ArtbyHerbie.com » Signs and Vinyls

Signs and Vinyls: Spruce Up Your Mirrors With Cut Vinyl

Herbie Hysteria — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 14:34:20 +0000

An easy and cheap way of branding mirrors or glass is to use cut vinyl. You can use flat-coloured vinyl or digitally printed and cut vinyl. Depending on which you go for, the equipment you will need differs from a basic vinyl cutter to a more advanced machine which prints your design and then cuts around it’s outline. The results can be amazing and, if done correctly, look professionally positioned and installed.

Below are a couple of examples I have added to my portfolio. The first is a free standing mirror purchased separately by a client from a department store. Their logo, which I designed last year, isn’t the most ideal type for vinyl cutting simply because of the lettering’s intricacy (weeding this type of cut can really test your patience!). However, the intricacy really comes out when the job is done, so it’s worth it!

The second mirror was twice the size and was already installed on a barber shop’s wall. The logo and lettering for this one was a lot less detailed and simply consisted of a red font with a white contour around it. Remember, each colour is a separate layer of vinyl and it’s best to keep a maximum of three layers only, for clarity’s sake. Also, where you have any over-lapping layers, edges underneath can still be partially visible and can play havoc with your design if not kept to a minimum.

VERY intricate logo, weed this at your peril!

A more simpler logo..(yes, that's me taking the shot!)

The ‘Imran Khan Hairdressing’ job was a complete revamp of an old and tired barber shop in the hood, watch out for the full lowdown soon in the portfolio. The Beautiful Truth, as you all probably know, is one of my longer term clients for whom I have done a lot of wierd and wonderful work for.

Anyways, it’s ramadhan and my routine is playing havoc with my bowels. More to come soon.

Portfolio Update: July 2011 – Vehicle Graphics

Herbie Hysteria — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 18:11:50 +0000

I completed a couple of vehicles just before summer of this year. You may have already seen the Nelson Carpets and Kitchens logo because I designed it last year for some printed material. This same theme and logo was applied to a new(ish) Sprinter van. Digitally-printed vinyl was used on the panel areas of the van to make it blend in to the overall shapes and lines of the body. Colourful high-res images were good for attracting the eye.

'Longer than a conger'

It’s kinda wierd, both clients who’s vehicles are shown are named after my home-town, Nelson aka Pendle. Spooky. (Call them who buss’ ghosts!) Aaaanyway…

Pendle Property Maintenance wanted a fresh new look before applying it to their smaller Astra van. I used an outline of ‘Pendle Hill’ (which is a well-known hill and also region in my area) to relate it directly. The notorious slope can be easily identified as the hill and I used straight lines and lettering in the other parts of the logo to differentiate between the hill and the text.

small and pretty(!)

Simply, the logo went on both doors, bonnet (reversed) and back. The main panel area of the van was used to arrange text of different sizes to depict the various services offered. It took some arranging considering the limited area and text count, but I thought it was better than a boring bullet-pointed list. Simple, clean and creative. Just how we like it, yah?

Click here to view the complete portfolio. More to come soon.

PS: How does everyone find the new video chat on Facebook? It’s a BIG update, feel free to drop me a ‘like’ on my Facebook page. Muchos gracias!

Vehicle Graphics – Back Screens are Back!

Herbie Hysteria — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:24:00 +0000

Before CAD and vector-based design, vehicle graphics consisted of paint and/or commercially available cut letters in basic fonts and sizes. Now however, the quality and creativity can extend from the most basic design to a full custom vehicle wrap. A couple of locals got their ‘toes wet’ recently…

I’ve just added a couple of recent designs I did on the back screens of cars. If your budget doesn’t stretch to a full vehicle installation, or even if it’s your personal vehicle and you want a more subtle approach, then this may be the solution for you. If not done correctly, it can look naff and silly, but of course, there’s different ways to eat a sandwich(!)

Entirely covering the back screen with digitally-printed vinyl is illegal because it can obstruct your view and cause a hazard to other road users. So, the way to go is to use flat-coloured vinyl which will allow you to have gaps between your letters and shapes. Keeping it simple and clean is important as it will generally be seen on the road. The advertising potential is great and it’s free! Like Blue Peter stylee, ‘Here’s a couple I did earlier’:

Back screens = free advertising!

