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We produce signs for our clients day in and day out, but it isn’t every day that we need to produce a sign for ourselves! However, we felt it was time for a new one and have decided to put it up locally to where we are based, which is in Coggeshall, Essex.

As a little bit of fun, for the first person to spot this new sign we are offering £50 off their next order! Send us an email or message through our website or Facebook to tell us where it is and you could be the lucky winner.

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It’s been a busy year so far for us – we’ve already worked on a huge range of signs and printing for our clients, including printed promotional clothing, glass manifestations, digitally printed stickers, vehicle graphics and advertising boards.

Due to the enquiries we get about what we can do, we thought it might be helpful to give a little summary of some of our most popular services:

Vehicle Graphics

Whether you have a fleet of vans or just one car to advertise on, we can produce beautiful graphics to help you stand out and advertise what you do. We can design and print custom decals and stickers, or even magnetic signs that can be removed if you want to use your vehicle outside of business hours.

Post and Panel

These signs are fantastic if you are in a location that needs more direction or if you want to get certain messages to really stand out. An example of our work is for Marks Hall, which has signs located on Colne Road to highlight where the turning is, and also what events they might have coming up.

Glass

When it comes to glass, you might want or need to give us a call to help you out. Many businesses decide to print directly onto windows, as a way to produce stunning visual displays, add company logos or outline opening hours. Others may need to have manifestations as a health & safety requirement, to ensure that injuries are prevented. We can do this through many different ways, either by keeping it simple or using it as an opportunity for additional design.

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Whatever you might need from us, whether it is for one of our services above or something that is more custom, get in touch and we would be happy to give you more information about how we can help. We work all across Essex and Suffolk but particularly focus on Braintree, Chelmsford, Colchester, Witham, Tiptree and Sudbury for all sign printing services. 

It has been a busy year once again and we almost can’t believe it is Christmas! Luckily we’ve been able to get into the festive spirit with a few particularly wonderful Christmas jobs.

Many people who live near Coggeshall and Earls Colne will know Olivers Plants, located on Coggeshall Road. They had an incredible Christmas Tree Maze and Treasure Trail, open from 1st to 9th December. This was a clever way of organising their Christmas trees, and a brilliant attraction for families.

We produced a foamex board for them, to add to the fun, allowing children to pose as elves, and their parents could visualise themselves as Father Christmas.

While the maze has now gone, head to Oliver’s if you need any last minute gifts or if you are thinking about your sprint planting. They have an incredible range and fantastic customer service, always ready to give help and advice.

Every year there is a great amount of anticipation to see the John Lewis or M&S Christmas advert, which signals the start of the run-up to Christmas. However, we have our own rival in Coggeshall – Little White Box. Last year they had a stunning window display, featuring a carousel horse and drum appearing to escape through the window. This drew people to the village and made a huge number of children very excited every time they would pass it.

We knew this year they would be up to the challenge of repeating their success and we were delighted to help out. The team at Little White Box produced a window display that told a story, dedicated to George Ellison, who was the last soldier to be killed in action during WW1, and his wife Hannah. It featured snow Hannah having broken out of the shop and returned with a gift to George, who remained in the display. We helped tell this heartwarming tale with our sign underneath the window, explaining “Some people are worth melting for”. You can see the full video on Little White Box’s Facebook page.

This is why we love what we do – the variety and creativity of some of our clients is incredible and we are so thankful for everyone we work with. We can’t wait to see what happens next year and the exciting projects we will get to work on.

Merry Christmas and have a fantastic New Year!

What does signage even mean?

Signage is quite a general term and essentially means some kind of printed item that is communicating a message. For most of our clients, it is branded with their business logo and colours, and it is advertising something that they do or offer. This could be their core service, such as plumbing or products they sell, or it could be marketing a particular deal they have on.

