At our shop I like to think of signs in very different way than most sign shops do. Signs must attract attention to a business, product, or service. It’s as simple as that. Signs need to tell a story. They have to stand out and be noticed but at the same time they must be harmonious with the surround building and landscape. It’s a tall order and in my opinion ‘ordinary’ signs simply won’t do.
Out front of our studio is an unusual sign. It’s a twelve foot tall dragon made from bits of rusty scrap steel. There are no words on this sign... there doesn’t need to be. Our business is to provide imaginative solutions for others. We all know there are few things more imaginative than a dragon. But if you look close this dragon says far more. We call him our twitter-pated dragon. He holds a flower in one hand and is plucking the petals with the other. He is obviously dancing, floating over the flower bed... and his eyes have hearts for pupils. If you count the remaining petals on the flower the outcome is obvious... ‘She loves me, she loves me not... she loves me!’
The dragon is of course a self portrait and the object of its (my) affection is my wife and business partner of 36 years, Janis. Everyone who comes to our studio takes notice of the sculpture. Some take the time to take a picture. It has pulled more than a few people off the road and down the 350 foot driveway to the shop - something an ‘ordinary’ sign simply wouldn’t do. The folks who come here somehow know it isn’t your typical sign shop. I think my sign is working.
-grampa dan