School of Sign Arts Blog for Sign Huggers

How to maximize your best advertising investment!

2012-01-23T18:39:00.000-08:00

Let's take a look at effective sign design. Really, take a look. This is Part One of a few posts that will be a refresher to most, and new to some, with respect to legible, readable signage!

Getting the Message Across

The US Small Business Administration tells us that an on-premise sign is by far the most effective form of advertising for small business. In fact, they attribute the lion’s share of retail business success rates to a visible sign. Why? Because university and other surveys have consistently revealed that 49% of new customers patronized the business because they saw the sign!

How do you maximize this invaluable resource? Here are some tips (though the entire science of signs involves much more, this will be a great start):

· See Image #1. Letter-height: Don’t make your prospective customers go through an eye exam! An effective sign must be legible from a distance. Generally, letters with a taller, wider “stroke” can be read from further away. See the official letter-height viewing charts below as well. With an aging population, this becomes more important, and larger, visible signs reduce fender benders!

· See Image #2. Contrast: A lack of contrast can create big problems for any sign design. Letters that blend in with their backgrounds become illegible at moderate distances. There is no good reason to make address numeral or signage blend into a building’s color scheme. This just makes the job of fire fighters or paramedics that much more difficult when they need to find the right location.

· See Image #3. Font Choice: Make your message clear. Sans serif fonts or open typefaces like Verdana tend to be more legible. Use the more decorative fonts sparingly, as those can rarely be easily read at a distance. Limiting your sign to a maximum of two type styles is important. In almost all cases, more than two type styles does nothing to improve the sign, and often makes the message harder to read and look disorganized to the viewer. In their book, Human Factors in Simple and Complex Systems, Robert W. Proctor, Trisha Van Zandt explain that under optimal conditions, for black text on a white background, the font stock width-to-height ratio is ideally 1:6 to 1:8. For white characters on a black field, the optimal ratio is 1:8 to 1:10. Thinner lines for white on black images are required because of a phenomenon called radiation or sparkle. This is where the light color “bleeds” together due to the contrast -the eye’s reaction. From a sign designer's perspective, this makes sense. Yet, I for one acknowledge the joy of finding the right font - something with personality - after literally hours of searching. Some fun fonts (many free) are found here: Graphics Unleashed. From the http://www.lobbypop.me/ blog resource site, "We, as sign designers, are sometimes drawn to a zesty or ornate font, in order to convey a particular spirit or feeling in our messaging. Some typefaces are just designed to stand out from the crowd. To the degree that a typeface has personality, spirit, or distinction, however, it almost always suffers proportionally on the legibility scale."

So, less is more... Unless it's letter height...

Now, take a good look at how readability is influenced by distance, as well as motion. A body in motion (or in this case, a vehicle) is going to need more "advance time" in order to read a message, see an address, comprehend a shop name. In order to accomplish this "early visibility" requirement, larger letter heights are needed.

And, much to everyone's chagrin, we have an aging population to contend with. Not you and me, of course. We're "Young" forever ;)

But with the increasing wisdom evidenced by grey hair, we find that eyesight is not as keen as it once was. It is therefore doubly important that letters be large and visible! Bigger signs, unobstructed, well within the "Cone of Vision" (see next post on the subject) will reduce fende benders.

Much more “science” is available from Sign Biz, Inc. – Call (800) 633-5580.

Did you know? Effective signage can increase sales as much as 65%!

One Dozen Sign Business Arrows

2011-08-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

A nice set of sign benefits you can draw from to assist in guiding and educating your clients. Put these in your quiver and fire at will!

1) Car Wraps Advertising – a great value for your advertising dollar: Statistics from the American Trucking Association and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (a nonprofit group that tracks advertising statistics) indicate that car wraps advertising cost less than $1 per thousand impressions (CPM). Compare that to $2 CPM for static billboards or $22 CPM for a one-day quarter-page newspaper ad, and it’s no wonder that the vehicle wrap industry is steadily growing. Based on this information, vehicle wraps appear to provide the lowest cost per impression of any advertising method.

2) Consumers recall the presence of in-store advertising at the rate of 40 percent, according to new data issued by Point-Of-Purchase Advertising International (or POPAI). The data, derived from more than 1,200 consumer interviews outside a national sample of U.S. convenience stores (or c-stores), illustrates just one of the ways in which in-store advertising displays, signage and kiosks stimulate impulse purchases and build brands. The interviews were conducted by ACNielsen Market Decisions.

3) Just about every specifier and interior designer is familiar with Pantone. Did you know that Pantone selects a "color of the year?" Well, they do and for 2011, Pantone has chosen "Honeysuckle" as the must-have color for this year, a bold pink. What does the selection of Honeysuckle reveal for sign trends of 2011? There is a desire to brighten environments even as we remain conservative with budgets. With those two ideas in mind (merging brighter colors on a limited budget) consider digitally printed graphics inserted into frames or windows signs to give a business a lift, economically!

4) Green LED lighting solution by 3M! Introducing the enlightened union of energy efficiency, brilliance and versatility: An attention-getting new Flexible Light Mat as the perfect LED solution for everyday and custom configuration light boxes of all sizes and shapes. A cost-effective solution for retrofitting your signs! Applications include Light Boxes, Wall Signs, Menu Boards, Street Furniture, Airport Signs, Rail Signs, Canopy Signs, Monument Signs, and Pylon Signs. Ready to give business a lift!

5) If you have noticed that Home Depot is putting QR Codes on their plants and wondered how this works for you, read on! If you scan the code, it takes you to a website for planting instructions. Do YOU have frequently asked questions about your products or services? Create YOUR QR code signage, and direct your customers to particular answers on landing pages on your website!

6) One of the more interesting types of signage that is becoming increasingly popular is on-premise electronic message centers, or EMCs. You may have heard EMCs being referred to as changeable message displays or digital signs. EMCs are not digital billboards. Rather, EMCs are digital signs that are located on the premises of the business, and that advertise goods and services that are provided at the location. We recommend to our customers that in order for EMC signs to be most effective, their brightness should be set at such a level to be visible, readable and conspicuous. The International Sign Association has guidelines in this Report.

7) What is LEED? LEED is the acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a Green Building Rating System. LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability and projects are awarded Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum certification depending on the number of credits achieved. It is important to understand that products themselves are not LEED certified, but that products do contribute points toward obtaining specific building project certification. For Detailed LEED Information Visit the U.S. Green Building Council web page.

8) Market Research and the Importance of Signs! Burger King Corporation conducted a survey over several weeks. The survey results were part of evidence submitted in a legal action brought by Burger King (among others) against Agoura Hills, California, to prevent the removal of its freeway-oriented, high rise on-premise sign as required under a new sign code. Survey Question: How did you first become aware of this restaurant? The spontaneous nature of the QSF visits at 35% has implications for most forms of on-premise signage. (PS: Burger King and its co-plaintiffs won the lawsuit.)

9) Using new technology available only from 3M, overlaminate 8528 is designed to better withstand harsh conditions, such as acid dew, intense UV rays, extreme heat to help prevent discoloration on all parts of a vehicle. 3M is offering the industry's first published warranty for horizontal surfaces. Its gloss and clarity will provide that wet paint look on wraps.

10) Business Image, Identity and Legibility can affect reputation! Corporate identity is the pieces, methods and techniques a company uses to differentiate itself from the rest. It's proven that a company that has a consistent corporate identity is taken much more seriously than those that don't. Using science of conspicuity and legibility, a sign professional is critical to building your identity. Experts now recommend designing signs to accommodate the visual needs of drivers with 20/40 eyesight, which is at least 1" of letter height to 25' of distance! Design Research Click Here

11) Tax Breaks for Sign Purchasers: Deducting the Costs of Signs. Essentially, a business that purchases a sign in 2011 can write it all off this year, which can be very enticing in these tough economic times. Sign customers should be made aware of these bonus depreciation and expensing tools as soon as possible! This webinar is being taught by a veteran D.C. tax attorney and is offered at no charge for ISA members and $99 for nonmembers. For more information, please contact Denise Miller at denise.miller@signs.org.

12) Grocery Stores can establish a "Food Miles" program with the help of signage: A Food Miles program consists of in-store signage that educates shoppers about where and how far away their food has traveled. By participating in the Food Miles program, customers can support thousands of fresh, local options.

Until next time, be your own yardstick.

Once Upon A Sign & Gone With The Wind

2011-05-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

Mark Rugen, Long Time Friend of the Industry, Receives Assistance

Tuscaloosa, AL (May 1, 2011) – Weather officials said more than 175 confirmed tornadoes hit the South and the Midwest April 27-28, and the total, once all is examined, could surpass 300. The twisters caused at least 327 deaths, at least 249 of which were in Alabama, officials said.

One individual whose business was completely wiped away by the tornados in Tuscaloosa is Mark Rugen. Rugen is a many-year veteran of the sign industry, and acknowledged “guru” of sign design as the nation’s only Certified Sign Instructor for Flexi Sign Pro, the leading application for signmakers in the digital sector. His sign shop was destroyed.

Photo of Mark Rugen’s shop site, sent from his cell phone, 5/11/11

What would most of us do if we really lost our business to a natural disaster? It's likely most people would be traumatized. But Mark is smiling. He maintains a “glass half full” attitude even as he reveals that his livelihood’s computers, software, job files, client files, and many printers, laminators and tools are gone, forever. He attributes the demands of his job for saving his life.

“I attended the industry’s big tradeshow, the ISA Expo, in Las Vegas, and the convention for the Sign Biz Network. If I had been in my shop, as usual, I would probably not be here now. I was a thousand miles away, and connecting with my friends at the show and in the Sign Biz network. That is what kept me going.”

During the annual Sign Biz convention this year, Momentum 2011, as the second day of the education program got underway, Rugen donated the shirt off his back, literally, to the Red Cross efforts for Tuscaloosa.

He provided a one-of-a-kind printed shirt that was the last item he ever made in his shop before it was destroyed, to raise funds for tornado victims.

In a spontaneous and energetic auction, his shirt commanded $220 from the winning bidder, Bob Patrician, a Sign Biz Member and owner of Quality Sign & Banner in Newark, CA. See YouTube video, “The Shirt Off His Back” here: http://www.youtube.com/signbiznetwork

And the Sign Biz Network responded with an even bigger commitment to keep Rugen going. “Our network of sign companies stepped up, in a big way. Every job that Mark needs completed, he will sub out to one of our Members. We put out a call to action to every one of our entrepreneurs, and they responded not only with full support to assist Mark, but also with countless expressions of deep support for someone that has always supported this organization,” explains Teresa M. Young, President and CEO of Sign Biz, Inc., whose home office team builds and supports these Sign Biz network entrepreneurial ventures.
To help Mark, give him a call or contact Sign Biz® Inc.: 1-800-633-5580.
Here is the story in images, shot by Rugen on his cell phone when he got home, with his narration:

This is facing what used to be the front door to my shop.

Standing inside my shop where I used to have my desk.

My printer, I think the stand made it!!! LOL! I think the Graphtec cutter is down below it somewhere.

The sign post in front of my shop where our shop sign once hung. This post was about 40 feet tall and solid iron.

The tent is right in front of my old sign shop. There were buildings and homes all around that are leveled. The small home you see in this image actually had tornado survivors. Incredible!

The 15th street where my sign shop was located. Basically the tornado was dead center over the shop and wiped out all the buildings and homes in the area.

