About a year ago we started noticing that our sign was wearing out. Since then it has really deteriorated where it is hardly readable. As artisans this doesn’t give a good first impression. This was brought home the other day when a client commented “Y’all are restorers, you should restore your sign”. 
No big deal right? Just call up the sign company and have another one made, they deliver it and put it up. Done and done.
Not so fast there speedy.
Our sign was made for us by our friend and client, Jane Davis. We call her Jane Davis number one. With four Jane Davis clients, when number two came along we started referring to them as 1,2,3,4. Number one thinks that is hysterical, but she likes being number one! She was working as a commercial artist when we moved into our previous shop (about 17 years ago). We gave her freedom to design what she wanted and we used that logo until this year. She did a great job and the sign has lasted way longer than expected. It has been in the west sun from day one and received a lot of damage from that and a few hail storms to boot. Thanks again Jane.
After looking at the sign closely and thinking about what we want it to say, we noticed some changes were in order. You see, we moved this sign from our old shop location 8 years ago. First, the phone number on the sign is no longer in use. Our move meant we changed from one phone company prefix to another and it is long distance between them. So we kept the old number in service for several years, but no longer.
There is an old adage that the only constant in business is change. We certainly can attest to that in our business. The sign being a perfect example, it has services listed on it that we no longer promote. Also, some services that have evolved do not appear at all. So these need to be addressed.
Our logo has changed for a couple of reasons. When Jane designed it, we were still selling antiques in several antique malls as well as offering restoration services. The image of Little Jack Horner was catchy and cute on price tags, cards, etc. We haven’t been in the malls in a long, long time, so the cute and catchy isn’t as visible now. Also, we are finding as the age difference between us and our client base widens, many of ourclients have never heard of Little Jack Horner. I’m sure Mother Goose is in therapy over it. With that in mind, the little boy sitting on the mantel is meaningless to some folks.
We can’t order a new sign until we decide on a new logo. What look do we want? What will someone think about when they see it for the first time? It needs to convey the name of the company, without the little boy; it needs to be professional looking and let people know what we do.
A few years ago we met Damien Mayfield and starting using him for all our design work. Damien is hugely talented–and fast. You can see some of his work here www.damienmayfield.com. I am always amazed when I contact him. An hour later I have several designs to select from and almost always pick from his first batch. Take a look at the new logo. We will be using the top image, the bottom one may go on tee shirts, etc. LJH llc logo
If you are following the theme of change, I should note that we did not dump Jane. Her work has changed as well so that she doesn’t want to paint 16 foot signs in her garage anymore!
Our nephew has been in the sign business for about 20 years. He started his own company about a year ago. Naturally we call Bobby and, being family, he runs right over (as soon as he gets finished with his regular clients). When we complete the design I’ll post it here. In the mean time if you need sign work, contact him here; www.signsbytomorrow.com/fortworthse. So we are moving closer to a new sign.
Next you can look for some changes to the website. I really think that things like logos, phone numbers, contact information, etc. should be consistent throughout a company’s presentation. Cindy is already working on new banners and some other changes. Click on her link at the bottom to see her work.
As one thing leads to another, we are constantly changing. In the weeks to come it should all pull together. New sign, website banners, and business forms are all underway. Stay tuned for a look at the new sign, check the website for the new banners. Here’s a look at the new business cards. LJH llc – business card.
One thing we are not changing is our dedication to providing the best possible restoration services available. Subscribe to lifeinthecorner.com for updates and some great project stories coming soon. As always, your comments are welcome.
