Jump to content

matthewota

Board Member
  • Posts

    175
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    6

Everything posted by matthewota

  1. Sharon: Lets start an ADA sign magazine!
  2. Well we can take solace in the fact that there is a market for COVID-19 pandemic related visual communications and protective gear. Floor spacing decals, POP signs, (one per custormer, etc.) and exterior "Wait in Line Here" signs. You can get an idea by just looking at all of the handmade signs in the stores and replace them with professional signage. Acrylic shielding. Acrylic boxes for ATM keyboards.Signs for buses and trains...etc. etc...
  3. Superior Elecrrical Advertising of Long Beach CA had the Popeye's account in 1985. I know because I drew over 100 locations for Jeffrey Stern.
  4. I drew the Popeye's Account for Superior Electrical Advertising back in 1994. I am not sure if SEA still has the contract.
  5. Hello Kerry I remember you from 2004. I hope you are in good health and spirits.
  6. 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
  7. 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/
  8. 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
  9. I sent you an email on September 24th. I have yet to hear from you.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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/
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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/
  17. A client I work with uses an online project management system called ProWorkFlow: Pro Work Flow
  18. A client I work with uses an online project management system called ProWorkFlow: www.proworkflow.com/try/?gclid=CjwKCAjw75HWBRAwEiwAdzefxF_TBJPDdyOiORZtuYx6xGcT3LKZogNyRfCIfVZ7IgbGy-b2YxJDyBoCKn8QAvD_BwE#
  19. I have tried repeatedly for you to pay on the invoice that I have submitted over and over again. It is advisable that you try to maintain your business integrity by paying your suppliers

    Signmakers Invoice 00005 02 16 18.xlsx

  20. Like it or not, neon is dying. One shop that I work with still has a tube bender. But the majority of the neon work is for repairing or retrofitting old neon signs. Heck, even the neon signs on his store are broken and he does not bother to fix them. I attended the latest NBM show in Long Beach. THere was NOT ONE neon display or vendor. It as all LEDs.
  21. I have a lot of respect for sign installers. Thiers is a dangerous occupation.
  22. You all need to look at a much larger picture. The magazine industry as a whole is in a process of large changes. There are now more magazines with less content. Signs of the Times has been my favorite magazine in this industry. Yes, it has got thinner, but many other magazines have become thinner. A good example is Aviation Week & Space Technology. I subscribed from 1977 to 1992 when I worked in the aerospace industry. They still publish weekly but the paper is much thinner and the magazine has fewer pages than it did 30 years ago. The advent of the internet has put the pinch on magazines and newspapers.
  23. If you need a sign designer to temporarily supply you with drawings until you find a local candidate, please consider my services. I can work for you via telecommuting. You can see my online portfolio here: https://matthewotasignportfolio.wordpress.com/ Best regards Matthew Ota
×
  • Create New...