Based on what it is you are trying to communicate and what your objective is, your needs for the signage are going to be very different. This means you need to consider the following questions:

1. Where will the sign go?

There are going to be some very different answers to this question that will immediately help to narrow down what you need. For example – indoors or outdoors. If your printed sign will be outdoors then clearly it needs to be weatherproof! It also needs to be robust and sturdy, resistant to wear and tear over a long period of time.

This question can also help you to consider what size sign you need. If you are in a rural location and based off the main road, think about a large sign to capture the attention of people as they go past, so they don’t miss you. Some businesses can get carried away and want to have their logo splashed everywhere on huge signs, but size doesn’t always help and having a sign that stands out for the wrong reasons can work against you.

2. How will your sign be mounted?

Depending on the mounting, you might want to consider the weight of the sign. If it is going to be on posts, then you don’t want to go for a material that is heavy unless the posts are strong and can take this. Perhaps it is going to be attached to a wall, and in this case you need to think about how far it will project, so a relatively thin board might be the best option that can be nailed in. If you don’t want it to be fixed for a long period of time or if you want to use it in different locations, then consider using cable ties so you can quickly snip it off before attaching it wherever you go to next!

It could even be that the signs are for your vehicle so then we need to start looking at whether you have a motorbike, car, van and the size of your vehicle. In this case, the design will have to be carefully considered to fit well and avoid any placement issues.

3. Who do you want to see the sign?

If you have a shop and want your sign to go on your front entrance, then it needs to stand out but not in a way that is so conspicuous it looks like you are yelling about your business. You could consider raised lettering, a fascia board or a hanging sign directly above the entrance or on a side wall. If your shop is small or slightly set back, then you might want hanging A boards to go on the pavement, helping to direct customers into the shop.

However, if you are an office and you don’t need regular footfall into your premises, you would only need a smaller sign to help clients find you for meetings or to just know where you are.

4. How long do you want to use the sign for?

Most signs we produce don’t have one off uses, so they need to be robust and not wear easily. This doesn’t go for all signs though – if you want banners to advertise an event, then you don’t need a ten-year guarantee for this! Another consideration is whether you want a sign to be multi-purpose so you get as much use out of it as possible. So if you do have an event and you require banners for it, but it is actually a recurring monthly event, then perhaps think carefully about the design, leaving a space for the date so you can simply change this with stickers.

Also, if you are looking for vehicle signs then do you want these to be permanent or do you need to use your car for your personal life at the weekend and don’t want to be advertising your business while you go around doing your chores? If so, then you could consider removable or magnetic graphics to give you that flexibility.

5. Are there any regulations or requirements?

If you are in a conservation area, then there may be particular rules about what you can and can’t do. For example, in a conservation area you may need planning permission if you are looking to have an illuminated sign. Even if you don’t have any particular rules, it is good to think about the environment you are in to consider if anyone will object to your sign as this could put people off and have the opposite desired effect.

If you are working on a building site, then there are also likely to be particular requirements for health and safety – the same goes for certain vehicles or even if you have large glass areas within your working space.

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Hopefully this has been a helpful post to narrow down what it is you are looking for – don’t worry about knowing the answer to all of the questions or above – this is where we come in! We would use our professional experience to guide and advise you, but having in mind the key questions here will help us to deliver the signage that you need. Whatever type of signage you decide to go for, don’t forget that it will always have high-quality graphics and a professional finish.

About Sign Language

Sign Language produces signs for companies all over Essex, including Braintree, Chelmsford, Colchester, Witham and Tiptree. We have been based in Essex for more than two decades and are always happy to help with any questions people may have about our services.

This time of year always gets quite hectic for Sign Language, given we are helping our clients get ready for the festive season. Whether it is producing signs for events, making shops look beautiful for late night shopping or helping increase visibility as clients are on the road more in their vans printed with our graphics, we are here to help.

