Taking centre stage

Players in the sign industry come in all shapes and sizes and, like actors and singers, some remain in ‘support’ roles, steadily and profitably employed with regular work, while others emerge into the full glare of the spotlight as superstars. With this in mind, what is it that makes today’s superstar sign-makers so succesful in their field?

Star qualities

A brief overview of Broadstairs-based Blaze Neon and Greens the Sign-makers in Hull reveals that quality control, in-house production, a skilled workforce, and building customer relations are significant factors in the success of their businesses.

Established in 1981 Blaze Neon provides nationwide coverage from its manufacturing bases. With a 200-strong, highly-skilled workforce and manufacturing facilities of over 100,000sq/ft in Broadstairs and 20,000sq/ft in Birmingham, the company is able to undertake every aspect of sign-making in-house.

Using the latest technology, Blaze’s design and technical drawing team can create original designs or work in tandem with clients’ design briefs to develop innovative signage solutions. From its comprehensive range of manufacturing areas, producing every-thing from architectural metal letters through to water-jet cut glass, Blaze can also accommodate any signage requirement, whether it is for a single site or a thousand.

Quality control has always been a key factor in the company’s offering and for this reason Blaze has its own engineers for installing and maintaining the signage it produces. The company operates 14 installation crews from Broadstairs and eight from Birmhingham, while the maintenance division, Cygnia Sign Maintenance, operates 26 crews around the UK mainland.

The Hull operation of Greens the Signmakers operates from a purpose-built 26,000sq/ft factory and under-takes the vast majority of all its work in-house, in order to maintain control over quality and delivery. Over its 51-year history, the company has firmly established a reputation for its high levels of service and quality, and for delivering on-time and value-for-money projects to its customers.

O Factoid:  The earliest use of the term ‘superstar’ has been credited to Frank Patrick in reference to the great hockey players on his Vancouver Millionaires teams of the 1910s-1920s, specifically Cyclone Taylor. O

The company believes its success can be attributed to the excellent relationships it has developed with its clients, with every one receiving the same level of care and attention, whether it is for a nationwide roll-out project or a one-off bespoke order. Furthermore, the structure of the company means that Greens is able to step into a signage project at any stage, from design to installation.

“Greens the Signmakers has remained a family-run business since its incorporation in 1963,” explains managing director, Chris Green, who adds: “Each and every member of our team takes pride in the company, and the signs it creates. We stay true to our values, which have seen the company develop and expand, whilst striving to remain at the forefront of technology.”

In the spotlight

Manchester-based Astra Signs and Surrey company Signbox agreed to give a more in-depth look at their operations and shared some of the secrets of their successful growth.



Astra Signs was founded in 1984 and incorporated as a limited company in 1995. Started by David Derbyshire, who continues to be the managing director today, the company now has a team of 60 staff, operating from one acre of production space, and an annual turnover of £3.8m.

A key milestone in Astra’s success was the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester when it won the contract to provide the signage across all the venues. The company experienced rapid growth at this time and its flexibility to take on 30 or 40 temporary members of staff was a key aspect to this success. From this time onwards Astra Signs has continued to grow, has moved to its present larger premises, and taken on impressive contracts that it continues to win today.

One such contract was the commission to create a bespoke stage set solution for Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour. During the planning stages of this prestigious project, Lady Gaga explained that she wanted to put together an ‘expensive looking, beautiful show’ that would remain affordable to her fans.

Derbyshire expains: “Our experience in working to tight deadlines and with complex briefs made us the ideal choice for a customer well-known for being a perfectionist herself. Lady Gaga admitted: ‘I am very bossy. I can scream my head off if I see one light fixture out’.”

Not only did the brief require the perfect solution that suited the pop star’s requirements, the set had to be spectacular, bright, and robust enough to withstand transportation between nine different venues within the UK.

Astra’s project managers came up with a bespoke solution for the Monster Ball Tour and a range of LED rope lettering, stage graphics, and signage was produced. Each part of the set was manufactured in various colours and sizes and mounted to a mild steel subframe, which was painted black.

