Sign Makers | Sign Writing & Business Signs for Totnes

Sign Makers and Van Signwriting for Totnes

Signs, window graphics and van lettering for Totnes businesses, designed and produced by an experienced sign maker based in Newton Abbot.

Sign Art has been making business signs and signwriting vehicles since 1979. If you need a shop sign, window lettering, magnetic vehicle signs or van graphics for a business in Totnes, you will deal directly with the person designing and producing the work.

Vehicle graphics are fitted at the Sign Art workshop in Milber, Newton Abbot. This provides the time and working conditions needed to position the graphics carefully and check the finished vehicle properly.

What type of sign does your business need?

You do not need to understand all the available materials or production methods before contacting me. Most customers begin with a shopfront, window or vehicle that needs to advertise the business more clearly.

Explain what you want the sign to achieve, where it will be displayed and the budget you have available. I can then advise you on a practical option without making the job more complicated or expensive than necessary.

Sign Art helped designed my shop fascia and internal signs and prevented me from making some expensive mistakes! Leigh is extremely experienced and his advice was invaluable. We received prompt, patient and friendly answers to our many questions. The work was of a very high standard and we could not be happier with the quality and the price of Sign Arts product and workmanship.”

Absolutely first class service from beginning to the end. Very very pleased with the quality. The speed, professionalism and courtesy were second to none. Highly recommended.”

Sign Art produces:

• Shop fascias and business signs
• Window lettering and graphics
• Van signwriting and vehicle lettering
• Magnetic vehicle signs
• Pavement signs and A-boards
• PVC banners
• Printed site and promotional signs

Business cards, printed workwear and other business print are also available when you want the same branding used across your signs, vehicle and printed material.

Signs for Totnes shops and businesses

A business sign needs to identify the premises clearly, remain readable from the normal viewing distance and suit the building on which it will be displayed.

This is particularly important around Totnes High Street and Fore Street, where signs must compete with other shopfronts and passing activity. Adding more wording does not necessarily make a sign more effective. The business name and main service should remain immediately recognisable.

Before recommending a sign, I will consider:

• Where the sign will be displayed
• How far away it needs to be read
• The size and condition of the available space
• How exposed the position is
• Whether the sign is permanent or temporary
• How much information needs to appear
• The available budget

Sign Art designs and produces shop and business signage but does not currently provide on-site sign installation. If measurements or photographs are needed, I will explain what information is required before production begins.

We already work with businesses in Totnes

Sign Art has produced signage for businesses in Totnes, so this page is supported by genuine local work rather than simply stating that the town is covered.

Previous Totnes projects include:

• Steve the Cobbler, the shoe-repair shop on Fore Street
• The Loft on Fore Street
• Coaching from Within, a life coach based in Totnes

These are real examples of Sign Art working with businesses in the town and advising customers on the design and production of their signage.

Do conservation rules affect shop signs in Totnes?

Parts of central Totnes, including Fore Street and High Street, are within the Totnes Conservation Area. The area also contains a substantial number of listed buildings, so new signage can require more consideration than it would on an ordinary modern frontage.

Depending on the building and the proposed sign, questions can include:

• Whether the building itself is listed
• How the sign will be attached
• Whether the work could affect the building’s historic character
• Whether advertisement consent or listed building consent may be required
• Whether the materials and design are appropriate for the frontage

Being within a conservation area does not automatically prevent a business from installing a sign, and it does not mean that every sign requires consent. The requirements depend on the building, the proposed sign and how it will be attached.

It is worth checking with South Hams District Council before commissioning signage for a listed or sensitive frontage. This is especially important if the proposed work involves drilling into the building or altering existing architectural details.

Van signwriting for Totnes businesses

A signwritten van advertises your business while you travel between jobs, work at a customer’s property or drive around Totnes and the South Hams.

For many tradespeople and small businesses, the most effective layout is also the simplest. A clear business name, main service and telephone number on both sides and the rear may provide everything a potential customer needs.

Lettering must be large enough to read and positioned carefully around the vehicle’s handles, doors, mouldings and panel shapes. Important information should not be squeezed into unsuitable areas merely to fill the available space.

A small signwritten van can start from approximately £100, depending on the design, amount of lettering and vehicle layout.

More involved designs can contain larger graphics, additional information and matching layouts for several vehicles. I will explain what is likely to improve the vehicle and what would simply add cost without making the business easier to understand.

Vehicle graphics are fitted at the Sign Art workshop in Newton Abbot. The time needed depends on the vehicle, the amount of lettering and the complexity of the approved design. A realistic timescale will be provided after the job has been assessed.

Can vehicle lettering damage the paintwork?

Vehicle vinyl should not normally damage sound, original paintwork when correctly applied and carefully removed.

However, the condition of the paint hidden underneath the graphics cannot be guaranteed. Particular care is required if the vehicle has been resprayed, repaired or already has damaged paint or failing lacquer.

Any known paintwork problems should be mentioned before the graphics are produced. Ordinary sign vinyl is used to display lettering and graphics. It is not paint-protection film.

Would magnetic vehicle signs be more suitable?

Magnetic vehicle signs are useful when business details need to be removable rather than permanently applied to the vehicle.

They can be a practical choice for:

• Personal vehicles also used for work
• Temporary business advertising
• Taxi and private-hire vehicles
• Replacement or short-term vehicles
• Businesses that only need vehicle advertising occasionally

Magnetic signs start from approximately £55 per pair. A commonly requested size is approximately 200mm by 600mm, providing room for a business name, telephone number and short description of the service.

The final size depends on the suitable flat steel area available. Magnetic signs will not attach to aluminium, plastic or composite body panels. They should not cross deep curves, trims or panel gaps.

Taxi and private-hire drivers should check the requirements of the relevant licensing authority before ordering vehicle signage.

How should magnetic signs be looked after?

Magnetic signs should be removed regularly so that the vehicle panel and the back of the sign can be cleaned and dried.

Dirt, moisture and grit trapped beneath a magnetic sign can mark the paintwork if it is left untouched for an extended period. The condition of the existing paint should also be considered, particularly if the vehicle has been repaired or resprayed.

Window lettering and graphics in Totnes

Window graphics can help a Totnes shop, office or salon explain what it offers before a customer enters the premises.

Available options include:

• Business names and contact information
• Opening hours
• Cut vinyl lettering
• Printed promotional graphics
• Frosted-effect privacy film
• Temporary offers and displays

A shop window should not be overloaded with every service the business provides. The most important information needs to remain understandable to somebody passing the premises.

Sign Art designs and produces window graphics but does not currently provide on-site installation.

Who will design and produce your signs?

I started signwriting in 1979, when the trade still relied heavily on traditional hand-painted lettering. Since then, I have worked through the development of cut vinyl, digital printing and modern sign-production methods.

That experience helps when deciding how much information a sign needs, where lettering should sit on a vehicle and when a simpler design will work better than an elaborate one.

You will deal directly with me throughout the job rather than passing between a salesperson, designer and separate production department.

How does the process work?

Get in touch and explain what you need. Photographs, approximate measurements and details of the vehicle or premises are useful at the beginning.

I will then:

1. Discuss what the sign or vehicle graphics need to achieve.
2. Identify any measurements or further details required.
3. Recommend an appropriate approach.
4. Provide a quotation for the agreed work.
5. Prepare a design proof for approval.
6. Produce the signage or arrange a workshop appointment for vehicle graphics.

On-site installation of shop signs and window graphics is not currently offered.