K.I.S.S. - 'Keep It Simple, Stupid'

This would be the ‘no-frills’ approach to vehicle graphics. The other end of the scale is a full custom wrap covering every inch of your vehicle’s panels, but everybody has their own individual tastes and budgets. Stay tuned for more vehicle graphics I have done including a full LWB Mercedes Sprinter van, which was daunting at first but we got there in the end.

Click here to view the complete portfolio. I’m back in the habit now so will be posting again very soon.

Muchos graciaaaas!

Fonts: Recent Discovery of the Horrific Use of Comic Sans in my Locality

Herbie Hysteria — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:18:50 +0000

If you don’t already know, Comic Sans is the most over-used and annoying font since the creation of man(!) It’s one of those fonts most of us can recognise because it’s been around so damn long! I included it in my blog post last year titled ‘My Top Six Fonts I am Sick to Death of and will be Deleting – NOW!’, so, yeah, it’s not one of my favourites(!) You can read that post here.

We have the ‘ever-innocent’ Microsoft Corp to thank, for commissioning this monstrosity in 1994. ‘Thanks, Bill!’. It’s generally mis-used because of it’s ‘comical and informal’ appearance. ‘Yeah, right’. As it was a free inclusion in earlier versions of Microsoft Windows, it was used in all instances from large-scale signage to business documents such as Annual Reports and brochures. It’s STILL in use today! Every time I see it, I recognise it and wonder WHO chose that particular font and what they were thinking when committing such a sin. It’s got a cult-following for being the most annoying font in existence!

Anyway, on a recent trip to see my dentist I discovered this font in large-scale plastered across the reception desk! It must have been at-least 12ft wide! I took a sneaky photo whilst I was waiting my turn:

Why? Comic Sans should be BANNED!

As you can see it’s a nice touch, with the reverse-cut frosted vinyl applied onto the glass facia. I’m sure the NHS didn’t employ any cowboy dogsbody to do the job, and it seems well-done. So, why the HELL have they chose Comic Sans in such a setting?. It’s then made worse that all the letters are lower-case and the tracking has been increased so there is more space between the letters. It looks naff!

A simple, smart and neutral font such as Lucida Sans or even Arial would have looked so much more professional. Why spread the letters out?

As a designer, I can’t help my beady eye critiquing every detail on my travels. This HAS to be one of the worst examples of design I’ve seen. There’s simply no excuse for the use of such a font in such a setting.

I know the NHS is facing cutbacks this year, seems like they’ve already sacked the graphic design department!

Portfolio Update: December 2010

Herbie Hysteria — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:20:02 +0000

Salaam, shalom and ‘Wasapnin?’.
I’ve just added some stuff to the portfolio which has been recently completed this month and last. I thought I’d do the December update early before the holidays started. Other projects I’m currently working on will be up soon too – some interesting and varied things going on!

Graphic Design

A few logo concepts have been worked on for a couple of larger projects. Logos – forever the starting point of massive organisations. You’ll hear more about them in due time. Meanwhile, I’ve added five new original logos I have designed and used this month.

Logo design for PAST Parents Group

Logo design for Heavenly Perfumes.

Design and Print

Getting a full cafe/takeaway menu onto two sides of A5 isn’t easy, but I’ve had to do it three times this month, of which two are included in this update. A couple of great poster jobs got dealt with too, amongst varied other stuff.

A5 Menu for Spice Of Asia

Signs and Vinyls

I also completed a digitally-printed UV sign for Madni Channel, the Islamic TV Channel on SKY 838 (tune in!). A new Islamic bookshop funded by them opened locally. The sign-board was designed, printed and installed in November. Also, a banner for a school-fayre kept me busy.

UV Design and Print Sign for 'Madina Bookshop'

Custom Requests

One custom request was a set of ID cards for a school parents’ group. These came out great and the ladies loved ‘em. Other stuff included a family portrait printed and laminated to A1 size.

People and Places

I met a brother who is the owner of a new busines called Heavenly Perfumes. Heavenly Perfumes, a new retailer based in my hometown approached me for logo and poster design. The job was completed on time, within budget and the results were definately the design-highlight of the month!

A very clever poster-design concept to bring the name ‘Heavenly’ into some associated imagery. However, you’re going to have to go to my Facebook page to see it because I have included it in the portfolio there under ‘Graphic Design’ and ‘Design and Print’. Also, more design-work for the ever-presents such as Stylz Hairdressing!

