However, the sign industry appears to be taking a pragmatic approach, with business leaders looking more long-term and refusing to be caught up in a whirlwind of panic—these are people that have weathered the storm of 2008’s economic collapse, and have learnt how to remain resilient in volatile times.

Managing director of Signbox Mark Bartlett, a self-styled ‘glass half full’ kind of person, knows the importance of a positive mental attitude: “Obviously yes, it is something we didn’t want to happen. No one wants this sort of turmoil in these business plans and it’s not something we particularly forecast, so we hope it’s something we can get out of as quickly as we can, but it’s not necessarily going to stop any investment plans we have at this stage, but we will look at it closely and see how it develops.

“We need to be positive about this, we need to start looking for new markets if that’s what’s needed, I think the sign industry, and certainly Signbox, was fairly resilient during the recession, and I think we can find other markets to compensate for any loss we might have in our traditional market.”

While the recession may have given businesses some of the tools it needs to make it through a period of uncertainty, such as investigating new markets as Bartlett mentions, has the economy bounced enough to allow us to make it on our own? David Allen, managing director of Allen Signs, doesn’t seem to think so.

“It's still too early to make rational comments about Brexit, but one thing that was predicted has come true, which is the unsettling of stock markets and exchanges,” says Allen. He adds: “Whilst the economy was doing OK, I doubt many would have said it had fully recovered from the collapse in 2007/8 and for this reason I suspect many business owners might have voted remain.

“In some ways it's a pity it wasn't a more resounding vote either way, as this leaves us in a tricky situation. It saddened me to see some of the comments made on social media and the like, from both sides since the result was announced in my view both unjustified and unnecessary.”

Allen does share Bartlett’s rational outlook however, adding: “We are though where we are, fundamentally our businesses are the same as they were on Wednesday last week and probably in a bit better shape to with stand a few knocks.”

So the rough economic climate of recent years is a hot topic, but Tim Andrews, managing director of Hollywood Monster, goes one step further, suggesting the results of the referendum could actually trigger another recession, saying: “My concern is that short-term, whether our economy is strong enough to take it, or whether it will push us into another recession.

“Unlike the recession last time, which came upon us unawares, I think this time we’ll keep notice of our overheads, and if we do see the work start slowing up, we will start to make some cuts to suit, but it’s certainly far too early to be worrying about that.”

Andrews, who believes that the country is better off out of the EU in the long-term, also continues on the optimism theme of his peers. “Of course, a large part of our economy is based on confidence,” Andrews surmises.
“If we all start getting concerned, we’ll talk ourselves into a recession, so it’s important the country doesn’t do that. Hopefully, it’s not going to hurt us too much.

“A lot of businesses in the last recession were run by people who had never been in a recession before – it was all new to them. I think this time around, more people will react quicker should they need to cut overheads.”

For Hollywood Monster, concerns for business are not on the horizon in the wake of the recession, as Andrews concludes: “It’s certainly not something we’re planning on doing, in fact we are expanding further, so as far as our business is concerned, we’re going from strength to strength.”

While Andrews maintains that being out of the EU is the best for the country long-term, others are not sitting firmly in one camp with such ease. Rudi Blackett, event director of Sign and Digital UK, has a mixed reaction: “Where change can be good, it really depends on the terms of the deal with Europe in the future.

“It looks like we may have two options, one involving free movement of goods and people, the other tariffs and limits, or possibly some sort of combination of the two. It needs a strong political team in place as soon as possible to plan the best future for us.

“However, it is very much business as usual for the industry at present, and do we expect markets and exchange rates will recover once the political turmoil settles down. We are a creative and innovative industry which will stand us in good stead.”

While our sign industry buffs may differ on the details of last week’s result, they all share the view that things are largely unchanged for the time being, and all advocate a collected, optimistic approach to the UK’s future. As Bartlett puts it: “We should all be making keep calm and carry on signs - there must be a huge market for those in the industry at the moment!”

If you have an interesting story or a view on this news, then please e-mail news@signlink.co.uk

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