The very rare customer will want top quality at any expense. Most of our clients require a sign solution that makes economic sense. They ask themselves, “What’s the payoff? How long do I need this sign to attract attention? Sell my service? Identify the building?” Today people also ask us about the end-of-life, or recycling options, for their sign. These options exist, and only add a small premium to the cost of the material.

In very general terms, the longer the sign needs to last, the more expensive it is going to be. A material such as a foamed PVC board will last about 2 years in the sunlight. It will look great right up until the moment it shatters and falls off the wall. Aluminum has a lifetime measured in decades. If the graphics are of high-performance vinyl an aluminum sign will look great for about 8 years, and be serviceable for maybe 20 years.

The longest lasting sign material is porcelain enamel. This process melts a low-temperature glass onto a steel panel to create the design. Porcelain enamel signs from the 1930s look as bright and crisp as the day they were made; exposure and environment testing indicates this type of sign might last 400 years or more! Typically museums and high-traffic areas would be good candidates for this type of sign.

The letter in the picture is of an interior material used to make an exterior sign. Failing to understand appropriate materials for an application will always lead to failure of the sign.

When you call us for a quote, one of the questions we will ask you is “How long you do need your sign to last?” If you are setting up a short term marketing burst, we will suggest disposable/recyclable materials. If you are identifying an office building we’ll suggest something that will last for a generation or more.

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When we think of green technology we are accustomed to associating it with solar panels, energy efficient light bulbs or fuel efficient cars and hybrids. While the sign industry is not particularly eco-friendly and relies heavily on the use of vinyl for lettering and other not so environmentally friendly substrates, there are some “green” products to be found. In fact, long lasting LED light boxes and panels that are very bright, energy efficient and low maintenance, are indeed eco-friendly. Sandblasted or monument signs made of high density urethane (HDU) are 100% renewable and very environmentally friendly.

The use of solvent inks, as is the practice at SignWorks, makes producing digital prints a more environmentally friendly process. Add to this the new retractable bamboo banner stand, which is totally eco-friendly, and the availability of non-pvc banner materials, and you’ll see that there is a new trend in the offing. And these are just a few of the examples.

As with many other industries, individual companies can implement policies and programs that will allow them to certify their environments as eco-friendly. While this takes some planning and preparation, it is something that all business owners should explore.

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Every sign shop I’ve worked for has handled the financial aspect of transactions differently. In every case, however, the core issue is one of trust.

Everyone is familiar with buying a product off a shelf in a retail store. What you see on the box is what’s inside the box (caveats of “serving suggestion” aside). If it doesn’t work, take it back. Anyone who has purchased custom jewelry knows you put money down, and the artisan starts work on your special piece. For a mass produced item trust is implicit (This wouldn’t be for sale unless other people had bought it!) while for a piece of custom jewelry the trust is more explicit (The artist assured me I will be happy and I saw some of the work I really liked. I trust I’ll get what I want).

Signwork is custom work. If you’re opening Saul’s Deli you don’t want a Bertrand’s Catering’s sign, do you? A deposit ensures that Bertrand’s Catering is going to follow though (they’ve put down some earnest money!) and so their sign won’t be laying about, waiting to be sold to Saul.

So how does a sign company earn a customer’s trust? The lazy way is to “give away” a design or two with an estimate. A smart customer will get a few quotes. So if that customer has seen four designs, there are three designs they will not be choosing. Who pays for those designs? The cost is wrapped into overhead, so the customer is actually buying not only his design but all the designs that other customers aren’t buying.

That’s not very trustworthy behavior. Plus it boosts the final cost of the sign!

A tougher way to earn customer’s trust is to actually give good service. To show examples of great work, to answer questions fully and truthfully, to learn what they want and produce an estimate that reflects those conversations. The request for a deposit is an obvious step in any custom project. Often the only confusion is when to ask for it. At SignWorks, we ask for your deposit right up front. This allows us to focus on your design and to do an excellent job on staging your project. Your job is not competing for attention against speculative projects.

Receiving your deposit first and then doing the work of creating your custom design helps us keep our commitment to low prices and high quality.

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