Southern California Sign Blog

Learn How To Create Your Own Logo For Your Sign - Sign Studio, LA

Posted by Julie and Chris Ramirez on Mon, Sep 16, 2013 @ 06:09 AM

Learn How To Create Your Own Logo For Your Sign From Sign Studio, LA
By - Bill Bates, Art Director - The Sign Studio

Creating a logo can be a pretty daunting task because of how important a logo is.  I have helped a lot of people over the years create their logos and they have learned that intimidation ends up being fun.  Easy for me to say right?  I am a graphic designer and artistic things
come naturally to me right?  Not true.  Even I get stuck from time to time and sometimes I don’t know how or where to start. There have been plenty of times when I get stuck on an idea or concept and can’t think my way through it.  As I am staring down a deadline I have to come up with something and quick. 

Unfortunately, I can’t just sit around and wait for inspiration to strike but I’ve come up with a few ways to help design that logo.

Now I realize you are coming to me to design it for you so I don’t need to go into every nitty gritty detail in the design process but here are some tips to help a graphic designer out when designing your logo.  I tell people all the time that all I am is the midwife that will help you bring your logo or brand into the world.  What you do with it after that is up to you because it is your logo. 

So here are a few things that will with the entire process of logo creation.

First of all, don’t hold back.  AT ALL . Jot down every idea you have no matter stupid you might think it might be.  Take notes, draw them, write about them, sketch them, describe them.  Just let everything flow out of your head.  Don’t stop and don’t even try to filter seemingly unrelated thoughts or ideas. Most  importantly it doesn’t have to be fine art.  The graphic designer will be trying to read your mind so even a napkin with scribbles in lips stick would be better than nothing.  Start sketching and just get every idea you have on paper. 

Think about this… What is the logo’s message?  Who is it trying to reach?  Does it directly refer to groceries? Does it easily convey fresh food?  Then sketch it out very simply thinking about
content.  Only worry about content. Keep in mind that a passerby only will look at it for a few seconds so it has to draw their attention.  It also has to be quickly recognizable so it can be spotted in a crowd.

So you are opening a grocery market.  How on earth do you start?  Grocery is where you
start at.  What kind of grocery is next.  Fresh food you say?  Well what represents fresh food to
people.  Fruits?  Vegetables? Etc etc...  Start writing these ideas down, choose the most significant and most relatable and continue tinkering with it.  What symbol or symbols would you associate the name to? What will people think of when they hear the company name?

Logo Design Image

What colors do you associate with grocery? Specifically, “fresh” grocery.  Colors, whether you realize it or not evoke emotions when viewing the logo, are crucial.  For instance, I myself
would be hard pressed to pay much attention to a “Fresh Market Logo” if it were dark brown or black. 

Take the color RED.  It is one of the most passionate colors.  It can represent action, adventure, fire.  Quickly seen and strong.

BLUE stands for security, trust, productivity and calmness of mind.  Think of the the insurance company that wants you to feel you are in good hands.

ORANGE is a color that suggests value and for centuries, PURPLE symbolized nobility and wealth.  Its attachment to luxury can also be traced back to the fact purple dye was very costly to manufacture back then. It allegedly took over ten thousand mollusks to make one gram.

GREEN represents freshness. Green is also about revitalization, and it wants to be
the place where you can renew yourself. Green is the color of choice for companies associated with health and wellness, and eco-friendly products. 

Hmmmm, sounds like green is the way to go.

Take a look around and see what the “other” guys are up to.   Look at your competition’s logo and think about other relevant companies logos. You’re not planning to steal their ideas but you get an idea of what they are up to and what works and what doesn’t. Just take a look around.  There are great books and sites with all sorts of logos and ideas out there.  All of these things go into your sketches.

Logo Design Image

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I know what you are thinking… I don’t have the software to properly design the logo.  You don’t need to have the knowledge in design programs and software at all.  That’s what I’m for.   All you need for any design is an idea with a solid foundation. Without it, you’ll run in circles with no clear focus on what you are looking for in a logo.

