Brochure_Layout_interactive

: experience

: a sign of who we are
“It’s the years of
experience that
allow us to think
outside the box”
Sign of the Times provides a comprehensive
range of sign, graphics, display and point of sale
services from design through to installation.
Our philosophy is to develop a close relationship
with our clients enabling us to work with them
on long term and specialist projects. In this
way we are able to use our experience and
knowledge to help them find the right solution
from a simple sign to complex branding and
promotional projects.
From our beginnings as a sign manufacturer
we have continued to develop our facilities
to provide a comprehensive range of display
and promotional services embracing the latest
technology and manufacturing facilities.
Housed in over 23,000 square feet of modern
premises, and situated in the heart of England,
Sign of the Times is well established with
over 30 year’s experience and is ideally placed
to give a prompt and efficient service to our
customers throughout the UK.
Having won the Best Overall SIgn of the Year
at the Sign Industry Awards for two years
running, we have been proven hard to beat.

: a sign of what we offer
At Sign of the Times we have built up a
reputation for quality, high-end service and
trustworthy partnership which has attracted a
variety of household names as clients.
Offering a number of key in-house services to
our clients, we ensure that we have ultimate
control on quality and output. These services
include Design, Digital Printing, Flatbed
Printing, CNC Vinyl Cutting & Routing,
Acrylic Fabrication, Marketing & Logistics and
Warehousing.
Nationwide Building Society
Our long association with the Nationwide
Building Society has enabled us to work
with them on special and complex projects
in partnership with their other agencies and
suppliers.
Projects range from various signage solutions,
branch refurbishment programmes to
the production and installation of office
enhancement.
Barclays Bank
Barclays approached us to assist with the design
and installation of a brand new co-working
space in New York called ‘RISE’. This space
would feature key facilities for businesses to
use such as a speaker’s platform, communal
offices, photography studio, cafe and other
areas that could be used by businesses to
connect, co-create and scale.
The project went so well that we were then
commissioned to carry on the project at new
hubs in Europe.

: innovation

: award winning

awardwinning
: a sign of what’s new
“We offer the
ultimate solution;
turning ideas into
a reality”
Sign of the Times is very fortunate to have
been honoured with numerous awards
and accolades over the years. Our strategic
partnerships with design houses such as
ACRYLICIZE have created perfect opportunities
for both partners to showcase their key skills,
putting imagination into production.
We most recently won two industry awards
(Best Overall Sign of the Year Award 2015 at
the annual Sign Industry Awards / FESPA Gold
Award in ‘Non-printed Signage’ category)
for our collaborative work on ‘Timeless’, a
functional timepiece created in partnership
with ACRYLICIZE.
This ‘clock’ was hung in an atrium area at
Senator House, London, which is over six
stories high, and was to become a key display
piece of art work for the offices, capturing the
history of the building, which used to be home
to a Roman bath.
On completion, the timepiece lights up
designated letters to spell out the actual
time, and colours alternate depending on the
individual country’s hour. All are controlled by
the server linked to Greenwich Mean Time.
We won the same Sign Industry award the
previous year in 2014 for the production and
installation of a feature wall (now known as
‘Wall 57’) for HEINZ European Innovation
Centre’s atrium in Nijmegen, Holland. Another
collaborative effort with ACRYLICIZE was
briefed to be both ‘informative and inspiring’.
The final wall measured 3m tall x 20m wide
and was officially unveiled by the Prince of
Orange on April 18th 2013.
Each year we are lucky enough to be challenged
putting new ideas into practise and each year
we gain greater recognition for the hard work
and skill this involves.

signmaking
: a sign of what we produce
At Sign of the Times we manufacture all types
of illuminated and non-illuminated signs from
a simple flat cut letter to a complex built-up 3D
logo. Whether it is freestanding, a forecourt
sign or a large building sign, we can create an
impressive frontage to any business.
All our signs are individually designed and
manufactured in a variety of materials and
nearly all the design and manufacturing
processes for large elements of sign projects
are carried out in-house.
Our highly skilled creative personnel, project
managers and technical support team ensure
that the manufacturing and installation process
is done to the highest possible standard. We
use the latest state of the art machinery with
technicians who have the experience and
knowledge to use it to its full potential.
In addition to traditional sign manufacturer we
are able to provide the latest in vinyl graphics
and full colour digital printing. All equipment
has the capability of printing on various media
including vinyl, PVC banner material, canvas,
perforated window film and backlit film.
We recently invested in a brand new Zund and
now have two Zund flat bed cutters with the
latest i-cut vision system for accurate trimming
and contour cutting graphics, cutting up to
4.8m x 2m formats.
No idea is too large or complex. We are confident
that our vast experience within the industry
offers us a great advantage over competitors.
Our ability to offer the latest technology with
our ‘hands-on’ skilled craftmanship and vast
knowledge of different medias means that
each and every job is completed to exceptional
quality and of course, on time.