Site Tweaks

Beyond this, you will have noticed a few subtle changes around the site. I’m a tweaker, I just can’t help it and a major addition has been a little widget in the right-sidebar called ‘Latest Thoughts’. Think of it as a ‘status update’, it’s just somewhere I can quickly add my thoughts at a particular time, usually updated daily!

Also, you’ll notice some changes to the header links up ^^ there! I’ve added the ‘Latest Articles’ in chronological order as ‘The Blog’. Yes, ‘The Shop’ is there too and I’ve started incorporating it (nothing exciting to be viewed just yet) into the site, so hang on to your hats.

Anyways, view the complete additions to the portfolio here. The snowfall this month has left me and my homies quite numb, so I’m off to sit on a radiator(!) Don’t forget to leave your feedback!

Anyways, it’s been a good year, 2011 better be ready for me. To you and your family, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May God bless you all.

Large Format Printing – The CMYK Black Problem

Herbie Hysteria — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 16:54:05 +0000

Banner Design

Just recently, a client who’s branding I had done earlier in the year returned to order some printed PVC banners measuring 4ft x 2ft. The branding was such that the imagery and fonts were always backed-up by a black background, to give that ‘dark and sophisticated’ look (get what I mean?). Not much of my large-format artwork consists of flat black backgrounds, but I still thought it was straightforward, to my surprise.

The banners were for an overseas charity project, for which my client is a supporter. The graphic design for the banner simply consisted of the black background, the logo and one line of white text reading ‘Supported and funded by’.

Large Format UV-LED Printing

CMYK cartridges on a Mimaki

These were to be printed on a ‘shit-hot, state-of-the-art, wide-format, flatbed, LED UV-cured printer’ that costs more than your house, and also probably looks better than your house(!) Printing at 1200dpi, the output is crystal-clear and sharper than a razor. With the inks dried and cured by UV lamps, the quality and detail is immense. The banner material, which comes in large 50″ rolls, is fed through the printer and it prints directly onto the substrate.

The Problem – When ‘Black’ Isn’t Really ‘Black’(!)

I exported the design as a pdf at 300dpi resolution, and viewed it in Adobe Reader 9.3, it looked fine and the black background seemed really err…black? It looked good. PDF documents are an industry standard type of print-ready file because they hold their resolution and also use the CMYK colour model, which is a popular commercial printing colour model. CMYK is what most printers and commercial-printing set-ups use, which consists of four inks, cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black), which are used in various techniques, to generate millions of other colours and print the artwork.

When the artwork was printed onto the PVC banner material, the print came out such that the flat black background didn’t look black, but more of a ‘dark grey’ or ‘anthracite’ colour. I initially thought it was the printer that fucked up, but these things rarely go wrong so i suspected it was an artwork issue. Photos don’t differentiate in much detail, view the photo below to get my shizzle(!)

Black or Dark Grey? (FYI this is the first 'nearly black' effort)

I was expecting that rich, dark black but this was a disapointment. I mean, it was ‘nearly’ black, and it was the darkest grey I had ever seen, but, how should I describe this, it was also the ‘lightest’ black I had ever seen, get my drift? My client wasn’t impressed either, so I promised her a ‘full investigation and re-print’ at my expense (very PC Plod sounding I know), but you gotta keep the client-bunnies happy, right? The quest for perfection and quality was well and truely ON..

The Solution – CMYK vs HSV/RGB

I researched around some online forums and blogs, and found the solution to my problem. The problem existed because different colour models interpret flat colours in varying ways. Let me explain. When designing using my vector graphics software, all colours on the screen are viewed and represented using the HSV colour model, which allocates a six-digit code to each colour/shade such as #FF80FE (a glorious shade of pink!). This colour model uses light to generate the different colours on your monitor’s screen, and so are great for web-design and web-graphics.

However, the standard black in the HSV model is represented by #000000, but it’s CMYK equivalent is the ‘dark grey’ black. Yes, it looks fine on the screen, but when converted to CMYK for printing, the various ink mixtures result in the ‘not-so-black’ black(!) #000000 actually converts to C-0% M-0% Y-0% K-100%, which is also referred to as ’100% black’ because it is 100% of the ‘Key’ black ink which is used.

