Merry Christmas. Our 2014 at Blackpool Signs & Graphics

2014 AT BLACKPOOL SIGNS AND GRAPHICS
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL THE TEAM

Phew!!  Its been a very busy year overall.  As we rush around trying to finish off all the jobs before we start our Christmas and the New Year break, we will take a look back at what made our 2014 that little bit extra special.
We have once again seen an increase in turnover from the previous year. As our client base has grown so has the level of our repeat business and referral work. Whilst we know how hard we work to produce outstanding signage, it is always brilliant when our clients reward this by referring us to their friends and business contacts.

WORK

UK Sign Solutions:
At the beginning of the year we launched our new sister company UK Sign Solutions Ltd. Based on Back Burton Road South Shore, UK Sign solutions produce livery and wrap graphics for large commercial vehicles including double decker buses, coaches and large promotional vehicles.
Some of the clients we have worked for are
• 20th Century Fox
• Manchester Evening News
• NHS
• AQA
• University of the West of Scotland
• Rock FM
• Robinson Coaches
• YuGiHo Branding
• Celotex
• Guide Dogs for the blind
• Atlantic Travel
•East Yorkshire Council……………
The list goes on and on.
UK Sign Solutions has been going from strength to strength over the year and have a full diary of work well into February next year.  We will be working on lots of exciting new projects in 2015 and are looking forward to be working with a new list of clients.




Blackpool Signs & Graphics:
It has been a very busy year indeed for Blackpool Signs.  Sign writing vehicles is a core part of our business.  We tried working out how many vehicles we have produced this year…….It’s definitely in the 100s as we produce graphics for large fleets. From Motorbikes to Double-Decker Buses we have printed and fitted thousands and thousands of square metres of vinyl this year.
One related product that has seen a huge increase during 2014 is 'Window Tinting'. Our expert fitter Craig has been in charge of this and has installed specialist films to many private cars, fleet vans, hotels, restaurants, retail shopfronts and homes.
We have also been busy working in all different parts of the country as we are now a preferred fitter and installer of a large signage company based in the South East.
We always push the boundaries when it comes to the quality and service of our work.    We have a lot of exciting times ahead kicking off in the new year.  We are confident that 2015 we will be even better and we look forward to working on some more exciting projects . 

STAFF HIGHLIGHTS
On a personal note It’s been all go for the Blackpool Signs and Graphics team.  Here’s a few stories from this year.

• Paul’s car gets hit by some falling guttering, just after getting back after christmas in 2013

• In February the lads brought their camp beds in.  We were working late into the night for 3 weeks doing 18 hour days getting the Read & Errington Fleet completed whilst still producing our day to day work throughout the normal working day.

• Paul’s car goes into paint shop to be repaired

• Craig moved into his new house and is now the village Squire, donning his feathered hat every time he leaves the house

• Having a works night out in Manchester,  Craig gets rejected from every drinking establishment after 3 pints (We are never going to let him forget this one) haha

• Craig forgets to send a job out by courier and has to drive all the way to Essex to deliver (en-route to Manchester Via Leicester to do 2 other jobs)  All done in one 20 hour day!

• Paul walks into a door

• In the Summer we welcomed a new part-time member-of-staff - Casper the office 'guard-dog'.

• The team spend 2 weeks wrapping the Royal zoological Society of Scotland bus internally and externally

• Paul’s yellow carded! He Breaks an opponents leg at football

• Paul’s car has an argument with one of Stuarts double decker buses

• Paul’s car goes into paint shop to be repaired after bus incident (The sequel)

• Chris makes us all some personalised mugs with his new ‘Mug Maker’.  Chris then proceeds to make the team his first brew!

• The team get a free brand new coffee machine, courtesy of the Notebooms and Louise’s negotiating skills
• John forgets the milk for the 60th time this year (Making it a world record) So we’re back on the powered.

• Paul’s car goes into paint shop for a third time because of a bad repair due to the bus incident

• The early hours of December 15th saw the birth of our fitter Paul's first child. By the 18th he was surprisingly happy to be temporarily tempted back to work, helping out for a couple of hours on an install!! We're hoping that his new responsibilities (or his wife) will not keep him away from the famous Staff Day Out in Manchester on Saturday 20th though.

