EMERGENCY Bread & Milk!!!

Thanks to local Tweep & Facebooker, Ryan for snapping this pic just before 2009's first snow storm hits. How was it ever decided, that the 2 most essential items you need in preparation for a snow storm was bread and milk? I can think of plenty of things we could grab to eat in the house before chomping on some bread and washing it down with a big glass of moo-moo juice. It just kind of strikes me as being an odd selection of priorities. In fact, here are 10 things I think should come before you really need bread and milk:

10) Hot Cocoa/Tea/Coffee
9) Blankets
8) Snow Shovel/Snow Blower
7) A Bunch of Movies
6) Sleds
5) Gloves
4) Snow Boots
3) Video Camera to record vehicles stuck outside as you laugh inside in the warmth
2) iPod with Earphones, so you can drown out the sound of the kids fighting, as cabin fever sets in.

AND THE #1 THING YOU MUST BE STOCKED UP ON BEFORE A SNOW STORM........TOILET PAPER! Because face it, what would we do if we ran out of that? (Don't answer that).

To see some hot EMERGENCY vehicles we've lettered, or to check out the ways we have helped business owners pay for their bread & milk, check out our website!

Can I Buy a Gift Certificate for My Neighbor's Dog that Craps on My Lawn?

One of the great things about being in business for yourself, is having the power to make all the decisions, yourself. In big companies you have to run everything through committees and focus groups. In partnerships, you have to hope your partner doesn't reject every creative idea you come up with. Poor Nina here, would have benefited from having another opinion on her company tag line. Of course, she could have done worse. She could have come up with one of these instead:

• "If someone's going to shoot your loved ones, why not me?"
• "Will shoot your dog in my studio, or at your home."

To see some vehicle lettering with great slogans, check out our website!

Unauthorized Parking Pays Off

Sweet! Fifty bucks! Well...at least that would cover the towing bill, perhaps. I wonder how hard it would be to find the $50? Do you think it's just laying in the parking spot? Or maybe the tow truck driver carries around a wad of fifties with him, and will peel one off when he picks up your car.

Spell check isn't the only tool you should use when making signs. We've all done this with emails, etc. "Find" is, after all, a word spelled correctly. Sometimes it just takes a second look, a second opinion, or a second grade education.

To see some of the beautiful, and correctly spelled signs we have done, check out our website!

Here Kitty, Kitty...

Well, leave it up to another pic from my Los Angeles trip, to make an appearance in Stickit Notes. We were strolling through a local Ralph's Grocery Store, when I spotted this... Cat Sand? I checked on Wikipedia to see if there is a common usage of this term, but could only find that the words cat and sand, more often refer to a Sand Cat, a small wild feline. I am assuming that what we on the east coast, call "Kitty Litter", is indeed "Cat Sand" on the West Coast. Either that, or people build sandboxes for their cats to build castles in their back yards? Perhaps cats enjoy the beach as well, but require a specific variety of sand?

When I snapped this pic, of the "Sand", I didn't even notice the other item right above it, "Premium Pet". I wonder what defines a pet as being "Premium". Is that an anti-dog slur? Are they insinuating that all other pets are basic, but cats are more prestigious? How rude! It was probably those kitties themselves that posted these signs. Those cats think they are so cool.

To see what some of the coolest cats I know have said about us, check out our website.

Bathroom Sinks Make Great Souvenirs

This morning, my wife noticed this puzzling sign at BWI Airport. I can see why it prompted her to send me the pic with the caption, "Huh? The water? The faucet? The mirror? The counter?" I mean, what exactly is going on here? Wherever you find signs like these, there has most likely been an offense that warranted the posting of such sign. This begs the questions, did someone try to remove the counter top? Did some would-be terrorist try to assault someone with a motion-sensing faucet? Or are you allowed to take any of these items, but simply just not allowed to take the little sign? Hmmm.......?????

If you want to see some signs that actually make sense, check out our website.

Attention: Clumsy Smokers Only Have $540 in their Bank Account

Truly puzzling isn't it? One would hope there was some reason or logic behind the specific amount of a fine for starting a fire at this lookout point in Los Angeles, CA., where I visited the other week. Maybe they did a study among arsonists and clumsy smokers and determined that their attention threshold was reached at $541? Maybe they mounted a hidden camera by this sign, and no one looked at the sign until it reached $541? Sometimes when you want to drive a simple point home, you need to create some confusion. Whatever the reason, I found it amusing.

To see some of the ways we drive some points home, check out some of our work on our website.

Caution: Do Not Cut Your Butt on the Saw!

The other week, I visited Universal Studios, in sunny Los Angeles, CA. This sign's meaning would only be obvious, if it were used at the specific location where I found it...on an escalator. Of course, my twisted mind imagined how funny it would look to post this in a woodworking shop, on the side of a saw indicating, "Caution: Do Not Cut Your Butt on the Saw!" Or possibly, every parent should have one of these to remind their children, "Unless You're a Toddler, Don't Come Down the Steps Like This!" Maybe this sign could have another practical use at a public pool stating, "No Cannonballing!" Whatever the message of the sign, be sure its placement is congruent with the message. This will insure there is always a universal interpretation. Good signs aren't just pretty, they state the message so that everyone understands it the same.

To get a look at some good signs we've done, visit our website.

Ever had Leprosy?