What we have been up to

The range of printing we offer is huge. We love the variety in the business – it keeps us on our toes and we never know what we are going to work on next! We regularly post updates of our work on Facebook – take a look if you want to find out more about some of our printing techniques. Also to give an idea of what we can do, below is a short list of just some of the printing jobs we have completed in the last month:

• PVC Banner – Freeport, Braintree
• Personalised Christmas Santa Sacks – Coggeshall
• Branded polo shirts – Autostrasse, Colchester
• PVC Banners – The Essex, Earls Colne
• Vinyl window graphics and aluminium hanging sign – Willow and Fox, Maldon
• Hi-Viz printed vests – The Big Bear Cider Mill, Tumblers Green
• Correx sign – Oliver’s Plants, Earls Colne
• Roller Banner – Groom Room, Coggeshall
• Vinyl lettering – CTM Contracting, Colchester
• Vehicle graphics – Kempco, Witham

The clients we work with is also incredibly diverse. From printing banners for huge shopping centres, to producing single banners for people just starting out with their business, we can help everyone. We offer a bespoke and personal service to each and every one of our clients and can work with others or by ourselves.

Quick turnaround times

We understand that once November begins, the pressure can mount as Christmas feels like a huge deadline with a never-ending to do list to complete! To help take some of this pressure off, we offer quick turnaround times with our printing so if you have an event coming up next weekend and suddenly realise you need posters, leaflets and banners to advertise this, we can get it done.

How we can help

Based in Essex, we offer professional printing to corporate and residential clients all over East Anglia, and particularly focus on Colchester, Chelmsford, Witham, Braintree and Sudbury. Get in touch if you want some help or even just some advice! We would be happy to discuss with you what we can do and what we recommend. There is never any obligation and we also do what we think is best for you.

Sign Language is based in Coggeshall and has worked with so many of the local businesses. We feel so proud when we walk through the centre of the village and see our signs up on the shops and businesses here, and so when we were asked to do the signage for the newest and youngest business owner in the village, we were thrilled.

The Groom Room Barbershop has been set up by 18 year old India Tate, who is pursuing her dream to have her own premises. She recently moved into a vacant property on Bridge Street and has turned it around, creating an incredible barbershop that specialises in vintage and retro styles. Her passion and her drive to do this is fantastic to see, and has even been recognised in the local media.

We worked with a local graphic design firm, Chilligraphics, to produce the signs. They put together the designs and we then turned these into the physical signs you can see above the shop. Everything moved quickly, but we understand that time is precious and we wanted to help India get things going as quickly as possible so she could increase her visibility and start marketing her grand opening. We are obviously biased, but we think the barbershop looks fantastic!

“I’m so pleased with my shop sign, it looks amazing and he did it in super quick time as well. We told him one day.. and it was done the next! I’m over the moon with the service.”

India Tate, owner of The Groom Room Barbershop

Well done India – we wish you every success.

Our sign making services are perfect for any individual or business – whether they are just starting out like India or if they are regional or even national. We can work to very tight deadlines and can either produce designs ourselves with a bespoke design and proof service, or we can work closely with a graphic design agency.

We love what we do and we enjoy seeing businesses doing well and reaching out to customers with the signs we make. We take care to deliver a professional finish with all signs and graphics we deliver as there is no hiding with a sign, and this can create the first impression for the business, which is so important. So if it is a shop sign or vehicle graphics we have been commissioned to produce, we will guarantee a high-quality finish.

If you are looking for a professional sign printing business and are based in Essex and Suffolk, give us a call and we would be happy to discuss how we can help. We can also work with national companies and travel if required.

Take a look at some of our key service pages if you want to get more of an idea of the services we offer:

• Door, reception and directory signs
• Vinyl lettering and logos
• Van and car signs
• Dibond signs
• Estate agency signage

We go to all lengths to deliver what our clients want – including a 400 mile round trip to VW Main dealer in Warrington to fit vinyls to 20 Skoda Octavia estate cars. It was an early start!

Take a look at how we can help with vehicle graphics.