 In my life, I will admit that I strive for perfection; though I try to avoid perfectionism, and our company sometimes makes mistakes just like everyone else. However, good communication is the responsibility of both the client and the monument builder or memorialist, though, ultimately, the monument builder has the professional obligation to strive for attention to details. I suppose the devil is in the details, as the little things can add up to be big things.
Let’s look at the dates on monuments for a moment. I prefer to have the beginning and ending letters of the months aligned. The same for the dates, commas, and the beginning and ending letters of the dates of birth and death. This is not always possible when, for example, the monument is vertical (where the height is longer than the width). We have recently designed a 7-foot memorial for one client, and due to the taper of the memorial, the date of birth was narrower than the date of death. This is the exception. As long as the client is informed and aesthetics are maintained, flexibility is paramount. The design should fit the memorial rather than vice versa.
 When there is equal space for both the birth and the death dates, there are two common approaches, or alternatives, to be considered. One is with the first letters of the months and the last numbers of the months to be aligned, with everything in between falling wherever it falls.
The other alternative is to contract letters for the longer month, and expand letters of the shorter month, so the first and last letter for the month of birth is aligned with the first and last letter of the date of death. This is frequently my preferred method. This method requires more patience and skill on the part of the graphic designer, and, as such, it appears less favored within the monument industry.
I prefer to see the numbers aligned. When there are single and double digits, I prefer that the single digit align with the second digit of the larger number, and the commas align above and below. In the end, I suppose this is a small detail that will not matter to most people.
For clients who are excessively particular, the visual aesthetics will be more important than for other clients. Client satisfaction is key to excellent long-term business relationships, and we understand that the little details add up to the big things for most people, while all things are important to some people.
In general, I have observed numerous instances in cemeteries where the birth and death dates did not match and did not align aesthetically. This is a poor practice that should be avoided.
The ability to offer professional advice and to influence lasting decisions that will improve long-term client satisfaction is one of the most enjoyable aspects of our association with clients. In one instance, after considering both options, our client expressed his preference to have the commas lined up, saying "That is great!" Without our expression of the alternative, the client might not have considered the option that was available for the asking. There are no shortcuts to a well-built memorial. It takes continuous planning throughout the manufacturing process to turn a good memorial into a great memorial.
The quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln comes to mind, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” The same is true for client satisfaction, and Lincoln’s words, paraphrased, basically state that ‘you can make all clients satisfied some of the time, and some clients all the time, but you cannot make all clients satisfied all the time.’ Nevertheless, we have a professional obligation to try; after all, it is the right thing to do.
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About Burton Fletcher:
Burton Fletcher, with over 20 years’ business experience, owns USAMonuments.com. He has published articles on memorialization in newspapers and trade associations, including the Monument Builders of North America, International Cemetery and Funeral Association and YB News, a national publication read by more than 10,000 funeral home owners. He is a licensed memorialist who designs, builds, ships and installs across the United States and Canada. Burton is the founder and president of the Georgia Monument Builders Association. Reach Burton at 229.245.8858 or e-mail to Burton@USAMonuments.com for all your memorial needs. © Burton Fletcher 2006 All Rights Reserved.
© Burton
Fletcher 2006 All Rights Reserved.
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