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The Story Behind The Sign

We receive quite a few interesting designs from our customers, and it got us thinking, what's the story behind the sign?  We process thousands of orders each week and we decided to reach out to a handful of customers to find out a little bit more about their designs.

If you've ordered a sign from us and want to tell us your story, please email dave@smartsign.com - we'd love to hear from you.

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Your dog is welcome as long as one of you cleans up.

After a heated debate in a neighborhood online chat room regarding whether or not dogs should be allowed to go to the bathroom on peoples’ lawns, Allan wanted a custom lawnboss sign that would show his neighbors exactly where he stood on the topic.

“One day a woman named Anna posted about how her dog pooped on someone’s lawn and when she went to clean it up, the owner of the house yelled that she should get off his lawn immediately because she was trespassing,” Allan says…Click to See full story

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Warning – Grumpy Old Man. Do Not Disturb

Hubert needed a sign that would ward off unwanted visitors and our custom Warning sign was the perfect addition to his driveway.

“I really just wanted something to let people know that I don’t want to be bothered,” Hubert says. “It is on the gates that cross my driveway. I was getting tired of people not invited stopping by and this sign definitely lets them know that I don’t want them bothering me.”

 

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There Is No Poop Fairy. Your Dog. Your Poop.

Miguel wanted a sign that would poke fun at the younger generation in the neighborhood where he works and that’s where our custom split sign came in!

“I recently moved my office to an older traditionally light industrial area of Newport Beach that’s now turning into a bit of a hipster scene filled with fancy coffee, surf shops, small dogs and beat up vans,” Miguel says. “In an effort to bring a little awareness & humor to the neighborhood, I figured I’d place a sign out front my door calling out the me-first generation.”  

“I was out front one morning when I heard a young gal with her boyfriend as they were walking their dogs. She called him out and said…. ‘you lied to me… there is no poop fairy!’”

 

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Construction Site: Screw Being Average, Put In The Hard Work!

Jeff wanted to gift his son with a sign that would remind him to always work hard and that is exactly where our custom Construction site sign came in.

“The sign is in my son Jon Stewart’s dorm room. It has always been his dream to play College Lacrosse at Grand Valley State University, and he is now a Freshman midfielder on that team! The sign helps to keep him on track, and avoid distractions that would keep him from his goals. There is nothing like a little reminder you see everyday as you walk out your door to keep you on track.”

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Warning: Miguel Bain ONLINE

A custom warning sign was perfect for Miguel, who wanted a sign for his office that would play up on an inside joke between him and his workers.

“In my role, I take part in a lot of conference calls (as we all do). When I join a call, unbeknownst to me, I religiously state “Miguel Bain – Online”. As time went on, more and more of my colleagues began to take notice of this entry statement and it turned into a bit of a comedic relief. It’s become so popular, that people will address me, in person or email, as Miguel Bain – Online. With that said, I have ordered a few signs from your company (which have all been executed flawlessly) and I knew that I absolutely had to have a sign created to play on the ‘tag line’. Everyone who sees the sign when they visit my office appreciate the humor and compliment me on it!”

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Danger: You Touch, You Die. Have a Nice Day!

Sam needed a sign that would prevent people from touching the tanks of propane at his restaurant, and needless to say, we think our custom Danger sign worked!

“I operate a restaurant and bar in Fort Worth Texas called America Gardens. We are mainly an outdoor venue so the use of heaters and fire pits are quite rampant. When we first got our fire pits, however, we realized that people don’t are about their personal safety and would mess with the tanks of propane,” Sam says… Click to See full story

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Caution: Heartbreak Ahead

Mark wanted to create a sign with a catchy slogan to post on a pole near the grade school in his neighborhood, and that is where our custom Caution sign came in!

“I live in Portland which which has a lot of slogans—Beervana, City of Roses, Bridgetown, etc. and the official slogan is “The City That Works” but, most people would say It’is “Keep Portland Weird.” I live in Southeast Portland where this sentiment seems especially virulent. In my neighborhood, people like to put up signs, especially sorta affirming and “cute.” I decided to tweak it and had this sign made. This is on the way to the neighborhood grade school up the street and, according to my neighbors, people really like it!”