• Stuart forgets to ask John to attend his own Christmas party.  John rings Stuart.
John- “How was the party”
Stuart -“you missed a great night you should have come”
John- “I didn’t know anything about it”
Stuart- “Aww I thought I told you, anyway you missed a great night”…………………….

As you can tell it’s been a funny old year and we’ve had some right giggles, laughing till our bellies hurt.  I’ve always said that a happy workplace is a productive workplace and at the same time we’ve produced some brilliant work.



THANK YOU
So as we shut for our last day of 2014 Craig is nursing a hangover, Paul’s getting no sleep on Paternity leave, John’s writing this post, Chris is working his magic, Stuart’s forgetting to tell John about something and Casper looks like he might need the toilet.  As this is our last day and 2014 draws to a close we would just like to take this time to thank all of our customers old and new for your continued support.  We look forward to working with you all again in 2015.
Have a wonderful Christmas & New Year.
Be good, be merry, stay safe & have a fantastic time

Thanks again
John

Good Design Sells. The do's and don'ts of design

Going back to 1996 when I was studying graphic design at college we were taught key principles which we applied to every design.   I still use these principles on a daily basis which help me create high impact and effective logos and brands which we apply to vans, signs, banners and pretty much anything that we produce for our customers.

A good logo design will never fail to get you noticed.  Not only does the logo have to be well designed but the rest of the artwork needs to be well laid out.  Time and time again I see sign companies (the ones who have little or no design background) make terrible mistakes when creating artworks and producing badly laid out graphics which produce little or no impact. 

Top this off with a poor fitting service and bad manufacturing decisions and you have a finished product which is going to harm your credibility  - not promote it like it should.  I have even had some of my own designs ripped off by local companies undercutting our prices, and every time the design has been ruined because the key elements have been watered down or destroyed in the copying process. 

The moral of the story is, ‘You get what you pay for’ so bear in mind that its always worth the extra money to get your design right first time.  Every artwork that we produce gets my seal of approval. Each design we produce is created by our imagination, creativity, & attention to detail, which has been developed through years of college tuition and hands on experience in the industry.  Myself and colleague Craig have a combined experience of over 36 years, so its safe to say we know how to design, produce and install your graphics and signs. 

As well as a design background, over the years I have developed my own marketing strategy.  I always put myself in the customers' shoes when designing their artwork.  I calculate what will work best for them and get their company noticed.  In this article I explain the various elements which make up a good design.

At Blackpool Signs & Graphics we always give you the best value for money.  We will create the best looking design and graphics for your money.  Please have a look at our gallery which shows a vast amount of our design skills going back through the years.

So going back to the design…….
The four key principles of any design are:
Contrast, Repetition, Alignment & Proximity (CRAP for short)

CONTRAST
Contrast in simple terms means the ‘Difference’.  This could mean the difference between colours, text thickness, space.

In a design you need to use contrasting colours, making them stand out from each other.  Contrasting text, this means using different type i.e. sans serif or serif, bold and light versions of a type family.  Weak use of contrast can make a design look boring and make it difficult to read.  A good use of contrast will get your message across efficiently and effectively.

REPETITION
Put simply, repetition means re-using elements through your design and keeping it fluent throughout.  For contrast we use elements that are different - with repetition it's all about using subtle similarities throughout the design.  You need to carry repetition throughout a design for it to become as one.

ALIGNMENT
Alignment is where we align certain text and design elements so they run through and all look ‘together’.  Alignment is about creating unity throughout the design.  A good way to describe alignment would be to create an invisible grid with elements aligning along a horizontal and vertical axis.  Good alignment will give your design a clean and crisp look.

PROXIMITY
The use of proximity is imperative in producing a well organised, good looking layout.  We use space to move elements together or apart to achieve a clean , sharp look.  Proximity relates to producing elements of a design which are grouped together to create one object.

SUMMARY
Remember, Good design sells.  Design is not about being decorative and splashing information wherever.  A Design is about making communication easy, and as understandable as possible.  Always create a strong visual, don’t rely too much on text.  Don’t over clutter and create empty space.  We need empty space just as much as populated space.  Create high impact by using contrast effectively.  Use alignment to connect elements of the design.

Thanks for reading
John

Carbon fibre wrapping and vinyl types explained

Here we are going to talk about Carbon Wrapping and the different types of vinyls on the market including the different material makeup and manufacturing processes.