Durability was an important factor in developing a solution for the Monster Ball Tour, so LED proved to be the best choice, as it needed virtually no maintenance and was robust enough to withstand transportation to a number of venues around the UK.

Derbyshire continues: “Our expert craftsmen worked to create a theatrical set that was perfectly aligned to the client’s requirements and created a spectacular, brightly-lit backdrop for the tour. The Monster Ball Tour was a commercial success for Lady Gaga, with many sold out venues and more dates added to the itinerary.”

Astra is currently undergoing a factory refit in order to implement new technology, create more practical space, and to work more efficiently for its ever growing customer base.

Derbyshire explains: “It is this emphasis on improvement and change that keeps us moving forward in an increasingly challenging industry. Over the last five years there has been a steady growth within the retail market and it is fair to say that this has contributed to a 50 percent increase in turnover over this time. Astra now has a target to reach a £5m turnover by 2015.”

Looking at another star performer, since 1985 Signbox has been creating award-winning signage strategies  around the world with clients including corporate, education, healthcare, retail, hotel, and leisure.



Founded by Mark Bartlett and Matthew Wilkins, who enjoyed a brief career with 3M Commercial Graphics in the early 1980s, Signbox quickly built a reputation that relied upon their architectural and engineering back-grounds to devise ingenious signage schemes that take people on a memorable journey, from the welcome, to the way round, to a motivational and inspiring working environment. With 34 staff and a turnover of £3.5m, Signbox now occupies a 12,000sq/ft production site.

Growth over the last 30 years has been founded on a passion for creativity, technical innovation, and investment in the latest production processes, as Bartlett explains: “The Signbox team is proud to work in partnership with the like-minded, professional teams of architects and designers, who they help transform 2D ideas into stunning 3D reality.”

Signbox’s portfolio of services includes consultancy, signage strategy, sign design, sign manufacture, project management, and installation, and its product range includes a suite of architectural, interior, exterior, and display signage solutions that the company believes to be unrivalled.

In 2007 the company launched an e-commerce site to provide a collection of intelligently designed, off-the-shelf signage solutions that are affordable, functional, and environmentally-friendly.



Bartlett continues: “We like to look at signage differently, with a thoroughly conceptual approach to signage strategy and we’re committed to applying it with vision, technical innovation, and smart production processes.”

In 2011, in the midst of the recession, Signbox invested in direct-to-surface printing with a Durst Omega fine art UV printer, to create stunning full-colour manifestation and work-place graphics.

Bartlett comments: “The combination of GreenGuard inks and LED curing is perfect for all rigid and flexible materials and transparent surfaces, including glass, acrylic, and polyester film.”

Signbox is also the name behind an innovative range of next generation display solutions, with the ground-breaking Enlighten smart poster system that engages customers through Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. Signbox very much sees smart signage as the future of visual communications, with wearable tech such as Google glasses, digital way-finding, and calorie tracking apps to keep us fit, while we find our way.

There is no doubt that Signbox has achieved an enviable reputation for its design-led approach to providing high-quality sign solutions over the last 30 years. The company is renowned for its work within the sign industry and has been consistently rewarded with many prestigious design and product awards. So what is its secret?

Barlett confides: “Well, as everyone knows in the sign industry, it’s best to keep it close to your chest, as competition is fierce. However I do have a philosophy. Design is the pulse of Signbox and our culture has developed a passion for quality. We are very aware of our competition and the need to keep moving forward with new technologies, pushing the boundary for well-designed wayfinding and visual engagement for the tech savvy consumer.”

Waiting in the wings

Having turned the spotlight on just a handful of the top players in the sign-making industry, it seems they all offer something that smaller sign companies can aspire to.


So, if you are waiting in the wings, wondering what it takes to get into the limelight, Derbyshire of Astra Signs advises: “The best advice Astra could give to aspiring sign companies would be to constantly look to where you want your company to be and not just stay at where you are now. There is always new technology coming on to the market and it is imperative that you keep up-to-date with this in order to progress within the industry. Staff training is also paramount to keeping up with new production techniques and advances within the trade.

“It is important you seek out new opportunities to do something that has not been attempted before.”