About The Window Goddess
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My name is Kimberley Edwards, and I am The Window Goddess.
I'm a lifelong artist with a long and varied artistic background. In 2004, I was inspired to try my hand at window
splash, the bright, colorful temporary paintings on windows that have long been a favorite advertising option for so
many businesses. I realized I had always liked it, but never seen anybody doing it, so I set about trying to find out
everything I could about it.
My quest took me to the Sign Graphics program at Los Angeles Trade Tech,
(http://www.lattc.edu/dept/tvco/sign.html) where the program has been taught since 1923. This program is the
oldest, and probably the only, comprehensive sign painting, layout and design, and production technique program
existing in the country at this time.
When I started out I was primarily interested in window splash. I had, perhaps a bit prematurely, started my
company with the name The Window Goddess, and window splash was my obsession. Once in the program,
however, with my wonderful teacher Ralph (Doc) Guthrie, I was thrilled to learn things about layout and design that
I had never been taught in any computer graphics, logo design, layout, color theory or typography class I had ever
taken.
Good sign design is an art unto itself, with its own set of rules. It is not necessary or even advisable to hire a
graphic designer to design a sign so a sign painter can paint it. Sign painters - professionally trained sign painters,
anyway, ARE graphic designers - graphic designers who specialize in signs. The emphasis for a sign is different, the
type styles are even different, than what a conventional graphic designer would be accustomed to.
Having a graphic designer design a sign for a sign painter to paint frequently ends up costing more money - not only
because you're paying more people to do a job, but because people who don't paint signs often have no idea of the
difficulties and problems they are building into their designs to be executed by somebody else, probably up on a
ladder, that take more time, cost more money, and frequently result in a far less effective sign than if it had been
designed by someone who specializes in not only designing signs, but in executing them in the actual environment
where they would be seen. A good sign needs to do much more than be pretty - it needs to be effective in a
specific environment, on a specific background, attract attention at a distance and then communicate its main
message very quickly. Contrary to what I often hear, a sign is NOT a good place to be "mysterious." Mystery does not
make people try to pull over in traffic and circle the block looking for a parking space just to find out what sort of
business you are operating. The only thing that will make them do that is suddenly seeing that you have something
in there that they want or need.
I developed a passion for signs and discovered I loved spending hours looking at pictures of vintage signs, the kind
that were painstakingly designed and hand-rendered, not the kind whipped out by people with vinyl cutters and a
digital print set-ups who think that's all they need to start churning out signs. The environment is full of the visual
pollution that results from that, and I'm here to counter it, one sign or window splash at a time. I want every sign or
window splash I do to be the best one I've ever done, and I'm never satisfied. I am now able to meet a wide variety
of sign needs: painted wall signs, cut-out signs, sidewalk signs, awning lettering, traditional permanent window
lettering, vinyl lettering and chalk signs. I still love doing window splash, and it still comprises a great deal of what I
do. Painting signs is the direction my art has taken. I love going down the street and seeing pieces I have done all
over the Los Angeles area. I work throughout the Greater Los Angeles area. Give me a call or send me an e-mail -
let's see what I can do for YOU.
I'm a lifelong artist with a long and varied artistic background. In 2004, I was inspired to try my hand at window
splash, the bright, colorful temporary paintings on windows that have long been a favorite advertising option for so
many businesses. I realized I had always liked it, but never seen anybody doing it, so I set about trying to find out
everything I could about it.
My quest took me to the Sign Graphics program at Los Angeles Trade Tech,
(http://www.lattc.edu/dept/tvco/sign.html) where the program has been taught since 1923. This program is the
oldest, and probably the only, comprehensive sign painting, layout and design, and production technique program
existing in the country at this time.
When I started out I was primarily interested in window splash. I had, perhaps a bit prematurely, started my
company with the name The Window Goddess, and window splash was my obsession. Once in the program,
however, with my wonderful teacher Ralph (Doc) Guthrie, I was thrilled to learn things about layout and design that
I had never been taught in any computer graphics, logo design, layout, color theory or typography class I had ever
taken.
Good sign design is an art unto itself, with its own set of rules. It is not necessary or even advisable to hire a
graphic designer to design a sign so a sign painter can paint it. Sign painters - professionally trained sign painters,
anyway, ARE graphic designers - graphic designers who specialize in signs. The emphasis for a sign is different, the
type styles are even different, than what a conventional graphic designer would be accustomed to.
Having a graphic designer design a sign for a sign painter to paint frequently ends up costing more money - not only
because you're paying more people to do a job, but because people who don't paint signs often have no idea of the
difficulties and problems they are building into their designs to be executed by somebody else, probably up on a
ladder, that take more time, cost more money, and frequently result in a far less effective sign than if it had been
designed by someone who specializes in not only designing signs, but in executing them in the actual environment
where they would be seen. A good sign needs to do much more than be pretty - it needs to be effective in a
specific environment, on a specific background, attract attention at a distance and then communicate its main
message very quickly. Contrary to what I often hear, a sign is NOT a good place to be "mysterious." Mystery does not
make people try to pull over in traffic and circle the block looking for a parking space just to find out what sort of
business you are operating. The only thing that will make them do that is suddenly seeing that you have something
in there that they want or need.
I developed a passion for signs and discovered I loved spending hours looking at pictures of vintage signs, the kind
that were painstakingly designed and hand-rendered, not the kind whipped out by people with vinyl cutters and a
digital print set-ups who think that's all they need to start churning out signs. The environment is full of the visual
pollution that results from that, and I'm here to counter it, one sign or window splash at a time. I want every sign or
window splash I do to be the best one I've ever done, and I'm never satisfied. I am now able to meet a wide variety
of sign needs: painted wall signs, cut-out signs, sidewalk signs, awning lettering, traditional permanent window
lettering, vinyl lettering and chalk signs. I still love doing window splash, and it still comprises a great deal of what I
do. Painting signs is the direction my art has taken. I love going down the street and seeing pieces I have done all
over the Los Angeles area. I work throughout the Greater Los Angeles area. Give me a call or send me an e-mail -
let's see what I can do for YOU.
| Contact The Window Goddess at 323 313-5528 e-mail windowgoddess@hotmail.com |