The possibilities with vinyl wrapping are endless.  There are 100's of different types of wrap films on the market, including 3D carbon fibre effect pictured above.  Here is a case study of the application and finished results of carbon fibre door mirror wraps, handle wraps and fuel filler cap wrap.    Wrapping can be done using a pre coloured vinyl, or a full colour wrap can also be produced using a full colour print process.  Full colour vehicle wraps are produced by starting with a standard white cast film. A design will be produced to a customers specification and then printed onto the vinyl using a high resolution solvent printer.  Once the wrap vinyl has been printed the vinyl is stood for up to 48 hours to let the solvent gasses evaporate, after which a matching clear uv-protecting over-laminate is installed over the finished printed vinyl.

In this case study we are using a high quality 'Cast' 3D effect carbon fibre vinyl. (We will explain the different vinyl types below).    The carbon vinyl looks really realistic and once installed is very effective and with a 3D texture really adds to the visual impact.  'Cast' is a term used for the highest quality vinyl films on the market.  'Cast' relates to the way the vinyl film is produced on the production line.  A 'Cast' film is a top of the range vinyl and is very time consuming and difficult to produce hence the cost for producing a 'Cast' film is sometimes more than 4 times the cost of a standard vinyl film.


Different vinyl types:

Calendared vinyls:

Calendared vinyl are produced by being 'extruded' and formed with heat and pressure through rollers. Calendared vinyls are less stable than cast films as these films have been formed and have a 'memory'.  This memory means that if you try and mould or heat/stretch into a recess, over a short period of time the vinyl will shrink and try and move back to its original shape.




Different calendared types:

Monomeric:  Monomeric film is an entry level vinyl.  This film uses plasticisers with short molecule size.  The shorter molecule chains make this vinyl less conformable (less Stretchy) and in time a monomeric can become brittle. Suitable for application to flat surfaces only.  This vinyl will not conform to curves.  Over time a monomeric will shrink slighly which can be seen when applied to a sign panel.  Over time a white line around the signage panel will be visible.

Monomeric adhesives: Generally on these low cost films the adhesive will be water based, a few and more expensive monomeric films will use a solvent adhesive.  A water based solvent can cause problems which trying to remove the vinyl once applied.  Over a period of months the water based glue breaks down and when you start to peel the vinyl from say a vehicle most of the glue will be left behind on the vehicle. This means a lot of elbow grease and chemicals will need to be used to break down the glue and remove it from the surface which can be difficult and time consuming.

Standard external life expectancy of a monomeric vinyl  is between 2-4 years.

Polymeric:  Featuring more high quality plasticisers and large molecule chains this vinyl, a polymeric, will tackle slight contours and curves so is slightly conformable to shapes.  A good polymeric film should have over 50% less shrinkage than a monomeric film.   If applied properly a good quality polymeric vinyl is more stable than a monomeric film and is less likely to pull back out of recesses over time.

Polymeric adhesives:  Polymeric adhesive is nearly all solvent based.  This means that the glue has a longer life expectancy and even if a polymeric has been applied to a vehicle for over 5 years, using a little heat the vinyl should remove leaving no glue or residue,

 Standard external life expectancy is between 5-8 years.


Cast vinyls for use on vehicle wraps:

Cast vinyls are mostly used for producing vehicle wraps or when a premium film is needed.
Cast or 'casting' refers to the manufacturing process.  Cast films are highly stable and conformable and can stretch upto 50% larger than the original size.  Cast films and generally softer and more malleable than a calendared vinyl and in most cases are upto 50% thinner than a calendared film.  A cast vinyl is generally more more shiny and glossy compared to its calendared underdogs.

The liquified plastic resin is sprayed onto a high quality silicon coated backing paper.  Rather than being pulled and stretched through rollers the cast is then left to settle on the paper and form naturally.  This is why when you hold a piece of cast vinyl up to a light there is a slight randomness to the texture and thickness which can be seem under close examination.   Due to the lack of mechanical or thermal force used to create a cast film means that the film has no memory.  This means that when pushing into a deep recess the vinyl should stay.  Once the vinyl is in the recess we then 'bake' or 'superheat' the vinyl setting the memory on the vehicle.

