Signage Design, Technical Drawings and Visual Mockups

• New shopfronts, offices and industrial buildings that need first-time signage.
• Rebrands where an existing sign must be replaced to a new identity.
• Applications to landlords, body corporates and municipalities, which often ask for drawings or visuals.
• Multi-site rollouts where one design must adapt to many facades. See multi-site branding for the broader approach.
• Illuminated signs, where day and night appearance should be understood in advance.

• Concept design: layout, scale, colour and material direction for the sign.
• Photo mockup: the sign placed on a photograph of your building or vehicle at a realistic scale.
• Technical drawing: dimensions, depth, fixing positions, materials and lighting notes.
• Day and night views: for illuminated signs such as front-lit channel letters or halo-lit letters.
• Revisions: reasonable rounds of change before approval, agreed at the start.
• Supplied artwork: we can work from your logo files, brand guideline or a brief.

Design includes choosing materials that suit the building and the budget. We show how stainless steel, aluminium, acrylic or vinyl will look and how they are fixed. For metals, see stainless steel letters and aluminium letters. We can present finish options side by side so that decisions are made before production begins. Physical samples can be discussed where available.

For illuminated signs, the design records the lighting type, how evenly the face will glow and where cabling and power connect. Advanced lighting such as RGBW, pixel, DMX or digital displays is shown as an illustration only and is subject to technical assessment and confirmed availability. Day and night mockups are illustrations. The final result depends on the materials and LED selection.

• Design and mockups answer: what will it look like?
• Site surveys and technical planning answer: will it work on this building, with this power and this wall?
• Installation and rigging answers: how will it get up there safely?

The three overlap in practice, and in most projects the survey comes first so the design reflects the real site. If you only have a logo and an idea, begin with a brief and we will take it from there.

• Photo quality: a clear, straight-on photograph of the facade gives a more accurate mockup. Surveyed measurements improve accuracy.
• Scale: as a rough guide, many designers allow around 25 mm of letter height per 10 m of viewing distance. We confirm on site.
• Contrast: logo colours must read against the wall, especially at dusk and night.
• Logo files: vector artwork is best. See artwork guidelines.
• Approvals: structural, electrical and municipal approval matters are checked during the survey and design stage and may involve the landlord, body corporate or municipality.

• Number of signs and sites in the design.
• Level of drawing detail, such as concept only versus full technical drawings.
• Quantity of photo mockups and revisions.
• Need for day and night visualisations.
• Whether design is combined with a survey and manufacture, which is often the easiest route.

Keep approved drawings and mockups with your property file. They help with future repairs, replacement and applications to landlords and authorities. We can store approved artwork so later orders match, and can update drawings if a sign is changed. See signage cleaning and maintenance for look-after tasks once signs are installed.

Design is prepared from your brief, photographs and survey information, and meetings can be arranged by appointment. Areas we serve include:

• Sandton
• Johannesburg
• Pretoria
• Midrand
• Centurion
• Germiston