Decals

[snakevargas]

I'm looking for some generic security window decals to go along with my installation. I see that ELK makes some, but $2/each seems a bit expensive for what they are. Is it more common for these sorts of stickers to be applied to the outside of a window? or to the inside? I'm thinking from the inside (with adhesive on the visible part of the decal) would be much more resistant to the elements than decals on the outside.
 
I see lots of decals on ebay, but I also wonder if those are so well known by burglars as "fake" alarm decals that they could actually be an incentive to break in instead of a deterrent.

 

[Neurorad]

Can you wait until you need something else shipped, e.g. from Automated Outlet, to throw that into the box with other stuff? I see online it's about $11 for 5 decals, plus shipping, for the Elk ones.

I would trust the Elk decals to last 10 years outside, unsure of eBay quality.

 

[drvnbysound]

Can you wait until you need something else shipped, e.g. from Automated Outlet, to throw that into the box with other stuff? I see online it's about $11 for 5 decals, plus shipping, for the Elk ones.

I would trust the Elk decals to last 10 years outside, unsure of eBay quality.

I would certainly ponder the bolded part above. I own a die-cut decal plotter - which is different than what is used for the types of decals (actually stickers) that are being referenced here. Nonetheless, it would be very easy for a person/shop with a vinyl printer to print their own stickers that replicate others. Having said that, it would be VERY hard to say what quality vinyl and/or inks they are using and how long those may last... they could be better, but they could also be worse.

 

[tmbrown97]

I went back and forth on this one a bit - even the Elk ones aren't well-known like an ADT or whatever box in your neighborhood might be using.  I almost designed my own (I would've had them properly printed and spent WAY too much money) but time forced my hand and I put a bunch of the M1 stickers around - not just on the easy doors, but all the places a burglar might go - side, back, dark corner window - etc.  
 
Couple with some other automation, like automatic lights on motion even outdoors; chirps if someone screws with the gate while the alarm is armed, etc - you can hopefully scare more people away.

 

[electron]

If you guys can come up with a good design, I can try to get them done professionally, and sell them really cheap to cocooners (or free to supporters).

 

[drvnbysound]

If anyone wants to explain what they would like (what do you want it to say, any specific shape that you'd like around it, etc), I'd be willing to do the actual 'design' portion of it... I could update here with proofs, and we could refine it from there.
 
Dan, if it went so far as to you getting them printed, it would save you the cost of a 'setup' fee which most all places charge. I could provide you with a format that they could use directly.

 

[sda]

I found these on ebay but haven't ordered them yet.
I liked them because they are generic and don't give the bad guys any clues, like "I have an ADT alarm" or "call this number to find out if I really have an alarm".
 

 
1.75" x 2.50"
$0.79each shipped when ordered in qty 50.
 
What I'd like to see is something a lttle larger, and ditch the "electronic" (redundant).
 

 

[electron]

drvnbysound, that would definitely help.  There are a couple of local shops, so assuming they offer the right type of stock & quality (to protect against sun fading etc), I would be more than willing to handle that part (assuming they won't overcharge me).  Now we just need to figure out the right text.  I can split this thread if there is interest.
 
Some text ideas:

• Property protected by a security system
• Property monitored by a security system
• Property protected & monitored by a security system
• Property protected by remote CCTV & security systems
• This property is under 24/7 surveillance
• This property is under 24/7 remote surveillance
• This property is protected by an intelligent security system

..

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

how about a cocoontech logo and the url included with the sticker?  For wording I like:
 
Property protected via security and monitoring notifications.

 

[drvnbysound]

RE: the CT logo. Did one of you guys make it? Can you tell me what format that you have in?
 
I can work off of .jpegs, but sign shops will want the finished design in a vector format (so that it can be scaled to any size without losing any quality). The program I have does this... and I can generally import/transform most .jpegs into vector'd graphics... but if you already have it in a vector format (e.g. .eps, .ai) it would save me some work.

 

[electron]

I created the logo, have it in all formats, but not sure if we want it on there.
 
The paranoid personality in me thinks someone with bad intentions might go to CocoonTech.com, see which user owns the property, and maybe get more 'useful' info, but I might be wrong on this one.

 

[sda]

Stop thinking like a good citizen and start thinking like a criminal.
 
As a criminal, I'm not going to stop and read some fancy message on a sticker.
Heck, I might not even be able to read American.
As a criminal, I'm going to throw a rock through your window or kick in your door.
Show me a sticker that makes me think twice before I do that.
 
The ELK sticker, a triangle with a sylized American flag on it, doesn't look like a deterrent.
From a distance, a criminal is not going to associate it with an alarm sticker.
 
Here's another example.
The octagon stop sign is attention getting.
 

 
But it looks fake.
It has too much crud on it and looks like something Wile E. Coyote would put on his house.

 

[snakevargas]

If someone comes up with a design here, I could be interested in purchasing some.
 
I prefer a minimalist approach. I agree phone number is a bad idea as the bad guy can call it. Even a company name can give away a lot of information (for example, googling "PACM security", which is what one ebay vendor sells, instantly reveals that those are generic/fake alarm stickers sold by many vendors). I actually like the design of the elk stickers. The boldest part "Alarm System" conveys the most important bit of information and the fine print lets you know that it's monitored. Reds and blues feel like a good color scheme. If we don't come up with something here, I think I'll be happy with the ELK ones.
 
I also feel the word "electronic" is redundant. Do we need to differentiate ourselves from mechanical alarm systems?
 
The cocoontech logo is a good idea, but I'm unsure if the name "cocoontech" or the URL would be too much information.
 
I designed my own "decal" back in 2000. It was printed on photo paper and stuck to the inside of the windows with spray adhesive. It's pretty bad, but here it is as one (counter-) example.


 
At the time I didn't know "omega alarm" was a real company. I just made up something alarmish-sounding and put my own phone number below it (using my own phone number was particularly an ill-conceived notion). In particular the things I don't like about my design were: 1) print about the alarm system too small, 2) phone number, 3) fake company name which turned out to be a real company. The things I did like about it were: 1) eye-catching colors, 2) big "warning", and 3) dual-language.

 

[electron]

I agree, definitely needs to be a minimalist design, and look extremely professional.

 

[JDWX]

Anything but this...