Thank you ALL for your understanding, prayers and assistance. You can never know how much it means to me.

For the next several months, I will be getting sign jobs and subbing them out to the Sign Biz organization in an attempt to keep our sign business at least viable.

Our insurance will pay for the building, but all the contents will be a loss... HOWEVER…
There are so many other families whose homes were lost and perhaps even family members.
I consider myself blessed beyond words for the safety of my family as well as the show of support from my business friends.
Thanks everyone!
Mark Rugen
President
http://www.givemehelp.com/

Thank YOU, Mark, for being one of the good guys, and doing so much for the sign industry!
Signhugger :)

TheConnected Entrepreneur-YouTube.mp4

2011-05-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

Cherish is the Word

2011-04-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

This is a new, regular feature of the Signhugger Blog, with the help of Tod Swormstedt, Founder of the American Sign Museum. My purpose, when I approached Tod for this concept, was to draw attention to the ways that signs have been part of our visual lexicon for generations, and how they create a more spirited environment. I want people to look at old signs fondly, feel nostalgia, and respect their design, and especially, their stories….

"...often, I hear it’s the stories I can relate about the signs that make the museum experience unique. I’m told they call this “provenance” in museum speak. Thanks to Teresa M. Young, I will be sharing some of these stories with you."

The Pursuit of a Grand Dame!

It’s as true in the sign industry as it is anywhere else: A project is either easy from moment One or it is difficult all the way through to completion. It’s as though some things are meant to be, and others are meant to be only if you work really, really hard.

Such is the case with items acquired by the American Sign Museum. Tod Swormstedt, the founder and Trustee of the Board which guides the Museum, can spend countless hours tracking down the owner of an abandoned sign, only to discover the object of his desire is now scarred by random battering, and ravaged by time.

In other instances, a beauty of a sign can virtually knock on his door. Like many things in life, that which is out of reach can drive us harder to attain it. As in any endeavor that has passion behind it, the line between caring and obsessing can be a thin one.

How does Tod find his next object to acquire? Well, contrary to romantic belief, Tod does not drive around the country looking for signs. The museum is saving up for a new building – so that sort of largess with money is not in Tod’s job description.

Tod will purchase signs, sometimes on eBay, sometimes from private parties. In other cases, they are donated. And in still other cases, he has to wrestle fate to stake his claim. Take the Big Top Restaurant sign, an experience he is NOT likely to cherish….

“One thing I have figured out, though: The more I “chase” a sign, the less likely the case for a positive outcome,” he says.

The “Big Top” saga can be traced back to at least six year ago when Tod first began receiving phone calls and e-mails about this “cool sign” the museum needed to get.

Indeed, at that time, the sign was cool-- ripe for acquisition, seeing how the business was closed down and the building boarded up. Here's the sign in it's original condition and location at 800 Reading Road in the town of Mason, OH

The 1950’s decade began with Harry Truman in office, Milton Berle was Mr. Television, the Weavers were signing Goodnight Irene, and moviegoers were watching Sunset Boulevard. The 50's were marked by a feeling of optimism, prosperity, and material comfort. Television came of age, the first McDonald's opened and Elvis was the undisputed King. And a burger was .40 cents…

The Big Top Restaurant looked like a vintage Norman Rockwell picture of the 50’s.

The restaurant finally closed around 2005 and the property has been for sale since then. Interested? Here's the listing information: PDF.

Originally displayed in Mason, OH about a half hour from the museum, the sign stood unattended after the closing of the restaurant.

Over the next six years, Tod made at 40-50 phone calls, starting with the City of Mason, and then on to the realtor who had first listed the property. In every case, a helpful contact would assure Tod that the owner of the sign would be informed of the museum’s interest. But despite these many queries and contacts, no return call ever came.

The Hawaiian’s have a word, “Pu Lama” which means both “Torch” and “To care for, treasure, cherish, save.” By this time, Tod was still remembering the sign as she had appeared six years earlier, and was determined to ‘pu lama’ this sign.

He conquers who endures. ~Persius
Late last year, the property was re-listed under another realtor, and it was the agent who finally made it possible to talk to the owner in person. Voila! The sign was now within reach!

In 2005, the paint on the sheet metal was still in relatively good shape. The museum’s policy is to avoid re-painting signs, so this was an important criterion for acquiring a sign.

Like seeing your highschool sweetheart a couple of decades later, sometimes it is better to have the old memories instead of making new ones....

Six years later, there was barely any paint left, and what was worse is that there was a huge “crease” in the bottom cabinet of the three-tier sign—most likely caused by a truck backing into the sign when she was down and out. Not only was the sheet metal caved in, but the entire structural integrity of the sign was now compromised.

This was more than cosmetic: The one-time marvel of a sign may now be past saving. The Museum has some contemplating to do, debating the merits of bringing Big Top back to life.
A hard life, a hard won victory. Sometimes, it is better to let bygones be bygones...

From a lost era, now a faded memory, the Big Top just may be history, like Rockwell’s America and the .40 cent hamburger.

Stay tuned for the story of Suder’s Art Shop next issue – where the spirit of ‘pu lama’ pays off for everyone!

Tod Swormstedt is the founder of the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, OH. He is the former editor and publisher of Signs of the Times magazine. His brother, Wade, currently edits the century-old publication.

Until next time, be your own yardstick.

Where There's a Will, There's a Way!

2011-03-07T18:10:00.000-08:00

"...often, I hear it’s the stories I can relate about the signs that make the museum experience unique. I’m told they call this “provenance” in museum speak. Thanks to Teresa M. Young, I will be sharing some of these stories with you."

The Sign That Lived Up Its Name!
Speedy!

Photo Credit: Dave Dieter – Huntsville Times

The first McDonald’s franchise in Huntsville, AL boasted a sign that said, “Speedy McDonald.” It was circa 1963, and life moved at a slower pace. Then along came “Speedy,” and the McDonald’s franchise was born–on swift food,uniformity, and special sauce.

The Speedy McDonald’s sign was a treasured icon, a piece of history for Huntsville. But its future was to be in jeopardy, if it were not for fate, speed, and persistence!

In March, 2008, Tod Swormstedt received a call from Lamar Osborne of Huntsville, who told him that this local McDonald’s sign was due to come down sometime in the near future due to expansion of the existing store. Osborne had been lovingly maintaining the sign for more than 25 years, so he was concerned that it might end up in the scrap yard. He gave Swormstedt the franchise owner’s name—Steve Johnson—and Swormstedt called Johnson immediately.

“I told him we were definitely interested in the sign, but he said he had to check with corporate to see who actually owned the vintage icon.”

Also at this time, there was a grass roots movement afoot to keep the sign in Huntsville. Swormstedt assured he could certainly understand that, and actually, the American Sign Museum would rather see it stay in its hometown, too. “That’s just how we looked at these vintage icons,” he explained.

Over the next several months,Swormstedt called Johnson a few times to see if Speedy’s fate had been determined. Last word Swormstedt had was that the local historical museum was going to relocate the sign so it could stay in Huntsville. It looked like things were going to work out okay for Speedy.

Then about 4:00 pm on a Friday in late April, Swormstedt got a call from Johnson: “You still interested in the sign?” he inquired. Swormstedt said, “Sure, but what happened?” Apparently, the local museum wasn’t able to raise the money needed to remove, restore and re-install the sign, and so Johnson was offering it to the museum for purchase.Swormstedt beamed. “But,” Johnson said, “there is one catch. You have to get it down by this coming Tuesday because they’re going to begin demolition of the building first thing Wednesday morning.”

It was a tall order as any of you who have crane trucks know... Suddenly, Speedy was more than just a name! With alacrity, Swormstedt contacted Roy Cox at Trav-Ad Signs, Inc. in Huntsville. The secretary told Swormstedt that Roy was out-of-town, but try his cell phone. It was now about 4:45 pm on Friday.

“I finally did get hold of Roy and he told me under normal circumstances he’d be more than glad to help, but all of his trucks were out—spread across Alabama and Mississippi,” said Swormstedt.

Panicking, it occurred to Swormstedt to call Osborne back to see if he had a crane large enough to remove the two-ton sign. “No,” he said. “I’ve just got a bucket truck for maintaining the sign. But there is a guy who used to install signs around here named Ralph Young.”

Osborne continued, telling Swormstedt that Young had originally worked in the sign business and left to start his own crane service—Empire Crane. He added he might have even installed the Speedy sign himself.It was now well past 5 pm on a Friday afternoon. With low expectations, Swormstedt called both of the Empire Crane numbers Osborne had provided, but got the answering machine and left messages.

“I wasn’t really expecting to talk to anyone anyway. So it’s going on 6 pm now and I’m sitting in my office, trying to figure out if there’s anything else I can do right now, and the phone rings. It’s Ralph Young. I explain the situation—about the Tuesday deadline—and he calmly says,“Sure, we can do it.”

"I immediately got on the phone and called Johnson, leaving a message that I found someone who could get the sign down under the tight deadline!”

“Monday morning, Johnson calls back and we agree upon a price. Wow. Maybe this is meant to be.”

True to his word, Ralph had his crew, lead by his son Terry, out first thing Tuesday morning to take down Speedy. The parking lot was crowded with press and local onlookers, wanting to get a last glimpse of the town’s longtime icon.

The job went without a hitch and Terry and crew loaded up Speedy onto a trailer to haul it the two blocks back to their shop yard to await transport to Cincinnati.When they pulled off the primed-out panel which serves as the sign that Speedy is holding, underneath, the original porcelain read “15 cents.” Likewise, prying off the “99” billion had light bulb matrices to indicate whatever “million” McDonald’s reached at the time--a different time, in a slower era.

Tod Swormstedt is the founder of the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, OH. He is the former editor and publisher of Signs of the Times magazine. His brother, Wade, currently edits the century-old publication.

The Broccoli Diaries

2011-02-12T19:26:00.000-08:00

We live in an exciting time in the green and healthy sustainability movement. At no other time in history has the built environment gained such prominence. It is widely accepted that we have a moral imperative to reduce the human-induced ecological impacts on a planet now inhabited by 6.6 billion people and growing by 80 million every year.

For the recent Signage & Graphics Summit, I prepared a segment to support ISA's seminar, "Key Environmental Issues for Signage and Graphics Producers." My portion followed the very comprehensive overview by Sapna Budev, Director of Industrial Programs at ISA , and the very knowledgeable insights provided by Kerry Moore, General Manager, CAO Group.
In 2006 and 2007, environmental sustainability emerged as a “trend” visible in the sign industry. ISA began work in the form of an Environmental Subcommittee – now the Sustainability committee – which I have been pleased to chair since its inception, through 2011, a fourth year in a row. In my own capacity as President of Sign Biz, Inc., I established the EcoSignage.org website late in 2007, and launched the first version in February of 2008 – three years ago.

My topic for the Summit was drawn from that work, as well as from my role for the past 22 years as President/ CEO of the Sign Biz organization, founder of some 200 digital sign companies worldwide. This chain forms a microcosm for study of eco-adoption. We spearhead awareness of sustainability within this network of brick-and-mortar sign companies with many seminars and intranetwork broadcasts of news and topics that embrace environmentalism. Perhaps this group is ahead of the curve when it comes to digital sign companies - I don't know.