: performance

: service

in house solutions
: in-house solutions
At Sign of the Times, we understand that
it’s vitally important to our clients that the
highest standards of quality and service are
maintained throughout each and every one
of their projects. For this reason, we have
ensured that as many processes as possible
are kept in-house, to allow us ultimate
control over what is sent out.
We offer the complete solution. Our Design
studio is equipped with several high-spec
AppleMac computers, each manned by a
qualified creative designer, most who also
have experience in production techniques.
This means that each project is created by
members of the team who are qualified to
create and advise on possible issues from the
outset.
Projects are then either followed up closely
by the studio designer through production,
or are assigned an Account Manager who takes
responsibility for carefully monitoring the
project through production. Steps to maintain
quality at each stage are considered extremely
important by every member of the team.
We offer the following digital solutions
in-house:
• One 3m x 2.4m large format digital flatbed
Arizona UV printer which also includes
reel-to-reel
​
• One 1625 EFI Vutek LED large format printer
with flatbed and reel-to-reel capabilities
​
• Two large format 60” high resolution HP
360 latex green-eco printers
• One large format 60” high resolution Z6200
water based printer
​
• One low solvent 60” Seiko 62M eco printer
Each department maintains the highest level
of quality and standards, working closely with
the studio on issues of colour and finish. Each
piece of work is treated with the greatest of
care and continual monitoring of print finish
is taken.
Each department works collaboratively to
ensure that work is completed to the highest
standard for each customer.

technology
: investment in technology
At Sign of the Times, we understand that even
though we offer our clients over 30 years of
industry experience, we can’t afford to stay
still and must invest in the latest technologies
in order to continue to support our clients’
demanding requirements.
Along with the large format digital printing
capabilties we offer in-house, we also offer
exceptional finishing expertise and machinery.
• Two Zund flat bed cutters with the latest
i-cut vision system for accurate trimming
and contour cutting graphics, cutting up to
4.8m x 2m formats
• Two wide format pressure sensitive
laminators for hot and cold applications
• Two 5.4m Rolls roller pressure sensitive flat
bed laminators
Our CNC routers and CNC cutters automate as
much of the production process as possible and
minimise the amount of waste material more
traditional methods leave behind.
We provide a CNC routing service, able to
produce the more demanding jobs. The Router
is able to shape MDF, wood, Acrylic panels
up to 3m x 2m and many other materials.
Signmaking, shopfitting, POS, exhibitions,
prop making, general woodworking or cabinet
making, sheet metal or plastic fabrication,
whatever it is you require, our Tekcel CNC
router system is perfectly suited for the job.
Our router is fitted with an automated tool
changing system so that we can add intricate
detailing to your materials without incurring
the time required to manually change the
tools; thus saving the client time and money.
• Gerber Edge thermal imaging system with
print-to-cut technology
• Two Summa friction-fed cutting systems
We have a Zund CNC Vinyl Cutter with an
optical eye so that we can contour cut both
vinyls and digitally printed materials. The
CNC vinyl cutting is a key piece of machinery
to produce graphics for vehicles, signage
and window manifestations. Alongside this
we have an upright roll-feed cutter that is a
very fast and accurate way of cutting elegant
designs which is ideal for large runs of vinyl
text and complicated detailing.

