Signs Express (Southampton) underscores its role as an integral part of the local business community, says José Ferreira, Centre Manager.
Operating just outside the centre of Southampton for the best part of 25 years, Signs Express (Southampton) has become an integral part of the local business community, providing bespoke signage and graphics solutions.
Working with companies of all sizes it has delivered projects for the likes of Carnival UK, ABP, Solent Stevedores Ltd, Richard Taunton Sixth Form College, Naim Audio, Southampton University, Winchester college, the NHS and many more!
As a longstanding supplier to LST Projects and the NHS, the team were approached in March 2023 to deliver a project which involved over 300sqm of wall graphics to the newly refurbished Child Development Centre at Crawley Hospital. With a chance to have a positive impact on such a fundamental part of the hospital, after an initial assessment, the answer was immediately YES, we’d love to help! The project soon grew and expanded into a wider remit, which consisted of a decorative tree centre piece, a large, illuminated sky effect 3200mm square flex face suspended sign with a custom-made metal profile, plus an illuminated flex face sign which needed to integrate with both the ceiling and decorative tree feature.
The project was complex – encountering significant obstacles during the planning process – but one we ended up being enormously proud of and absolutely thrilled with. We all know hospitals can be overwhelming, especially for younger children, so we were delighted to have created a bright, welcoming, calming environment for children at the centre.
So delighted were we with the project that we decided to put ourselves out there and showcase it to our peers across the graphics industry and enter it into the Branded Interiors Category at the 2024 UK Graphic Awards.
The UK Graphic Awards celebrates the very best in wide-format print across the UK and the calibre of entries is phenomenal, along with the companies who enter. So, after receiving the news that we had reached the finalist stage back in August; Tuesday 15th October came around quickly, where we all made our way to the Birmingham Hilton Metropole for the black-tie awards ceremony to hear our fate!
I was shocked when we were announced as the gold winner – the judges commenting: “These were some simply stunning graphics. The space is warm and welcoming, and the design is audience-appropriate yet restrained and elevated.”
By putting this project out there we hope it’s clear to see that there’s so much more to the signage industry than simple signs! Of course, if that’s what’s required, we can provide simple signage solutions, however the industry is ever changing with technologies, materials and methods constantly evolving, allowing us to push the boundaries of what’s possible each and every day for our customers.
So, whether it’s bespoke window graphics, illumination, sustainable signage solutions, roll-out projects, wayfinding, vehicle graphics, custom wallpaper or complete rebrand projects, we’re here to work with customers large and small, with outstanding customer service, a consultative approach, and ultimately bring your brands to life with our incredible bespoke solutions.
For more information visit Signs Express Southampton.
