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InDesign for business sign?
- Thread starter waloshin
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InDesign could work for this. The best bet is to ask the vendor you'll use. You'll need to get the specs from them anyway.
+1
It is critical that you first discuss the lighted sign with the fabricator before you begin the design work. You need to know exactly how the sign will be made and what limitations that fabrication process has.
+2 for the above. Definitely discuss with the vendor first.
I expect that as long as you use an app that can output a PDF or EPS and your graphics are vectors then you should be okay.
Having said that, Adobe Illustrator would probably be a more traditional tool for this though. InDesign tends to be more geared towards printed pages (but can output PDF). However, as we've all subtly hinted at above, the only way to be sure is to discuss with whoever's going to make your sign before you spend your time and hard earned pennies producing something they can't use.
All that have been said above - especially getting the correct specs from the vendor - size / bleed / format / file size etc.
Illustrator will definitely work better than InDesign and it's probably more straight-forward to use in this case I would say.
Illustrator will definitely work better than InDesign and it's probably more straight-forward to use in this case I would say.
I don't see why not. It's not the tool that I'd use but if you're comfortable using it and it can create vector graphics then go for it. The best tool is the one you know how to use.
Inkspace is free. Does a simillar job as Adobe Illustrator.
https://inkscape.org/en/download/mac-os/
Adobe InDesign is a tool for editorial design.
PD: Both designs you posted aren't that good; one reads 'Broadway Self Storage & Mexico'. I bet those guys in the photo are removing it because how bad it is.
https://inkscape.org/en/download/mac-os/
Adobe InDesign is a tool for editorial design.
PD: Both designs you posted aren't that good; one reads 'Broadway Self Storage & Mexico'. I bet those guys in the photo are removing it because how bad it is.
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Has the client ever asked if there was a professional to make that kind of 'sign'? Let him know that 'designers' are qualified people who know the tools for that kind of job. Jesus!
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Maybe and then maybe not.
PDF is a metafile format. It can contain a wide range of data types; vectors, fonts, bitmaps, ... . The final artwork for the type of sign you are wanting to make must be pure vector, no fonts and no bitmaps.
If you use fonts for the text elements when designing, you must be using a program that can convert those to pure vectors in the final output file. If not, the sign fabricator will have to do the font to vector conversion and would have to own a copy of the exact same font and be using the exact same OS platform for the conversion to be accurate. Any font embedded in the PDF will be useless for the purpose and almost all sign fabricators will be using Windows for their production work.
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dwig rightly said it. I once had this problem where my final output was PDF which was exported from illustrator but I left the font without outlining in Illustrator. At the last moment the printer explained me that the PDF could not be printed as it is containing text that is not converted into vector and explained the same what dwig has mentioned.
Better consult with your printer regarding the specs.
Better consult with your printer regarding the specs.
InDesign works just as well as Illustrator for that. It can also convert fonts into outlines and export them as pdf or even eps.
One more thing, before spending a lot of money for such a sign better pay a professional designer to design it. No offense, but your current "design" is pretty bad. The text flies around all over the place with no clear structure. There is too much information on that, no one is looking at a sign that long to read all of that, especially if it does not look particularly interesting. The text is too small, a sign should grab your attention and be readable from a large distance.
One more thing, before spending a lot of money for such a sign better pay a professional designer to design it. No offense, but your current "design" is pretty bad. The text flies around all over the place with no clear structure. There is too much information on that, no one is looking at a sign that long to read all of that, especially if it does not look particularly interesting. The text is too small, a sign should grab your attention and be readable from a large distance.
+1
- Too much text. A sign of the nature of that in the photograph needs to be read in 3-4 seconds. If it takes any longer to read it fails
- NEVER put business hours on an expensive sign unless you have a budget that allows for frequent replacements of the sign face. In the real world, business hours change periodically and changing the sign can/will be expensive.
- A sign of that type is placed at the business location and thus doesn't need an address, other than perhaps a suite number.
Slightly OT, but I'm so comfortable with Illustrator that the only time I use InDesign is if I'm working with multiple pages (usually 3 or more, as I can usually work fine with Illustrator artboards for a front-and-back flyer). There are exceptions, but that's my general workflow. I do a LOT of packaging.
70% Illustrator / 20% Photoshop / 5% InDesign / 5% Other
70% Illustrator / 20% Photoshop / 5% InDesign / 5% Other
I second all these points.
If you feel the need to put hours and an address, you could have the bottom half fabricated as a separate panel. That way, if you move or hours change, it can be swapped without having to replace the main face.
Time to find a new production house. Any font can be made into outlines using Acrobat. We do it all the time.
https://bestfontforward.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/outlining-text-in-adobe-acrobat-x/