A marketing leader can spend months perfecting a brand, from determining the right logo colour, to selecting the ideal typography, before later signing off on the design. But your brand’s reputation isn’t always experienced on a PDF. Sometimes, it’s brought to life in eye-catching outdoor signs, like a 20-foot-high visual on the side of a building.
A sign is your brand’s first impression. If it’s delayed due to planning permission, or not installed or illuminated properly, your hard work can feel like it’s been for nothing. Therefore, some of the most important people behind your brand getting noticed are the installers. Today, we’ll introduce a couple of installation experts, to share how sign installation works and what it’s like transforming concepts into brand landmarks, across project sites every day.
Meet the Experts
Installation is an incredibly technical and meticulous skill set, requiring safety certifications. Having a crew of professionals to install your sign helps minimise your liability and gives you peace of mind.When Charlie Gordon of FASTSIGNS St Albans joined the team as an apprentice sign maker, he never expected to get involved in signage installation. As his experience grew, it was a natural progression. As he gained more knowledge and experience, working with subcontractor installers and taking on additional qualifications, he naturally stepped into his current role as Installer for his centre.
Nick Mustoe of FASTSIGNS Kingston, previously an external contractor, joined the FASTSIGNS Kingston team as their in-house installer. Bringing his installation skills to the Kingston team, Nick has been the lead on installations at exciting UK-based locations, including Chessington World of Adventure and Legoland.
From electrical to safety certifications, installers come with a technical skillset to properly hang signage.
From Concept to Completion
The team at FASTSIGNS St Albans saw the value in training Charlie up as an in-house installer, allowing them to deliver the Concept-to-Completion element of FASTSIGNS service completely, in-house. Moving into the world of installation allowed their team to grow and learn every day. Their installation capabilities have paid off as they have landed various clients, including Brocket Hall Golf Club, Affinity Water and HR Owen.
Commercial sign installation presents opportunities to troubleshoot, such as learning that a second site survey, after contractors are done, is beneficial to make sure no changes were made that could affect the sign installation process steps, or create a slowdown. From drill bits to hard hats, problem-solving is just a part of the job. You never know what you’ll get when you’re out, but the goal is to have all the tools needed, so anything and everything can be tackled onsite.
Our teams also incorporate project planning into their sign installation process steps, with our teams keeping in constant communication with their customers. “We believe that communication is a big part of every job. Anything can be done, as long as you’re communicating with the customer. If they aren’t happy, you stop and assess how you can ensure they are happy.”
Chris Beasley, an Installation Manager from one of our FASTSIGNS centres in America, located in Kirkland, Washington, sums it up perfectly: “You have to expect the unexpected in this role.” He notes that the wall is the thing that’s different each time. “Any time you put something on a wall, you have no idea what’s going to happen and what success will require.” Ultimately, as a signage installer, he has to be prepared for almost every situation that could be thrown his way. “My job at the end of the day is to make it happen and look like the picture I’m given by the design and production team.”
Safety is also paramount for this industry. Nick Mustoe and his franchisee, Mark Phelps, are scrupulous in ensuring they have all the correct tools for the job, including harnesses, safety glasses and hard hats. Wearing the correct equipment on all installations is a must and Mark also ensures that Nick and any assisting team members, feel comfortable in what they’re doing and that no one feels outside of their skillset
If a situation arises, he gives his team autonomy to trust their gut before installing a sign, encourages them to take photos, call the customer and connect with the project manager, before moving forward. Nick shared wholeheartedly, “There’s only one way to do any job and it’s safely.” Putting on a vest or a hard hat, it’s like you adopt a “hard hat mindset,” and you’re more mindful of everything and everyone around you. If there ever is an install that is too much for their in-house capabilities, all FASTSIGNS franchisees in the UK can pull on our network of specialist subcontractor installers.
For Charlie, a highlight of his role is just how great it feels seeing that final version of a sign hanging on the building. “After a month or more of work in production, it feels like a huge weight being taken off your chest when installation is complete. Seeing the sign light up, the customer is happy with everyone in town getting to see the signs is exciting.”
“There’s an immense sense of satisfaction after spending hours working on it, to flick the on switch and it works. One of my favourite parts about the sign industry is that after a customer has spent months working on their business, installing the sign is the cherry on top. It’s official - their faces light up when they see their sign,” said Charlie. “To see them move forward with their business and get to be a critical part of that, I love it
For Nick, the installs he enjoys the most are things like window perforation on the doors and windows of schools. “After you do the install, students come outside, turn around and they are in awe. It’s the best thing ever,” shared Nick.
.Creative and prompt problem-solving is something that sign installers do on a daily basis.
Why "Turnkey" Matters to a Marketing Budget
The benefits of professional sign installation include creating a more streamlined experience and removing the middleman, which can sometimes create communication and cost challenges. A turnkey signage installation team also aids efficiency, as they know the ideal tools for the job to save time.
Charlie’s mantra is the classic: Measure twice, cut once. With everything so fast-paced, he prepares before speaking with the customer or designer. “We are focused on details. If one person gets something wrong, it trickles down, so we have everything included in the order, knowing exactly what our customer wants, that we can easily reference.”
The team also makes site visits, sometimes meeting with the customers' appropriate team members and managers, so both parties understand the expectations, have a full picture of the space and can ensure a successful commercial sign installation process. “If you take the time to invest and figure things out before the install, it helps eliminate issues on the backend,” shared Charlie.
FASTSIGNS experts install durable signage with a variety of tools and vehicles.
With electrical signs, FASTSIGNS UK franchisees will assess the building, and rather than installing individually mounted letters, they aim to recommend putting letters on a rail instead. “It saves you from drilling multiple holes in the wall to do the wiring.” Nick also shares a little about maintenance and proper care of interior signs, encouraging his customers to give signs a light dusting and wipe them down regularly without harsh cleaning products. He also shared how important it is to have someone experienced to hang an electrical sign, to ensure proper power supply. If not, things can be against code and become a fire hazard and a liability for your business.
The size of the sign and more importantly, that you have access to where it will be installed, will determine if an in-house installer can complete the job. To ensure signs are installed correctly, we’ll pull on our contractor network, ensuring the best tools for the job are on site. “Most people think it’s as simple as taping or screwing to a wall,” shared Nick. “What they don’t understand is that Mother Nature can wreak havoc and the wind will destroy stuff quickly. You have to hang it the right way so it stays for a long time.”
Not only is it wise to enlist the professionals to handle it from the start with turnkey signage installation, but there’s also the added layer of accountability from the sign provider for any future needs. Having professionals for your installation ensures a sign remains functional, eye-catching and effective at maximising the marketing pounds you’ve spent.
Your Brand, Delivered.
FASTSIGNS Installers, the last step on the journey, get to fully bring the customer’s vision to life. “We love to share how signs help customers represent themselves and how much a sign actually means. It’s not just about you and your business but how you want to interact with your customers and the community,” Charlie said.
“I love the sign industry and I don’t see myself doing anything else. It’s a fun and dynamic trade, you wear many different hats, travel to cool places and do fun things,” shares Nick. “If you're somewhat mechanically inclined or know how to use power tools, there are opportunities for installers.
“I never dreamed I’d be doing something like this in my life,” noted Charlie. “It’s something different every day, including production, going out on site and talking to different people. I would encourage people to do it.”
At FASTSIGNS centres, our installation teams truly love doing what they do. Because of that, they handle your brand with equal respect as you would. If you have an upcoming project, or want to learn more about our signage process, we look forward to hearing from you!