge.