the plight of procrastination: why you can’t afford to delay your sign project
If ever there was a “sign” to kickstart your sign project, this is it! It’s never too early to begin planning. Whether your timeline is a year or two out, or approaching 90 days from opening. IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO GET STARTED. There will always be unforeseen challenges between thinking about a sign and having it installed.
Through years of collaboration with various partners, we’ve compiled a list of key challenges that sign projects often encounter. We’re here to guide you through the process. Our goal is to help manage expectations by providing a clear understanding of the obstacles you will most likely face.
Sign Code
Sign code dictates what you can and can’t do, but it isn’t always easy to find especially in smaller communities. This is also true for property sign criteria. Getting your hands on these can take some time and going into design without these is a recipe for disaster.
Elevations
Like sign codes, elevations serve as guardrails and road maps for sign designers. If the details about your building's construction aren’t made available, we can quickly run into unforeseen challenges. We recently saw a video of a simple interior wall sign being installed and the installer punctured a water line.
Surveys
Whether we have elevations or not, we prefer to do a physical survey. If your site is still under construction or it’s not built, we need to factor in time to complete a physical survey. Clear and transparent communication between your team and ours, and any other trades saves everyone time and money.
Design Process
The design process is a creative one and creativity takes time. Everything we do is custom to your brand, the space, and the larger experience we are creating. During this time, it is essential to have the right people in meetings and ensure they are fully engaged. Communicating any changes in the construction process will help us keep design moving forward.
Feedback
Clear and consolidated feedback is the secret to keeping your project on schedule. We get it, people like to see options–but requests for infinite rounds of review because “we have the time” or decision-makers are not being looped in guarantees that your projects will take longer and cost you more.
Quoting
While we can sometimes provide a ballpark estimate, design needs to be mostly fleshed out to provide an accurate and honest quote for the fabrication and installation of your project. Sharing your target budget before we begin the design process will eliminate any sticker shock resulting in additional time redesigning value-engineered options.
Permit Acquisition
Only the company installing the sign can apply for the permit. Permit offices aren’t known for offering the greatest customer service. In Austin, we plan for permits taking as long as 2-4 weeks to provide approval. Other cities and states can take longer.
Have we been pleasantly surprised when they’re approved the same day? Yes! Does it happen often? No!
Fabrication
At Studio Dzo, fabrication doesn’t begin until permits are approved. Any change requests to size or lighting method, and sometimes even to color, can require us to go back through permitting.
We estimate 6-8 weeks for fabrication and we do everything we can to move quicker.
Other Trades
Builders, Masons, Painters, Electricians, etc. We prefer to be the last trade in a space to ensure signs are not damaged. Delay often occurs due to other trades not communicating or completing work on time. From glass not being installed, walls not finished, or power not run, it's a delicate dance trying to coordinate installations. Somehow our amazing Project Management team gets everyone on beat.
Installation
If site conditions are as expected, installation typically goes off without a hitch. But we’ve run into some interesting and unexpected turn of events over the years.
E.g. Once during an installation, the construction site cleaning crew threw away several boxes of ADA signs while our team was on lunch. Elizabeth climbed into a dumpster hoping to find them but they were gone, never to be seen again.
Plan your work and work your plan.
At Studio Dzo, we believe in the power of planning to help us combat the plight of procrastination.
Planning our work and working our plan had guided us through countless challenges and fueled our growth. As we continue to evolve, we are committed to refining our processes, leveraging partnerships, advancing our design expertise, and embracing collaboration to ensure that every project upholds the vision while aligning with your budget and timeline.
No matter where you are in your journey, a conversation is the first and most important step.
