One of those days...Why am I in this business

[Site Man]

OLD FORUM POSTS

Posted by Harry Spetnagel on October 10, 2003

Today I saw something that made me wonder about the career path I have chosen and the reasons I stay in it.
Our shop is currently doing a sign package for the Performing Arts Center at the University of Denver. The University spent a ton of money building a truly unique and impressive building. Much of the money was raised by private donation.

The building has a giant atrium in the center of it that was donated by the Swayder foundation. In tribute, the architects commissioned a 4'x12' carved limestone lentil atop two giant limestone columns on each side of the grand staircase into the auditorium, to honor the foundation.

This is where it gets good. The lettering was done in a prismatically carved Trajan. The kerning between the "w" and "a" in swayder was literally this bad sw a . So now and for probably the next 100 years the
SW AYDER FOUNDATION will forever be immortalized.

Now I admit I did think to myself "thank god we didn't make that mistake!" immediately after viewing it. My next thought however was "how does that happen?" Have we (signmakers/stonecutters /lettering arts people) lost touch with our craft to the point that no one cares to look before they carve? I am sure that this was the result of a computer pattern being generated by someone with little or no sensitivity to how a computer can butcher letter spacing if you let it. However I think it speaks to a bigger problem. As evidenced by the fact that they allowed that piece of stone to be installed, I wonder if anyone else evens cares.

My wife always says to "save the drama for your momma." but I have to admit I drove home with a pit in my stomach and I swear I will start tomorrow by having a discussion with the guys in the Art Dept about the importance of paying attention to what they do everyday.

Mike Jackson

Hi Harry,
I'm sure all of us could cite examples in their own town of similar work. Unfortunately, your example IS "carved in stone" and won't be fixed. The skilled journeyman sign painters were great at letter spacing (most of them anyway). With that being said, the past was not perfect either. I'm sure the sign makers of their day could cite a long list of equally bad design and spacing. I wouldn't even care to count how many time I have seen the A or W painted backgwards on a roman letterstyle, with the thick strokes going the wrong direction. I saw one yesterday, in fact. The name was "Wild West Outdoor Apparel".

As for myself, I always check spacing on the major headlines, and try to watch for additional problems on the subcopy...and then try to get the wording on the sign STRAIGHT--or parallel to the bottom of the sign. I've been seeing a lot of signs applied to side of vans that aren't even close.

As you commented, about all we can do is watch our own work as we do them.

Mike Jackson

Kent Smith

My concern is that with a lack of professionalism in the "professionals", the at-home desk-top designers have a field day. This diminishes the value of our services a little at a time and makes it that much more difficult to have customers seek and pay for our help. On the other hand could it mean that those of us who do good work will be the only ones left working?

Rick Sacks

One evening last week, I was on a committee to view design presentation for banners that would line the down town area. These would change seasonally and for specific events. Several artist had their proposals for us to evaluate and we needed to select one. It took me around a minute to make my decision and ten minutes to explain it to the other committee members. All the presentations but one were computer art and modified clip art. There was one that was entirely hand drawn and colored with a wash done with a brush. The charactor from the hand done versions stood out and had such warmth and was inviting. This was in a league by itself.

Kent Smith

Bravo

Harry Spetnagel - One of those days...Continued

Kent- I have some of those same concerns...my dilemma is however that I believe that the general public is being bombarded with bad lettering so often that they are losing their perception of what "is Good". That is not to say it's all bad. After all, experimentation is the mother of invention. I'm just afraid its become the mother of convention also. I mean just open the advertising section of the sunday paper...some good, and a lot not so much.

Kent Smith

EXACTLY

I got a free CD once which was only "handwritten and hand lettered" fonts. Terrible stuff which would not pass pennmanship class when I was in school and the hand lettered would not have been acceptable in any shop.

My consternation is that I see evidence of others using those "fonts" everywhere. Not only does this exhibit a lack of style or design, legibility is totally lost which negates the purpose of the exercise altogether. It baffles my mind to think that anyone would assume that making any type of message illegible is warrented.

I have just recently redone some convoluted project signs that were designed by a desktop jockey and simply re-lettered "lots for sale" in standard bold. The property owner called the afternoon that I installed them to say thanks and that he had already had his FIRST 5 calls. The other layout had been up for 6 months.

While I realize the world would be boring without good design and this over simplification is not always appropriate, shouldn't the message be readable?

The other issue is that a good sign painter in the past had 5 or 6 good letter styles which he could modify in many ways plus a good script or two. It was more a matter of how you organized layout, made a modification or two for emphasis or to go along with the sense of the word, rather than finding a special font out of 5 or 10,000.

Our industry and others as well have become font happy or font hungry, allowing that choice to be the cornerstone of design. Not the best or first place to start in my opinion.

Barbara Schilling

Quote:
"Shouldn't the message be readable?"

Here, Here!!! While I love the 'art' of being a sign artist, I'm REALLY in love with the 'advertising' and giving a customer the most appropriate for the project and the budget. Puts me in remembrance of my first sign hero, Chester Cunningham, whom I met through the pages of Signs of the Times mag back in the 70's. HIS SIGNS WERE 'READABLE'!!!