Creating a billboard sign

Doug Downey

Conceptualizing the sign

“The Greens” sign is a job that we designed and produced for a local real estate
company. The sign was used to introduce a new subdivision that was being built
alongside a golf and country club in town. The real estate company approached us,
requesting an idea for a billboard that would help people recognize the location when
they drove by.

Determining the copy

One of the first things I consider when designing a sign is the copy or wording the
customer wants. You have to be careful and try not to flood the sign with information

1 Insights from the Experts

that is of minimal concern. When people drive by a sign, they have 6 seconds to read
it. Therefore, the sign needs to be easy to read, in bold type and in contrasting colors.
For “The Greens” sign, we focused on three things: the name of the subdivision (“The
Greens by the Country Club”), the starting price of the homes ($169,900), and the
name of the seller (Laura Leyser). We knew that if prospective buyers wanted more
information, they could contact the agent.
When grouping the copy, I divided it into three sections on the sign. For the name, I
created an overlay in the shape of a golf green. For production, this section was created
separately and mounted on top of the base sign. In the center section, the copy indicated
what was being built and how much it would cost. On the bottom, I created a
contrasting red panel informing the reader who the real estate representative was and
where she could be contacted. When working on a large sign with a lot of information,
break the one big design into a few smaller designs to make it easier to read.

Making a rough sketch

After the copy is edited, you can do a rough pencil sketch on a piece of paper to work
up how you want it to look. You can use the traditional pencil-and-paper method, or
you can work on the computer. Since I have purchased Corel Painter, I have found that
I can do a rough sketch directly in the program, working with a tablet and pen. There
is no need for the extra paper work. With this design, I used Corel Painter to do the
rough sketch.
When we know the application, message, and copy required for the sign, and have
made a rough sketch, we can work on the final design.

Drawing the shapes

The first section to design was the shape of the golf green. I started by drawing an ellipse
on my page at the approximate size that I needed. Then, I converted the ellipse to
curves, which allowed me to create the custom shape that I needed. Using the Shape
tool to edit the ellipse, I created a shape that would represent a golf green. As I worked,
I kept in mind that I would need extra room at the bottom of the shape for the wording
“by the Country Club.”

Insights from the Experts 2

Formatting the text
For the text “The Greens,” I decided to look for a serif font. I chose a new and fun serif
font from a sign font supplier. The center line of the “H” and of each “E” seemed too
thin, so I converted the text to curves and used the Shape tool to thicken the letters.
Once I had edited the title name, I needed to do the same with the text “by the Country
Club.” To my eyes, the capital letters were too small. So, I converted the text, broke it
apart, and made each capital “C” taller. Then I moved the rest of the text to make it
more balanced.
With the text on the green section completed, I now wanted to create some contrast to
make the text easier to read. To do this, I selected the text, clicked the Interactive
Contour tool, and applied an outline that could be used for cutting. I then duplicated
the contour and offset it to the lower right to create a drop-shadow look. I selected both
the drop shadow and the contour and then welded them together. (Note: If you are
planning to cut the lettering for vinyl, you must use the contour tool. The regular pen
tool applies only outlines, and the pen outlines are suitable only for printing.)
Using the same font to create continuity in the sign, I made the price big and bold. After
placing the text on the sign, I broke the artistic text apart and made the “900” smaller
beside the “$169.” I converted this lettering to curves and combined it all together. I
then added the words “Starting at” in a different font (Frutiger™ 57 CN), and made the
text bold. Next, I added the words “Quality Designed, Beautiful Setting, Quiet
Crescent, Several Floorplans.” With the Text tool selected, I held down the Shift key to
select the background, and pressed “C” to center the text to the sign.

Insights from the Experts 3

The red panel on the bottom was created to keep the real estate information separate
from the main message of the sign. The name of the agent was in a stylized script so
that it would match the agent’s current image. With the script lettering, I broke the
artistic text, made some changes to it, and welded it all together. I then selected it twice
and used the skewing handles to put it on an angle. I added the sales representative text,
selected the Shape tool, and then pulled the text spacing apart to give it a double-spaced
look. Under this text, I added the phone number in a bold font. To give the type in the
red panel some impact, I selected and duplicated all of the text, and then colored it
black and sent it back a layer to create a drop shadow. In production, this would result
in two layers of vinyl on top of each other.

Adding the final touches

To add flare to the red panel and make it resemble a golf course, I selected the corner
nodes and used the Bézier tool to put a curve at the top. I made a quick duplicate of the
red panel, and then double-selected it and skewed the right side of it upward. Coloring
this duplicate a darker green than the background, I put it in behind the red panel.
Selecting both panels, I clipped the new green panel out from behind the red panel.

Insights from the Experts 4

The final touch to this sign was the flag on the edge of the golf course. To create the
flag, I used the Smart Drawing tool and drew a quick flag shape. Inside the shape I
typed the word “NEW.” I then used the Interactive Envelope tool to edit the “NEW”
type to the shape of the flag.

My trick here was to combine the text and flag shape together and use the Envelope
tool again to add the final shape for both text and flag. Once I had the shape, I could
break it apart again into text and flag as separate objects.

Preparing the sign for production

When the design was completed, I had to prepare it for production. I took all of the
matching colors and placed them together for cutting. You can create a new page that
is the size of the vinyl you are cutting. Place the matching colors on the page so that it
is ready to go to the plotter.
In 25 years of designing, I have seen many changes in the sign industry, not only in the
way the product is produced, but in the design methodology. I was a designer who was
more than happy to throw away the pencil and paper as design tools. CorelDRAW is
the software I began designing with, and it is the software I continue to use. With every

Insights from the Experts 5

version, CorelDRAW gets easier to use. It is a fast, simple, and powerful design tool that
produces a high-quality presentation for the customer.

About the author

Doug Downey, owner of Creativeink Design
Group, has been designing for more than 25
years. Doug got his start in the sign industry
when he established his own design and sign
shop. After selling his sign shop, he moved to
the Niagara Falls area and worked for a sign
company, where he designed all of the digital
printing for a local casino. In 2000, Doug
ventured back to Stratford to open up a Web
and digital design company. Doug has been
designing in CorelDRAW since the first
version and was the winner of the 1999
CorelWORLD™ Design Competition. Doug
now travels and speaks about large-format
printing and about the fundamentals of design
for beginner designers. You can view
Creativeinks design work online
(www.creativeink.ca).

Insights from the Experts 6