: expertise

: complete solution

: creation to installation
At Sign of the Times we like to think that we
are more than just a sign company. We offer
a range of services from creation through
to installation enabling us to provide a
comprehensive service to all of our clients.
Planning and Design
We enjoy the challenge of working with our
clients to find solutions for them both in the
design and production. Our CAD Planning
allows us to provide architectural and shop
fitting drawings for planning applications
and installation.
In order to ensure we have the right solution
for you we can offer a prototyping service to
enable you to see a finished item or section
before we go into the main production.
Installation
Sign of the Times’ experienced installation
teams are fully trained in every aspect of signage
and graphic installation and maintenance
using a fleet of dedicated installation and
distribution vehicles.
Marketing Logistics
We have an in-house dedicated logistics and
marketing department who manage, design,
manufacture and install your marketing
requirements all over the country. We have
a fleet of vans and installation teams ready
to transit the country and help market
your business.
Surveying
Our fully trained and certificated surveyors will
advise and over see all aspects of the job. From
the initial site visit, advising on design, materials
to be used and the installation methods
through to the installation of the finished job.
All our installations are supported by Health &
Safety and Risk Assessment statements.
Prototying
Sign of the Times are able to produce
prototypes to ensure that a project can be fully
visualised and checked for precision.

: building signage
At Sign of the Times we specialise in building
signage, in particular large format buidling
signage, from an initial brief to survey, planning
drawings, manufacture and installation.
We manufacture in a number of processes from
traditional sign making techniques through to
precision laser cutting processes.
We can produce letters in Acrylics, foams
and metals and these are designed and
manufactured to suit a client’s unique and
specific requirements. Stainless steel is a very
common metal used in the production of builtup
lettering and signs and can offer a very high
quality appearance to your building.
Metal Fabrication has a wide range of uses in
the signage environment from the high-class
appearance of built up products to the use of
mounting signage and displays to buildings.
At Sign of the Times we can design and
manufacture large format metallic items suited
to your requirements or even produce smaller
freestanding marketing displays for use inside
your premises.
With our hightly trained installation team we
can utilise lift platforms and scaffold towers to
install large fascia signs and supergraphics.
RPS
With this particular project (see main image
on right) we worked collaboratively with
ACRYLICIZE to create and produce a stunning
building signage and display piece which
incorporated complex window manifestations,
vast digital printed montages, large format
vinyl lettering and metal fabrication pieces.

: large format signage

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To celebrate England and Wales’ entries into the
Euro 2016 Cup, Carlsberg employed us to take
part in their ‘Pubstitution’ campaign, temporarily
refitting over 30 pubs with new external signage.
Pubs across the UK and Wales with ‘Lion’ or ‘Three’
in their name temporarily because ‘The Three
Lions’ (or ‘The Red Dragon’ in Wales) for as long
as the teams remained in the cup. This involved
surveying, designing, installing and then removing
over X pieces across multiple venues; an excellent
challenge for the SOTT logistics team.

led
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: inspiration

etail pos
: POS, exhibition & displays
We are able to provide a comprehensive
service for point-of-sale displays and exhibition
stands, from planning and design through to
installation and storage.
Whatever your specific need, we can provide
you with a solution. We have the latest range
of portable exhibition and display systems
including banner displays, pop-up stands and
panel and pole kits. All hardware is available
for purchase or hire.
Our in-house facilities also enable us to offer
a complete production service for graphic
display panels on a range of diverse materials
such as PVC banners, canvas, backlit film
and Foamex.
To complete the service our experienced
installation teams are fully trained in every
aspect of display and graphic installation
using our own fleet of dedicated vehicles. We
can also take care of Health & Safety and risk
assessment requirements when needed.
• exhibition stands
• display and POS systems
• pop-up displays & banner stands
• wall murals
• large format printing
• custom display pieces
We the capabilities of our new Zund we are
able to offer cardboard engineering solutions
for any number of POS and promotional work.
We also have an online searchable web
catalogue of modular display equipment which
we can produce graphics for.

window
: window & office enhancement
Sign of the Times is fully equipped in-house
to produce an extensive range of graphic
solutions to enhance any environment, from
an office to the windows that surround it.
Whether it is for branding, promotions or
interior design, we can supply initial visuals
through our on-site design studio, and
then produce and install using the latest
technologies. With our Marketing Logistics
team based in-house we can also ensure that
any multi-site projects are planned carefully to
ensure consistency within brand, and of course
on schedule.
Full colour graphics or more subtle etched effect
window graphics are available along with
more practical requirements such as window
tints and health and safety regulations.
To ensure the job is completed to your
satisfaction our experienced technicians will
carry out a survey if required and installation.
• window graphics and tinting
• contravision and one way visions
• frosted decorative films, solar films
and safety films
• office enhancement
In addition to the graphics we can also supply
and install window display and point of sale
hardware and equipment to carry the large
format printing.

