Earlier this month, we found ourselves working on a project that felt like a journey through the history of our industry.
At the RGS Cricket Pavilion, master signwriter Nick Sanders was carefully applying gold leaf lettering to the honours boards, while alongside him, Deanne Wilkins installed digitally produced vinyl graphics.
Two very different techniques, two very different eras of sign making, yet together, they perfectly demonstrated how the signage industry has evolved over the last 65 years, and why some traditional skills remain just as valuable today as they were generations ago.
A craft built by hand
Long before large-format printers, computer-controlled cutters and LED illumination, every sign was created by hand.
A signwriter’s skill wasn’t simply in painting letters neatly. It was understanding spacing, balance, proportion and readability. Every letter was carefully drawn and painted, without the luxury of modern templates or technology.
One of the most prestigious forms of signwriting was, and still is, gold leaf lettering.
Using sheets of gold so delicate they move with the slightest breath of air, signwriters painstakingly apply the leaf to prepared surfaces before burnishing and finishing it to create the distinctive shine that has adorned pubs, civic buildings, honour boards and traditional shopfronts for centuries. Done properly, gold leaf has a depth and richness that modern materials still struggle to replicate.
It is a skill that requires patience, experience and an incredibly steady hand.
A connection that spans more than 40 years
For City Signs, this particular project carried extra significance.
Back in 1980, Nick Sanders joined City Signs as an apprentice under our father, Horace Wilkins, who founded the business and helped establish it as one of Worcestershire’s best-known signage companies.
Over four years, Horace taught Nick the traditional signwriting skills that formed the foundation of the industry at the time.
In fact, much of the equipment Nick still uses today was originally given to him by Horace during those apprenticeship years. More than four decades later, those same tools are still being used to create beautiful gold leaf work. In an age where technology changes almost annually, there is something remarkable about that.
The brushes, rest sticks and traditional signwriting tools that once produced hand-painted shop fascias are still capable of producing work of exceptional quality today.
What has changed, and what hasn’t
Today’s signage industry would be almost unrecognisable to many of the signwriters who learned their trade by hand.
Large-format printers, vinyl graphics, CNC routing and LED illumination have transformed both production speed and design possibilities. Projects that once took days can now be completed in hours, while branding can be replicated consistently across multiple sites, vehicles and buildings.
Materials are more durable, colours are more consistent and the production methods are faster and more efficient than ever before. Yet the fundamentals remain the same.
Great signage still relies on:
- Clarity
- Craftsmanship
- Attention to detail
- An understanding of how people see and process information
The tools may have changed, but the principles haven’t.
Why traditional signwriting still matters
As technology continues to develop, there is a risk that traditional crafts will slowly disappear.
Many of the signwriters who learned these skills through apprenticeships are now retiring. Fewer people are entering the profession, and techniques that once formed the backbone of the industry are becoming increasingly rare.
That’s why projects like the RGS honours boards feel important. They remind us that progress doesn’t always mean replacement.
Sometimes the most interesting work happens when traditional craftsmanship and modern production techniques sit side by side.
Gold leaf lettering remains the perfect solution for certain applications because nothing else quite replicates its character, prestige or sense of permanence.
At the same time, digital production allows businesses to achieve levels of consistency, scale and efficiency that previous generations could only dream of. Neither replaces the other – they simply serve different purposes.
Preserving the best of both worlds
Watching Nick apply gold leaf lettering alongside Deanne’s digitally produced graphics was a reminder that progress doesn’t have to mean leaving tradition behind.
The signage industry has changed enormously over the last 65 years. Technology has transformed what is possible, allowing businesses to achieve levels of speed, consistency and quality that would once have seemed unimaginable.
Yet some things remain unchanged.
The patience required to create something beautiful. The pride in a job done properly. The understanding that great signage is about more than materials and machinery.
Perhaps that’s how the industry should continue to evolve: embracing new technology while preserving the skills, knowledge and craftsmanship that helped build it in the first place. Because while the signs themselves may change, the pride that goes into creating them never really does.