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Warning: Beware Of Neighbor’s Dogs – Run!!!

Tom needed a sign that would pose as a warning of his neighbor’s dog to visitors and our custom Warning sign did just that.

“My next door neighbor owns a German Shepherd and their yard is not fenced. When I enter my property, I have to get out of my truck and unlock a metal gate. When the dog hears that clang of the chain against the metal gate, it sets the dog off and it will run after me. After a couple of times of getting chased, I was getting nervous about getting out of the truck to open the gate. I tried using pepper spray bit it did not phase the dog,” Tom says…Click to See full story

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Caution: I’m Naked

Aislinn knew our custom Caution sign would be perfect when she needed something to send a friendly warning out to her roommates.

“I live with five other girls and one tends to not be fully clothed when she is in our room. I got her name for a Secret Santa gift and decided to get a gift that would benefit us roommates and not just her from seeing anything we weren’t prepared to see!”

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Be Careful – Step Down! Or fall down…and pass it off as a dance.

Ben needed a sign to warn customers at his burger joint of a step known to make people fall and our custom Be Careful sign did just that.

“I own a restaurant…kind of a dive burger joint in Bel Air, MD. We have a step, that no matter what I do, people keep falling off of, so I thought that I’d make a large, goofy sign to try to warn them. People still fall, but you can’t fix stupid!”

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Notice: If You Can Read This Sign, We Can See You / Warning: There Is Nothing In This Shed Worth Your Life.

Our custom Notice and custom Warning signs came in handy when Matt needed something to ward off unwanted visitors on his property.

“I live in a small community that has quite a bad drug problem. The police have done amazing things to clean it up in the past couple years but my neighbor had some guns stolen and my dad had a brand new pressure washer stolen in broad daylight from his house in the next town over,” Matt says…Click to See full story

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Hey Tim, Is My Video Done? Yep/Nope

Eva wanted to gift her video designer with a useful sign for work and our custom sliding sign was the perfect addition to his desk.

“I’m a graphic designer at a full service event agency and in our creative department, I sit with technical directors, scenic designers, and Tim – our video designer. Tim is very focused when he’s editing and usually has his headphones on  – so he can’t hear it when Project Managers come up behind him to check in on the status of their video,” Eva says. “So, when PMs do get his attention, Tim has interrupted what he’s doing to let them know that the video he’s currently working on isn’t finished yet.”…Click to See full story

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This Person Is Obsessed With Warrior Cats – Enter At Your Own Risk

Ken wanted a sign that should represent the love he and his daughter shared for the Warrior cat book series and our custom Danger sign did just that!

“For the last few years, I’ve been trying to encourage my now 13 year old daughter to read more books and discover a love of reading.  From time to time she’d find something she liked and she’d read it, but it might be weeks before she found something new that tickled her fancy. (Enter the Warrior Cat series by Erin Hunter!)” Ken says…Click to See full story

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Please Remember There Is Only One Way And It’s Called Freedom

Zilvinas wanted to add her favorite inspirational quote to a customizable split sign and it turned out exactly how she had hoped!

“I am 38 at the moment, with 4 kids and making $120,000 a year, but my heart is somewhere else. The purpose of the sign is actually very simple – be free, do what you want do in your life, enjoy and be happy. At the moment, I am starting a new business with hope that one day I will be free and I can sail around the world with my new Catamaran,” Zilvinus says.

“The sign is placed at the moment in my office and some people laugh, but being different is better than being stupid. I am going to name my Catamaran “Freedom” when I set sail. This is truly where the sign belongs!”

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Private Drive. Please Do the Hokey Pokey & Turn Yourself Around.

Our custom palladio sign was perfect for Roger and his wife, who wanted a light-hearted way to direct those who made the wrong turn into their driveway.

“We live on the edge of a small town and there are a lot of small unpaved lanes and streets leading to small neighborhoods in the beautiful forests that surround the town. We have a long driveway that leads to our home which is partially hidden by trees.  We were rather frequently getting people driving in who mistook our driveway for one of those little lanes.  By the time they realized they were on private property, they were usually most of the way to our garage!” Roger says…Click to See full story

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