In this Company Spotlight, we speak to Ed Kelsing, founder of Lavastar, a company which recently celebrated ten years in business, and has been involved in a number of expansions and significant projects
Born in 2015, Lavastar is a Surrey-based sign manufacturing and installation company, covering London and the UK. The company describes itself as a specialist in large-format print, and an installer of wide-format graphics like hoardings, building wraps, and display solutions for construction sites and scaffolding.
Following its ten-year anniversary and a series of noteworthy installations, we speak to Ed Kelsing, owner and founder of Lavastar, who tells us more about the company.
Recently, Lavastar has worked on a variety of projects, demonstrating the enduring popularity of built-up signage, site hoardings, and large-format print.
In 2024, Lavastar won Gold in the Construction category at UK Graphic Awards for its work at Kew Gardens. Explaining why they chose Lavastar, the judges said they were “blown away” by the project, calling it a “marvellous and breathtaking visual spectacle of the grandest scale, beautifully brought to life.”
The following year, Lavastar purchased its own office in Farnham, Surry, which has been titled “Star House”. The 7,000sq ft office houses the 14 members of staff who manage jobs from survey to installation. Commenting on the team, Kelsing says: “I love the people we have at Lavastar – we have a really tight team who I think all really enjoy what they do and take pride in what is produced.”
I love the people we have at Lavastar – we have a really tight team who I think all really enjoy what they do and take pride in what is produced
The company also completed an impressive building wrap in the summer of last year for The Lazari Building in Mayfair, helping to cover construction work taking place at the site. The project included a 2,400sq m building wrap which was designed by Hugo Dalton and featured six advertising panels that could be updated as the construction progressed. The project also required the creation of 3D fabricated lettering and bespoke lighting features, making it one of Lavastar’s biggest ever projects.
Following the installation, Kelsing said: “From precision engineering to seamless artwork alignment across multiple frames, there was zero margin for error – and our team absolutely delivered. We’re thrilled to be part of such a prestigious development. It’s our second ultra high-profile Mayfair site in the past year, following our work on the branded hoardings at the much-talked-about 1 Mayfair residences.”
Later in 2025, the company invested in a new Canon Colorado M5W printer from CMYUK, leading to increased capacity and quality which is outputting prints in addition to a Colorado 1650, which the company purchased in 2022.
At the time, Kelsing said: “We were very happy with the speed and quality of our existing Colorado, and a second one not only gives us more volume, but some back-up too – if one goes down, we can still deliver. The Colorado doesn’t need anyone standing over it: we can print five 50m rolls in the day, and then before we leave just load up another one.”
Statistics
2015 – The company was founded ten years ago by Ed Kelsing
7,000 – Lavastar purchased a 7,000sq ft office last year
14 – Currently 14 members of staff are employed at Lavastar
£3m – Annual turnover of the company is close to £3m
The variety of projects and investments shows that Lavastar has gone from strength to strength in the last few years, even enduring the pandemic, which had a huge impact on projects.
Looking back since the company was founded, Kelsing says: “We have had steady year-on-year growth. We are not a turnover focused company; our ambition is to focus on growing the profit of the company but ensuring our standards and service don’t drop. If our services and standards start to drop a little then we take a step back, change, and then move forwards again. We started in a small 4 x 5m room and ten years later we now have an office that is futureproof and somewhere we can call home forever.”
Lavastar is a great example of enduring quality and dedication leading to growth and consistency, but how did this signage and visual solution specialist come about?
Lavastar was formed in 2015 after Kelsing, who previously worked in ecommerce, wanted to use his knowledge of graphic design and marketing to move into a more creative and people-facing industry. After selling shares in one of his online stores, Kelsing purchased a small Roland printer and in his own words – “off we went”.
When it comes to the values and ethos of Lavastar, Kelsing comments: “We want to be seen as very responsive and delivering high attention to detail. One of our USPs is that our account managers carry out the role of what other sign companies might assign to three plus positions.
“Our account managers have the ability to survey, quote, artwork, book in install crews, and help oversee installations. We have found this allows us to streamline the management of jobs quickly and remove errors by eliminating a job having to move through multiple parties.”
So far the biggest challenge for Lavastar has been ensuring consistency in standards, especially as the company has grown. As a team, Lavastar acknowledges the level of experience and care that account managers need to have in order to handle important clients. This has been a particular focus when handing over clients from old managers to new ones, as not only is the company’s reputation at stake, but also the relationship with that customer.
When it comes to what Kelsing is most proud of, he highlights the “unbelievable projects” the company has worked on, which have all challenged the teams’ skills, especially as Kelsing didn’t have a background in the signage industry. “I’m just really proud of how far we have come in ten years […] I think with the sectors we are in, it means a lot of our work is put in front of millions of eyes in major cities. To see the public engage and appreciate it is an amazing feeling.”
As for the future, Kelsing adds: “I think we will welcome continued steady growth. I have always felt we are quite prominent as a company in one or two industries, and I would like to expand into a couple of other areas to spread our services. It would make us a more robust business if for example the property market went through a challenging period. Luckily through the pandemic we were very busy, but we all saw what happened to companies with all their eggs in the event and exhibition industry.”
Lavastar is another example of a signage business with humble beginnings, starting just ten years ago with a small Roland printer, and now creating enormous graphics for major buildings in London. Whether this acts as inspiration to do better, justification for the strength of the industry, or a chance to reflect on what can be done differently, it’s hard to deny companies like Lavastar are indicative of the spirit and determination the signage industry is known for.
Email: info@lavastar.co.uk
Tel: 020 3281 7396