Do your homework and bring your graphic designer the ingredients for your logo.   Leave the cooking to the designer and give them what you have. Let them cook a bit and see what happens.  The hardest part is the initial step but once the initial design is done then it is a matter of fine tuning.  Add a little salt, add a little pepper but the graphic designer will cook things up for you to your liking.

I always tell people that “If you really want your pizza with pepperoni I will add it for you. All I can do is to warn you that you might get heartburn.”  At the end of the day it is your logo, yours to succeed or yours to fail so communication is key.  That communication comes from your homework of predevelopment will help your designer to create the logo of your dreams.  Good luck!

 I Need Help

If you have any questions or need assistance with anything, please give us a call at The
Sign Studio
(818) 843-9200 or send us an e-mail at info@signstudiola.com. From Concept to Finish The Sign Studio is here for you – On time and on budget!

Logo Quote

 

Topics: Logo Design, Sign Design with Logo, Create Your Own Logo

Sign Fabrication For Custom Business & Coroporate Signs In LA County

Posted by Julie and Chris Ramirez on Wed, Sep 11, 2013 @ 06:09 AM

Sign Fabrication For Custom Business & Coroporate Signs In LA County

The Sign Studio is one of the leaders in sign fabrication.  Our wide range of technology and
craftsmanship create custom business signs, corporate signs, ADA signs, wall signs and just about any signage product for a variety of businesses. From custom logos to architectural and environmental graphics, The Sign Studio manufactures interior signs and exterior signs for a variety of industries.

We specialize in the following types of signs and signage services:

•3D (three dimensional) signs
•ADA signs
•Aluminum signs
•Architectural signs
•Brass signs
•Business signs
•Cast Letters
•Changeable signs
•Chrome signs
•Commercial signs
•Corporate signs
•Cubicle signs
•Custom signs
•Customized signs
•Desk signs
•Dimensional signs
•Directory signs
•Donor / Honor walls
•Door signs
•Exterior signs
•Government signs
•Interior signs
•Laminate signs
•Logo signs
•Metal signs
•Military signs
•Monument signs
•Office signs
•Plaques
•Plastic signs
•Stainless Steel signs
•Wall signs

Do you want to buy office signage but do not really know where to start to look and do not
want to buy the wrong business sign and end up making a costly mistake?

Do you want a custom metal or plastic office sign but do not want to pay for the custom
cost of getting office signage that you do not want and forced to settle for something “standard” for your business signs?

Then you have come to the right place!! The Sign Studio offers custom signs—wall signs,
business signs, corporate signs, metal signs, plastic signs and more ..... all at standard prices. We take your custom artwork and come up with several different ways to manufacture your corporate sign to create business signage in different materials giving you several price
options with the same custom image for your business and corporate signage.

After all, the object of all our team here at The Sign Studio is to create metal and acrylic fabricated signage to enhance our clients’ businesses image in the most effective way by supplying them with custom business signage they can be extremely proud of.

What if you do not know exactly what materials you want your custom sign to be? Since making office signs is probably not your area of business expertise, how do you know
if you want to order a business sign out of aluminum, or a business sign of stainless steel, or a brass metal sign, or a bronze metal sign, or a corporate sign made from electroplated metals, or a copper metal sign, or a painted acrylic office sign, or a PVC business sign , or even vinyl signage? Once you contact The Sign Studio for corporate signage, you will be contacted shortly by a sign designer who is trained to talk with customers and offer them the very best of business signs to go in their offices. Your custom office sign designer can talk to you about what exact custom image you want to display in your business signs.

After that, our sign designers will discuss with you our various business sign material
choices from various metals, acrylics, and plastics and explain our manufacturing processes to get you started on the right path for your business signs. Many times, we combine various metals and metal-looking acrylics or plastics to give you the best interior or exterior metal signage. Then, our quote department will give you bids for your business signs and office signs
using some options that best fits your company’s corporate signage needs. After you receive your business sign quote, you and our design staff can again discuss the options for metal signs or acrylic signs to make sure that you are getting exactly what you want for your custom office signage.

What methods of manufacturing do we use to fabricate our various types of signage?

