Sign Art makes shop signs, window graphics, van signwriting, magnetic signs, banners and printed business cards for businesses across Torquay and Torbay. We work from a workshop at Milber in Newton Abbot, a short drive from Torquay, which means we can come and look at your frontage or your van before we quote, price the real job, and fit the sign ourselves when it's ready. Leigh has been signwriting since 1979, more than 45 years in the trade.
If you run a business in Torquay you have a choice when you need a sign. You can hand the job to a larger operation in Exeter that covers Torquay from a distance, or you can use an experienced local maker who will actually see your premises first. Torquay is a busy trading town with a town centre, a harbour and marina, and a strong holiday and hospitality trade, so your sign competes for attention against a lot of other frontages and a lot of passing footfall. A sign that reads clearly at a glance and holds its colour through a seafront winter earns its place quickly. This article covers what we make in Torquay, what it costs, and what to think about before you get in touch.
Do you already work in Torquay?
Yes. We have made and fitted signage for businesses across Torquay and Torbay, so this is real local work, not a page written to catch searches. Recent Torquay jobs include stainless steel lettering and a shop front for Best Wishes Card Shop on Reddenhill Road, a shop fascia for Bay Bowl on the same road, and vehicle signwriting, signage and a website for Amber Blinds at Hele roundabout in Barton. We have also done vehicle signwriting for Alex Ray Cleaning, signage at Torquay Harbour for Torbay Marine Lifting, a shop front and signage on Market Street for Inspired Rooms, and vehicle signwriting and signage on Berachah Road for TQ1 MOT.
What does a shop sign or fascia cost, and how long does it last?
A shop fascia is the first thing a customer reads about your business, and on a street like Fleet Street or a parade like Wellswood it is up against every other frontage for a single glance. We design it, make it and fit it in materials chosen to stand up to salt air and Devon weather. The cost depends on the size of the frontage, the material and whether you want flat lettering, built-up letters or an illuminated sign, so the honest answer is that we price it after seeing the premises rather than off a list. What we will tell you before you commit is which material will actually last on a seafront frontage and which will lift or fade the first winter. That judgement comes from more than 45 years of watching signs age in this weather.
Window graphics for a Torquay frontage
Window graphics are cut vinyl lettering, frosted privacy film, or a full printed window display. They suit a retail frontage that needs to say what you do at a glance, and offices or salons that want daylight without sitting in a fishbowl. For a shop competing for passing trade on a busy street, clear window lettering does a lot of work for a small outlay, because it turns glass you already have into a sign.
Should I choose van signwriting or magnetic signs?
This is the question most tradespeople in Torquay are really asking, so here is the straight comparison.
Van signwriting is the right call for a van you own and drive every day. Your van is the cheapest advertising you will ever buy, seen by people who would never find you online. We cut and apply professional-grade vinyl by hand, so the lettering follows the panels and sits flat around the body lines, which is what makes it last. Van signwriting starts from £100. A simple setup is your name, trade and phone number on both sides and the rear, which is all most tradespeople need to get calls. If you want more, we can take it up to a full graphic wrap, and we will tell you straight what earns its keep and what is just spending money. If you run more than one vehicle, we keep the layout consistent across the fleet and price for the number of vans rather than per sign off a list.
Magnetic signs are the practical choice when you do not want to commit vinyl to the paintwork. They suit taxi and private-hire drivers working the Torbay trade, anyone using a personal car for work, and businesses that want signage without a permanent change to the vehicle. Ours start from £55 a pair, cut up to 610mm high, with the common size being 200mm by 600mm, which fits a car door and holds a business name, number and a line of service. One honest word of advice: magnetics need to come off and the panel wiped down every so often, because it is grit and water sitting under a magnet that marks paint, not the magnet itself.
If you drive a taxi, magnetic signs are legal when they meet local licensing requirements. Torquay falls under Torbay Council for taxi and private hire licensing, and we can advise on a compliant design.
When is a banner the right call?
A printed PVC banner is for a short-term push when a permanent sign is not the answer. Banners work for events, promotions, sales and site hoardings. Ours are weather-resistant for outdoor use, eyeleted for fixing, and made to whatever size the space needs. Alongside banners we make pavement A-boards to pull in passing trade along the front, and the smaller printed pieces that keep a business looking consistent.
Business cards and print
Because we design your signage and van graphics, we can match your business cards and printed items to the same branding. That means one brief, one point of contact, and consistency across the van, the frontage and the card in someone's hand. We proof the designs and make sure your business image carries across the whole of your branding.
How does the process work?
You get in touch and tell us the job, or the problem you are trying to solve. For a fitted sign we come and look, which for Torquay is a straightforward trip, so it is no bother to see the site and measure up properly. You get a clear quote for the actual job, with honest advice on what will and will not work for your frontage and budget. For anything going to print or vinyl we take payment before we produce the print-ready artwork, which is standard practice and keeps the job moving.
Who are you dealing with?
Leigh started signwriting in 1979 and has spent more than 45 years in the trade, from hand-painted lettering through to modern cut vinyl and large-format print. Trained under master signwriters from 1979, and still doing the work. That experience is the reason we can look at a job and tell you what will actually last on a seafront frontage, or which material won't survive the first winter.
Get a sign that does its job
If you have a frontage, a window or a van in Torquay that needs sorting, call and talk it through. No obligation, and honest advice either way.
Call Sign Art, Milber Services, Shaldon Road, Newton Abbot, TQ12 4AU. Telephone 01626 333052.