Nevertheless, my presentation, titled "Digital Shops Turning Green- How We Got Here & Where We’re Going" reveals an optimistic picture of digital shops and their shades of green, and by contrast, points out the roadblocks presented when sourcing information or products. As I chart the progress of Sustainability within the predominantly digital sign arena – typical shops with 5 to 6 employees, revenues of a half-million on up per annum – we have come a long way. Farther than some realize….

First, a little background: The ‘eco-cops’ of the ’90’s are now the backbone of the environmental movement in the US...

These headlines were from March of 2008. We're three years into the Broccoli Diaries...

More and more companies are getting on the greenwagon and the conversations go beyond corporate responsibility and box checking. No longer is “going green” just the right thing to do—it has become the smart thing to do, too. Thomas Friedman argues in a recent New York Times article that going green should be the centerpiece of U.S. foreign and economic policy, and GE says their efforts are “as economically advantageous as they are ecologically sound.”

Increasing environmental costs along with growing regulatory and consumer pressures for environmentally friendly products have persuaded many sign businesses to consider how to become more eco-conscious.
Interest in and attention paid to sustainability challenges abated in 2009 when organizations were preoccupied with the need to ensure business health amid the downturn. With effects of the downturn subsiding, we saw a renewed interest in sustainability initiatives in 2010.
Though it’s not always a bed of lettuce…

It still translates into a small amount of tangible work relative to the hype surrounding this type of project. A recent survey of 300 supply chain managers by Capgemini puts the disconnect between interest and projects into perspective: From 2009 to 2010, the percentage of respondents who felt sustainability was an important business driver almost doubled.

The percentage of projects respondents planned to undertake in 2010, on the other hand, increased by only 4%. InfoTrends reports that 40% of printer clients in the UK are requesting sustainable products, vs. only 20% in the US. The numbers are growing, however.

I made a point at the SGS conference: I described what I call a "Participation Curve.tm" This is the measure of the amount (%) of participation - and over time the rate of "enrollment" - of the members of a group in a cause, program, activity or initiative. A curve implies a tapering off. I contrasted this with the movement to sustainability, which I termed a "migration." Ultimately, this eco-consciousness will not be a point of differentiation. It will be the water we swim in.

Think of this overall climate for sustainability as The Responsibility Era. We’re finally “owning it” – our green initiatives, our need to adapt, become nimble, sustainability-focused entities. Not so good news: This focus is still blurry, for many.

You are busy. Projects and clients demand your attention. You want to move in this direction, but the task seems overwhelming. Here is your natural green footpath:

Select a “champion” of green – your “eco-cop”

Surprise! Many follow! Operations Improve!

Turn a product “green”

Walk the talk, tell your clients

Clients now seek your green expertise

You are now offering MANY green products!

This new sustainable mindset from within the company fosters an environment where employees now challenge everyday operations and actually look for alternative ways to build and design projects. The carbon-reduced systems and products grow!

These are then, naturally, the “organic” steps – seems appropriate ;) - for digital sign shops, in their most simple form.

Translation: Don’t segregate sustainability from design.

When Turning Green,

the #1 Challenge for the Digital Sign Shop is…

Finding the stuff. Here’s some interesting news about the Current Reality: Sign companies are looking outside the usual sign company relationships to find green products. They are buying direct from manufacturers, sourcing oversees, finding on-line, and buying from construction trade resources.

This creates a misleading impression among sign industry suppliers and distributors that demand is marginal.

One of our shop owners had to research for the appropriate product, found something new, and is using it -- a new “green” product from DAP – from the construction trade suppliers. This is, in his mind, a large beta test - he'll report results back, every few years.

We conducted a recent poll – in preparation for the presentation. We asked, of their needs for environmentally friendly products, what percent were purchased from their regular supplier – 25%. What percentage (total) was purchased from a sign industry supplier – only about half! The other 50% were from on-line resources, Home Depot type facilities, and direct from manufacturers!

And that is how it goes, right now, in the industry. The search is on, the need is prevalent, but the purchases are going outside the industry in many cases. But shift happens!

In the last few days, a supplier jumped on board the green wagon with both feet. Check out the "Broccoli Files" at Interstate Electric!

Denco Sales added a "Green page" on their site with an interesting selection, and Ecosignage.org attempts to catalog products and information- (though you can’t order products there)…

ISA is building a database of products and case studies…

SGIA offers a wealth of information and certification …

SEDG is a leader in sustainability initiatives …

And leading sign manufacturers are building the knowledge bank and share all of this, but we need the missing link…

We need the supplier-distributor link as well. That’s the missing piece for digital sign businesses.

Resources easily accessible, for purchase today and delivery tomorrow.

Information, for sign business owner and their clients.

Together… with our clients. With Fortune 500 companies. With the local green grocer. With national chains, with WalMart, with GE, and with our sign industry partners. Partners like all of you.

For the Love of Googie!

2011-01-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

"Visitors to the American Sign Museum are generally pleasantly surprised at the number of signs and the manner in which the signs are displayed. But often, I hear it’s the stories I can relate about the signs that make the museum experience unique. I’m told they call this “provenance” in museum speak. Thanks to Teresa M. Young, I will be sharing some of these stories with you."

For the Love of Googie!
According to Wikipedia, Googie architecture (also known as populuxe or Doo-Wop) is a form of modern architecture and a subdivision of futurist architecture, influenced by car culture and the Space and Atomic Ages. The origin of the name Googie dates to 1949, when architect John Lautner designed the coffee shop Googies, which had very distinctive architectural characteristics. The style, however, originated in Southern California during the late 1940s and continuing approximately into the mid-1960s. The types of buildings that were most frequently designed in a Googie style were motels, coffee houses and bowling alleys. And one famous shopping center: Satellite Shopland.

Gone, But Not Forgotten
Tod Swormstedt is partial to the Googie sign style. He says,

“I’m often asked what is my favorite sign in the museum and my usual answer goes something like this: ‘Well, it’s kinda like Christmas morning for a little kid. Their favorite present is the first one they open . . . that is until they open the second one and then that becomes the ‘new’ favorite.’ We are always acquiring new additions to the collection, and so my ‘favorites’ so to speak are a moving target. I do, however, favor some of the funkier signs—particularly those of the 1950s when there were relatively no sign codes to deal with. And right up there is the Satellite Shopland sign.”

Apparently, it’s a favorite for many: If you do a search for “Satellite Shopland – Anaheim” in almost any search engine, you’ll find numerous references to the famed Satellite Shopland sign.

Here’s the story behind the story….

Photo Credit: Pete Phillips 1992

The prosperous 1950s celebrated its affluence with optimistic designs. The public was captivated by rocket ships and nuclear energy, so, in order to draw their attention, architects used these as motifs in their work. The term was coined in 1952 by House and Home Magazine editor Douglas Haskell. Anaheim and particularly, Katella Avenue, was a center for the Googie.

Cruising the city's seedier side, Jane Newell is documenting the goofy, gaudy Space Age phenomenon before it's all torn down.

Disney and the town fathers were intent on de-Googifying Katella Avenue and surrounding area and preparing for all the revenue that Disney’s now failed California Adventure park would pull in.

Then-Planning Commissioners Julie Mayer and Bob Heninger drove around Anaheim looking for Googie, with the idea that at the very least, someone should take pictures before it was gone. And the Satellite Shopland shopping center sign topped their list of concerns – its fate was sealed when it fell in the path of the Santa Ana (I-5) Freeway widening. The glowing orb of this sputnik satellite that used to grace the top of the sign was claimed by progress in 1999, when the city began revamping the Anaheim Resort area.

As a result of Mayer and Heninger's efforts, the city agreed to photograph 20 colorful signs before they were torn down — in black and white. The project was started by a city intern, then handed over to Newell.

Newell started with the idea of preserving photos of 20 kitschy signs that were about to be demolished. Now she can't stop. Googie architecture and its light-hearted style is disappearing rapidly.

What Starts in California… Ends Up in Ohio

Move to the Museum

The majority of the signs were scrapped by the individual property owners. Fortunately, the Satellite Shopland sign was saved by Daniel Sullivan, a Pasadena resident and lighting designer. His backyard became the half-way house for this grand icon, no longer enjoying its glory days shining over Katella Avenue.

The American Sign Museum found out about the sign, and purchased it, together with another Los Angeles-area icon—the Earl Sheib globe—in 1999.

“Right after I purchased the sign, we had to hire a crane truck to load it onto our trailer,” explains Swormstedt.

The sign is now front and center as visitors enter the Sign Garden lobby area of the museum’s current facility in Cincinnati, Ohio. Don’t miss the globe in action in this YouTube video! Pictured below: The Sign Garden at the American Sign Museum’s current facility located at 2515 Essex Place, Cincinnati, Ohio 45206. http://www.signmuseum.net/

Newell is just one of thousands of individuals who appreciated the satellite sign. For many, it symbolized arrival on Disney’s doorstep. For others, it represented an easier and more optimistic era.

Today, Newell photographs the Googie sites with her own cameras. Now, she's up to 111 places and counting, doing most of the work at night and on the weekends.

And the Satellite shopping center?

The owners, laying claim to their piece of Americana and recognizing this unique style as iconographic, assured the beloved sputnik image lived on within the confines of the new, uniform sign structure.

Though the city could mandate a cookie-cutter monument sign structure, at the heart of the sign is a vector image of the beautiful, glowing, colorful “satellite” to remind us that Googie still delights young and old, and celebrating our past illuminates our future.

The tenants of Shopland wanted to make sure the spirit of the original sputnik-like icon was preserved. And so it is . . .

Until next time, be your own yardstick.

Once Upon A Sign...

2010-11-12T15:38:00.000-08:00

This is a new, regular feature of the Signhugger Blog, with the help of Tod Swormstedt, Founder of the American Sign Museum. My purpose, when I approached Tod for this concept, was to draw attention to the ways that signs have been part of our visual lexicon for generations, and how they create a more spirited environment. I want people to look at old signs fondly, feel nostalgia, and respect their design, and especially, their stories….

"Visitors to the American Sign Museum are generally pleasantly surprised at the number of signs and the manner in which the signs are displayed. But often, I hear it’s the stories I can relate about the signs that make the museum experience unique. Consequently, it’s always been our goal to know as much about a sign (or other acquisition) as possible. I’m told they call this “provenance” in museum speak. Thanks to Teresa M. Young, I will be sharing some of these stories with you." -- Tod Swormstedt

A Tale of Two Signs

Can one sign share a story sandwiched within a story, wrapping a piece of the American Dream inside a family feud, and give us a lesson to help steer our own ventures? This is the story, just the facts, so that you can ascribe the meaning that fits.

Tod had his eye on the “Georgiton’s Pizza” sign for some time. The pole-mounted, plastic-faced and neon-illuminated sign had once identified a local pizza establishment in the University of Cincinnati area. He was interested for two reasons:

1) It had a sign tag for a local custom sign business—Probst Signs—and he knew the owner Dale Probst was in his 70s and would soon be retired.

2) It was an excellent sample of a 1950s era custom sign. Signs like this in good condition are particularly tough to find.

A small twist of fate played right into Tod’s plans: A local entrepreneur—McNeil Ryan—had re-opened a pizza restaurant under a new name—Mac’s Pizza. The restaurant’s original “Georgiton’s Pizza” sign was still mounted on a pole in the parking lot behind the restaurant, so Mac called the museum to ask if they wanted the “original sign.”

Tod thanked him and his lucky stars, and arranged for a local sign company to carefully remove the sign.