I was advised to increase the percentages a little on the other three inks. The reasoning behind this is far too complex for a short-ish post on my blog, but it’s related to the way the inks are mixed to generate other colours. I increased the percentages of the other three inks, to create a ‘new colour’ in my graphics software. I opted for C-25% M-25% Y-25% K-100% and used this black instead of the standard black. It still looked the same on my screen, but when printed it was a beautiful, rich ‘darker-than-dark’ black. A huge improvement, and a lesson learned for me. (I don’t have a photo of the improved print because I had to post it out same-day, but it was blacker than black and made the text and font stand out even better). Whooppee!

If you’re a designer, printer or related professional, let me know of any similar problems you’ve had and how you rectified them. If you’re a potential customer, don’t worry, not all my jobs are fuck-ups, this was just a little ‘grey area’ in my skills-set(!)

Woman Gets Knocked Out By Falling Nightclub Sign

Herbie Hysteria — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 21:47:28 +0000

Woman hospitalized by falling sign

I just came across this article on the UK Independant newspaper’s website and just had to give my take on the event, because designing, building and installing signs is one of the services I offer my own clients. A sign outside the Reflex Club, in Plymouth, Devon apparently fell off and struck a young female passer-by on the head, knocking her out cold. Ouch!

Fortunately, she spent a day in hospital and was sent on her merry way with a bruised head, bruised ego and one hell of a headache to look forward to in the morning. She was found unconscious on the pavement by members of the public after the sign detached from it’s fixings and fell, round about 11am. Oh dear love, talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time(!) The sign itself, 30ft by 2.5ft, was damaged beyond repair and taken for investigation.

Shoddy Workmanship?

This example just shows how important it is to spend the time and effort on installing a sign properly. After all, if things do go wrong, it’s ordinary members of the public who are at risk. Large signs like this are heavy and need to be secured in their positions indefinatley. It’s all part and parcel of the service a good sign-maker should offer.

Usually, before design and build, a survey is undertaken of the site where the new signs are to be installed. For me, this isn’t just about taking measurements and rough sketches. I tend to take my measurements whilst also taking photos of the existing installation or space and determining the best way to affix the sign(s) in their place.

It’s also important to have the right tools and equipment for the job. This will not also ensure you work safely and confidently, it will also re-assure your clients about your skills and professionalism. Word-of-mouth is a great marketing tactic, so make sure your clients praise you and your work! Get called a ‘cowboy’ and trust me, the work WILL dry up. Reputation is everything, take the extra time, effort and funds to guard it with your life!

Who’s To Blame?

In this instance, the young woman who got hit by the falling sign was quite lucky. However, she could have just so easily been killed by the accident. A sign as big as this one could easily kill one or more people by falling. The people/company/person who installed the sign will definately be the prime suspects for the ‘scapegoatism’ that would surely have followed such an event. This sign fell off about 11am in the morning, but imagine it fell off at 11pm the night before when there would have been a queue of young revellers outside the nightclub.

Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance For Sign Makers

Get covered, get insured!

To cover yourself against accidents like this, it’s important to take out public liability and professional indemnity insurance. In today’s ‘compensation culture’, it’s imperative that the victim has the right to seek damages for her injuries. This can be a significant amount when everything such as injuries sustained, loss of earnings and personal effects are added up. A thorough investigation to establish the cause and liability in such an accident is the norm. So, if it’s your shoddy workmanship that’s at fault, trust me, you’ll get it in the neck(!)

If you’re not covered, you could be ‘up shit’s creek without a paddle’ – as they say around my neighbourhood. This would mean you’re personally liable and could even result in a prison sentence. It wouldn’t really help your professional reputation too. Eek!

Design, Build AND Installation

A good graphics company or signmaker will offer the full service. From initial concept and site survey to design, build and final installation – all in a safe and professional manner. Engaging the client directly through the process will ensure a happy client at the end. This is why, for example, I always provide a visual rendering of the projected design.

I do this by taking photos of the building or location where the signs are to be placed, and then edit the photograph to show how the final signs will look. This provides the client with the ‘end vision’. It’s great because the client knows what to expect, and you can get on with the job at hand of designing and building a kick-ass sign/sign system which will, hopefully, not end up crashing down onto an unsuspecting member of the public(!)

