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What are your thoughts?


Guest Signtiffic

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Guest Signtiffic

Sign Chick Izzie made a post on sign web that I thought would be a great topic here too. The original post can be found HERE

I would like to know opinions...I know everyone has a set. :)

What do you think about the growing numbers of Freelance Designers?

How about the growing number of Sign Brokers?

Is this industry making a huge shift?

Why?

I could express a number of reasons. Simply put, large projects have become few and far between and the uncertainty of gaining constant work flows/revenue streams makes temporary help cost effective. Although, everyone who has been doing this is realizing that there is a give and take associated with it. The customers are searching for the best deal. Companies that normally would not take forwarded work are eager to get any business they can through the door.

In general the short term reward is savings on workmen’s comp, liability, insurance, etc by not employing another person. Everyone is in survival mode and every penny counts.

I don't think and I sincerely don't hope that this is a permanent shift. It likely will stabilize itself and slowly revert back to normal. Yet this timeframe will be spread out over the next few years. We'll have to see recovery of other industries to affect the current trend.

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Since a lot of sign companies have gone out of business within the last year I do notice a lot of Freelance Graphic designers, and especially "Sign Consultants".

I've stayed small, pretty much a one man show with most of what I do to stay away from the headaches a lot of other companies deal with day to day. I used to have the shop, the trucks, the employees, and in a lot of ways I DON'T miss it, and of course in some ways I do.

The PLUS is I can make a better product with better quality control, I don't have to worry about a poor install, I'm anal about the lengths of secondary wiring and making sure all connections are tight. Every little detail, I make sure it's as good as it can be. I can work less and make more money, I can work less and have more time for my family (Which is my main reason). The Minus, I can't grow if I wanted to, and of course make a ton of money.

What I can do by staying small? I can put out a far better product then the bigger guys, and do it for a little less. I just take on what I want, picking and choosing the jobs I want to proceed with.

I may have strayed a little form the intent of the thread, but I do see a lot of small one man shops floating around too these days, but I listed why I choose to stay small. Maybe one day I'll grow too, but I'd rather do it WITH someone else sharing the load and burden. I don't want to do it myself anymore, I don't miss the stress, I do realize the other negative aspect of a partnership.

I guess I'm pretty lucky, and other people are too that I stay small. Otherwise this site wouldn't be here! :P

You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. - Winston Churchill

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At this point we do about 50% of our work from brokers, usually it is about 25%. They seem to be getting more work now.

 

63 foot Elliott v60

50 foot 8 ton crane/auger

Skid steer with forks and dirt bucket


www.signworksinc.com

www.wehangsigns.com

Signworks Inc.
Toronto, Canada
416-653-7227
1-877-912-7446

 

 

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Guest Signtiffic

My business has picked up a considerable ammount. I refer some of my clients direct to sign companies depending on the scope because they will truthfully be better served and not have to pay for me and the work. I'm not cheap by any meaning of the deffinition.

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We are a wholesale fab shop. I am always amazed at how much more efficient/cost effective we can be vs a small shop that does not do what we do everyday. I am also surprised at how often folks are opting to sub out vs build in house even if they have a working shop. Many are dropping doing their own electic signs because of the ever increasing U.L. cost and being able to justify it. Quite a lot say the are concentrating on sales and installation and service. That is what seems to be the trend in our area.

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Here was my answer...

At the sign shops and environmental graphic design firms I have worked at, there have always been freelance designers.

There might be a larger number, but it's to be expected when hundreds are getting laid off from sign shops of all sizes.

Sign shops may not need (or can't afford) a well rounded sign and graphic designer until a large job comes in, or they need a speciality sign designer (like ADA, Fire Safety, wayfinding, environmental graphic designer)

If you have a bit of experience, you might find yourself over-qualified. Most freelancers do not like freelance, but need steady work coming in until they can design work similar to how an environmental graphic design firm does it or until they are hired at a pay scale they are worth.

Most of my clients are small licensed shops who only need experienced design help part time. They lack the skills to do it themselves or they don't have time to do it all. Another portion are shops who are great at one or 2 things, but want to widen out their services. I provide that ability without them making costly mistakes or hiring out and it not work out. It's not always cheap, it's that some freelancers can help a small shop service larger clients they would otherwise turn away.

I would rather work for another design firm, but I do like having some control of the work.

I think when the economy comes back, freelancers will have a wider choice of options and sign shops can offer more services without the burden or specialized permanent employees.

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What's happening is the sign industry is maturing. People are taking their hard earned knowledge and (minus the overhead) becoming consultants. Because they know how the business runs. With companies such as Gemini, Advance Corp, Kroy, Watchfire, you can be a SIGN CONTRACTOR (with a license) and do business as a one person, or two, operation.

The reason more designers are coming out of the woodwork is they too are maturing, and realize their craft is needed by all the 100s of sign companies who have terrible designers. Look around town and tell me what you see? Bad signs and bad sign design, literally, EVERY-WHERE! It's horrible.

No one notices it. I do. It's bad.

Every industry changes. Every industry goes through phase. Every industry changes with technology, plastics, digital printing, outsourcing, Internet marketing. All have changed in the last 20 years.

There is no formal SCHOOLING for sign design. Come on, I may have written the first book on the subject and it's 2010. That's insane.

This is America. We pioneer stuff. Why hasn't anyone written what commercial sign companies can use. THAT IS THE REASON there are so many bad looking signs.

Hire Rick. He's awesome. Love Erik, he made this site. Those two guys jam.

Mike B.

Chatterbox Designs

Los Angeles, CA

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