J: Hello everyone and welcome to today’s episode of Straight Shot marketing podcast where we are going to dive into the subject of signage. With us today as a special guest is Don Conklin, owner of Pinnacle Custom Signs here in Gwinnett County. We have worked with Don on many client projects, and it’s my pleasure to say – welcome. Don tell us a little about you and Pinnacle Custom Signs.

 

D: My wife, Theresa, and I started up 8 years ago, and now, we have a thriving business of 15 employees up in Buford, GA. We produce signs that are shipped and installed nationally. My sons work there now, and we’re planning on them taking it over in about 6-8 years.

 

What is a Sign? (2:17)

 

J: So, Zachary, I need a marketing industry definition. What is the actual definition of a sign?

 

Z: Well, a sign is technically defined as any kind of visual graphics created to display information to a particular audience. Now those graphics can be letters or photos, the important element is display. But, in modern terms, we don’t call TV and computer monitors signs if they are build used to show a movie or a website. You wouldn’t say you have a sign on your desk that is attached to your computer, but technically, they are displays that utilize graphics. We use signage (which is industry-speak for the use of signs) in several ways in marketing. We use them to identify things, to instruct or educate, to stir emotion, and to communicate.

 

J: I’m going to share some history. While some people take it back to cave drawings when man first learned how to communicate visually, most associate the introduction of the sign to the Greek and Roman era, so between 3000 B.C. and 500 A.D. This period is also called “Antiquity.” During this time philosophy and science were in development and Education & Enlightenment were all the rage. Signs were developed as a way to communicate with illiterate people through imagery. Signs used imagery to identify businesses like blacksmiths, taverns, etc. After the dark ages, in 1389, King Richard III of England decreed that any business that sold ale must have a sign in front of it’s building. After that, businesses started using colors, design, and logos to make their businesses stand out amongst the competition. By the 17th century, signs were much more ornate – by now they were made of hand-carved wood, wrought iron, and gold leafing. In the 18th century, we had new technologies like gas lighting, the printing press, and electricity that started to be utilized in making signs.  The 19th-century plastics and now in the 10th century with digital, signage has grown into a $50 billion a year industry. And that industry is the home of Don Conklin. Don, what are some of the changes you’ve seen in signage throughout your career?

 

D: We’ve seen changes in the way its been used in the past 8 years. The way I look at it, any surface that has a graphic on it is a sign. Last year, Atlanta hosted one of the biggest events in the world. The Super Bowl. If you went downtown, you saw some graphics on some of the largest buildings in Atlanta. On the Westin Peachtree Tower, they had a 40-story tall Super Bowl trophy on that building. It took someone 3 weeks on scaffolding to install it. On the Mercedes Benz Stadium, the industry says the temporary signs were a 5-million-dollar project.

 

Z: What do you think is the “coolest” sign you’ve ever made at Pinnacle Signs?

 

D: Atlanta is home to one of the most unique barbeques in the world called The Green Big Egg. The owner of the company came to me and said, “I want the biggest green egg I could possibly have.” He had a monument sign right outside of his building. We did a 25ft tall big green egg that is right there on 85 and 285. The coolest thing about it was that it wasn’t done traditionally. They actually had a picture taken of that, and it was so well done in high resolution. We were able to blow it up to 25ft, and then, we embossed and embedded it into the plastic of that sign. So, it’s an actual picture at that size, and to finish off the effect they had on their building, the letters of their “Big Green Egg” sign are backlit with green LEDs.

 

J: Didn’t you tell me one time that you did a giant macaroni noodle?

 

D: We were home to the Kraft macaroni noodles that were in town for the college football playoffs. We didn’t actually make the noodle, but we did install it. It was really cool.

 

The Process (9:58)

 

Z: Now I want to walk you through the process of developing a sign for marketing from an agency standpoint. We have strategies that we develop for our clients. The original strategy may include signage, or it may be added on as a project or expansion strategy during the client’s year. When that happens, I will develop out a strategy based on my interactions and thoughts with the client.  And I will come to Jennifer, who is my go-to for making things happen. I will say, this is my idea – I want a sign for this reason, and I want it to do this. Find out if that’s possible and how much it will cost. Then I turn it over to Jennifer.

 

J: And I will do some quick research so that I know what I am talking about and what I am looking for before contacting the sign vendor. So, I’ll call up Pinnacle, and I’ll say – “Hey, I am looking to make a sign that does this. Here are the ideas. Is this possible? What are the materials and technology that is currently available to make this happen? How much will it cost?” Then they will do some research on their end and come back with telling me what can be done and what it will cost to make it happen. Don, do you want to expand on what happens at this point on your end?

 

D: We want to know if it’s a permanent sign or a temporary sign because we need to know what materials to use. If it’s a temporary sign, we’ll use less expensive materials. If it’s a showcase in their lobby or an identity sign, we’ll have more high-end materials like acrylic and metals. It’s a piece of art that shows up in their lobby. It’s really “What’s the application of it, how long it’s going to be up there, indoor/outdoor.” More of the basic stuff like “It’s going on a wall,” and we say, “Well, what kind of wall? Is it a brick wall?”

 

J: Yeah like “How do you want to attach said sign?” From just the design standpoint because I’ve been doing business with vendors like Don for so long, I have to have my ducks in a row before I call them. There are a million questions that go along with it as far as mounting the sign, how you want the sign to be lit or maybe not lit at all.

 

Z: I think one of the bigger things is that technology and the signage industry is constantly changing. “Oh, this is available now! Now we can do this!” I don’t know what all of that is until I talk to Don, and he’s like “Oh, there’s this new thing that you can do!”

