I’m right in the throes of laying out two pieces: a community newsletter and a program booklet. Despite issuing very clear and easy sizing guidelines, I’ve found that only about 1 in 10 small business ads are submitted properly. To be very generous, I’m not even being picky about color modes or file formats – only physical dimensions. When replying to ask for correct artwork, only about 10% agree to get design help. The common assumption is that they can’t afford to pay a professional. Instead, they’ll choose to fiddle and “Photoshop” the ad themselves, or approve to print it “as-is” – usually with a lot of dead area around it or elements too fuzzy to read.

Invest once and get some extra bang for your buck. Have your designer create your ad in a scaleable format so you can use the same layout later on larger postcards or posters.

Fetching Finn

This week, I was particularly surprised by two businesses. The first was a golf course in an affluent neighborhood. They submitted an ad that they created in-house using Word, but were ultimately unhappy with the formatting and export (as we know, Word is not the best design program, but it’s lovely for letters). When approached with the offer of design assistance, they said they “just didn’t have hundreds of dollars to spend on ad design”. Their full page, full color ad, which costs between $300-$400 in their door-to-door community news, wasn’t worth the extra investment to make it a showstopper.

The second was a home business where the owner decided to spend countless hours trying different photo editing software in order to scale her horizontal jpeg ad to fully fit a vertical layout. (For the record, this can’t be done by scaling without distorting the entire ad. Round-peg-in-square-hole syndrome.) She finally realized the impossibility of the task and turned to me for help. Within 60 minutes, I had reviewed her brand look, studied her website style, and produced a full color ad in the proper dimensions (and color mode and file format!). The new ad packs 100 times more punch and attitude than her logo did when it was stuck on a white background with black text around it. Plus, she now has a fresh, high-resolution piece to add to her marketing arsenal and use as future brand inspiration. She was so thrilled (and probably exhausted), that we may meet again on her next assignment. Maybe a re-brand to add to the portfolio?

So, my friends…

I’d love to hear your take on this or if you’ve ever been at your wit’s end designing your own print ad.

He was at the top of a leaning ladder, dancing his paint brush over the concrete wall. I could have stood there all day, my mouth hanging open and eyes wide. No computer, no stencil, no projector. I was in Mexico and this was the real deal: a sign painter. An artist. A man with fonts burned into his brain and probably one of many locals who can eerily replicate the Corona logo to perfection (true – it’s painted everywhere).

A wave of emotion washed over me. First, shame, for ever thinking my computer design skills stood a chance next to this display of raw talent. Second, a sense of loss, wondering what might have been had I not swapped my sketching pencil for a keyboard.

From Digital to Hand Painted

It was a gift this past month to have my logo design for Villa Carolina Boutique Hotel transferred in grandiose style by a hand painted sign artist. Comparing the letter angles and icon details to the digital version, I would have loved to been witness to this process. The hotel general manager told me that the artist began with freehand chalk sketches on the wall, followed by the paint. He did this on two sides of the building. At about 8 feet wide each, the accuracy is so impressive!

Back in Style

While still the norm in countries like Mexico, the art of hand crafted signs has faded considerably in Canada, being replaced by faster, cheaper, and more versatile digital production. But, there’s a sense that the honest and soulful look of “hand done” is now coming back en vogue.

As luck would have it, a client just mailed me a 20 year old, hand painted banner that they’d like redesigned for a current event, using a similar freestyle look. Up close, it’s breathtaking. The visible brush stokes and raised paint in the letters capture an eerie, time-locked essence that’s unmatched in mouse clicks.

Similar media campaigns, such as the Nabob Chalk Art Commercials, are now holding me captive in that familiar mouth-hanging-open-and-eyes-wide pose. The process of light and dark – smudges and layers – is fascinating.

For more on the lost art of hand painted signs, check out the documentary Sign Painters by Faythe Levine and Sam Macon. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your comments on this article in the discussion below.