Adhesive:  Adhesives used are always solvent-based and of the highest quality.

Standard external life expectancy is normally 8-10+ years.

In this picture we are carefully trimming away the excess cast vinyl once we are happy with the application to the surface.

Installation of the carbon fibre cast is not recommended by a novice.  These vinyls are expensive costing upwards of £45 per square metre.  Installation by an experienced wrap technician is essential to make the finished job not just look good once applied, but that it stays looking good for years to come.   Most signage companies are used to installing standard type vinyl decals to vehicles.  Even though a wrap film is still vinyl, the installation is completely different.  Most novice signmakers make the mistake of over stretching the wrap vinyl.  Even though once installed the vinyl does stay in a recess over time - if stretched too much the vinyl will start to bubble of peel away from the vehicle.

'Superheating' or 'baking' is essential once the vinyl installed.  Here we are setting the memory of the film to stop the vinyl popping out of the recess

For more information on Vehicle Graphics and Vehicle Wrapping, give the experts a visit at:

www.blackpoolsignsandgraphics.co.uk

Call now, 01253 851 106

Full colour wrap for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland

We were recently commissioned to do a full colour exterior and interior wrap of a double decker bus for the Royal Zooloigcal Society of Scotland (RZSS for short) Phew! say that after a couple down the local!

We have wrapped various large vehicles over the years including double decker buses.  This one though was much more tricky as they required a large amount of the vinyl to be applied to the interior featuring a very impressive (if we do say so ourselves) waterfall staircase.

Stage 1.  Create scaled drawing of the exterior of the bus.  Normally a standard wrap on a normal vehicle ie a car or van is generally easy as we have access to 1000's of templates already on our system.  This one however was much more challenging.  We first had to take many measurements,  going so far as to take dimensions of window rubber thicknesses, grills, lights, etc etc.....  Then we had to put all this information into the computer and create a workable scaled technical drawing.
 

Stage 2.  If stage 1 wasn't hard enough we then had to create drawings of all the dash board, staircases, doors, ceilings.  Bearing in mind that these are all 3d objects which would have to all join together to make one seamless image.  From recollection the staircase was made up of over 40 sections including returns, ceilings and many parts that cannot be shown on the pictures due to the camera angle (See image below of finished staircase)

 

Stage 3.  We had to send all created templates over to the RZSS artwork derpartment for them to create the artworks to our precise specification.

Stage 4.  Once we had received all the artwork we then started cropping and tiling the graphics, breaking them up into sections or as we call tiles.  Sending each part to the printer all labelled up and print outs produced which enabled the installation team to work out what part goes where and in which position.

Stage 5.  Once all files were printed (which took almost 2 days of constant printing) it was time to laminate the graphics.  Lamination occurs approximately 48 hours after printing, leaving enough time for the solvent print gasses to settle and disperse.

Stage 6.  External Installation.  It took a team of  2 of our expert fitters 5 days to complete the external wrap.  Most wraps on buses are on for only a short time but as this was a promotional vehicle which would be used for years to come the finish had to be more precise which adds more time to the installation.

Stage 7.  Internal installation.  As the external installation, this was a slow process and took the 2 man team 5 days to install.  The internal graphics were much more tricky to fit and this reflects in the time taken.

Here are some facts and stats about the job:

Fact a: The complete job from start to finish took 215 man hours to produce. (Excluding Graphic design by a third party)

Fact b: Print time was 17 hours

Fact c: Square metre of vinyl = 231sq m

Fact d:  Length of vinyl 180m or 590feet  (to put into perspective, Blackpool Tower is 518feet)

Fact e: Material Weight including vinyl, laminate and ink = 180kg  (approx weight of a modern 1000cc sports bike)

Fact f:  Total ink usage 5.42 litres

Blackpool Signs and Graphics Ltd.

www.blackpoolsignsandgraphics.co.uk

Unit 5 Brookside Centre

Red Marsh Industrial Estate

Thornton Cleveleys

Lancashire FY5 4HD

Tel: 01253 851 106

Full Colour Banner Printing

We can produce full colour digitally printed banners at any size.  Here's one we have printed for a regular customer at size 7.5m x 1.2m.

Being a full colour digitally printed banner product, we can print images and any effect you would like.

