Thursday, 30 Apr 2015 13:07 GMT

The Sign and Graphics Industry

David Catanach, director of the British Sign and Graphics Association, takes a sideways look at the sign and graphics industry and discusses the importance of training

Ignorance is no longer bliss

To gain, one has to train—Noel Cowerd, manager of Two Round Tomkinson heavy weight boxer 1967-68 whose only two fights as a professional both lasted exactly two rounds—hence the name (and not to be confused with N?el Coward English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer known for his wit and flamboyance but who alas was never known to train in a boxing ring).

No train, no gain

A sign-maker came up to the BSGA stand at this year’s Sign and Digital Exhibition and asked why are there so many rules and regulations governing the installation, maintenance and inspection of signs. Having been in the business of supplying people to meet their needs over the past 25 years, I instantly moved into default mode and answered his question with a question. “What has happened to you to make you feel that way?” It turned out that he had lost money on a job recently when it was found that the structure and fixings of a free-standing sign he had supplied, was not able to meet engineering standards and he had to do a lot of remedial work to bring the sign up to meet that standard. Apparently, he had always had signs made to the specification he first supplied and ‘none had failed before’.

I did feel like saying congratulations, you have got away with it up until now but that was not going to help, so my next question was who said that the specification was correct in the first place? The highways department of his local council was his reply. Intrigued, I ventured further into this parallel world where local councils are telling sign companies how to make signs. It turns out that this entrepreneurial sign-maker had gone around and measured some local traffic signs on the basis that if those signs were good enough for the highways department, they would be good enough for him.

The difficulty here is that if you did not know any better, his logic sounds plausible but falls down because he was not selling traffic signs, he was making double sided signs, some internally illuminated, which by virtue of the added weight alone, will require, not ‘might need’, a new set of wind loading and footing calculations. I was going to explain that just because you have always done it like that, it is not necessarily the right way to go about doing things nowadays but I got the feeling that such an approach was not going to give this man his solace as he insists he has ‘always done it that way and it has always worked’. The bottom line is that unless you can prove technically that it will work, you are on your own.

Perhaps, keeping up with legislation should be a requirement not a nice to have or a ‘why should I bother’. After all, who would you rather service your gas boiler? Answer A, a gas safe registered engineer or answer B, the bloke down the pub you met last Friday night? The correct answer is of course answer A (unless the bloke down the pub happens to be a gas safe registered engineer in which case you get a bonus point). You go for the trained and registered engineer because you do not have to worry about all the regulations because he/she would know them for you. Is that not partially why people go to sign companies to design, build and install their signs? Because you know what you are doing?

As industry heaves itself out of recession and as more people are attracted to the sign industry as their choice to make a living, those with a professional outlook and knowledge will gain a huge advantage”


My point here is that as industry heaves itself out of recession and as more people are attracted to the sign industry as their choice to make a living, those with a professional outlook and knowledge will gain a huge advantage over their rivals in the months and years ahead as the competition gets tougher. Customers are expecting their suppliers to know the ins and outs of their trade but the problem is it seems that regulations and employee rules seem to be changing almost every week and manufacturers are introducing more technically advanced products on a regular basis. Just how does a busy sign shop keep up with all this let alone understand exactly what is required? Well, frankly, that is down to how far you want to go in the sign industry.

Reality check

Then I got to thinking of other materials that we come into contact with during our working week that require knowledge and training on how to use properly. Cast or calendared vinyl's, sheet material (I can think of at least eight different materials a sign shop can use in flat sheet form all with different properties), lighting and electrics, metal, paint, and so on. That is just to make the sign. Then comes the installation using materials, fixings, and possibly power equipment and power operated lifts/working plat-forms. Followed by the legislation, CRB, CSCS, IPAF, MEWPS, planning and building regulations, and we might as well include health and safety rules and laws because they are not going to go away. Finally, for now, there is BS559, the British standard for sign making which while being applicable in the UK, is being used as a template for a European-wide standard that will be a regulation not just a standard.





A lot to take in just to put a sign above a shop doorway but that is the reality of what is required of you.

Fortunately, most manufacturers of materials or equipment of whatever hue will provide product training as, after all, it is in their own interest that you use their product correctly and in the right circumstances (it brings in repeat sales!). This also provides a suitably quick and invaluable way for you to gain additional knowledge and experience. There are also businesses out there that will, for a fee, help you achieve that state of knowing that what you are supplying is going to work to its design capacity and not come back and bite you should anything go wrong.

Then there are the more formal NVQ/QCF/SVQ and apprenticeship qualifications which are just as important but slightly out of context with regard to this piece. No one ever argues about the need for formal qualifications and apprenticeship schemes within the industry.

For legislation advice, you need look no further than your trade association who no doubt will be delighted to help its members through the myriad of rules and regulations.


Just as a boxer does before a match, a sign-maker must realise 'to gain, one has to train'



The down side is that although you could easily fill your diary with training sessions, you would possibly then miss out on the reason for doing all this in the first place and that is to make money. I also add a caveat that in the main, I am referring here to signs that are structures in their own right. I am not implying that on-going training and understanding of legislation is going to dramatically affect you if your business model is applying some pre-cut vinyl text to some flat board. But thinking further, it would not be a bad idea to be the best prespaced vinyl text application person by regularly reviewing your business, knowledge, skills, and practices would it?

Proving that you have this knowledge, skills, and expertise is also going to be vital especially when the competition is strong, but the first thing you do not do is deny it is necessary”


Proving that you have this knowledge, skills, and expertise is also going to be vital especially when the competition is strong, but the first thing you do not do is deny it is necessary and bury your head in the sand. And if you are not making the sign yourself, I suggest that you insist that whoever it is making the sign, that they demonstrate that it meets not just the required standards and regulations applicable at that time but also the needs of your client. It is true that a supplier will have no influence over where or how a third party uses their product but, if they are given the necessary details, they should be able to say whether their product is viable or not. After all, you will be the one facing the customer should it go wrong so it would be prudent to make sure in the first place.

I suggest that you insist that whoever it is making the sign, that they demonstrate that it meets not just the required standards and regulations applicable at that time but also the needs of your client ”


I have said on many other previous occasions that we all have had some form of influence in our careers in the sign industry without recognising it as training. Do not let it stop otherwise you may only last two rounds.



Key stats

  • As competition grows, knowledge and training will give sign-makers an edge
  • Sign-makers willing to comply with legislation will go further in the industry
  • Most manufacturers provide product training
  • For legislation advice, contact your trade association


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

Your text here...