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I would like to know if you have experience or you are interested in designing an external sign with a logo.

For example, you would design a logo such as the McDonald's golden arches, then design a sign that complimented that logo. Please respond if you are interested in this type of project. Building materials would consist of aluminum, plastic, paint and vinyl.

Here are a couple examples of what I am describing...
www.flickr.com/photos/colr/91109065/
www.flickr.com/photos/ezeiza/190552977/
www.flickr.com/photos/rickm15/3522977959/

Experience in this industry would be a plus, but not necessarily a requirement.

btper21 -- I've personally worked on projects similar to what you're talking about. Probably your best approach is going to be A) have a logo ready or at least know what kind of general mark you want [text only? a graphic? something within a solid shape?] and then B) incorporate that artwork into a larger 3-dimensional sign that *takes your site into consideration*. To ensure a (comparatively) smooth process, a designer would need to have:

1) numerous photos of the site and the building itself
2) detailed information on how and where the sign will be placed (freestanding, fully or partially attached to building, etc)
3) detailed information on sign dimensions, including those determined by city regulations (how tall is it allowed to be, etc)
4) you should probably talk to whoever's going to be building the final sign and finalize pricing! that'll at least get you a rough number for total dimensions, and what each portion will be made of (so designers know that part X can be illuminated, and so forth). Big outdoor signage construction projects like that are going to run thousands if not tens of thousands -- definitely have a rough idea and a cost estimate before you start designing!

Collier is right. All of the above need to be considered, especially the zoning and site survey. The sign indusrty is getting hammered with regs from local municiples. What works in one city may not be allowed in the next. From that point, the logo needs to be designed to fit your budget. With extruded aluminum, just about anything is possible. An old guy once told me "Speed cost money, how fast do you want to go". As far as a logo, keep it simple with bold lines and limit the colors, save the fancy effects for letterheads. All strokes need to be simple and bold, think sans serif. Hope this helps.

I work for a sign company and I am interested in having you guys concept/design the signs, including or excluding the logo artwork, within logotournament. Would you be interested? I am not looking for detailed blueprints, just a layout and design.

Oh now THAT sounds like fun. You could certainly give it a try!

ETA: Depending on how much more complex/ornate/etc the *sign* would be compared to just the logo itself, you might want to run a logo contest first (for a project that doesn't already have a logo) and then run the sign contest second. Or alternately, you'd want to make it clear that the logo portion of any signage design will need to be able to stand on its own, and work well on letterhead, website and the like.

btper21

I have worked with several sign companies in my area and any sign company will give you this as part of the quote...any subsequent design work is embedded into the quote price....

you do not require us to do this...because the sign will still bill you for it anyways...it's all incorporated into the quote system they use...

EastCoast, the CH *works for* a sign company. Sounds like he wants to try using LT designers to come up with some really creative/innovative concepts for his clients' projects. I'm all for it -- I think it'd be a lot of fun to work on.

I'm not sure how this will work. Every case has so many variables. I own a sign company and have to say I am a little confused. Would the CH email out a copy of the logo and we would design the fabricated box? Taking into account the lamp size or potential LED lights. Would the CH give us external factors such as local ordinances? If the logo is provided, I think it would make sense for the CH to go direct to a fabricator to do the design. Each local ordinance will have different engineering standards that has to be meet in order to have the sign erected. There are just too many variables. I just don't think this is the place for such design work or a good value for the CH. But then again, this is only my opinion. I would like to hear more.

Hi btper21.
I am currently in my final year of a B.A. in industrail/product design. And i would like to hear what you would like to see in your sign. I believe I could be of help to you. I Have all the software needed for 3d design and manufacture. and understand how materials work with each other and which way they can be assembled.

I would like to speak with you further.

Andy..

Collier- you are right on. I would like you guys to come up with some new creative looks for our sign projects.

K Carroll- I can provide you with a basic scope of the project to keep you within range of what we are looking for. We have a department for permitting that tells us what we can/can't do, the square footage for the sign, etc... We would be looking more for the design/creative portion rather than the ability to meet all the sign codes and construction details. I can share with you how we prefer to build signs to aid in the design process too.

We have a big project a couple months ago where we approached the designers in our city to submit ideas. The winning design was paid a fee. It worked very well for both parties, but I like the idea of being able to work with more designers than we have access to here locally. I am working on finding a project we could share with you all... Be in touch soon.

Is there anyone else interested in designing a sign with a logo incorporated into the sign?

btper21
Thanks for asking.
I don't think this would work as a contest - is that what you're suggesting?? Or are you looking for someone to do this as a contract outside of Logotournament? This site is for logo design contests, not sign designs. In my opinion I think there are too many varialbles as described above - but the bottom line is that if we do a sign contest we'll be doing business cards and web pages next.

I'm sure there will be Logotournament designers interested in doing it as a contract project with you.

Charcoal: Good Point

BtPer21: I am Available to work with you outside LT on this .

Andy.

Hmmm. interesting, but usually I design a logo first, then sometimes CH ask for a render how it would look as a wooden sign or aluminum sign, so I also render them that way sometimes. So that would be another creative process of presenting a logo...

Charcoal- I hear what you are saying.

Being in the sign business, we see a lot of logos that look good on the computer but translate horribly into a sign design- shading and 3 dimensions being major problems, as well as just readability. When its on a sign up in the air 10-20 feet or you are driving by in a car at 50 mph, the logo needs to be clean and clear. Obviously some people don't incorporate the logo into a sign, but many do and the logo designers never consider the application of signage. We see this too often! For instance, on the design brief for logo tournament, a "sign" application isn't one of the choices, but it could be one of the most important factors in a good & functional logo.

We see a significant market where designing a logo that has real sign applications is needed but an added bonus that the sign would be designed around the logo itself. I agree- this may need to be done outside of LT, but it still fits in the logo arena. What I love about LT, is most people think sign logos have to be boring & functional or cool & unfunctional. I think LT could deliver both.

I guess what we are looking for is the logo within a logo. What does the "boarder" of the sign look like to compliment the company's real logo and thinking about what kind of applications this could be- such as channel letters, plastic faces, aluminum extrusion, aluminum routing, etc... We aren't looking for detailed blueprints- just an image of the best sign designs that would compliment the actual logo. Often, you see a box sign or a sign that doesn't compliment the logo at all. But when you see a sign that does compliment the logo, it really stands out. Thats what we are looking for. With our customer base, we have a lot of customers searching for logos and logo tournament can help us with that. If we can take it one step further and build the sign around that logo, together we deliver a GREAT product.

We appreciate each designers insights! The community on LT is great.

Andy- we are getting a project ready for you!

I'm game! It sounds like you need a nice non web 2.0 design. And you are asking because you see a lot of web 2.0 designs being done here. There are an equal amount of non web 2.0 designs being done also. But I concur that there are local regulations that you would want to follow first. I design signs for a local company in Gladwin, MI and the codes are less restrictive here.

And I would love to do this work, either through LT or outside of LT. Just let me know.

Thanks,


Dave

PS - You can PM if you'd like to so I don't lose this thread!

I would be more than happy to speak to you about this
I am currently working for a sign company in the design room

cheers tony