To navigate around the BSGA Sign Buyers Guide please click one of the links below.

The BSGA Sign Buyers Guide     The Importance of good signage

Signage as Marketing                   The right sign for your business

Finding a signmaker                     Sign types and Materials

Way-finding Signage                      Selection of materials

Standards                                          Lighting

Budgets                                             Planning Regulations

One constant theme that runs through all sections of the Sign Buyers Guide is the importance of finding the right signmaker for your project.

We have given numerous examples of why it is vital that you chose a reputable signmaker. They will be able to help you with many facets of the project, not just the manufacture of the sign itself, but extending to concepts, design, surveys, the choice of materials, planning applications, lighting options and ongoing maintenance requirements.

So, how do you find a reputable signmaking partner – one that is capable of delivering signs that best meet your needs and at a cost you can afford?

It may seem like a daunting task, but the good news is that in the UK there are a large number of superbly equipped, highly skilled and very creative specialist companies capable of providing you with signage of the highest quality.

Of course, as in any other business sector, there are also a number who will happily promise the earth, take your money and then fail to deliver – i.e. the cowboys.

The question is how to avoid the cowboys. One way is to check that your signmaker is a member of the British Sign and Graphics Association (BSGA). The Approved Signmaker Search facility on our web site will help you do this. It includes profiles of all Member companies and links to their web sites, where you can find more information on the services they provide.

All Members of the BSGA are vetted before joining and all have signed up to the Association’s Code of Practice, which is designed to promote the highest standards, design, workmanship, health and safety, and commercial practice within the sign industry.  The BSGA badge is the sign of a quality signmaker.

It is essentially the Code of Practice that sets members of the BSGA apart from many others in the industry. The fact that they are members is a clear indication that they are serious businesses and are serious about the sign industry.

Should any Member, be found to be seriously in breach of the Code, the BSGA Council will either suspend membership or expel the member completely.

Whilst the promotion of the highest standards in workmanship and customer service is the principal aim of the Association, it is also a pro-active organisation, seeking to provide a range of services to its members and to represent and lobby legislative bodies on their behalf on an international, national and local basis.

The range of signage available today is hugely diverse and so too is the sign industry in the UK. Companies range from small, high-street sign shops, which service their local areas, to large ‘industrial’ concerns that are capable of handling national or even international roll-out and re-branding programmes.

Your choice of signmaker will, to a large extent, depend on the nature of your signage requirements. If you are looking for single fascia sign for your shop or offices with maybe a ‘wrap’ for your delivery vehicle, for then a local sign shop may be the ideal partner. However, if the project is part of a major re-brand across multiple locations you may need to consider one of the larger sign manufacturers. Whatever, the case we have recommend that you employ a signmaker that displays the BSGA badge – you know that quality of product and service is key to our members, and should there ever be a problem, the BSGA provides an impartial Dispute Resolution Service.

Because there are so many different materials and lighting systems now available, many sign companies have chosen to focus on a specific sector of the market – e.g. way-finding signage.If you need a traditional hand-painted sign or coat of arms then, your signmaker will require a very different set of skills and experience than if you are considering a digital signage network.  Where BSGA members offer particular skill sets, they are detailed in their profiles in the Approved Signmaker Search.