Case Study: Victor’s Liquors, Manchester, Lancashire

Herbie Hysteria — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:01:29 +0000

The finished article - slicker than your average!

Victor’s Liquors is a new off license and liquor store in Sale, Manchester. In the summer of 2009, I was approached by the owner to manage the whole project and get the store ready for it’s opening in August, 2009.

The Brief – ‘The Best Dressed Off License In Manchester’

Herbie Hysteria and Victor Victorious

Victor Shah, the owner, is a charismatic kind of individual who certainly knows what he wants. ‘Herbs, I want the slickest and most fuckin’ best-dressed offie in Manchester!’ was the brief he gave me. Hmm, ‘Thanks for the detailed brief, Vic’, I replied. Having secured the premises lease, a prominent property on the Sale Circle, Manchester, we set off one morning, Red Bull in hand, to view the battered property. Apparently, the previous owners also ran a liquor store there but it was evident they didn’t spend any money on making it look at least decent. It was a mess, here is what it was like – before, I got my filthy mitts on it:

The state of the shop, before the fun began

Logo Design and Branding

Victor's Liquors Logo

The project started with a brand new logo design and branding. At the time, I was contemplating using just the ‘V’ and ‘L’ in the logo. However, after some initial drafts, I thought a shield design would envisage Victor’s own personality – ‘authoritative’ and ‘outspoken’. Adding two crossed liquor bottles to the bottom of the logo made it instantly relevant to the service. We decided on the orange, white and black trim after reviewing all the other various shops around the property. Orange would make sure it stuck out like a sore thumb.

I chose two typefaces for the whole project. The main font used in the logo is called Anticlaire Display SSK, a personal favourite of mine. I think it’s clarity and elegance worked well whilst remaining simple and readable. I stuck with normal Arial to be used on information such as products, opening times and such.

Painting and Colour-Coordination (RAL)

Picking the correct shade of orange was extremely important. This is because the orange had to be exactly the same colour for the paint as well as the vinyls. I started by viewing all the possible orange shades available in outdoor-vinyl. The colour-matching system I used was the RAL system, of which ‘pure orange’ was RAL2004. this ensured the same shade would be used on both the vinyls, signs and paintwork.

The horrible green colour which adorned the exterior didn’t really make you jump out of your pants(!) Therefore, all the exterior wood, bollards and pillars were painted using exterior gloss paint. The pillars and bollards were painted orange and black with a small white trim to break the colours further. The metal window frame was painted black using gloss black metal paint-spray.

Window Graphics

Window vinyls and graphics

Initially, the idea was to cover both ground-floor windows. This was to create a real ‘hardcore liquor store’ feel. After contemplating the decision, I decided to cover the right-side window fully, but keep the left-side window only half-covered. This would ensure some natural light got through into the store. The window design was simple, a bullet-pointed list of products and services. The left window would show the opening times in a ‘week summary’ style, instead of listing each day of the week seperately.

I had to be careful I didn’t ‘over-design’ the windows, if you get my drift. This was because the first-floor window boards and light-box sign would be graphical and creative enough. The windows were covered with black vinyl and the text layerd on. I kept the bullet points of the text orange so the colour-co-ordination would match.

Light-Box Sign

The biggest and most expensive part of the project was the main light-box sign. Measuring nearly 16 foot across, it was big. This was great for the desired effect, an illuminated ‘Victor’s Liquors’ sign which shone like a beacon at night. The main lettering was left transparent so the light could shine through.

The light box, illuminating the neighbourhood!

The aluminium light-box was powder-coated the same orange (RAL 2004) colour. It matched the paintwork beautifully and fitted in great when it was installed. Hooking it up to the electrics was easy enough so the sign could be switched on or off from within the shop.

Window Boards

Hand-painting the window boards, HH in action!

The first floor windows of the property were in a horrible state. The wooden frames were rotting and the paint was flaking off. Just giving them a lick of paint wasn’t going to be enough. Replacing the window frames was not within the budget. So, I improvised and suggested covering the windows with half-inch thick wooden boards, hand-painted of course.

Custom Printed Sweatshirts

To really finish the project off, I supplied printed sweatshirts for Victor and his staff to wear as their uniform. The big shield logo was transferred onto the backs of the sweatshirts, which also provided added promotion for the shop. In closing, this was a project I thoroughly enjoyed and the locals absolutely loved it. Job well done!