Author Archives: Dan Sawatzky

The Hazelnut Inn project has now been underway for four long years. The inn is on the grounds of our shop and will… Read More

A SignCraft reader recently asked about faux finishing, which is something we employ on almost every sign that leaves our shop—albeit not necessarily… Read More

We are definitely heading into a time of uncertainty. Putting aside the health concerns and the potential effects of the virus that is… Read More

As I began this article I wondered if I had enough material, but when I went through my archived photos I realized there… Read More

At our shop we consider ourselves, above all else, visual storytellers. When a new client approaches us for a sign we listen carefully… Read More

We’ve long wanted to do farm signs. But even though we live in a farming community, we have done only a handful of… Read More

I turned 65 this past year—an age when most think seriously about retiring. Not me! I enjoy what I do far too much…. Read More

Sign makers I meet often comment about how they would love to do the kind of work we do in our shop instead… Read More

We have an extremely fun job currently in progress in our shop. A regular client of ours recently asked us to work up… Read More

I often get asked if we charge for design. The answer is always “Yes!”—with one caveat. We do charge upfront for design, but… Read More

Not long ago, a veterinarian from a neighboring town dropped by our shop. She wanted to rebrand her business with one of our… Read More

One of many lessons I’ve learned from visiting Disney theme parks is the importance of branding, which is the way a business creates… Read More

One of the most fun aspects of our business is that we never know what the next project may be. The only certain… Read More

I often get asked if we ever make signs for “the real world.” The answer is yes, though the bulk of our creative… Read More

I’ve heard it said many times that creating a sign or display is much more difficult when we do it for ourselves. I’m… Read More

We put our hearts into every sign we tackle in our shop, but every once in a while a project comes along that… Read More

Even though our client has a fully built-out amusement park, which was founded in 1910, our recent project for them was very much… Read More

The 2017 Sign Invitational is now history. The event was a little smaller this year with a flurry of last minute cancellations. I… Read More

For many years we built the bulk of our projects on site. Most theme park projects are large, and being built primarily of… Read More

The Sign Invitational Challenge is happening again at the International Sign Association Show [April 19 to 22]. Competition will undoubtedly be friendly but… Read More