At The SignStudio, the leader in corporate business signs and office signs, we blend
modern technology and hand craftsmanship to create custom corporate signage, office signage, ADA signs, Donor Wall signage, Memorial Walls and Honor Wall signs, plus architectural signs for interior signage and exterior signage for every industry.

Even though we use the highest state-of-the art modern equipment to manufacture our metal
signs and acrylic office signs and corporate signage such as computerized routers, lasers, water jet and plotters, it is still the creativity and finest craftsmanship from our dedicated Sign Studio team that provides the highest quality office and business signage available. Every person at The Sign Studio - from the designers and sales team to the office staff and shop personal is committed to producing the highest quality business signs and office signage possible for our customers’ unmistakable custom signs without the custom cost.

What materials do we use to manufacture our custom business signs?

At The Sign Studio you will find that whatever your office sign needs, whatever your
corporate sign budget, we are confident that you will receive the highest quality metal and acrylic signage product possible.

1.For our metal signs, The Sign Studio uses SOLID METALS to make our aluminum signs, our bronze signs, copper signs, stainless steel signs, and corten (rusted) steel signs. These solid metals can be finished for our interior business metal signs and exterior business signs using special tools for brushing and applying special custom finishes such as swirling, or rusting. Solid aluminum custom lettering and custom metal logos are finished with a clear coating which will last years or painted with our customer’s custom pms enamel paints, powder coated, or electroplated. An additional custom finish is to have your custom lettering/logo metal sign
anodized for a long-lasting exterior sign impervious to the elements. All of our metal letter/logo signs are guaranteed for life.

2.Fabricated or soldered custom metal signs are used when again, a high end look is required
to represent a customer’s highest image for their metal signage ---- without the high cost you may think. For making corporate business signs, using this method, thin sheets of metal are cut from a choice of beautifully finished metals for Brass signage, Stainless Steel signage, Bronze signs , and Copper signs. After the custom or standard image is cut from the thin metal, strips of the same metal are soldered or welded to the faces creating a thick, hollow letter for beautiful metal signs with seams virtually impossible to detect. Or sometime, we like to make a metal sign with a satin face but polished returns (or edges). If the metal sign is hung in the correct lighting with overhead beams shining down on the metal signage, a reflection or “glow” is cast upon the wall creating an aura of superiority. In addition to sometimes being more
cost effective than the Solid Metals (because less over-all metal is used in the creation of these corporate business signs), we are able to make custom lettering/logos ranging in depth from 1/4" up to 4". Because these custom metal signs are hollow, they are lighter weight than the solid metals. This innovative technology enables every company from a 1 or 2 man staff up to
large corporations able to afford a beautiful metal sign for their company’s image.

3.The Sign Studio also uses these same metals in very thin sheeting which we laminate to
various backers for our "Faux Metal" look business signs. This are used to give the look and feel of metal signage without the cost or weight. You can choose from a nearly endless array of custom finished thin metal laminate which we glue to backers for thickness.

The backers we use for our “Faux Metal” custom metal signs are: 1.ACRYLIC BACKERS which are laminated to the real metal face and can be painted with metallic paints to match the custom lettering/logo face’s real metal face to make our metal signs. OR, to make our metal signs, the acrylic can be left black which helps add a look of depth to the custom metal signage. The depths of the acrylics generally range from 1/8" to 1".

Again, the nearly endless custom finished thin metal laminates can be applied to a PVC
BACKER which is similar to acrylic but has a slightly more porous make-up. Therefore,
we generally leave it black which again, adds depth to the look especially on a white or very light wall.

An alternative for painted solid metal is ACRYLIC or PVC. With many years in
the custom sign business and with today’s economy we understand the need for
price options for your company business signs—without sacrificing quality. For
painted office signs, for both interior and exterior signage, we often suggest
the use of solid PVC or ACRYLIC.

Our paints are specifically designed to be used with these products to manufacture
creative business signs and will furnish many years of use without peeling,
fading, or discoloring to the office signs--OR-for your custom corporate signs
you can be really creative and turn the clear acrylic custom sign pieces over
and have only the backs and sides painted---this leaves a high-tech extremely
glossy face to your acrylic office logo.