 

J: Yeah, just like we always say to our business owners, you need to stay focused on what it is that you do best. And one of the things we as an agency know is how to utilize our vendors when we have to have them. So, I leave it up to their expertise to answer those questions. Then, once I have my answers, I will go to Zachary with the budget. If he approves the budget, I will then do a mock-up of what the sign will look like. Then I turn that into Zachary.

 

Z: And then I have to get the budget and the mock-up approved by the client. Jennifer and I move back and forth making tweaks and adjustments on the design to get it to be exactly what we need within the allotted budget. Then I tell Jennifer, okay – make it happen.

 

J: I then design out all the elements within the specs provided by the sign vendor. And I provide them with the mock-up of what it will look like and the print-ready artwork. Then I talk with Don’s team to schedule when the sign can be produced and installed. Then they take it from there.

 

D: Yeah, I would say that production is very important. It depends on if we’ve worked on your client before. Sometimes it’s a new client of yours and they have a very specific color. We would do a test print and you’d come down and approve it or take it back to the client, if we want to make sure before we produce wholesale that we know what it’s like. That’s very important on a lot of signs, but it’s critical on vehicle wraps because those happen on a special type of vinyl that is very porous. The color on the vinyl is a whole lot different than the color on a piece of vinyl going on the wall. If we know it’s going to be simple, we got the print-ready artists going on a poster board. If it’s going to be special, we want to make sure you know what you’re getting before we give it to you.

 

J: Then installation day happens. I go out and meet with the installation team to ensure everything goes up as it’s supposed to. I answer any final installation questions. For example, if a sign is going outside, it’s up to me and the sign company to make sure that there’s no regulations, HOA codes, or problems with putting a sign up to make it visible to the street. Don, do you want to talk a bit about installation?

 

D: It’s a guessing game as to where exactly it’s going to go. We want to make sure going from the proof paper to the actual sign and installation. Nine times out of ten, it’s going to be pretty similar. But sometimes, it’s not similar at all. Our biggest customers are the ones that have the biggest issues. They want to do an installation at the State Farm Arena right downtown, and the customer might be the Hawks. Think of all the graphics on the concourse. They really don’t care as long as it looks good from a distance. Sometimes, they’re checking at the seam on each one of the panels that goes up. It’s stressful.

 

Z: Most of the time when we talk to clients, they go “We want something,” but they don’t give us much headache about what it is. They may have a feel of what they want or a brand to adhere to, but as far as the technical parts of what type of sign, etc., that’s usually left up to us as the creatives. “This is what I think you should do” and then they pick from our options.

 

D: It’s interesting that half o the time, we’ll send out the first proof and the customer will approve it the first time. Then, sometimes, we have seven revisions. It just depends on the clients and the designs. Most of our designs that get redone are on vehicle graphics.

 

Z: So that’s the process we go through, now it will be altered depending on what the type of sign is, but it gives you an idea of the process. Getting a banner made doesn’t involve on-site installation, but you get the point. There are lots of different types of signs that require different signs.

 

Types of Signs (27:19)

 

J: So, let’s talk about that, let’s talk about the types of signs that are out there.

 

Z: Well there are SEVERAL options. Let’s see if we can show a few as we talk through them. We have everything from plastic signs that tell you where the restroom is to, lighted signs that show you where the business is, to digital menu boards, to event banners, to lobby signs, to vehicle wraps, to yard signs, to billboard signs, etc. Now, there are digital signs. Neon signs were very prominent for some time, and then there’s a new one that we got. It’s called a hologram sign. There’s a lot of different ways to do holograms which is a display, so it counts as a sign. We put our Straight Shot logo on ours, and we normally use it at events.

 

J: Let’s take a break to hear from our sponsors, and when we return, we’ll talk about what signs do and how to make them perfect.

 

Sign Usage (33:47)

 

J: Before the break, we were talking about all the different sign options that are out there. Not only are there a lot of options, but they are a lot of uses as well. Things that fly under the radar and people don’t think about.

 

Z: Here’s a clip from a recent trip to Wendy’s. Look at all the signage as we point it out. There’s the sign telling you who the restaurant is. How to get in, what their hours are, what the latest items are to convince you to come in. Once inside, we have the menu boards, the brand-related lobby signage, the legal signage. the room identifications. More "try the latest items" signage – these are recurring, changing signs. There is so much here, and there are more than 40 signs at this location alone.

 

J: Don, do you get asked to fill out an entire place at one time a lot, or is it usually piece by piece?

 

D: No, we’ve done complete turnkey operations before. If it’s a car dealership, there are a lot of signs. In schools, we do a lot of work with Georgia State University with directional signs and their logo. There’s a ton of signage that flies under the radar.

 

The Straight Shot (36: 33)

 

J: Now, Zachary, let’s talk about what makes a good sign – give us the Straight Shot for today’s episode.

 

Z: A good sign will do at least one of the following (preferably more.) We want it to identify, describe, persuade, brand, instruct, or be memorable. So, there’s a lot of things that we’re going for when we are designing a sign. I could do one of those things, or it could do multiple of those things. Now, what do I mean by they should do “preferably more” than one of these? Take a simple bathroom sign – I can simply say “Bathroom,” and that identifies what room it is. Or if could also brand and instruct in addition to identify – so 3 out of 5 of the elements I mentioned.

 

Zachary, Jennifer, and Don then played a game to figure out which of the 5 elements of a good sign are being accomplished in the pictures they put on the screen.

 

Z: The worse that can happen with signage is it can also say things in addition to what was intended. So that’s the last part of the Straight Shot, make sure you sign isn’t saying something negative about your business that you did not intend.

 

J: Don, thank you so much for coming to hang out with us today. And thank you, Straight Shot family. Don’t forget, please like or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, on YouTube - click the bell to get notifications of when we release new episodes. You can also sign up for text notifications by texting the word Reformation to 90210.