A passionate business

It is a rare occurrence that Signlink dedicates an entire feature to a single company, but The Sign Group really is no ordinary sign-maker. Headed up by Graeme Hoole and Anthony Lowe, it is a real force for good in the UK sign industry due to the ground-breaking products it has developed and the way in which it conducts itself.

The Sign Group, which focuses on trade-only sign manufacturing from built-up letters to entire infrastructure schemes, also incorporates We Love LEDs and Neon Plus under its umbrella. These two divisions are very successful in their own right. The former is now one of the largest suppliers in its sector, and the latter is the distribution and manufacturing arm for the trade-marked product developed by Hoole and Lowe that replicated the effect of neon using LED technology.

Talking to Hoole, what comes across most is his real passion for being a sign-maker—and being something of a mad genius—for invention, artistry, and creativity. It certainly comes across in the products they manufacture and stock across the group—as the pictures in this feature illustrate.

This year marks a pivotal moment in the history of The Sign Group, as all three of its divisions have been completely overhauled in terms of their branding, the products they purvey, and the tools at their disposal.
 
“We Love LEDs is one of the very few companies in the UK that not only offers LEDs, but can actually say they use them in their own products. All of the systems on offer are both tested and used to produce The Sign Group’s work,” explains Hoole, who adds: “We supply more than 8,000 regular customers, as well as catering for the Fairgrounds that entertain the UK. Collectively, The Sign Group and We Love LEDs sold 49,351 bulbs to Fairgrounds in 2016.”

Asked what the ‘secret ingredient’ is that seems to drive the innovation and creativity that is so evident in the work created by The Sign Group, Hoole continues: “I have always been a bit artistically inclined, but what really fires me up is making functional art I suppose. So, all of the products we offer and the signs we produce have a creative flair. Anthony and I, as well as our team here, also genuinely enjoy what we do and our focus is on producing the highest quality, most original, and most unique sign we can within the budget of our customers.”

Moving on to Neon Plus, it gives the same feel and look of neon. But not only is this technology more durable than traditional neon signage, but it is also cheaper. This is because they are powered by low voltage 12v and 24v LEDs, which also means that they run for much longer too.




Hoole continues: “It started with a kiss…Well, actually no it didn’t. It started with a dream. A dream to find an alternative to neon, one that would erode away all of the problems faced when dealing with traditional neon. That would mean you no longer had to worry whether your sign would arrive still intact, whether the design was too intricate, or the size was an issue.


“Imagine a product that is as good as neon… no, wait… even better than neon; which is durable, easy to install, long lasting and doesn’t require you to follow most of the tedious safety regulations associated with traditional glass neon. This was our dream. It’s not often you get to say your dreams have come true. But we can. We developed Neon Plus.”
































Neon Plus took 18 months of “head scratching, trials, tests, tears and tantrums”, as Hoole puts it, but the outcome was worthy of that effort. Hoole adds: “The product is a testament to our motto, ‘evolution leads to revolution’. With this ringing in our ears, we don’t, and won’t stand still.”

Neon Plus is a registered trade mark, and has been touted as, “the most iconic sign revolution since the introduction of neon the first-time round” by industry leading critics.

Hoole concludes on Neon Plus: “To keep us at the forefront, we concentrate on the brand, tweaking things when new advances are made, trialling more innovative options and having fun with our industry leading and trend setting product, Neon Plus.”

Strong heritage

Starting out more than 20 years ago as CNC specialists, The Sign Group expanded its horizons and got more involved in general signage. This led to it being able to offer the kinds of products and services you see today.




“We are lucky to have a wonderful customer base who ask us for a wide and varied range of products, which enables us to get our teeth into all sorts of interesting areas,” says Hoole, who adds: “This gives us a great platform for creativity and helps us offer expert advice to our customers. Not only that but it also gives us the confidence to develop and manufacture our own products.







 
“We also work closely with our chosen couriers to ensure we deliver a quality and efficient distribution service. Offering same day, next day and palleted services, we are confident in our methods and delivery snags are extremely rare.”


Neon Plus has also been given prestigious CE approval by the BSI Group. CE marking essentially allows you to legally market and distribute your product within the European market, and declares that your product complies with all applicable European directives and regulations.




Looking at The Sign Group itself, Hoole explains that his desire is to set a standard for the trade supply of signage, and ‘do it the right way’. If you visit their factory that statement rings very true, as it is more like a high-end car manufacturing plant than a trade workshop. There is a high-quality tool for every job, and every tool has its place. There is a special tray for every type of fixing imaginable. It is all kept running along smoothly by a management information system that is linked to the shop floor via a digital signage system and backed up by a self-developed product management process board.

Speaking in a previous interview with Signlink, Hoole’s comments are indicative of The Sign Group’s approach: “The highly skilled people we have working here, and the knowledge base, equipment and building we have, bespoke sign manufacturing will always be our core business.


“We spend a lot of money on advertising in magazines, e-mails, exhibitions and websites, to really try to get our name out there, but no matter how many people know about us, if our customer isn’t winning work then neither are we. So, the best way we can stay busy is by giving the customer the best possible chance of getting that job.

“One example is in the materials we use. Where a customer is needing a cheap temporary sign, we will gladly use the cheaper material and make the customer fully aware of any pitfalls there may be. But there will always be a quality option where the only difference is we quote for using top quality branded materials.

“I feel this point is missed by some of our competitors who feel that the only way to make a job cheaper is to use cheaper material. We feared that if we went in with the budget prices every time then yes we would win work, but we didn’t feel our chances of repeat custom would be very high. Every customer wanting a cheap job originally never remembers this in five years time, they only remember where they bought it.”

Hoole concludes: “So, we decided that in our drive to persuade the customer to go with the better quality option, we had to cut our margins down to an industry low. It was a bit of a balancing act at the start, but turned out to be a great decision as the end product is more work, less future issues and happy customers.”

Up in lights

With The Sign Group and Neon Plus going at full-tilt, We Love LEDs has also been given even more fuel for its fire as Hoole explains its product range has had a major expansion, and so to has the accessories and framing options that go with them. Indeed, from bulbs to connectors, power supplies to controllers, cables to projection signs, it has everything you need to get your project illuminated.




“Our aim is to make it as easy as possible for you to find what you need, understand how to use it and inspire you to try new things,” comments Hoole.



 
It also runs an ongoing cycle of special product promotions to encourage its customers to try and experiment with more creative and exotic systems. Their philosophy is that often the end-user will not be aware just how creative and beautiful a sign can be until they understand the options available to them. Being able to do this without breaking the bank means that We Love LEDs is, without any overstatement, leading a revolution in the level of creativity, uniqueness, and visual impact that is possible with today’s lighting systems.








Hoole concludes: “A good example of how far We Love LEDs has come is that we offer nearly 50 different styles of fabric lighting cables below in an amazing variety of colours, finishes, and textures. This is so you can get the finished sign project or interior lighting refit looking just right and in keeping with the whole design ethos the client wants.”




So, there you have it dear reader, The Sign Group really is part of a new generation of sign industry suppliers that is not content to offer ‘me too’ products, and is genuinely setting new trends and offering sign-making products that were simply not available until they either invented them or created supply lines for them. It is completely true to say they are breaking new ground, and if you want to come and speak to them and check out what they do, why not visit their stand (L15) at Signlink Live and see for yourself.

O Factoid: We Love LEDs has more than 8,000 customers, and collectively, The Sign Group and We Love LEDs sold 49, 351 bulbs to Fairgrounds in 2016. O

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