One of my favorite parts of running Ugmonk is getting to collaborate with other awesome creative people. Even though I love learning new skills, I often come across people (thanks to the internet and social media) who specialize in specific crafts and are better than I’ll ever be. One of those is Tinkering Monkey, a shop that specializes in custom wood and metal signage. I’ve been following their work for many years, and it's been fun to watch them grow and evolve as a company. When I was chatting with Paula, one of the founders of Tinkering Monkey, I found out that she had been following Ugmonk for just as long as I had been following them. It’s always fun to make the connection. Over the years, Tinkering Monkey has produced all sorts of cool products, but more recently they've homed in on amazing custom signs. They have now become the go-to place for custom signage for hundreds of startups and businesses. And there's a reason for that: their attention to detail is second to none. They approach signmaking as a craft using natural materials that will last for years, rather than just trying to crank out as many signs as fast as possible. After I launched our new Ugmonk 2.0 branding last year, I thought it would be fun to create some new signage for the Ugmonk HQ (aka my home office). It may seem like a small thing, but I want my workspace to feel inspiring and in line with the brand. Plus, it’s always fun to wow visitors and friends who come by for a tour. Tinkering Monkey has the ability to create a wide range of signage styles—from modern to rustic, small to huge, and even illuminated signs. For the Ugmonk signs, I chose to use one of my favorite material combinations: walnut and white. There’s something about the contrast of clean white lines against the dark curly grain of walnut that I just absolutely love. It feels very in line with the Ugmonk aesthetic. I use that mix of materials with my desk setup and monitor stand as well as several other pieces around my office. (I'm also using this material combination for the new desk product that I've been hinting at. Can’t wait to show you more soon!) Tinkering Monkey makes the ordering process super easy. Simply choose the style of sign you’d like, upload your artwork, and they send back a proof and take care of the rest. I wish all custom products were this easy to order. I ordered two signs—our wordmark for my shelves and our icon for above my work area. Both are solid walnut boards with raised white design. As you can see from the photos below, the quality and detail is incredible.
Mike, the other founder of Tinkering Monkey, even captured the whole process from start to finish with this fun time-lapse video. [fve]https://vimeo.com/200777122[/fve]
So if you're looking for signage for your business, retail space, or just your home office, I highly recommend Tinkering Monkey. Their pricing is super reasonable, their quality is outstanding, and they are super nice people to boot! You can see a full range of signs they've created in their gallery here.