A funny thing happened though, once they had the sign on the ground: They discovered that the Georgiton’s panel had been screwed in over top of the original panel. But why?

Being good investigators, and seeing their share of bizarre sign alterations over the years, there was no doubt that the face panel needed to be lifted off.

After gently prying off the Georgiton face, another sign was discovered. Here was hand lettered copy underneath the face plate, revealing that the sign had originally been created for “Papa Dino’s.”

This is not the end of the story, but rather, it is the beginning…

Tod went back to Mac’s to thank him for the donation, and mentioned his discovery of a sign within a sign. Mac knew something about that.

“That makes sense. There is actually a “Papa Dino’s” pizza place down the street and around the corner, and my location right here was the actual location of the original Papa Dino’s,” Mac explained.

In 1956, Papa Dino immigrated from a small village in Southern Greece. He brought to Clifton his now famous spaghetti, pizza and gyro sauces, Italian salad dressing, and his pizza Dough. After many years of hard work and determination, Papa Dino realized his dream and opened Papa Dino's Pizza.

Two brothers had once operated Papa Dino’s out of the building that now houses Mac’s Pizza Pub. Here, for a while, was the American Dream, built on old world family secrets - and, for a while, the combination worked.

Until one day, these two most prominent family members, two who were brothers, had a falling out so great that they split up and established rival restaurants.

While one left and took the name Papa Dino’s just one block north to 349 Calhoun Street, the other stayed and simply changed the name on the sign to Georgiton’s Pizza. “Papa Dino’s” does indeed still exist. One brother kept the original parking lot sign, but slapped on the family name over the original and even had new neon made and installed. Shining brightly, the sign told a story of a real life Greek tragedy where two brothers part ways, operating just blocks apart, each with a sign as a visual snub to the other.

You can see “BERT’S Papa Dino’s” pizzeria ad in the University of Cincinnati News Record of 1966: http://digitalprojects.libraries.uc.edu/newsrecord/1966/1966_02_24.pdf

One more piece of the tale...

You can find Bagel Brothers dba Georgiton Bros today, at 347 Calhoun Street in Cincinnati... owned by Pete and Carol Georgiton. Mac’s Pizza location was owned by John & Jenny Georgiton. So, have John and Pete gone their separate ways?

"Papa Dino," now retired according to Mac, went back to his homeland of Greece, while Pete continues the delicatessen vision and Greek fare of his American dream… Still hanging onto the “Brothers” of the Georgiton heritage, family separated by 5300 miles… and a sign that speaks volumes.

Postscript: It is most often the policy of the American Sign Museum to restore the sign back to its original copy when doing so won’t compromise the sign. In this case, it was easy to remove the neon and Georgiton’s panel and have “Papa Dino’s” neon made as was original. Of course, Tod kept the “Georgiton’s” panel and will display it, together with a panel outlining the story behind the sign. Mac said that Papa Dino would very likely approve.

Tod Swormstedt is the founder of the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, OH. He is the former editor and publisher of Signs of the Times magazine. His brother, Wade, currently edits the century-old publication.

Until next time, be your own yardstick.

Pythagoras and The Big Idea - Part Two

2010-09-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

This is the second half of the “new ideas” blog post. As described last week, we will diet on concepts that would make Pythagoras happy. He lived from 582 BC to 497 BC, a Greek mathematician of tremendous influence. Not just for his theories, but for his philosophy that bore fruit which physicists enjoy today.

If you (rightfully so) fear that if you don’t evolve, you will go the way of the dinosaur, then you’ve come to the right blog! Pythagoras also said, “Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression.”

He said, “A thought is an idea in transit.”

Sixty-two percent of small business owners report they struggle to come up with new ideas that increase revenue, part of a large body of data from the Small Business Success Index sponsored by Network Solutions and the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. "Creative thinking and the determination to push the limits on innovation are the hallmark characteristics of entrepreneurs," said Tim Kelly, CEO, Network Solutions, an advocate of small business success.

So here are some more new concepts or polished gems which you can look over, slather on a few more thoughts of your own, until it is a full-blown innovation that charges you up and breathes fresh vitality into your “vinyl and print and LED” balloon, until it much, much bigger and better. Until it flies higher than you ever imagined.

The Institute for Supply Management™ (ISM) reports on total US manufacturing for the month of August. Eleven of the 18 manufacturing industries are reporting growth in August, in the following order: Primary Metals; Apparel, Leather & Allied Products; Transportation Equipment; Fabricated Metal Products; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Computer & Electronic Products; Paper Products; Chemical Products; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; and Printing & Related Support Activities.

Visual communications businesses are right up in there, somewhere between Miscellaneous Manufacturing, and Printing and Related Support Activities. Awesome.

Pets. The pet industry has not suffered in this economy. In fact, while not recession-proof, it is recession-resistant, just like the digital, visual communications industry! Pet-related sales grew in 2009. What a magic mix – combine the pet industry with your visual communications products, and viola! There’s a thought! Now, it’s up to you to turn it into a full-blown idea ;-)

(Okay, here’s one easy example: Your company gives back to the local humane pet shelter. You create a buzz with a bunch of press releases. You create membership cards for your clients. They pass these cards out, which advertise that your visual communications business supports the local shelter. Each card that is carried back in gives the holder a discount on their purchase. Who doesn’t want to help a puppy or save a kitten?)

Solar. Solar. Solar. “Above the cloud with its shadow is the star with its light.” This was said by Pythagoras about 2500 years ago. See why I like the guy? Solar is huge, and for many, many reasons too voluminous to cover here, it is only going to get BIGGER. Get in now, learn how to offer solar and photoluminescent products. We see it going big already.

Murals, glorious murals! Need I say more? Make your own, paste it up with wallpaper paste. (For special environments, such as hospitals and day care centers, we recommend the HP latex printer to comply with rules regarding out-gassing.) Get connected to interior design firms and your small to mid-sized ad agencies specializing in corporate events. Go to town as wall branders extraordinaire, if it fits your creative ambitions. It’s a huge and growing, profitable market!

Event Management: Spending on entertainment was not that adversely affected, despite the recent lull in the economy. Party or event management that includes both personal and corporate packages is here to stay.

Creating the signage for your community’s “Taste of” events, and crafting the digital splash that accompanies the $500 a plate fundraiser is not only right up your alley, it is hugely profitable, with a variety of visual communications products in the mix.

Events and entertainment are becoming increasingly common in stores and malls, according to the National Retail Federation.

Have you built strong connections yet with your event management and party planning and catering companies?

How about a QR code for dessert? Or may I interest you in Visual Prototyping? If you haven’t considered these little niches, DO. There is a vast need for these two different items, and someone’s business is going to benefit as they become a provider.

Paint your office. Dust off your business plan. Craft the bigger vision. Start small.

"Choose always the way that seems the best, however rough it may be; custom will soon render it easy and agreeable.” – Pythagoras

Until next time, be your own yardstick.

Search Amazon.com for entrepreneurship

Pythagoras and the Big Idea

2010-09-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

The secret to making a small fortune in this business? "Start with a large fortune!" Or, a really great idea.

This is a two-part series, to jump start the Autumn season with a few ideas to put a spring in your step ;)

Today, we will diet on concepts that would make Pythagoras happy. He lived from 582 BC to 497 BC, a Greek mathematician of tremendous influence. Not just for his theories, but for his philosophy that bore fruit which physicists enjoy today. He said,

“A thought is an idea in transit.”

Your business is young. It’s old. It is enjoying tremendous growth. It is stagnant. It is something new every day. It is the same thing every day. It is making you giddy with joy. It is feeling ill from the economy, and you are feeling concerned. Congratulations: You have survived the recession. Now what?

If your visual communications business is not shining with good health, vitality, and drawing clients left and right who not only want to pay you what you deserve, they want to keep coming back for more – you may need a dose of innovation. If you (rightfully so) fear that if you don’t evolve, you will go the way of the dinosaur, then you’ve come to the right blog! Pythagoras also said,

“Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression.”

Good old-fashioned fresh thinking can move mountains. Do you still call your digital sign business a “sign company?” Maybe it’s time to get into a different business… In case you hadn’t noticed, sameness is out.

If you remember nothing else from this blog, just keep this one statement in mind, as you look at your business in the midst of a collection of such businesses in your city: Sameness is OUT. It is time to differentiate. And it is time to define what your business is today and tomorrow.

Here are some thoughts which you can look over, slather on a few more thoughts of your own, until it is a full-blown idea that charges you up and breathes fresh vitality into your “vinyl and print and LED” balloon, until it much, much bigger and better. Until it flies higher than you ever imagined.

We’re off to discover new treasures in the industry… or hidden gems that you missed this decade. Here’s a round-up of the coolest stuff, big and small, for your consideration. Each hints at worlds unexplored…promises of new markets…or simply the giddy joy of offering something new that no one else has. Sometimes, we all need to stop and smell the possibilities!

Locally-Grown Products: The "buy local" ethos has its roots in the farmer’s markets movement: There are almost 5,000 farmers markets across the country, the result of more than 5 percent annual growth for the past five years, according to the Department of Agriculture. Nearly 60 percent of consumers say they try to shop at a farmers market. Wal-Mart and Safeway recently added "Locally Grown" sections to their produce departments, and the USDA launched a "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" marketing campaign. Can you take this thought and translate it into your own operation’s marketing messages? YES, YOU CAN. Businesses in your market – that 10 mile circle around your shop – are buying long distance visual communications products. Shame on them. They need to support the local community. You ARE the local community. Run with it.

Heavy Metal: Wrap your vehicle with the most stunning and passionate image you can find that shouts out the business of your business. “Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising,” said Mark Twain. Got the new VS-540 or VS-640 from Roland? Put some cutting edge metallics in your wrap – hundreds of colors, in fact!

No Double Dip: Spending a lot of time “double dipping” your backlit translucent jobs? Selling a lot of flags? Get it all done in one pass with an HP latex printer.

Green with Envy: Thanks to government incentives and changing public sentiment, clean energy is the most popular kid on the green movement block. The stimulus plan poured billions into renewable energy, automakers are all but predicting electric gridlock within the next few years, and everyone who's anyone in the electric power industry is investing in the "smart grid." Biggest little thing you can do is to really go green. How? Easy. Start with the EPA’s Green Power Partnership. Check out SGIA and ISA as they offer webinars and resources for digital, visual communicators like you.

Last month, the Chairman of the Board of POPAI UK said to me, “Anyone who gains a little expertise in “green” products and services is already seen as an expert.” It’s a ground floor opportunity in the visual communications industry. Right now. You can be the consultant for your clients, especially for thousands of new, green companies.

Bag Some Business: Promotional products that work six ways to Sunday: Want e-commerce at the push of a button? Want to support green efforts? Then consider adding specialty advertising to your list of credentials. This ain’t your poppa’s pen! Today, imprinted promotional products are building brands, supporting green efforts (think reusable fabric bags) and giving instant e-commerce options for your clients. Check out the variety of companies that will give you affordable on-line options. Buy some fantastic, cloth bags of recyclable / recycled material, branded with your company name and message, and give these to your clients. Let them use these wherever they shop to advertise YOU. The free plastic bag may soon be a thing of the past, and banned as in the case of San Francisco. Reusable lunch bags are big. Be the “go-to bag man” or “bag lady.” (Okay, maybe don’t say it like that.) Someone has to provide the new bags. Why not you?

