Where is technology taking us?

I was in the waiting room of my dentist the other day, reading one of the magazines lying around. From this I found out that this is the social media world we live in. Take doughnuts, for example.

Twitter:    I am eating a #doughnut
Facebook:    I  doughnuts
Instagram:    Here is a vintage photo of my doughnut
You Tube:    Watch me eating a doughnut
Linked In:    My skills include doughnut eating
Pinterest:    Here is a doughnut recipe
Smooth FM:    You are now listening to the smooth sound of doughnuts
Google+:    I am a Google employee who eats doughnuts

What really caught my attention though was that the world’s first virtual shopping store opened recently in Korea. Set out like a normal supermarket, all the shelves are in fact LCD screens. The shopper chooses their desired items by touching the LCD screen and checkout at the counter where they will receive all their ordered goods ready, waiting, and packed in bags. As mind-boggling as that may be, and in itself is pure science non-fiction, if everything can be displayed on a screen, what does that say about the future of things specifically applied to the sign industry.

For a shop sign, replace it with a screen and you can have all sorts of images displayed whether it is a simple shop name or a moving display of what goodies are inside, special offers, advertisements, seasonal wares, and so on. All on just one sign. If you do not believe me, just take a look at the new signs in Piccadilly Circus or watch either of the Blade Runner films to get an idea.


Anyone having seen the film Minority Report may recall Tom Cruise going into a store and retina recognition software in the CCTV cameras recognising Tom’s character and thanking him for returning to the store and would he like to buy something else such as a pair of jeans? That could be linked to the store sign out front and hey presto, you do not have to walk into the store before you are being marketed to. All from one sign. You cannot do that with built-up halo illuminated letters, but I can create an image of built-up halo illuminated letters on my LCD screen if you really want that sort of thing.

Internet of things

There is more. Late last year I learnt a bit more about the internet of things, or IOT as it is called amongst the hipsters of the world.

Imagine making an illuminated box sign and installing it above a shop doorway and connecting it to the internet. From the comfort of your office/laptop/mobile phone/tablet, you can manipulate when the sign is switched on and off, and how bright the sign is from anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Not only that, the sign will report back to you as to just how efficient it is being in terms of light output, energy consumption, and, here is the interesting bit, if any parts need replacing before or just after they are no longer functioning. This now means you have the chance to create a maintenance contract that will replace failed electrical components possibly before lights go out and well before the owner of the sign has bothered to pick up the phone and ask you to do something about their sign that is no longer working.


The owner will still have to implement some form of maintenance programme for the physical inspection of the sign and its fixings, but there in itself is another potential ‘added value’ service and new revenue stream.

What is more is that if you apply this to multiple shops in a chain or roll out programme, the benefits are self-evident.

No one can accurately predict how technology will develop and be taken in by the public and customers. It seems to have a mind of its own and can be a roaring success or a cosmic flop. Who here remembers the Sega Dreamcast games console? It was meant to take on Xbox and Play Station, but it went the way of Betamax video tapes. And who now uses video tape to record when everything seems to be downloaded without ever having something physical to own.

I have said it before that the sign industry is relatively slow in adopting new technologies or products, but when it does, boy does it make up for lost time. Flatbed printers, wide-format, textile printing, interior décor, vehicle wraps; I could go on, but all of these were available years before they become mainstream. Virtual shops are definitely something to keep an eye on.


Back to signs though. I can re-member in a previous life jokingly predicting that wayfinding signs will become superfluous as, when you enter a building, you will be given a disc or something similar and the walls will recognise your presence and light up accordingly with directions to and from your destination point. Your name will appear and an arrow or something of your choice, e.g. a pink elephant, and you just follow that.

The cynic in me now says that while that is still entirely possible, the disc will most probably be used to keep track of my movements and every now and then pop the question on the wall as to whether I want a strawberry or raspberry jam filled doughnut and post my answer on social media.


Public Notice:

• The world’s first virtual shopping store opened recently in Korea
• Connecting an illuminated box sign to the internet could be highly beneficial
• Virtual shops are definitely something to keep an eye on
• Could wayfinding signs become superfluous due to technology?

The British Sign and Graphics Association (BSGA) history dates back more than 70 years when a group of leading sign-makers formed the Master Sign Makers Association (MSMA) with the aim of promoting the sign industry and defending its interests.

For more information on the issues discussed in this article visit www.bsga.co.uk or tel: 0845 338 3016


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