No matter what type of metal signage, acrylic signage, or plastic signage, we guarantee them
for lifetime. 

If you have any questions or need assistance with anything, please give us a call at The
Sign Studio
(818) 843-9200 or send us an e-mail at info@signstudiola.com. From Concept to Finish The Sign Studio is here for you – On time and on budget!

Fabricated Metal Letters

 Sign Estimate

Topics: Exterior and Interior Signs, Custom Sign & Logo Fabrication, Acrylic Metal Signs

Brand Your Business On A Budget With Metal Letters From LA Sign Co

Posted by Julie and Chris Ramirez on Mon, Sep 9, 2013 @ 06:09 AM

Brand Your Business On A Budget With Metal Letters From LA Sign Co

READ ALL ABOUT THE DIFFERENT METAL SIGNS TO BRAND YOUR BUSINESS


Fabricated metal signs and logos offer businesses an opportunity to brand within a budget. In today’s financially viable climate, it’s important to have a professional, outstanding logo and sign to represent your business. It’s just as important to stay within budget.  The Sign Studio has been assisting small and large companies throughout California for many years. The Sign Studio has been designing and manufacturing different custom high quality signage within budgetary constraints to accommodate all of their Customer's needs. 

Sign Lifetime Guarantee

Because we only use the best materials during the manufacturing process,  we deliver quality metal signage with a Lifetime Guarantee while they are on your building -  interior and exterior.  

Materials

The Sign Studio uses a variety of different materials to fabricate all of the metal letters and signs. We largely use solid metals like aluminum, bronze, copper and stainless.  

Aluminum – Because it works well with many different finishes like polished,
satin or antique brass and chrome, this gives our clients a high-end, solid metal look.

 

Metal Laminate Letters

Genuine metal sheets – This process allows us to cut these sheets and laminate them
onto acrylic or PVC plastic. This offers the beauty of real metal at a fraction of the weight and costs.

 

Foam Metal Letters  

Foam with Metal Overlay – On the progressive edge of sign technology, foam offers a depth that metal cannot. A foam sign can be carved up to 2 inches deep and into any
logo or lettering with metal overlay sheeting on top.


 Acrylic with Metal Overlay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acrylic with Metal Overlay – Another option for metal signs is acrylic with metal overlay. Metal adheres to the face and presents the solid metal look without the solid metal cost.

 

Metal Letters
Solid metal – Last but not least, solid metal is the highest standard in custom signs. It
is cut and finished to your exact specifications. We are able to treat the
signage for interior or exterior use to ensure a Lifetime Guarantee against any
fading or defects while it is on the interior or exterior of any building in
any weather conditions.

Our Process

We have the ability to finish our metals to create a wide range of looks. We can give a sign a satiny appearance with polished edges. Finishes like swirling and antique-like rusting are also
available. All of our aluminum and metal signs have a clear coating to ensure a Lifetime Guarantee.

Most Common
Questions When Ordering Your Sign

Where will the sign hang? Interior signagewill need a different finish than exterior signage. The lighting and space will also affect the design.

What type of sign is it? A sign with a complex logo rather than simple lettering may require a particular material, finish or process.

If you already have a logo or design prepared, this will be easy. If you don’t, do you
have any pictures of sketches of other signs you liked or are thinking of?  From color Pantones to fonts to logos, The Sign Studio can use any insight or ideas and make it perfect for your business from concept to finish. 

What size do you need? What you envision may be more or less than you need. The Sign Studio can discuss the space where the signage will be hung and help you to come up with
the perfect size for your business and your budget. You can also download our Visibility & Color Chart to review. 

If you have any questions or need assistance with anything, please give us a call at The
Sign Studio
(818) 843-9200 or send us an e-mail at info@signstudiola.com. From Concept to
Finish The Sign Studio is here for you – On time and on budget!

