SS Graphics Inc.

Downriver's Newest Chamber of Commerce

Today we joined the Wyandotte, Michigan Chamber of Commerce.

In the past I have always declined to join these types of organizations.  My marketing and advertising experience (or lack of) have always made me question why I would want to join an organization that had very limited market coverage.  I believed that a local Chamber of Commerce could do little to help a national sales organization such as SS Graphics Inc.

Well, I think differently today than yesterday.  I now look towards helping in the development of my community, the community where my family lives.  I now realize that it is not always about what this type of membership can do for me or my company, but how can I help my local business community grow and prosper.

Caring For and Cleaning Magnetic Car Signs

• To guard against moisture and dirt buildup between the vehicle magnet and the metal surface, remove the car magnets at regular intervals.  Clean both the magnet and the metal surface with a mild detergent; wipe with a soft cloth and allow to air-dry.  (For vehicle magnetic signs, remove and clean both surfaces at least weekly.
• To protect fresh clear coat, base coat and/or vinyl surfaces on new cars and trucks, remove magnetic signs daily.  Before re-applying clean all surfaces as outlined above.

Also please remember that magnetic car signs should only be applied to clean, smooth, flat or gently curved metallic surfaces.  Severe body lines and molding need to be avoided.  Body lines and plastic moldings are the number one cause of failure.

YARD SIGN SUBSTRATE MATERIALS

Corrugated Plastic Sign Substrate

Corrugated Plastic is an all weather material approximately 3/16 inch thick. www.SignOutfitters.com corrugated plastic yard signs are waterproof and screen printed for outdoor durability. Corrugated Plastic yard signs can be used again and again and have the longest life span of any temporary outdoor signage. Great for candidates who run for the same office repeatedly.

Polyethylene Bag Signs

Poly Bag Signs are made from weather proof heavy duty polyethylene with an opaque lining to eliminate see-thru. Generally available only in bulk quantities. This type of exterior signage has a short life span with very limited re-usability. Polyethylene bags deteriorate rapidly in the harmful UV rays of the sun. These signs may get brittle and crack after long term exposure. Poly bag signs tend to create litter due to the cracking of the polyethylene plastic.

Fold Over Paper (Weather Resistant Poster board) Signs

These signs continue to be the one of the popular choices for political campaigns. They are often called Political Posters. The most popular size is 22 inches wide x 28 inches tall. Typically, weather resistant posterboard signs are printed on one side with two identical images and folded in half to make a double sided sign which is 14 inches tall and 22 inches wide. These signs are made from poly-coated weather proof poster board. These are also screen printed. Paper Signs are folded in half, than either stapled or glued shut. Outdoor life span is shorter than corrugated plastic yard signs with limited re-usability. Weather Resistant Poster Board Election Yard Signs from Signoutfitters.com are made from 24 point, 6 ply, poly coated (2 sides) weather resistant poster board. This is the best in the industry for temporary outdoor / indoor signs, especially political posters. Our signs are UV screen printed for indoor and outdoor durability

Custom Sign Design Tip - Color Choices

Custom Sign Color Combinations:

The following list shows the most readable and successful color combinations in order of viewing effectiveness.  Color combinations with high contrast between the background and letters are easier to read and can be seen from greater viewing distances.

1. Black on White

2. Yellow on Black

3. White on Blue

4. Yellow on Blue

5. Green on White

6. Blue on Yellow

7. White on Green

8. White on Burgandy

9. Burgandy on Yellow

10. Burgandy on White

11. Yellow on Burgandy

12. Red on White

13. Yellow on Red

14. Red on Yellow

15. White on Red

These combinations are effective for most types of signs.  These combinations work well for yard signs, magnetic signs, bumper stickers, and static cling decals.

Remember to follow sign shape, size, and color conventions when designing signs for safety purposes - Like red and white for stop signs.

Political Yard Sign Design Tip

FONT (Type Style):

The more fonts used, the more difficult a campaign sign will be to read, so limit your font choices to one or two per layout.  Sans serif fonts like Arial and Helvetica are the easiest to read from a distance and in most cases should be used for the primary message.  Likewise fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, Benguiat, and Cooper are appropriate for the secondary message.

Remember, to Keep It Simple (KIS).

Visit www.SignOutfitters.com for yard sign designs and online ordering.

Political Campaign Yard Sign Design Tips

Political Sign Disclaimer

It is your responsibility to find out the requirements for the disclaimer clause and give this information to your screen printer.  Disclaimers vary from local to local.  State and federal laws vary with regard to notices which must be printed and identification of those responsible for purchasing, publishing, or distributing political advertising.  The exact wording, location, and required size are dictated by the election board governing your campaign.

What is an Art Charge?

What is an "art charge"?  First of all I would like to point out that an art charge, a set-up charge, color separation charge, and a screen charge are all different billable items.  In this post we are going to briefly discuss what an art charge is.

In the most simple terms an art charge is a billable item for preparing artwork for proofing or production.

It is very likely that  customer artwork has not been provided in a format suitable for production. 

Here is a very simplistic example:

A client provides a sketch on a piece of paper for a new logo to be incorporated into a yard sign design.  This sketch is obviously not in an electronic format and must be recreated by graphic artist before any proofing or production can be done.  Depending on the complexity of the design and the skills of the designer this could take anywhere from several minutes to several hours to accomplish.  This is a billable service, or an "art charge".

Another common example:

A client is able to provide artwork in an electronic format, however it is not able to be provided in the proper format, ie. customer provides a bitmap file when a vector file is required.  Tifs, gifs, and jpegs are not scalable.  So if a customer provides their logo as a jpeg (their business card printer used it) and wants to incorporate this logo into a 48 inch x 24 inch yard sign it will require vectorization.  Again, based on the complexity of the design this is another billable service, or an "art charge".

The examples can go on and on.  I think the point is if it takes time to prepare the artwork properly for proofing, printing, or production - the time is billable.  After all "time is money".

Political Yard Sign Design Tip

Remember to keep it simple (K.I.S.) – Your target viewers basically only need remember your name and the political office which you are campaigning for.  The fewer letters a political yard sign contains the larger (more visible) the words will be, remember there is only a limited amount of space.  Only use necessary text.  Also, theme based political advertising can help reinforce you message.

View some effective Political Yard Sign Designs.

Bilingual OSHA Signs

Bilingual OSHA Signs - Alert workers in English and Spanish.  Limit Danger Signs to the most extreme situations, where an imminent hazard has a high probability of causing serious injury or death.  Use Caution Signs to alert employees to safety precautions.  Use where minor or moderate injury can occur.  Do not use Caution Signs where there is a possibility of serious injury or death.  Use Notice Signs to state company safety policy for protection of employees or property.  OSHA required signs come in three materials.  All signs come with 4 mounting holes and the pressure sensitive stick on vinyl can be applied to any clean smooth surface.  All signs are in accordance with the OSHA (Occupational safety and Health Act) specification (1910.145 and 1926.200).

View more OSHA signs.

Here is some more info. on, ''Who is credited with with the Democratic and Republican symbols?''

Back in January 2006, I wrote a short post titled, ''Who is credited with with the Democratic and Republican symbols?'' , It has become a very popular visit on our blog.  When I originally wrote the article, it was more of a comment on using the Internet for researching somewhat obscure topics.  However, I think many people are looking for the answer to this question.

Thomas Nast is credited with the modern graphical representations of these political symbols.  Below are a couple of links which will provided you with more information on Thomas Nast and his art.

Also, did you know that Thomas Nast is credited with the modern image of Santa Claus.

Check out these links:

Thomas Nast at osu.edu

ThomasNast.com