That's enough playing around for now.  Time to get back to activities that actually generate revenue.

This client has been with Klassic Grafix for a very long time.  Back to the 1990's I believe.  The overall design of their trucks has evolved over the years, with minor tweaks here and there, change a word, add a product line, drop a tagline.   The call came in a few weeks ago that the client had a new truck coming along the assembly process.  

Ah, good.  Lots of lead time.  We like lead time.

The warning is given that there may be a few changes to the design and logo, but nothing major.  No problem. We can handle changes with no problem.   But I will go ahead and print these 24 foot long black and yellow stripes that have been a constant in the design from the beginning and get the other changes in the next few days.  

You see what is coming, right?

New design is striking.  It is updated.  It has a very pleasing color palette.    It conveys a professional organization that understands styles and trends.  It looks great on the mock-ups and should look great on the trucks.  But it does not have 24 ft long black and yellow stripes.

Sigh.

Anybody want to buy a set of 24 foot long Mizzou Racing stripes for their party van?  I can let them go cheeeeep.  (Professional installation available).  No.  I am not kidding. 

The re-design comes together nicely.  The process accelerates nicely once we receive a non-jpg version of the artwork.     Jpg images are nice as they give us an idea of the design, but so does a crayola drawing on a bar napkin.  We will have to start with a blank slate and build the design with either.  The last project had one of our favorites:  a .jpg file placed into a .pdf document…which is roughtly the same as copying your 8-track tapes and burning them onto a cd.   Yes, technically it is a cd, but you are missing out on the fidelity that makes a cd cool.  (Don't get me started on an audiophile discussion on vinyl vs digitial.  Ugh.  nobody wins that one.  and I have no desire to go back to the snap-pop tick tick tick of vinyl.  even if it does more faithfully reproduce the sound waves in a controlled laboratory behind the bookshelf in Dexter's bedroom.)

The truck is ready.  So are we.  The table is full of graphics ready to apply.   Did you do the door graphics?  No, didn't you?  No, I did the box sides! 

NOW we are ready.   

This stuff isn’t fragile at ALL.  What were we worried about?

Getting a request from one of our clients to place a stainless Steel M above the fireplace in the lobby gave me the jitters.  The newly constructed lobby was outfitted in top quality materials, and the thought of drilling thru and accidentally cracking the beautiful tiles of the fireplace induced chills.

After researching and obtaining advice from our top-secret sign-guy sources, we run a few tests in the shop using similar materials and convince ourselves that we will be successful.

There we are, hanging on the ladder, filling the professional offices with the  filling-shaking vibrations and thunder hammer-drill growl, burning thru battery after battery as we try to complete the six holes necessary to mount the stainless steel logo.  Perhaps I should mention the dimly lit break-room labelled “Quiet Room”, replete with massaging recliners and soft white-noise generators is directly on the other side of the fireplace.  Not much quiet going on in there today. 

Three drill bits and four battery packs later, the noise is done and the holes complete.  Turns out that fireplace façade was not tile on drywall, but real, one inch thick granite blocks.  No accidental cracking on this project.  Not sure we could have accomplished an intentional crack if that were the goal.

A few minutes later the project is complete.  We snap a few photos, offer our apologies to the staff, and express gratitude for their patience.