Collaborate and expand your capabilities

A lot of great sign work has been the result of collaboration between sign designers. Jim Aquino has tapped into the skills of other sign designers for nearly 20 years — calling on their expertise to provide designs for some of his sign projects.

Jim’s sign career began in 1964 with a six-year apprenticeship. He learned all aspects of the trade long before computers. Eventually he opened his own shop, Yes Signs Now, in Sault Saint Marie, Ontario, Canada.

“You know how it is,” Jim says, “over time you feel your layouts are getting a little stale. You start to depend on the same letter styles and colors. Then you see all this great-looking work in SignCraft and think, ‘Wow—these folks are more than just sign painters. They’re great designers. Wouldn’t it be great to work with them on some of my signs?’”