Alright, I could go on, but will end here for today. As I mentioned at the outset of this post, there will be two parts published. One today, and one next week. Because as Pythagoras said,

“Do not talk a little on many subjects, but much on a few.”

See you next week! Search Amazon.com for eco friendly bags

TOP SECRET, REVEALED!

2010-09-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

As you know, posts here cover a wide range of subjects, and lengthy. Today, we reveal a secret before anyone else has the news. Yep, our reporters have scooped a story! Enjoy this insightful report:
MADE IN THE USA

Insights for 2010: Fave Media

2010-06-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

We are a pretty open organization. The Sign Biz Network is the most open and inclusive group I have ever had the pleasure to know. And I'm not biased ;-) The sharing of information on a daily basis within the email group is astonishing, and the social networking - both virtual and real world - is a gift. So it should come as no surprise that we share with other digital sign companies in the hopes that within the material is a gem or two that can help other sign industry entrepreneurs build a better business. We all benefit from high standards for professionalism, environmental sustainability, and collaboration.

We engage in surveys on a regular basis, and the latest is within the family of surveys called, Insights for All. And just as the name proclaims, we share the results, to provide insights that could prove useful for many.

Two parts will be shared here today. One, a quick look at how the use of Sales Consultants in the business has increased over the years. And Two, a look at brand names in media and their market penetration.

The Outside Sales Consultant -Survey Part One
It used to be, a decade ago, that 25% of shops in this chain employed a sales person other than the owner. Today, here are the stats:

Now: 50% of the survey respondents said they employ one or more sales consultants. Of this group, 29% employ one sales consultant, and 21% employ two or more. I believe we are seeing the results of training programs, workshops and manuals to facilitate the hiring and training of this critical team member. The business owners who have sales consultants are often contributing as panelists for workshops on the subject for other business owners in this organization. They are apparently doing a phenomenal job!

Media Faves - Survey Part Two
While this may shake up a few manufacturers and even some distributors, a new survey from May reveals the favorite brands of media used in a worldwide network of sign shops made up of nearly 200 entrepreneurial ventures, founded on the Sign Biz model. I guess what you should infer here is that this is a good representative cross-section of smart and growing digital sign industry performers. They have professional locations, serving businesses with a wide array of digital print products, architectural sign products, video sign services, and much more. I would like to add that we, the partners at the home office, do not coerce or incentivize any particular brand of media. While we have negotiated Group Buying Discounts (GBD) for nearly all media, through preferred supplier partners for this chain, the final selection of favored media for signmaking is going to be determined by the business owner's experience with the product, the delivery options, and the client's needs in their market.

Okay, on with it! There are two numbers that tell the tale. The first is, what percentage of the group use a particular brand. We'll call this "Reach." The second percentage is a weighted percent - multiplying Reach by average percent used in the operation. We'll call this Market Share, Market being all of the available volume for media.

This gives us two pictures of the Brand: One in terms of its Reach, and one in terms of its Market Share. If you are a sign hugger like me, this is interesting information. It is also valuable knowledge, as it can present media options in a new light, ie, brands that satisfy some users which others may not have considered before.

Here's Figure 1: Reach

But wait, there's more! Now for the narrative that connects the above graph with the one showing weighted averages, or Market Share - another picture. These are some of the specific numbers to fill in the blanks:

74% of the respondents use 3M material, and this media represents an average of 28.3% of their media purchases. The range was 1% to 90%.

67.7% of the respondents use Oracal media, and for those who use this brand, it makes up an average of 51.3% of their media supply. The range was from 10% to 95%.

61% of the respondents use Avery media, and for those who use this brand, it makes up an average of 22.37% of their media supply. The range is was from 5% to 99%.

26% of the respondents use Solvex media, and for those who use this brand, it makes up an average of 6% of their media supply. The range was from 2% to 15%.

16% of the respondents use MacTac media, and for those who use this brand, it makes up an average of 5.4% of their media supply. The range was 2% to 10% .

13% of the respondents use Arlon media, and for those who use this brand, it makes up an average of 36.25% of their media supply. The range was from 15% to 30%.

10% of the respondents use Aspire media, and for those who use this brand, it makes up an average of 38.33% of their media supply. The range is was from 20% to 65%.

6.45% of the respondents use FDC media, and for those who use this brand, it makes up an average of 15% of their media supply. The range was from 10% to 20%.

6.45% of the respondents use General Formulations media, and for those who use this brand, it makes up an average of 20% of their media supply. The range was from 10% to 30%.

6.45% of the respondents use Intellicoat/Magic media, and for those who use this brand, it makes up an average of 22.5% of their media supply. The range was from 2% to 15%.

6.45% of the respondents use LexJet media, and for those who use this brand, it makes up an average of 22.5% of their media supply. The range was from 10% to 35%.

6.45% of the respondents use ShineRite media, and for those who use this brand, it makes up an average of 54% of their media supply. The range was from 18% to 90%.

6.45% of the respondents use Titan brand, and this makes up an average of 15% of the purchases for these respondents.

3% of the respondents use Vector brand, and this makes up an average of 90% of the purchases for these respondents.

29% of the respondents use other media, each brand being purchased by approximately 3% of the entire group surveyed. For those who use these other brands*, the purchases make up an average of 17% of their media supply. The range was from 10% to 50% .

Here is the chart depicting weighted averages by brand, or Market Share:

How can you use these statistics to your advantage?

You may be a die-hard Oracal user, with some 3M mixed in. You fit the profile of the majority of digital sign shops. But what if you are using 5 or more brands, none of which are specialty films? By re-examining your purchases, you can combine your annual expenditure on media to negotiate a better rate on one or two of those brands.

How about looking into a house brand, to see if it fits your needs, matches the quality of the brand name, and saves you some money? You now have a list of the speciality and house brands used by many shops in this network.

I firmly believe that what gets measured, improves. Until next time, be your own yardstick ;-)

Who are Sign Designers? Part 3 in a Series

2010-05-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

The Sign Designer Survey was opened to our chain of sign industry graphic designers in July of 2009. Yes, this one took a while to bring to light. It was, to my knowledge, the first survey of its type, recognizing the gap between the high level of expertise required of a sign designer, and the perception of that value by other graphic designers—and the perception of the digital sign industry by the designers themselves.

I wanted to give due respect and time to this key element of the digital sign enterprise, the “third leg of the stool” – the graphic designer who creates the compelling, readable, and often, larger than life brand statements for the clients of the digital sign shop.

Surveyed Group: 74% of the sign designers in this sampling are male, 26% are female.

5% are 20-22 years of age. The largest group, 37%, are 23-26 years old. 26% are 27-32 years old, and 21% are 33-40 years old. A further 10% are 41 years old and up.

The topic couldn’t have been timelier, especially in the face of our information overload society. From radio, TV and roadside billboards, to beneath bottle tops, diner place mats, and practically every site on the Internet—the average person is hit with a gazillion messages each day. Actually, the number is 3,000. Yes, 3,000! Yet, very few messages are remembered.

In an ideal world, clients would see the sign designer as a valuable contributor to bringing their brands (their most valuable assets) to market. Granted, there are aspects of graphic design that have become commodities such as web design and your standard business card print design, but at the other end of the spectrum there are disciplines (such as visual communications afforded by the sign industry) that require years of experience, and a lot of creative talent to get it right (visual branding, vehicle wrap design, conspicuity, large-format graphic work).

It is unfortunate that the age of the computer has devalued the perception of what a great sign designer can bring to the party. But it is not only a matter of technology – the industry itself suffers from an inferiority complex.

Two designers sum this up:

“I love being able to design and even help build something. The drawback is you don’t get paid as well as designers working for a firm or corporate institutions. Plus, other web/print based designers have no respect for what you do.”

And the other:

“A lot of sign projects are really interesting, and just about every job is different. That is the good stuff. I would be very satisfied except that I've found that sometimes GA's in the sign business aren't taken as seriously as those at a design firm.”

One unifying comment that appeared over and over again was the very real benefit of the variety built into this industry job. But the “glass half full” resonated throughout the following responses:

One respondent summed up a number of points:

“My role in the sign industry is more than just a designer, I interact with clients, sell products, design layouts, project manage & sometimes install and fabricate. However design is only a fraction of what I do daily and very small fraction. I wish there was more design, however I enjoy the variety in my work.”

At its highest end, a designer has to be part psychologist, part market analyst, part branding strategist, part sales person, a good visualizer, a copywriter, an art director, a creative, and be able to bring this all together on time and within the parameters for any number of substrates and media.

All through history, artists and creative people have been undervalued. There are no unions, very little organization within the profession and no one educating our audiences about what we bring to the table. As we know so well "perception is reality".

Perhaps that is the key that unlocks the meaning of this next set of responses.

32% are NOT likely to recommend the sign design field as a career path for their friends or family. That is equal to the 32% that are likely or very likely to recommend the sign industry to another graphic designer.

Why a full spectrum of opinions? Some of that is answered in the comments made by the respondents to the questions regarding the sign designer's career path.

Opportunity to expand my abilities/ knowledge: 21% = Dissatisfied
Opportunities to receive recognition/ awards: 11% Very Dissatisfied, & 37% Dissatisfied
Opportunity to ping other designers: 5%=Very Dissatisfied, 16% Dissatisfied

Of course, a big chunk-- an average of 40%-- were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with the above opportunities. So this leaves the minority satisfied or very satisfied. Yes, this is disconcerting, to say the least.

We find that despite the extra skill sets required to match media, color calibrate, employ conspicuity and visibility rules, install everything from full vehicle wraps to wall murals – the sign industry designer is still viewed as the red-headed stepchild of the design industry. Despite the fact there is more to sign design than simply graphic design…. Here’s the pill that these designers have had to swallow, in their own words:

“I thought we graphic artists should be treated like rock stars from employees and clients. Most of the time; however, we're treated like drive through window clerks. It's our vision that drives the entire graphics industry and we're taken for granted."

“It has been my experience that GA's in the sign industry don't always have the opportunity to use other designers as a resource for feedback on their work. It can be frustrating when the only feedback regarding designs comes from a client's wife/ husband / child/ cousin, etc...”

And finally, what about the shop itself? 21% are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with shop systems, lighting, cleanliness and financial security. On the bright side, 32% are satisfied, and a further 24% are very satisfied for a total of 56% that are pleased with what happens internally. See chart:

Digital sign shop owners and designer alike may fuel the perception that the work product is a commodity. How? By devaluing the artist’s time in the pricing methodology used for clients; by not providing training opportunities (despite popular belief, the training materials for a designer are very low cost. For examply, Lynda.com, a website devoted to Adobe tutorials and videos, is only $25 a month. www.signbizelective.com/ features numerous workshops on DVD just for graphic designers, ranging from ada and lamination, to color calibration and vehicle wrap design – most for less than $25); and by not establishing a well-structured work environment and workflow system.

It’s time to change perceptions. Just look at the winners of this year’s International Sign Association Sign Design Competition. Another place to be honored: Signs of the Times' magazine's International Sign Design and Vehicle Graphics contests. As one designer in our survey put it,

“The sign industry has great potential for graphic artists to exercise their creativity, while providing an essential service. They in turn get to see their work on public display all the time.”

Personally, I think every sign should be signed by the designer. This can be as easy as a stamp on the back of each project, and "pencil signed" by the artist. If we value our product, this is a sign we do so. We are in the custom sign business, and should be signing our work. Do that, and you help change perceptions.

