Thoughts I had one time while waiting for a permit and questioning my life choices

On Throwing Things Away

Confession time: there's a greater than zero chance I'm a hoarder. Every scrap bin, every shelf, every drawer stuffed with leftover vinyl and orphaned hardware is a decision I'm avoiding.

Fifty Things I've Learned in Thirty Years (That Nobody Taught Me)

Thirty years of making, fixing, explaining, and occasionally losing sleep over signs. These are the things I had to learn the hard way. Some of them cost me money, some cost me time, a few of them cost me relationships.

I Have 47 Unfinished Projects and I'm at Peace with It

I counted them last week: forty-seven. Half-built... Stuff. Logo concepts that stalled at round two. A new logo for my business I swore I'd finish in November. Of 2022.

Design for the maintenance workers

We ask this on every project now: how does this sign get opened, cleaned, and serviced without shutting down a hallway, blocking traffic, disassembling half of it in the field, or removing it entirely?

Why old signs feel like they're more honest

Old signs didn't have brand strategy. They didn't have design systems or mood boards or a 46-page identity guide specifying corner radius and exclusion zones. They had a message and a budget. "MOTEL." "GAS." "VACANCY." "COLD BEER."

Design for the person who's already late and slightly panicked

Most wayfinding systems are designed for a person who doesn't exist. Someone calm, focused, walking at a moderate pace with nothing on their mind except getting from point A to point B. Someone who stops at the directory, reads it line by line, and proceeds with full confidence.

Your tenant signage criteria is killing your tenants' businesses

I need to talk to property managers and commercial landlords for a second. That tenant signage criteria document you hand out, the one that specifies maximum letter height, approved fonts, color restrictions, illumination limitations, and approved sign types, I understand why it exists. You want the property to look cohesive, professional, and controlled.

Why Sign Fabricators and Architects Don't Always Speak the Same Language

"Provide illuminated signage per elevation drawings." I've read that line on hundreds of CD sets. And every time, it kicks off the same cycle: the sign company bids on what they think it means, the architect expects something different, an RFI gets filed, and two weeks evaporate while everyone clarifies terms that both sides thought were already clear.

Blade signs are the most architecturally respectful sign type. Fight us.

Every sign type has a job. Channel letters dominate retail strips because they're legible at distance and they light up. Monument signs anchor campuses and give multi-tenant properties a presence from the road. Wall cabinets work when you need maximum visibility and you've got the facade real estate for it. We've designed all of them, thousands of times, and they all have their place.

How much does a business sign really cost?

"I just need a sign. How much could it possibly be?" We hear this more often than we should. A business owner sends an email expecting a number somewhere between a nice dinner and a used car.

Exterior Identity Signs: Early Decisions That Save Late Money

Nobody puts "signage coordination" on the Schematic Design schedule. In 30 years of designing exterior signs, that's the single most reliable source of budget pain I've seen. Not materials, not fabrication, not labor. Timing: the gap between when signage decisions should get made and when they actually do.

Site surveys that won't make you pull your hair out

Every sign shop has a version of this story. Installer shows up. Channel letters on the truck. Crane booked. And then: "There's a 4-inch gas line running right behind the fascia where we need to drill."

When to start signage (earlier than you think)

"We'll deal with the sign later." We hear this constantly. Usually about three weeks before a planned grand opening, deep in the chaos of a buildout, burning cash on rent for a space that isn't making money yet.

Sight Lines Do More Work Than Signs

Every wayfinding job we get called in to fix starts the same way... Someone in a lobby, arms crossed, "we need more signs." A person got lost, so clearly the answer is a bigger arrow.

The Brand Guide vs. The Building

Brand guidelines are written by graphic designers and brand strategists working in controlled environments. Consistent lighting, predictable screens, precise color reproduction. That's their world, and they're excellent at it. Our world is sun, rain, distance, speed, building materials, code restrictions, and time.

Permit nightmares and how design prevents them

You walk into the permit office with confidence. Your design looks great, the customer loves it, fabrication is ready to go. The project timeline is tight but manageable, and everyone's excited about the grand opening in six weeks. Thirty minutes later, you walk out with a rejection notice and a sick feeling in your stomach.

Managing a remote design team

Your best designer just moved three states away. Your second-best wants to work from home twice a week. And that freelancer you've been trying to poach? She'll only consider remote positions.

The Real Cost of Bad Sign Design

It's 9 AM on a Tuesday when your phone rings. The city planning department. Your stomach drops before you even answer because you know that call can only mean one thing.