The next few blog entries will be courtesy of my recent trip to Los Angeles, CA. This billboard made me laugh for quite awhile. I mean, leprosy? People still get that? In this day and age, and in L.A.? Obviously, they are lobbying for the importance of animal research here. Either that or L.A. has a huge epidemic with Leprosy! As usual I haven't done any research about this sign, but if their only goal was to catch attention, they definitely hit their mark with me! That should be the goal of most signage. Engage the target by capturing their attention and to make them think about your message more than the split second they see it, while passing by. I just wonder what the slogans were that got shot down? Here is a list of a few that possibly didn't make the cut.

• Ever had Scurvy?
• got polio?
• Bubonic Plague got you down?
• Not Typhus again!

For ways we've tried to catch public attention, check out our work on our website!

To Ring or Not to Ring, That is the Question!

Thanks to local Tweep, Sean McDermott, for finding this beauty. These instructions are enough to give one a headache! Quite the moral dilemma here...to ring or not to ring? That is the question. And which choice would you make? My mischievous temperament makes me gravitate towards the Ring side. The curious side of me really wants to find out what happens when I push that button!

This little contradiction is sort of what we face every day. One person tells us "Yes" and another tells us "No". It's up to us to go with our gut, and see what happens. Most times, life is a bit of trial and error, to see if what we learned growing up was right or wrong-if it works or if it doesn't.

Good luck with your daily choices,
Chad

I Demand a Pee-Test!

This photo submission comes from Paul Rothrock, a fellow local tweep. He just hit the tip of my ranting iceberg on this when he tweeted, "I find this sign sexist. Why can't it be new 'parent' parking?" That's one point-I mean, what if Paul has his young child and his newborn in the vehicle, and his wife is resting at home? Why can't he and other new daddies be entitled to the same parking privileges as the moms?

And how do we know this sign isn't being abused? What exactly is a "new" mother. Is there a time-frame when this expires? Also, what stage of pregnancy does a woman need to be in to take advantage of this parking spot? Do they need to be visibly pregnant? Shouldn't there be a security guard waiting to "pee-test" each of the female parkers?

I have some other suggested signs that we should consider for Special Parking spots:

• Hung-over Individual Parking
• OMG it's Freakin' Pouring Parking!
• Just Returning my Redbox Movies Parking
• I'm Feeling Rather Lazy Today Parking
  

It appears Harrisburg, PA is technically the Wild West.

Thanks to Michael Miville from Miville Photography for spotting this hilarious sign in the Bass Pro Shop in Harrisburg, PA. His tweet was right on when he said, "I'm glad they have to tell you this!" Really? Really. Really Bass Pro?!

The spotting of strange signs like these always prompts one to think about the fact that there has been at least several occasions where one has acted improperly to warrant such a sign. Clearly, there are rogue redneck hunters toting around their guns and compound bows throughout the store. I imagine an incident of some good 'ol boy doing some target practice with some of those beautifully stuffed game animals throughout the store. "Um, sir...you aren't allowed to shoot the stuffed mule deer....Yes, I know there isn't a sign that says you can't shoot the animals, but you really need to check your 30-30 Winchester at the Customer Service Desk."

Thanks again Michael, and all you readers out there, send me your funny pics so we can all enjoy them!

Back That Thang Up!

Ok, so this is an incredibly beautiful sign I found at Ocean City, Maryland. Sometimes it's just a matter of how you frame a picture, to find a little humor. In sign-making, sometimes, it's just a matter of choosing the wrong font or laying out a sign in a weird manner, that makes it take on a new meaning. I guess I am stretching here for a point, but I'm sure you get my point.











Kudos to whomever made this sign. It has a great presence, and the lighting really accents their ass-I mean assets. Liquid Assets was great! If you're ever down, check it out.

Don't Spill Your Soda!

When visiting the Boardwalk at Ocean City, Maryland this past weekend, I found this gem. I'm not sure what happened here exactly. I studied it, and we talked about it for a few minutes, and we came up with all sorts of theories, but I have to admit I am still stumped. After walking past later, we noticed that they indeed, sold Pepsi products, so this sign seems to be intended for this spot. I'm still not sure why they chose to put it upside down though. Maybe they will only sell to you if you do a handstand? I know every time I cartwheel down the boardwalk, I work up a good thirst and could use a cold Pepsi, so....

Caution: Drunk Guy in a Ford Flex Swerving Ahead?

So, I was driving along today on the 1600 block of New Holland Pike in Lancaster, PA, which is a pretty straight section of road, and I came upon this Road Sign. What exactly are they trying to tell me here? Is there a drunk guy ahead swerving all over the road, driving a Ford Flex? Or are they giving me permission to swerve all over the road right now? Am I to tie streamers to the back of my car? Maybe there is a burn-out contest ahead?

If you spot funny or strange signs or stickers, send them to me. I would be happy to feature them on my blog.

What does "watch" mean?

Road Signs crack me up. Like this one: "Watch Children". Although we all know what this means, to read it kind of makes me giggle. I wonder who decides on the wording for these signs. Do you think these signs attract pedophiles? I can just hear their defense now, "Your Honor, the sign clearly stated that there were children, and they needed watched. My client was merely obeying the law." Either way, my sick mind thought the sign was funny.

If you see any funny signs, stickers, or vehicle lettering, send them to me! I would love to feature them on my blog.