Every business owner can tap a valuable resource for improving operations. Just sit down with your GA and have a right-brain to right-brain discussion about the survey results. Good things will come of it, for everyone.

In conclusion, when sizing up the designers in the digital sign arena, we need a whole new yardstick.

Til next time, be your own yardstick.

Who Are We? Part 2 in a Series

2009-11-25T19:15:00.000-08:00

Funny. Back in 1985, we were called “instant sign shops” and so I created ads for my “instant sign shop” explaining that, yes, these are fast-turnaround products, but no, you don’t just add water.

By 1992, we were “vinyl sign shops” and everyone distinguished between “traditional” sign businesses, and these “vinyl” shops, often inferring that these operations were synthetic versions of the real thing, like vinyl vs. leather, not quite worthy of inclusion in anyone’s club.

Then in 1994, things started to change… I was delighted that I and my Sign Biz, Inc. associate, Paul Strauch, were invited to meet with the president of NESA – the National Electric Sign Association. We flew to Washington, DC, and sat down with Bill Deal, the president, and spoke of our little segment of the sign industry. On that day, I named our industry segment “computer aided sign” or “CAS” shop- -we were something more than “vinyl!” I was made co-chair of a brand new little division called the CAS division – but no representation on NESA’s Board.

In January, 1996, the association voted to officially change its name to ISA – the International Sign Association – embracing all segments of the on-premise sign industry, including these small CAS sign companies that now numbered in the thousands. As time passed, we became “digital sign shops” and gained a seat on ISA’s Board of Directors, which I proudly held for years. In fact, I became the Chairwoman of the Board, the first time a woman had been elected to the Executive Committee, much less the Chairmanship.

Anywho, I digress. We, digital sign shop entities, were now recognized as the largest driving force behind the industry’s largest sign trade show – ISA’s Sign Expo – one of the world’s top 200 trade shows!

Which leads me to today: We are no longer a homogenized group, blended and held together by common characteristics such as computers, plotters, and digital printers. Instead, it is the carving out of a niche from those uniform beginnings that earmarks the successful “digital sign shop” enterprise. Whether it is becoming a trade show signage consultant and expert manufacturer, or a vehicle wrap factory complete with certifications, our dimensions are unlimited. If you haven’t defined your unique place in the digital sign shop soup, the holidays are a good time to do that.

Rather than carving your niche around a difficult-to-build or supply sign product, here’s an easier game plan: You can more easily develop a niche exploiting one vertical market. For example, become an expert in restaurant signage needs—a great deal incorporate digital print aspects, and dynamic digital signage: Menu boards, specials, light boxes, etc. Break into local restaurant chains, then branch out and label yourself a National Restaurant chain signage specialist, and go after the large national chains. Pick any vertical market you have some expertise in! Hotels, sports clubs, you name it. GO TO THEIR INDUSTRY TRADE SHOW.

Get certifications as you find they are available. Include the credentials in all of your literature, slogan, and advertising. This IS your USP-- your Unique Selling Proposition. Suddenly you have differentiated yourself. You are now the “go to company” for every business in that industry! Why compete with 40 shops in your region, when you can leave the competition behind?

So here it is again: Digital sign companies grow from digital beginnings, and apply their business savvy, their computer-accurate signmaking operations, and their “reach” in the marketplace, to carve out their own unique place in the sun. Most of these business owners come from a corporate background. That background may contain the germ of a seed of an idea for the niche they can own. Do an analysis of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Do you have staff ready, and able, to take on the new technology? Are there OSHA or insurance issues that need to be considered? Look at your competition—how will you differentiate? These are real questions, and the answers are critically important. This may become the catalyst for your own business makeover.

GO. Find yourself. Be Bold.
" A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.-- Goethe"

Who Are We? Part 1 in a Series

2009-10-25T15:38:00.000-07:00

Fifteen years after our first national survey of digital sign shops during the Spring of 1995 (which came on the heels of digital print’s injection into the “vinyl sign shop” industry by way of the Sign Biz Network) we sought to understand what constitutes the client base of this generation of digital sign shop.

This blog posting, first in a series, encourages a more extensive and inclusive dialogue around the long-term interests of the digital sign industry.

This poll was conducted online through Zoomerang, in the fourth quarter of 2009 and queried 180 shops. The 35% who responded serve as a contribution to the conversation on the characteristics of digital sign companies in the current pentad. (We use a five-year period for charting changes in this industry, versus a decade-marked examination, due to the rapid deployment of new technologies, and rapid growth of the digital sign enterprise. That combination of technological advances and strong growth pushes fast metamorphosis of many digital sign operations.)

These companies represent mature (more than 50% were in business five years or longer), small businesses (around 85% of them had eight or fewer employees) and represent the core of our market in the retail, commercial, digital sign space. Many of the respondents produce or service electrical signage, but probably wouldn’t identify themselves as such- and all started life as digital sign companies. None of the respondents were part of a franchise chain. Essentially, the data serves as a good cross-section of companies that make up our target market in this particular space.

The central question asked was, What number of clients make up 80% of your company’s revenue? Sign Biz, Inc. conducted the poll, and interviews were conducted with a cross-section of respondents. The following narrative discusses the results.

We found that more than half (54%) of digital sign shops earned 80% of their revenue from client bases ranging from 42 to more than 200 regular customers.

The group making up the “30 clients or less” category, 46% of the shops, were not strictly “traditional” digital sign shops. Of those reporting in the “30 clients or fewer” bracket, the vast majority fell into two categories: Either this was the new shop (24 months or less in business), or the mature shop (12+ years in business) with a distinct, commercial niche.

The small shop client base report is easy to understand: Fewer clients built into the base, so fewer generating the 80% mark. The other group in this category, however, could now be considered outside of the traditional digital sign shop definition. In other words, shops that grew over a 12 to 20-year-period to fulfill a unique market such as ADA signage, electrical, or other distinctly commercial-style applications often relied upon a small client base of large accounts that generates the bulk of the business.

It is easy to infer some the nature of these diverse operations with a simple introspection of the numbers. In the course of speaking with a variety of the respondents, it was possible to not only validate these inferences, but also to discern the edges of a clearer definition of a digital sign shop.

A surprising and telling feature of this segment of the sign industry is that it shows no correlation between shop revenues and client base.

Of those shops responded to the question with figures greater than 30, the breakdown is as follows:

• A significant number -- 30% -- have client bases ranging from 42 to 80 companies.

• A further 10% see 80% of their revenue from 90 – 130 clients.

• Another 8% say 130 - 200 companies generate 80% of their revenues.

• And 6% have client bases with more than 200 businesses generating the lion’s share of sales.

While there was alignment between “traditional digital” and larger client base, there was no correlation between the range in client base size and revenues. Some multi-million dollar shops had 30 clients, while others had more than 200. This would beg the question: What is the definition of a digital sign shop?

A traditional digital sign shop that is more than 2 years old is most likely to have between 42 and 130 companies that generate the bulk of their revenues. This also substantiates the results of an earlier survey (Q4, 2008) that shows less impact from the recession on shops with a wide range of retail establishments being served. In contrast, shops with few, large accounts were more likely to experience a deeper cut from the downturn in the economy.

I am particularly pleased that the underlying shifts in the digital sign industry that we noted in 1999 are not a one-time phenomenon but instead represent the professional development path of a digital sign company, capturing the dominant market share of clients with a full-service line of digital products and related services, with the option to develop a specialization. The retail-flavored enterprise in a visible location, equipped with large-format output devices and well-trained CSR staff, continues to provide ideal sowing conditions for new, entrepreneur-driven sign companies -- a driving force in the sign industry.

In the coming months, additional polls will help to illuminate the varied styles of professional digital sign shops today.

Triage Your Budget Cuts! A "How-To" Post

2009-09-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

tri·ageFunction: noun1 a : the sorting of and allocation of treatment to patients and especially battle and disaster victims according to a system of priorities designed to maximize the number of survivors b : the sorting of patients (as in an emergency room) according to the urgency of their need for care

2 : the assigning of priority order to projects on the basis of where funds and other resources can be best used, are most needed, or are most likely to achieve success
—merriam-webster .com

I don't want to mislead you - this article is more about how to execute your budget cuts, than it is about what to cut (though I have a few thoughts on that as well.)

All three definitions above will apply when you are operating on your sign business budget. (If you are reading this blog because you have been trimming and/or slashing budgets, then of course you have a budget to begin with.)

Even if you do not have a written budget, that is, a clear outline of what you allocated for cost of goods sold, advertising, direct sales expense, overhead and taxes for last year, last quarter, last month, next month, next quarter and next year, this post will still hold water. (You can make immediate improvements in your operational budgets by simply charting where your money went last year (besides the bailout assistance you lent to AIG). Then, create a spreadsheet with the same figures for this year, and make projections for the last quarter of this year, and a budget for 2010 that aims to adjust for today's realities ie, your current staff situation, client mix, cost of credit, etc. If you need some help, try this tutorial: Business Plan Basics.)

Now, if you are wondering what to do to save money, gain market share, build goodwill, I suggest you do anything except the following:

Slash staff
Slash advertising

After 25 years of business ownership through multiple recessions, I can virtually guarantee that those two items provide more ancillary benefits than anything else during a rough economy. Conversely, if you slash those items during a panic attack, the downside will reach far beyond this recession. You will regret those decisions for years to come. Managing this trade off between our short-term compulsions and long term sustainability will be one of the big challenges we face entering this last quarter of 2009.

This is not to say that you maintain status quo at all costs! If personnel depart, you may choose to keep the spot vacant. If you want to improve your advertising reach by shifting to proven social media at a lower cost than traditional print media, you are wise to do so!

Now that we've covered a couple of priorities as we triage our budget, let's get to the "how" you make changes:

Do not drop a bombshell "staff slash" or innocent bystanders will become victims. Put it this way: This economy has everyone feeling like they have landed on another planet. No one is sure of the rules, or if the "leaders" are kind or cannibalistic. If you, as a business owner, make a drastic change of any kind, then morale is going to plummet. Shrapnel that you cannot control is going to fly around the water cooler. You will have more fallout in the form of decreased productivity, and more victims as some employees decide to leave the company, motivated by distress of one kind or another. Your employees will be wondering if they have any power at all over their own lives or their future roles in the company.

If you want to make significant changes to staffing, or to important programs you launched with their help, then you need to maximize the number of survivors. How? You involve everyone in the decision-making process. If they are given a choice to consider flex time (fewer hours or days of work) vs. the option of kicking someone off the team, most staff will opt in for you. Provide a "buffet" of options to everyone. Some are likely to take shorter hours, while others elect to make changes in their medical coverage or other benefits. Some employees may choose a commission-based structure that manages cash flow. You may find you even have a few part-time employees who will work on contract basis, as they build their own client base for their services, as in the case of bookkeepers.

More considerations: If you are the on-site supervisor or head honcho in your division and if your company is owned by another entity that controls the dynamics of who is laid off and what projects / ad budgets are cut, then you must not abdicate your power to maintain morale. You may feel you have no power to change the course of events, but in reality, you do. You are in complete control of the aftermath of a cut or layoff.

A negative economy is the water we swim in. Are you a fish, or a sponge? Yes, times are stressful, minutes are precious, and your normally ebullient nature is appearing cloudy, but you have the power to keep the keel even. Your positive demeanor, calm approach and inclusive attitude will do more to win over your team than any "shrug-my-hands-are-tied" acquiescence to the rough seas.