Our colour banners are printed onto a premium heavy duty PVC Banner material and come fully hemmed and eyeletted ready for use.

We can produce banners with pole pockets (think lamp post or scaffolding banners) and even with spaces for changeable information such as dates or prices.

Vehicle Wrap - Supra Twin Turbo for Blackpool Wraps

Check out one of our recent jobs - a Toyota Supra full colour wrap.

Here's the vehicle before we worked our magic...

We wanted to create an eye-catching and traffic-stopping example of our wrapping skills.

This project used approximately 21 square metres of cast vinyl wrap and took 3 days to complete including cleaning, preparation and installation.

Stage 1: Design

Graphic design of the artwork to the MD's demanding brief and production of visuals.

Stage 2: Artwork Pre-Press

Final measurements of the vehicle and adjustment of the printed sections.

Stage 3: Graphics Production

High quality printing at 1440dpi on premium cast wrap vinyl, left to 'outgas' for 48 hours, then laminated with matching premium clear cast for UV, scratch and chemical protection.

Stage 4: Vehicle Cleaning

Deep clean of all vehicle bodywork using jetwash and Traffic Film Remover - to remove all dirt, grime, wax, oils, silicone and general age-related build-up.

Treatment and cleaning of all exposed surfaces with methylated spirits, including wheel arches, door rims, gaps, fuel cap - in fact anywhere that the wrap will need to adhere to.

Final deep clean using isopropanol alcohol of all surfaces.

Stage 5: De-trimming

Removal of all external trims, including window rubbers, door mirrors, washer jets, head and tail lights, indicators, bumpers, spoilers, arch trims, decals and badges.

Stage 6: Tea Break

Kettle on, feet up. Beverages prepared and consumed by the thirsty team.

Stage 7: Wrap Installation

This is where the hard work begins. Application of wrap system section by section, using heat guns, squeegees, elbow grease and years of experience. Check the video below.

Stage 8: Trim Re-fitting

Re-fitting of all vehicle trim and parts

 

We hope you enjoy our timelapse video below...

For more information on Vehicle Graphics and Vehicle Wrapping, give the experts a visit at:

www.blackpoolsignsandgraphics.co.uk

Call now, 01253 851 106

The Changing Face of Vehicle Graphics

Only 20 years ago, when I started in the signs & graphics business, vehicle graphics were very very different from what they are today.

Traditional signwriters were still earning a good living with brush and paint - mostly highly trained artists with years of training. But, the revolution in vinyl cut graphics was already well under way.

Vinyl graphics lasted longer and were easily removed once the vehicle was sold. Vinyl cut lettering and logos could also be produced by almost anybody with the right equipment. Traditional signwriters almost all moved with the times and invested in computers and vinyl cutting plotters.

Over the last 20 years the market for vinyl cut vehicle lettering and logos has become saturated - set-up equipment can now be purchased for under £1000. In many areas of the UK sign companies are competing intensively, often quoting as little as £100 or less for producing and fitting vehicle graphics.

Over the last 10 years a new revolution in 'vehicle wrapping' has hit the market. A 'wrap' usually covers the entire vehicle and is made from very high performance cast printed vinyl. The effects are stunning, head-turning and eye-catching.

Successful wraps require clever graphic design, high quality consumables, high quality vinyl printing equipment and  - most importantly - experience, skill and expertise in fitting.

In a way, the industry has come full circle. What was once the domain of qualified, experienced and trained craftsmen - traditional signwriters - is now returning to a domain of qualified, experienced and trained craftsmen - wrap printers and fitters.

Years ago fleet managers would purchase vehicles already sprayed in a corporate colour (think yellow British Telecom vans or red Post Office vans), and then have them signwritten or have vinyl lettering and logos applied.

Resale value after several years would suffer from two reasons, 1) Scratches and stone chips on the bodywork and 2) Vehicles were often a non-standard colour.

Wrapping a vehicle changes this completely. Vehicles can now be purchased as white, then fully wrapped in corporate livery. A good quality wrap will resist scratches, scrapes and chips and moreover can be completely removed prior to resale - leaving pristine 'fresh from the factory' bodywork to impress potential buyers.

For more information on Vehicle Graphics and Vehicle Wrapping, give the experts a visit at:

www.blackpoolsignsandgraphics.co.uk

Call now, 01253 851 106