: contemporary

: thinking big

large format digital
: large format digital printing
Sometimes bigger is better! For this reason,
Sign of the Times continue to invest in
the latest technology and equipment to
produce large format printing for a range
of applications. These include, window
displays, point of sale materials, hoardings
and building wraps.
Nothing is too big for us to handle in-house.
We have a dedicated large flatbed printer,
the Océ Arizona Series, with the ability to
print on a wide variety of media and objects
at sizes up to 3m x 2.4m.
You can capture revenue from applications
ranging from standard sign and display (POP,
retail signage, backlit signs) to specialty and
industrial applications where the decorated
substrate is not meant primarily for display
purposes (e.g. package prototyping, shortrun
packaging, membrane switch overlays,
wallpaper and interior decoration, and
consumer product decoration).
With one Océ Arizona Series UV flatbed
printer, full mixed-media campaigns can be
produced including rigid displays, banners,
window cling, backlits, etc., to service a range
of customer needs for maximum revenue. And
you can rest assured that each item produced
on an Océ Arizona printer maintains the same
image quality, so you don’t have to worry
about mis-matched pieces from different
printers or sources.
• UV Ink system suitable for outdoors
• White ink plus the standard CMYK
So if you want a building wrap, hoarding,
wallpaper for office enhancement, or simply
large format images to adhorn a reception
area, nothing is too big for us to handle.

espoke
: custom bespoke displays
We pride ourselves on being able to offer
unique, bespoke solutions for our clients, and
for our strategic partners. Having won awards
and nominations for these specific type of
pieces, Sign of the Times offers prototyping,
manufacturing and installation. Using the
latest printing systems along with traditional
craftsmanship, we help deliver unique projects
that can in themselves be considered works of
art.
Although our specialism is large format
signage and display, over the years Sign of
the Times has also been lucky enough to work
on large and reputation building pieces of
‘art’. We have built up a number of strategic
partnerships with innovative design houses
such as ACRYLICIZE and TRIAD, who want to
offer their customers the ultimate creative
solution. It’s down to us to make those amazing
ideas into a reality.
part of the partnership, have to then answer
and put into practice. What media will best
suit the structure? How will it actually work?
Is it a safe weight to hang? Can it actually be
made to budget and to a tight timeline? These
are all questions that Sign of the Times is
familiar with, and it is ultimately a compromise
between the look our strategic partner wants,
and what is actually achieveable. But each
project is just as exciting and as challenging
as the last.
Each bespoke, custom display brings with it
a set of questions that we, as the production

: creativity

: experience

: traditional service with the
latest technology
“Traditional
techniques with
the latest digital
technologies”
In addition to the latest in vinyl graphics and
full colour digital printing, we also pride
ourselves on being able to offer traditional
sign manufacture and craftsmanship.
In a fast moving competitive market place the
requirements of our clients to promote their
business are many and varied. Our range of
materials and production processes must equal
these varied needs.
That’s why we embrace the old and the new,
ensuring that our in-house facitilies boast the
latest machinery that the industry has to offer,
but that our staff also have the experience and
skill to fulfill briefs creatively. It may be that
hand-painted signage and mural artwork fit
the brief perfectly, and we aim to still offer
what are now rapidly disappearing traditional
signwriting techniques.
We believe it’s important to compliment our
investment in the latest technology with
our investment in training and supporting
our team. And it’s not just the end result
that exhibits this belief. It’s our high level of
customer service that we know is second to
none. We still believe in the traditional values
of account management, with each member of
our staff ensuring that they play a vital part in
the completion of a successful project.
At Sign of the Times, we continue to ensure
that our 30 years of experience isn’t being
wasted, and that the skills we have built over
these years when the industry has evolved
so much, are passed on to newer members
of the team. Knowledge about the different
types of media, machinery capabilities and the
variety of finishing available allow us to work
cost effectively and to budget. It’s this level of
experience that has been proven hard to beat.