I've seen green managers use this current down economy to emotionally opt-out of the captain's role. The challenges faced by everyone becomes their personal "cop out" -- an excuse for not substituting sweat equity for cash equity. Check this out: The last 6 recoveries had a negative quarter after the 1st positive quarter, then rebounded. There is no predicting when the storm passes - where will your crew find you? Below deck? I wonder how long those business managers will take a hiatus from exertion.

Let me leave you with this perspective: Today's currency is attitude. Are you rich or poor? Today, will you be the winner of Publisher's Clearinghouse, or will you come up short in the Poor House? The choice is yours. All hands on deck ;-)

Bedtime Stories Aren't Just for Kids Anymore

2009-09-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

Remember bedtime stories? You're probably reciting the same fairy tales to your kids that your parents lulled you to sleep with. Why? Because you remember them. Wouldn't it be great if your clients remembered you half so well as you recall the Big Bad Wolf and Cinderella's Fairy Godmother?

Borrowing from psychology, that's the idea behind a new marketing and motivational concept called narrative theory. "No matter what its size, specialty or scope, every organization has its own unique legends and lore that become part of the very fabric of its identity," says a journal published by the Stanford Alumni Association.

Let me tell you a couple of quick stories. Perhaps you'll find them relevant.
In the early 1990s, Fortune magazine decided to do an article on selling. The question they set out to answer was:

Why are some people so good at selling while others so blatantly bad? To arrive at the answer, the writers interviewed two-dozen top sales performers across a broad spectrum of industries. Among those who were interviewed were financial advisors, insurance producers, executive recruiters and a wide variety of consultants and high-value services providers. Here's what they learned.

The most successful sales people sell without it ever being apparent that they are in fact, selling.

There's nothing obvious or obnoxious about their presentation. No Trial Close, Ben Franklin Close or Take Away Closes. They sold, but they sold invisibly.
Moreover, the Fortune article concluded that the more you are marketing and selling high-value services, the more important it is to be able to sell invisibly.
So what exactly does this mean? How did the top performers go about building trust and credibility? How did they overcome often deep-seated skepticism? How did they persuade others to their point of view?

The one thing in common was... they all told stories.
Lots of stories. Stories that demonstrated how others had successfully achieved results by using their services. Stories that preemptively addressed objections or concerns. Stories that made it easy for others to refer them to their friends and colleagues. Stories that build credibility and reduced skepticism.

Let's be honest. Didn't we capture your interest and tweak your curiosity when we began this blog with "Bedtime Stories Aren't Just for Kids Anymore?"

People like stories.
They like to read stories and they like to hear stories. Stories enable us to visualize things that are incredibly difficult to grasp otherwise. Good marketing stories paint a picture (see my previous blog entry). They make us want to learn more.

If you want to build your company identity, grab a teddy bear and start articulating your legends and lore -- your company story.

Having your company story up your sleeve comes in handy. You might use it in presentations, your business plan, or a prospectus. Some companies, like Caribou Coffee, post theirs on the wall for everyone to see. But most importantly, you seize "the tremendous power of using these stories to increase productivity, implement change, and motivate employees," according to Peg Neuhauser, author of Corporate Legends and Lore.

Types of Company Stories You Can Tell

The Time Line Story This doesn't even need sentences. Just map out the key dates of your biz, like when you got the idea, opened the doors, served your one thousandth customer. It helps employees and clients feel they're participating in something with a past and a future. It can also help you tell more elaborate stories.

The Cinderella Story Everybody eats this one up! Especially Ben & Jerry, the ice cream moguls. It starts with two unemployed guys and an idea (like buying a home ice cream maker). It then tells of their transformation, and how their hometown values and interests led them to fame and fortune.

The Survivor Story Tells how your biz overcame daunting odds to get where it is now. Everybody loves an underdog! These days, we can all tell a survivor story!

The Hero or Great Feat Another effective story type, this tells of a great deed that helped establish or guarantee the success of your business. It often involves helping your market or community and deriving your success from theirs.

The David vs. Goliath Story My favorite, this one can be used effectively to position yourself as the true "small business" against the big chains or conglomerates.

The list goes on. To start yours, first brainstorm. Stick to the truth (they're stories, not myths!) Excellent marketing stories don't scream, "I WANT TO IMPRESS YOU!" They don't scream, "BUY MY SERVICES NOW!" Rather, good stories give the reader or listener the warm feeling of being taken on an interesting trip. And if the story is well constructed, at the end of the journey, we're going to be impressed. We're going to be interested. We're going to want to take the next step in the sales process. And remember, good stories hinge on interesting characters, plots, and settings. Identify these in your business, and then your company story is sure to keep 'em up past bedtime.

And that's why the most successful marketers tell stories....

Until next time, as Einstein said:

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

The End (for now...)

Get It Right!

2009-05-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a magic formula, a golden key that would open the door to super powers for sales? Like a bright light, these powers would shine and everyone they touched – everyone who walked in the door of the business, or called on the phone, or spoke to the company personnel – would be warmed, and trance-like, want to buy your products?

Well, with a little bit of training, you can have a secret Magic 8-Ball that paves the way for these things to happen. Or a Magic 8-Ball cake! Okay, maybe this sounds like I’ve been hitting the Rapid Remover too hard, but bear with me.

"There’s no use trying," said Alice. “One can’t believe impossible things.” “I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” -- Lewis Carroll

What follows is a snippet, really, of one of my workshops developed in 2008 (and is, in fact, a piece of my keynote address scheduled this June for the International Sign Association’s Supplier Distributor Conference in Chicago.). See Blog by Lance Clark, Signposts, right, for details-->>

First Ingredient: Understanding that there are, in general terms, two primary types of people in the world, based on the way they take in information: There are those who are visual, synthesizing “all” at a glance; and there are those who are auditory, proceeding along a more linear and verbal path.

These are referred to by researchers as Visuals and Auditories. (Yes, I know, spell check does not like that A word, but who is to argue with science?) As it turns out, Visuals are Right-Brain Dominant, and Auditories are Left-Brain Dominant. (Hence the communication problems often experienced between graphic designer and sales consultant. Opposite ends of the brain…)

Now, secondly, we add some insight. As is reported in our LobbyPOP program literature and by other research organizations, the average person sees over 3,000 advertisements each day! Newspapers, radio, flyers, magazines, mobile phones, banners, posters, and give-a-ways surround us and each one exerts its influence. With so many competing interests, which ones rise above the rest? What do we engage with enough to remember? The best answers in life are elegantly simple. This one can be summed up in a single word: Experience!

We will only remember the advertisements or activities that touch us and create an actual "Experience".

Can you just taste the cake? Probably need to beat some sense into the mix. Literally. This is our final ingredient, to produce the perfect batter…

Follow me here: The only way we can have an actual experience of something, is via our five senses. Aha? Are you with me? Did we circle back to Visuals and Auditories?

Yes, indeed. IF you want to stand out in a crowd, hit the ball out of the park, grasp the hand of a new client and shake on that big sale, hear the smile on the other end of the phone, taste sweet success, then you need to USE WORDS THAT PAINT A PICTURE TO TOUCH THE RIGHT BRAIN. You are already using words, so you have led the client’s left brain to the end of your sentence. But it’s their right brain that already chose whether or not this was going to be a good relationship. The right brain took information that was not part of the verbal coating, and bit into the creamy center to decide if your offer was tasty.

Speak words that paint a picture – hopefully a nice, artistic expression of your good intentions. Nice by-product: You can suddenly communicate with your Super-Auditory (you know, the person who can’t follow your sentence, but they are nonetheless brilliant.)

So, take heart and get there through the Right Brain! Next step would be to craft the Right Brain Mission Statement which becomes the touchstone for your every company breath... but that is for another day!

"The main theme to emerge... is that there appear to be two modes of thinking, verbal and nonverbal, represented rather separately in left and right hemispheres respectively and that our education system, as well as science in general, tends to neglect the nonverbal form of intellect. What it comes down to is that modern society discriminates against the right hemisphere." -Roger Sperry (1973)

If you want to know more, or how to create a compelling, super-charged, group-hug-right-brain mission statement, drop me a line, anytime. I leave you with two things: A quote for your left brain, and a picture for your right brain... Best to you always, T

“Paradoxically, the enduring competitive advantages in a global economy lie increasingly in local things—knowledge, relationships, and motivations that distant rivals cannot match.” —Michael E. Porter Harvard Business School

SEO for the Digital Sign Shop

2009-02-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

Tips & Tools: Website SEO

Over the past two weeks, I have received many emails and calls with questions about website SEO for digital sign companies. In fact, in the past 5 days, 4 business owners have posed very unique questions, all around website development. This is indicative of the newest trends in web development, but also the outcome of seeing the phrase "website ranking" or SEO appear in every other spam that hits the inbox! Our convention in April will feature a great workshop on this very subject! In the meantime...

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or "Increasing the Visibility of your Site" - What do you need to do to show up in search engines? It is both a complex and simple issue. It is complex because search engines often change the criteria that will ensure your site gets a high listing in the results of the major engines. It can also be simple if you pay attention to a few key fundamentals about keywords and search engines. Search engines are way past the old tricks of 1999!

While the subject is truly large, complex, and beyond the scope of one blog, large as mine are, there are seven key elements that can be addressed which will hopefully provide clarity, cost-effective steps to optimize your search engine rankings (organically and inorganically), and a NEW way of thinking about websites that needs to be observed before embarking on any website redevelopment....

Okay, the 7 Basics:

1) Focus your home page on your target audience and their needs. Websites can no longer be static pages of your company information. The world is about change, new news, and dynamic content, and interaction, that keeps visitors engaged, and keeps them coming back for more. Clearly state your solutions to their problem. What does this mean to you? You need to get a news feed, a Widget, Wikis, forums, a blog and / or an RSS feed. These are all available at little or no cost. Embed the code, and make sure the feed, Widgets, blog contain content that relates directly to your back office, your production, your clients, your market niche. In other words, don't add an RSS feed about Mars explorations. Set aside some time every day to review and refresh if necessary.

2) Basic basic "Keywords": Make sure your Meta-tags are right! Use a separate meta-tag title for each page, that accurately reflects what is on the page. The description and keywords should also be very relevant. DON'T use the tricks of yesteryear, ie, putting in big-name company brands, "hot" issues, repeating the word "signs" etc.

Know what keywords are used to find companies like yours. Take a look at the Keyword Suggestion Tool to find out: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal?defaultView=2. This site lets you know what keywords are searched for most often and will help you draw up your list of keywords for submitting to search engines.
Where to put keywords on your website is equally important. The four most important areas to place keywords are:

* The Title Tag.
* Description Meta Tag – Include a sentence here that contains both the keywords and a phrase such as your value proposition.
* Keywords Meta Tag – Include a few keywords like your business name and address.
* Body Copy – be sure to include your main keywords in the first few paragraphs in particular.

3) It's all about giving value... Would you pick up the same newspaper every day, year after year? Wouldn't you get tired of reading old news? Would you visit the same retail shop, every week, if the contents NEVER changed? And, if you were buying a book, a recipe book, and you had 15 to choose from, would you buy the book that used exotic terms and never explained them? For example, "poulet de Bresse (the esteemed French chicken) or induction cookers (the electromagnetic cooktop), or pitanga (aka the Surinam cherry). OR, would you, a better than average cook and in charge of a Holiday meal for the family, choose a book that broke it down, gave you useable information, in terms that you could understand?

