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 [email protected] - we'd love to hear from you.
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
“This prompted a ton of replies- many were supportive and said that the owner was out of line but many were also negative, speaking out about the ‘residue’ that it would leave on a lawn.”
“My reply was one of those insisting that the woman did nothing wrong,” he goes on to say. “In the interest of supporting responsible dog owners, I set out to find a suitable sign and that is when I found your site. I wanted to choose a custom sign and make the way I felt unambiguous, which inspired my choice of words. I even emailed Anna afterwards to let her know- she deserved some neighborly goodwill!”
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.”
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!’”
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.”
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!”
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
“We had to purchase covers for the tanks but that was not enough. They would help themselves to touching the tanks and thus creating a very dangerous environment with propane in the air. I thought to myself, what would stop these people from touching these tanks?”
“Well, this sign has done the trick. It has literally stopped people in their tracks! They have probably saved someone’s life, no joke.”
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!”
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
“The idea of the sign came about because I wanted to warn people about the dog until I could get a fence built. Since then, my neighbor has put the dog in a cage that’s out of sight of my driveway (maybe they read the sign) but I’m still going to build a fence because I can’t tell when the dog is locked up.”
“The sign is on a wooden post where the gate latches. I will leave the sign up because I think it will make people think twice about trespassing on the property!”
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!”
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!”
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
“I have a reloading shop at the back of my property. Most of the expensive stuff is bolted down anyway and there is an alarm system. But, by the time the alarm is tripped and an officer arrives, they probably still had a good 3-4 minutes So then I am still stuck having to replace a door/window and find out if anything is missing that they took in those few minutes.”
“I decided it would be best to post some signs on it to deter anyone with bad intentions. Just in case my 90 lb boxer/pit that clears a 4 foot fence with ease wasn’t enough deterrent!”
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
“I drew Tim’s name for our company’s annual holiday gift exchange and I figured I could give him a gift that keeps on giving: a way to save him from the hassle of breaking his concentration and allow PMs to float by his desk to keep tabs on how Tim is doing without needing to tap him on the shoulder. SmartSign gave be the perfect solution – when looking around online at other sign vendors, there weren’t many that allowed me to fully customize the sign to my liking. Tim LOVES his sign and it’s a huge hit around the office!”
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
“Despite being children’s fiction, the themes and stories have many adult elements for reader’s of all ages. I ended up picking up the books as well and became passionate about the characters and their tribulations. Because my daughter and I were both reading the series, we’d talk about the books non-stop at the dinner table, in the car and just wherever we went, causing my poor, non-cat-book-reading-wife to exclaim, “You guys are obsessed with Warrior Cats!”
“In commemoration of that brilliant observation, I had that sign made, which now hangs proudly front and center on my daughter’s bedroom door.”
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!”
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
“We didn’t want to appear to be old grouches so we thought something amusing would better convey our desire to curtail these unintentional intrusions. My wife made up the sign. The “do the hokey pokey and turn yourself around” comes from a very old song. We are a retired couple who like to be happy and have fun!”
