matthewota

I drew the Popeye's Account for Superior Electrical Advertising back in 1994. I am not sure if SEA still has the contract.

Hello Kerry I remember you from 2004. I hope you are in good health and spirits.

First of all I want to say I have infinite respect and admiration for professional sign installers, for theirs is the most dangerous job in the sign industry. As for the COVID-19 pandemic, I felt I was immune to it as I already work from home and can socially isolate myself. However, government mandates have occurred in states where I have valued clients. They have had to altogether shut down or curtail operations, meaning the amount of work in my inbox has slowed to a crawl. I hope that this pandemic will be over soon so we can all resume our jobs and get back to work. Sincerely, Matthew Ota Architectural & Electrical Sign Designer since 1993

I am a self-employed Architectural & Electrical Sign designer that telecommutes from home, coffee shops and libraries. I use a "mobile office" A.K.A a laptop compute to do all of my work. For now, I am restricting myself to just working from home, as the library and the coffee shops are closed As long as the internet is running, I can do my work from my end. However, my clients in California are now under orders form the state government that their brick and mortar manufacturing facilities and offices are closed as of today. I can work as usual by sending and receiving information via email, but since there is no accounting, it is doubtful that I will be getting payment on open invoices. This really hurts me financially as I had a three month drought in work this past winter. Cie La vie.....Just thankful to be virus-free and safe at home. So... I took some creative time for some COVID-19 levity by designing this decal suitable for laptop computers. etc. It has a western "Cowboys and Indians" theme, with native American warriors replaced with COVID-19 viruses LOL: Matthew Ota Architectural & Electrical Sign Designer https://matthewotasignportfolio.wordpress.com/

No photshopped signs either, right?

What city are you moving to?

I go here: Explore the 2017 NEC® It does not mention the section on toggle switches, not has the section on LED signage. And this is the NFPA site with NEC codes supposedly

I sent you an email on September 24th. I have yet to hear from you.

We have difficulties with Communist China that are outside of the sign industry world. ON a basic level, their form of government is rife with corruption that is endemic to their entire economy.

I have had trouble with one particular sign shop that have given me checks that bounced and promises to pay that fell through. I finally told them I would not draw for them anymore. They relented now by paying me an advance on future work. They paid me $200 and I will give them $200 worth of work then demand more advance.

U.S. Sign designers need an organization, a guild, and dare I might say even a union. Sign designers in the larger sign companies are overworked and underpaid. Would you work for $14 an hour in the high cost of living Los Angeles basin? I sure as hell won't.

Most sign company owners and brokers honor the work of designers whether the job sells or not. However, some people refuse to pay for designs even after the designer has invested many hours and work into the project. When a salesman fails to sell a job it is not the concern or fault of the designer. Regardless of the outcome of the project, the designer should be compensated for his work. It is grossly unfair to refuse to pay for work. Sign designers do not sell signs, they sell sign drawings and designs. Pay us accordingly! https://www.nospec.com/

Me too. As a vendor to sign shops and corporations, I want written instructions when it comes to making sign drawings. Verbal instructions can be forgotten. They do not hold up in court, either. I need written instructions on drawings and that is what I get, through email and redlined drawings.

There is also a Sign Design Society in the UK: http://www.signdesignsociety.co.uk/ We do not have an equivalent Sign Design Association here in the USA. We need one. Just for sign designers.

For those of you that saw the news report posting about the Palm Tree Sign in Anchorage Alaska, here is the video that Denali Disposal made about it. http://denalidisposal.com/the-palm-tree/