: eye-catching solutions

wayfinders
: wayfinder & directional signage
• Post and panel modular systems
• Wall-mounted or projecting
• Double-sided or suspended
Wayfinder and directional signage are
probably the signs we rely upon most. The
secret of a good wayfinder signage scheme lies
in producing a system that delivers the right
amount of information at precisely the right
intervals, whilst ensuring that all of the signs
compliment their immediate surroundings but
still remain visible.
We can advise on a number of directory
signing systems, from a single slats directory
through to a complete corporate wayfinder
branding project.
One important fact that is always key in our
design for this category is to ‘keep it simple’.
The most effective examples are the ones that
don’t crowd or over-complicate the message.
• Interchangeable curved directories
• Post, channel and clip systems
• Door nameplates
• Individually produced bespoke systems
• Free-standing forecourt directories
• Notice boards, A-boards and clip frames
• Illuminated edge-lit directories
• Magnetised systems for quick changes
• Magnetised systems for quick changes

vehicle
: vehicle livery
Vehicle livery has been one of our specialties
for many years. From our early days when we
would set out the vehicles by hand and then
paint them using traditional sign writing
techniques, to the present day where we
can wrap an entire vehicle in a full colour
photographic image.
Specifications
• large and small van graphics
• curtain sided vehicles
• articulated 40’ trailers
Using your vehicles to advertise your company
brand can be a direct and cost effective form of
advertising, constantly working for you whilst
your vehicles are on the road.
We can design and produce vehicle graphics for
a one off application through to an extensive
fleet of vehicles.
• hospitality units
• buses and coaches
• magnetic and reflective graphics
• extensive vehicle outline library
We have a dedicated vehicle wrapping bay inhouse
that can cater for all manner of vehicles,
from cars and vans to catering vehicles.

: quality

Marketing L
& Wareho
Marketing Logistics
& Warehousing
CNC Operations
Vinyl Graphics
Flatbed
Department
Workshop
Vehicle
Application
Bay
Production Office & Sales
Ground Floor Plan
23,000sq feet factory premises / 30+ staff

Showroom
: Head Office Facilities
Visitors’ Parking
Head Office Address:
18 Linnell Way,
Telford Way Industrial Estate,
Kettering
Northamptonshire NN16 8PS
Tel: 01536 411202
Fax: 01536 512675
Email: info@signofthetimes.co.uk
Details about departments goes here:
- Design Studio
- Finishing Area
- Vehicle Wrapping Bay
- Zund room
- Digital Printing Office
- Conference Room
- Showroom
- Warehousing
- Marketing Logistics
- Flatbed Printing Room
ogistics
using
Acrylic
Fabrication
Finishing
Print
Room
Boardroom
Acrylic
Fabrication
Design
Studio
First Floor Plan

A Board & Forecourt
Acrylic Awards
Acrylic Window Rod Displays
Blinds & Screens
Building Window Tint and Solar Film
Building Wraps
Built-Up Architectural Lettering
Built-Up Illuminated Lettering
Canvas Prints
Digital Print
Digitally Printed Banners
Digitally Printed Foamex
Digitally Printed Posters
Digitally Printed Wallpaper
Digitally Printed Window Graphics
Directional Signage
Door Signage
Fascia Signage
Fine Art
Fleet Vehicle Graphics
Floor Graphics
Football & Award Podiums
Glass Reception Display
Health & Safety Signage
Illuminated Lightboxes
Labels & Stickers
Laminating & Finishing
Large Format Digitally Printed Banners
Large Format Flatbed Printing
Large Format Flex Face
Large and Small Vehicle Graphics
LED Lighting
Machine Panels
Magnetic Signs
Mesh Banners
Monoliths
Neon Signage
Office Enhancement
Point of Sale Signage
Pop-Up Displays
POS Acrylic Fabrication
POS Wooden Block
Posted Signs
Prototyping
Pull-Up Banner Displays
Site Board & Hoardings
Slatted & Plank Signage
Special Projects
Specialist Reproduction Signage
Stadium Signage
Trailers
Vehicle Wraps
Wall Graphics
Wall Murals
Window Graphics
Window Manifestations

: Client List
Strategic Partnerships
We work closely with some excellent partner
agencies to fulfil creative briefs and offer
bespoke solutions for their key clients. We work
cohesively, drawing upon each other’s skillsets
to ensure that the outcome is both creative and
achievable.