KEY TO SUCCESS

Company: Berkeley Signs  Project: Race track-related sign

Key to success: Visualize how others might see a sketch and take the time to clarify everything so there will be no confusion.

A Pdf of rough sketch that the client provided.

As I finished installing a dimensional sign for Karmakanix, a West Berkeley auto repair shop, I heard someone raving about the sign, claiming that he wanted a similar one.

I usually take this type of referral with a grain of salt, but after several months I received a call from Chris of German Auto Sports, who owns the shop next door. He loved his neighbor’s sign, but I wasn’t sure how “similar” he wanted his sign to be. Based on the project I did for Karmachanix, Chris already had full confidence that we could work together. His enthusiastic attitude in turn inspired me to do the best job I could for him.

Lesson 1—Well-conceived signage can be an effective advertising tool for the sign maker. You never know what the ripple effect might be when people are truly impressed by your work.

I met with Chris and his wife in front of their shop. The building was a non-descript cinderblock box on a graffiti-covered street that dead-ends at the railroad tracks. It was obvious that pride was motivating this project because there is zero drive-by traffic. I was given free rein to do something nice with the stipulation that the German flag colors and the Nürburgring race track design had to be included in the sign. Chris showed me a preliminary idea that had a squiggly line, which was the actual layout of the famous track in Germany, running through it. Although I had no idea of the significance of the track, Chris expects that his clientele will fully understand the meaning. He then handed me a check for $1,000 to let me know that he was serious and “wasn’t going to waste my time.” His pro-activity certainly got my attention, but it also alerted me to the fact that I had stumbled into the world of high-end automotive culture that is very discriminating. 

Lesson 2—Always try to go below the surface and listen deeply for the passion and expertise that motivates clients.

German Auto Sport before the work.

I drew up a few options that included the track and the German flag colors. The layout came to me fairly quickly. I immediately envisioned the entire façade as “the sign.” I assumed I would paint the whole building because it would be so easy to create a new background and I knew that I needed some type of dimensional elements. I wanted to have fun and just “play” with ideas a bit. I didn’t pay much attention to the rough sketch they provided so I could be free to brainstorm. I sent Chris the sketch with a squiggle to represent the track. When I called to ask him what he thought of the design, he told me he was too busy to talk, but that he “wasn’t impressed.” Uh oh, what could it be? After a long weekend of wondering, I spoke to Chris on Monday and found that he was disappointed with how I rendered the track. He thought “he had told me that he wanted it really exact.” 

Lesson 3—It can be difficult for clients to interpret sketches when they include rough details or shorthand elements. It is important to visualize how others might see a sketch and to take the time to clarify everything so there will be no confusion.

Flash gilding with Super White mica powder on to water-based gilding size. The process is messy and it normally helps to do this work inside of a cardboard box.

Drilling with the TE2-S Hilti Rotary Hammer. This type of drill, with the slotted bit mechanism, is far superior to conventional hammer drills that have a straight chuck.

I made a set of paper patterns that all had different purposes. The first was a pounce pattern for cutting out HDU that nested the letters so I could save time and material. The second was a pen plot for the dimensional letter drill pattern. The third was for hand-painting extra text. The fourth was a pounce pattern for painting the track. I took the image from a .jpeg that was purposely designed to discourage reproduction. I was able to use it with the following adaptation. I printed out the image from Google images, then I held the paper up to a window and traced on the back side of the paper with a marker. I scanned and traced my marks on the computer so I could plot the image full scale. The result was three large sheets that became an awkward size, so instead of using my computer pounce attachment, I taped up the pieces and made a pattern with my Electro-pounce machine. 

Lesson 4—I try not to waste time on small set-up details. It was very efficient to nest the letters on the computer, but previously I was eye-balling the fits in the shop. The track pattern went smoothly with my tracing trick. It was unnecessary to create a tight vector for something that could be quickly painted in one-stroke style.

I cut out the letters from 1" HDU by hand with a saber-saw. Then I routed the edges of the letters on a small router table using a ½" rounding bit. Some of the bevels on Roman letters cannot be reached with a router, so I carved the remaining details with a woodcarving chisel and then sanded them round. Next I flipped the letters over and drilled deep holes with my drill press and glued Gemini threaded rods into the back with West Systems epoxy. After the glue dried, I set out the paper pattern and pressed the letters firmly over a cardboard cushion to create a drill guide. 

Lesson 5—I found that carving a few clean-up spots was super easy even with only basic carving skills. However, most of the “hand-carving” was done very quickly with the router.

I painted the letters with two coats of Jay Cook’s sign primer and one coat of flat white latex house paint. Next I put on a thick coat of Rolco water-based gilding size with a latex sash brush. Once that dried, I dusted on Super White mica powder with a gilding make-up style mop. Finally, I cleared all of the letters with Frog Juice. 

Lesson 6—Although a clear-coat is not required over mica, I recommend it for several reasons. First, it cleans up all of the residual powder that tends to blow around forever and stick to unwanted areas. And second, clear-coat gives the finish a very consistent shiny surface. I also assume that clear-coat repels dirt and grime to a greater degree than the more porous raw mica and size.

I painted the entire front of the garage with the exception of the roll-up door. I drilled through the mounting pattern with my Hilti TE2-S Rotary Hammer. I glued down the letters with clear Lexel silicon adhesive, then painted the black band one more time after the holes were drilled to get rid of the dust streaks that always show on dark colors. I painted the Nürburgring in 30 minutes using a stiff Mack Fitch and gold metallic 1 Shot. 

Lesson 7—Several stages of developing the track design could have used up precious time, but experience had given me some foresight. The process went smoothly but I still found that the making and placing of the pattern took much longer than the actual painting.

The completed job.

As I completed the job, Chris said that it was a pleasure working with someone who “knew what they were doing.” It felt good to hear that from someone who only expects top-notch work from himself, in an industry where clients can be very demanding. Sign people and car people have a special affinity, and from the beginning I was inspired by the passion Chris has for his business. It was a great pleasure to attempt to match that pride with signage.

Lesson 8—Always assume the highest level of professionalism for yourself and your clients. The more you seek out this caliber of work, the more opportunities you will create for yourself. Generating satisfying, high-paying jobs will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.