Final view – passenger side
Sometimes a job that looks simple isn’t as simple as we expect. Recently, we worked on truck graphics for an architectural firm on Oakland. The job seemed simple; they already had a vector logo and it seemed to be ready to run, however, the owner of the company had difficulty visualizing how the logos, etc would look on the new trucks. Since he was repeating these steps for seven new trucks, he wanted to be sure that they looked right. I made the usual template mock design and sent him a copy, but he wasn’t able to visualize it. Next, I went to Future Ford, took a picture of one of his trucks, and then made a photoshop mock up of the photo with his graphics. For some reason, he was still having trouble visualizing it, so our production manager Vic made a copy of the logo and weeded it. Lee and Vic spent time meeting with the client so he could see and touch the truck with the temporary logo in place. It took time, however, the client was encouraged that we spent time with him, and it helped him make decisions about the final product. All seven trucks were stored at the dealer, because the yellow trucks came with a black square behind the front doors (due to new design) and the owner wanted the trucks to be completely yellow.
Template view of truck graphics
Mock up – photo with graphics added in Photoshop
Originally, the logo included the web site information, but, since the web site wasn’t up and running at that point, the owner requested that we not include the web site. He was also concerned that the phone number wouldn’t be important to add to the truck information. In the long run, the project took long enough that the web site was up and running, so web site information was added to the trucks, as was the phone number.
Due to the new shape of Ford F150’s, we had a limited amount of space on the doors and the back tailgate to fit a vertically shaped logo. That meant that the logo would be smaller, and some of the graphics would possibly rub off of the truck, and make it very complicated to weed. Toward the end of the project, we also came to the reality that the PMS color they requested for the logo was not the PMS color that came to us, so we had time loss connecting with the right person to make the decision about color. They were 1/2 step apart, so the choice was minor, but we really wanted to make it just right. In the long run, were able to use plotter vinyl by 3M, which was actually a perfect match! It was also heavy enough that we were able to plot the small letters and give them a better chance at adhering to the truck.
Rear view – final product
Final product – driver side door
In the long run, the owner was happy with the job we provided, and we are all looking forward to working with them in the near future. We enjoy giving our customers the highest level of customer service, no matter the size of the job.
Lynn Koellermeier
Designer, Business Development
Signature d’Sign, Inc
www.signaturedsign.com
sales@signaturedsign.com
925 446 6477
1150 Burnett Ave Suite B
Concord, CA 94520
