Signs that you are getting noticed!
Accordingly, over the years, I've always stressed the importance of a great sign can be for your business. Be that on a company van or at the front of your retail shop. However, good signs do one thing best to let people know what you do or simply where to go.
Above all, a great logo design is the first part of any design process. In my opinion you can certainly tell the difference once you've had it done by a professional graphic designer.
City Manoosh Bakehouse is an excellent example of this. Importantly, how when the odds stacked against us to achieve our greatness. Turning things around and moving forward, you may even surprise yourself.
They are all about the fresh middle eastern ingredients. It is so tasty and, in recent times, it is loved by many Australians. By the way Darragh the Irish man absolutely loves their fresh food approach.
That said, it also makes it easier for me to, as a graphic designer. I to like to experienced the products for myself. For this reason, I get a better understanding of what it is I'm trying to communicating with the general public.
So it is suffice to say that I know it's all about the fantastic toppings and ingredients. That feeling for authentic comfort food.
City Manoosh sells middle eastern pizzas primarily. Owing to this, I added the main ingredients around their business name in a circular shape that represents the pizza base. Cleverly surrounded by all the ingredients in a typographic style.
Now I'm a huge fan of typography, and designing logos. However, you'll see later on how I bring this to a whole new level. Importantly telling people what your product is about is really key to delivering a great design.
For example, as a graphic designer, I love to write down all the things I feel about the brand. In this case, I had words like Tasty, Fresh, Love it, Yummy and putting them next to the ingredients. I just knew it would work.
Given that, they asked me to design an amazing sign for them. The owner Khaled had sent me people he knew and that they were going to produce it. But, after many months of working together, you sometimes get a feeling that the sign contractors are not talking about what the owner wants. And they are two different things.
Indeed you have to consider the costs of the product and what the owner wants. Honestly he was almost just at the level of acceptance. Now, as a graphic designer, I know I can do better!
Then Khaled said Darragh do this, make it happen. So my first point of call is to see what we are dealing with. The shop has a fixed awning at the front, and as a start-up business during covid, there was certainly no big huge budgets here.
As a rule, can I make something excellent? Hell yea! Can I bring it at a better cost? You bet, yea! I can.
My first point of call is to understand the structures of the building, but more importantly, this sign was to be put up on a busy city, Sydney street.
Now for any younger graphic designers or people out there who plan to execute a project like this, your first point of call should be your local council. In this case, it was the City of Sydney Council.
The City of Sydney has excellent guidelines in helping you achieve what you want to do. Importantly you need to apply for permission and have the relevant safety and skilled builders in place.
I need everyone to understand that you can't go and make a sign or hang it yourself. It would help if you had professionals.
To clarify, I had all my homework done and a good understanding. For this reason, I can now start my design process. Importantly, and I make no bones about this; I love what I do. On the other hand, nothing overjoys me more than pushing my own boundaries.
Although my logo design for City Manoosh was all about the typography and making those letters work together. Indeed I did loads of research and started to compose the sign using a 3D effect with Illuminating LED front faced letters.
Granted, at this stage, in my head I know this is possible. But, unfortunately, showing it to the client's suppliers to say it was not greeted with enthusiasm i had expected. The ones that were up to the challenge saw an opportunity to charge an obscene amount of money.
Because of this, it almost stopped the project as been too hard or impossible. But, thankfully, I had already reached out to my suppliers and found out that there were far better people out there. I mean, a good graphic designer does everything they can to bring a project to life.
Admittedly, there is a lesson here for us all that change is so very uncertain most of the time. As humans, we tend to stick to what we know. However, venturing outside your comfort zone will bring you to places you could never have imagined.
In short, with the size and weights of the signs in place and how the awning sign will look during the day or night are things you have to consider. Hense a clear set of instructions needed to be drawn up to start the awning sign production.
What happened next was that chemistry thing that great designs do. As I'm sending photos to the client, he starts to get very excited. So did I change perceptions using my design method. You bet I did add that Wowwee to the design.
To say everyone is excited is an understatement as the awning sign is in total production stages.
For one thing, it almost feels like it has comes to life. Everyone is ecstatic! As a graphic designer, there is no better feeling than delivering what you said you could, especially since from the beginning, when most of the sign manufacturers told me it was impossible.
