The Traditional art of signwriting
Despite the evolution of wide-format print, vinyl, and more,
the traditional art of signwriting continues to prevail. Carys Evans
asks: “Why is it important to keep the historic trade alive?”
Monday, 31 Jan 2022 16:13 GMT
Mark Josling, Signwriter and owner, Spectrum Signs
No substitute
I think it's important to keep signwriting alive because it's a traditional skill that certainly has no substitute. When I started Spectrum Signs in 1988, I initially produced exclusively hand -lettered work but gradually started to incorporate vinyl graphics as the demand for traditional signwriting began to diminish.
For the last ten or so years, I have done almost exclusively hand lettering as the demand for it has returned. Although, I design vinyl graphic jobs and I have a vinyl fitter who prepares and applies the graphics. Possibly my main source of work is supplying and updating hand-lettered honours boards for golf clubs, schools, and organisations, mainly using gold leaf. I know a lot of my peers are not keen on this sort of work, but I get a great deal of satisfaction from it.
Perhaps from a biased view, I personally don't think you can recreate the character of a hand-lettered sign in vinyl”
We do get a lot of work, especially larger projects, where the artwork is provided. However I gain far more job satisfaction when I'm 'allowed' to provide my own designs.
I think there are many applications where vinyl is a great alternative and often a superior option. However, for things like period productions for film and television, pub signs, lettering onto painted rendered walls, ghost signs, and honours boards, where matching previous lettering is crucial, traditional signwriting wins hands down.
Perhaps from a biased view, I personally don't think you can recreate the character of a hand-lettered sign in vinyl. I don't think it should be traditional signwriting versus vinyl and digital as they both have applications that they're more suited to.
Sense of pride
Hana Sunny Whaler, Signwriter and owner, Hana Sunny Studios
The art of signwriting should be kept alive because I believe it’s really important for us to continue to see the human hand in our build environments. Hand-painted signs offer value and respect to a business, give us more pleasure, and communicate with the public differently to digital signage.
There is more energy, character and intelligence behind it, and people can feel that. Whether they know about signwriting or not, it’s subconsciously felt, and it draws people in. Monotone fonts in illuminated plastic, I think are almost invisible to people now. To see beauty and expression in our high street improves the quality of life for everyone, gives people identity and pride in their local area, and connects us all.
To see beauty and expression in our high street improves the quality of life for everyone, gives people identity and pride in their local area, and connects us all”
We all know the magic of seeing an old fascia revealed temporarily during a shop refurbishment - flickers of gold leaf and hand-carved serifs into wood, brush strokes in fading red enamels. You don’t need to be a signwriter or historian to be stopped in your tracks by the sight of a humble corner shop reincarnated back into the Victorian upholsters it used to be.
Any signwriter will fondly grumble about the amount of people who want to stop and chat while you’re out painting. People can’t resist pausing to watch and ignite a conversation. They walk away glowing and wondering, and will perhaps anticipate the next time they pass, excited to see the finished product. They might even pop in, give them some business, and tell people about their encounter.
It all goes back to that very human reaction when something is made by hand, the worlds it can open and the connections it creates.
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