Think of your website the same way. Give fresh, meaningful information - actual pithy content. No Lingo, and NO tomes, mind you! Place a separate subject on each page, and use your signage pictures as examples to illustrate a point. Demonstrate your expertise in some compelling way with the likes of testimonials, key clients, case studies, white papers, and the backgrounds of top management.

Big, bold, exciting titles, PLEASE! Rather than: "Here is a Vehicle Wrap..." Have a page that answers this title question: "How To Make A Dollar Go Farther" and give a series of high-impact statistics about vehicle advertising, cost of impression, and how fast this mobile ad could be up and about town. Throw in a client case study, with pics, and then title your page correctly, add keywords related to "advertising dollar" and submit to search engines. Also, if you like your article a lot, and it has been proofread and edited well, submit to www.SignWeb.com and www.signindustry.com. Provide the website address for readers to visit! Gee, the "website" is starting to sound like a cool source of needed information!

4) Are you credible? If "Joe the Signmaker" says "We are the best!" .... does it have as much impact as a web page that lists and links to some worthy affiliations / clients (sign associations, sign biz network affiliation, chamber memberships, USEPA WasteWise, the local mayor, a Fortune 500 brand name) and simply says, "Judge us by the companies we keep..."? The links should allow visitors to view the affiliation, but not leave your site, so set the"a href" as "target=_blank"

5) Thinking about a shopping cart? Use the same principles here, and look for a well-tested cart that can provide a recommended "merchant gateway" for the transactions that will ultimately go to your bank. The cart and gateway must be compatible with each other. Many good carts are available for around $400. One popular one is: ShopSite® - http://www.shopsite.com/demo.html You will add a payment gateway, to process payments in real time, and that will be another fee, and some paperwork. Expect about $26 per month for basic charges for the payment service (ie, one of the largest is Authorize.net).

With this, and an annual "security check-up" as required by Visa and MC, you are ready to sell on-line. There are likely to be some products that work well for online orders. For example: "Pair Magentics, 18" x 30", 2 colors, no logo," Or "2' x 8' banner, pick your color (blue, red, white, yellow) and two lines, max 12 characters per line." etc.

6) Submit your site! It is not that hard! After you have found the best keywords and put them in your website, the next step is to get listed in the top search engines. These are:

Google www.google.com
All the web www.alltheweb.com
Yahoo www.yahoo.com
Search MSN http://search.msn.com
Lycos www.lycos.com
Ask Jeeves www.askjeeves.com
LookSmart www.looksmart.com

Some of the above search engines impose a fee to be listed. The key thing is to pay close attention to their submission processes and the information that is required.

7) Finally, Market your site, and Track Results: Promote your site, but more than that: Get all of your prospects and clients to visit your site.
Why and How?
Guide EVERY visitor to take at least one step towards learning more about your company and wanting to contact you. Some ways to do this include:
- White papers in PDF format
- Offer a free consultation
- Make a specific offer and say it is available on your website.
Why? So you can build your email marketing list! Capturing e-mail addresses for lead generation is extremely valuable!

Then, be sure you track visitors in and out of pages, missing links, and all the invaluable information that comes with your site's statistics page. How many leads did you get from your site and what adjustments might you need to make to improve the numbers? How many "landed" on one of your internal pages because of it's content?

Yes, it requires time each day to monitor, to build, to market, and to refresh content. Over time, the payoffs will be great. You need to allow about 90 days for your work and site submission efforts to pay off. You can speed this up by signing up for Google's AdSense, allowing Google Ads to appear on your site. The catch? Visitors who click on these ads will be directed away from your site. Second hitch? Some ads may be from your competition, as you may not know which domains to block when setting up Google Ads.

Quick Tips:

1. Make sure your actual page titles look like this: "Vehicle_Advertising.html" and not like this "Vehad.html"
2. Try to keep your relevant, important content no more than two levels down in the internal link hierarchy
3. Use an FTP upload feature for client files and proofs. Makes their life easier!
4. Crisp, clean images, and pages that fit the average screen size are important.

Hope this helps, and until next time...
Google yourself!

Warmly,
Teresa :-)

State of the (Digital Sign) Industry

2008-12-05T11:17:00.000-08:00

Recently we produced a survey of independent sign business owners focused on their business outlook for 2009 and beyond. The survey was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2008 and queried 180 shops. The 30% who responded paint more optimism than you find on the evening news or the ticker at the local brokerage. What really struck me is that these companies represent mature (more than 50% were in business five years or longer), small businesses (around 85% of them had eight or fewer employees) and represent the core of our market in the retail, commercial, digital sign space. Many of the respondents produce or service electrical signage, but probably wouldn’t identify themselves as such. None of the respondents were part of a franchise chain. Essentially, the data serves as a good cross-section of companies that make up our target market in this particular space.

The survey asked for a report of results for the first 10 months of 2008 compared to the same period on the prior year. Interestingly, 28% of the companies surveyed reported strong sales results with increases of over 10%, while only 20% reported declines in excess of 10%. Overall 46% of the companies reported no change to sales growth and 40% experienced lower sales results than the prior year. The remaining 14% were newer companies without comparable data. Apply these statistics to your region for companies in this classification. How do you compare? What percentage of accounts have maintained or increased in activity in excess of 10%?

Looking forward, the survey indicated that these business owners anticipate economic improvement in their business in 2009 and look with even greater optimism toward 2010. A full 50.9% of respondents report that they expect “somewhat likely” or “very likely” economic improvement in their business in 2009. Only 26.3% are bracing for economic decline in their business next year. In projecting out to 2010, the view becomes more bullish with 66% anticipating gains while ONLY 1.8% anticipating declines. In summary, the outlook from these small business owners in one of our little sectors in the world serves as a stark contrast to the DOW, banking industry, automotive industry, and other components of our economy that dominate the news cycle.
Our customers get their business from retailers (i.e. small businesses), property managers, architects and the construction industry, schools and universities, governmental entities, fleets and transit vehicles, and many other groups in addition to big corporate entities. Often our economic news focuses on big corporate issues and tends to focus on the negative, overlooking the opportunities that exist in an economy as diverse as ours. Fortunately, our best customers don’t listen.

Look around you, are graphics on the decline? Quite the opposite, new materials have opened more graphic opportunities than ever before. Our job continues to center on educating and assisting our customers on capturing those opportunities. Regardless of how long the “recession” or downturn is publicized, the task remains to grow our market share. We do that one customer at a time; bringing value to every interaction, a fair price, and consistently delivering excellent service.

Our directive of creating and retaining #1 customers for life has not changed. Our theme for the 2009 is a renewed focus on our customers, improved communications and marketing, and eliminating cost that isn’t critical to our customer experience. In January, you’ll hear much, much more on just how, together, were going get this done. Special thanks to DencoSales for validating the stats presented here.

BLOG - OPEN for Business

2008-11-16T16:42:00.000-08:00

I've promised you stochastic posts. And thus it begins...

It is time to do the right thing, and give ourselves a break from the economy's meltdown. I have been dubbed "Trendcaster," a surprise nickname that may have been an expansion of the familiar "T" I've owned since childhood. But probably not, more likely just a happy coincidence. Makes it easier to remember :-)

Here's the mental break (as opposed to "breakdown") for today: What do the economy, bus wraps, municipal budget deficits, IESNA, Web2.0 and Amber Alerts all have in common? (Did you get stuck at IESNA? That is the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.)

The common thread is.... (drumroll)... Signage!

To explain, what follows here is the distilled version of a two-hour seminar I delivered to 100 business owners in the sign industry.

Cities are being pushed hard by two macro trends: The green movement, and expenses that outstrip revenues .
The "science of signs" is a fast-growing body of knowledge, and with that comes confirmation that signs play one of the most critical fiscal roles in this economy: Keeping small businesses awash with new clients, and giving cities a source of advertising revenue they may not have considered just five years ago.
Visible and effective signage can appear within a retail establishment in front of a product (the "last three feet of marketing"). It can appear in the form of a bus wrap. It can be reflected in the oh-so-critical exterior sign of a business. It can also be placed alongside the freeway in the form of Amber Alert signage.
Advertising dollars are now being viewed as a potential revenue source, by municipalities who are in dire need of funding.
Amber Alert signs are a potential source of advertising revenue. Provided they become full-color. Conveniently, this gives us a better medium of communication in the event of an Amber Alert - we will see the abductor's face, the color of the car, the image of the child, instead of amber words scrolling on a screen.
Bus wraps, especially attached to public transit vehicles, are a regular source of advertising revenue for cities today. The green movement (and the price of gas) have created such a demand for new transit buses that supply can not keep up with demand. Imagine that!
IESNA created lighting standards that take into account the amount of ambient lighting around a subject. These lighting "zones" are built around decades of human factors research. It should be no secret that this science is peer reviewed, and accepted everywhere in North America as the de facto standard by which visible and effective lighting is judged.
Today, the illumination of EMC LED signs, such as those used in the Amber Alert system or on the Strip in Las Vegas, can be moderated if necessary by the same IESNA standards. Lab results and field studies have recently been completed that use simple light meters and formulas developed in accordance with IESNA to evaluate EMC LED signage.

Is there a catch? Are there any arguments against any of these points? This wouldn't be a very interesting blog if not. I personally do not subscribe to this argument, but opponents state their case like this: If a city in California were to receive brand-new, full-color EMC Amber Alert signs and in exchange, allowed advertising on those signs when they were not used for traffic alert or Amber Alert conditions, the signs would become ineffective, or worst case scenario, a danger. In other words, drivers would be so engaged in the ads that their driving becomes unsafe, or they are so bored with the screens that they ignore the missing child info. Which is it folks? You can't have it both ways.

Science helps humans whenever they reach this sort of impasse. As it turns out, conjecture and emotion are not very good determinants of "the right thing to do." Go figure. So, we turn to science, to assure that the signs are effectively communicating any and all messages. This is entirely within the realm of possibility. And we look to the research which already shows us that driver safety is not impaired by EMC signage that glows in accordance with IESNA standards. Glow, not Glare, is the Golden Rule.

We watch our favorite tv show, and sometimes tune out the commercials. But has anyone ever accidentally "tuned out" their favorite show? I look at these Amber Alert systems every evening on my drive home, and if there is the usual "55 Minutes to 405 Frwy" message, I glance and tune out. If the sign features a license plate number, a make and model of an abductor's vehicle, I try to memorize those details. Sometimes I have to ask myself, "what does an Aveo look like??"

Can't we give ourselves a little credit and know that with the proper guidelines in place, we will treat Amber Alert system ads, and alerts, the same way? Maybe we don't need as much science as we need common sense. Oh, another point: I would rather see a picture of the car than just a description.... how does the saying go? Oh, there it is, 'One picture is worth a thousand words.'

Next to last word: If your sity or state has found a good, logical way to earn additional revenues, and those revenues can be put to important uses such as education, infrastructure, employment services, then maybe we need to rely more on science when we fear a change, and less on our imaginations.

Almost forgot. The list above included Web2.0 as something connected to these macro trends. Well, you're reading this blog, aren't you?

May I leave you with two thoughts, conveniently mentioned by another blogger:
"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet."-Theodore M. Hesburgh

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things."-Peter F. Drucker

Until next time.... may you always do the right things...