Sign Estimate

 

Exterior Metal Letters

 

 

Topics: Sign Budget Metal Letters, Metal Laminate Letters, Signs Guaranteed for Life

All New Custom Signs From The Sign Studio in Los Angeles County

Posted by Julie and Chris Ramirez on Tue, Sep 3, 2013 @ 06:09 AM

All New Custom Signs From The Sign Studio in Los Angeles County

Custom Signs - We do it all!

Need custom signs?  ADA or Electrical - We do it all!

The Sign Studio is located in Burbank, and services Los Angeles and Orange County area locations that include Glendale, Studio City, West Hollywood, Century City, Los Angeles, and more (see complete list below!) Businesses depend on us for custom signs and we are here to help you find solutions. 

"We use state-of-the-art, computer-assisted signmaking systems and techniques to create high-impact, cost-effective signs that get results. Best of all, we make the whole process simple." ~ The Sign Studio Marketing specialist Julie Ramirez

When you work with The Sign Studio, you're hiring a team of experts:

  • Owner: Chris Ramirez
  • Marketing Specialist: Julie Ramirez 
  • Art Director: Bill Bates 

Working as a team, we assist our clients by providing an assessment that will identify your needs and developing cost-effective design solutions that produce results for you. 

Remember: "A Business with No Sign is a Sign of No Business".

What can we do for you?

  • Banners
  • Vehicle and Window Graphics
  • Site Signs
  • Monument Signs
  • Architectural/Directional
  • Sandblasted Signs
  • Dimensional Letters
  • Illuminated Signs
  • Graphic Design
  • Car, Truck and Boat Wraps
  • Channel Letters
  • Need Neon? Download our guide to neon signs
  • Looking for ADA signs?  Download our guide to ADA
    And Much More!

Where are we? Everywhere!

  • Come see us: 831 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank CA 91505
  • Give us a call: 818-843-9200
  • Email us: thesignstudio@sbcglobal.net
  • Visit our Website: www.thesignstudioonline.com
  • Read our Blog

 

Sign Estimate

The Sign Studio also produces, manufactures or supplies the following items.  Please call (818) 843-9200 or e-mail us at info@signstudiola.com
for sample pictures or further information / Quote.

 

Sign Quote

 

Vinyl Banner             Adhesive Vinyl                                              Indoor Stands
Banner Blockout       Adhesive Clear / Translucent                      Outdoor Stands
Banner Backlit          Adhesive Window Perf                                 Lightbox
Mesh / Smooth         Vehicle Graphics /Wall Graphics                 Sidewalk Signs
Window Static Cling  Floor Graphics                                              
Premium Vinyls                                                                           Signicades
Paper Posters            Reflective Vinyls                                          Plasticades
Scrim Banner            Metallics /Gold / Silver                                 Retractable
Printable Fabrics        Chalk Vinyls                                                Post & Panel Signs
Photo Paper                                                                                Valet Parking Signs
Overlaminates                                                                            Simpo Sign Frames
                                                                                                 Pedistal Signs
                                                                                                 Wind Spinners
                                                                                                  Real Estate Frames
                                                                                                  Trade Show Displays

RIGID SIGNS
Foamcore
Coroplast
PVC Board
OTHER SIGNS
ADA Signs -  Restroom / Handicap  
Parking Signs
Regulatory Signs
Construction Signs
Acrylic Displays
Golf Signs
Commercial Signs
Dimensional Letters
Digital Imaging Signs
Electrical Signs


GEMINI Products
Vista Systems 
Signicade/Plasticade Distributor

The Sign Studio also provides maintenance and service calls
on all signs.  We proved service to the
following areas:

Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Studio City, Century
City, Santa Monica, Culver City, Burbank, Pasadena, Glendale, Tarzana, Woodland
Hills, Anaheim, Arcadia, Alhambra, City of Duarte, West Covina, El Monte,
Toluca Lake, Universal City, La Crescenta, Whittier, Buena Park, San Fernando,
La Canada, Cerritos, City of Lakewood, Glendora, Compton, Long Beach, San Fernando, Sylmar      

Sign Estimate

 

Topics: Electrical Signs, Commercial Signs, Custom Sign Company