40 Years ago Display Signs began trading from Alan Kelvey’s dad’s garage. He started out as a one man operation, drawing and painting all of the company’s signs by hand. From one job to another the company has now developed into a thriving business with over 20 staff and a combined experience of 100 years plus. A lot has changed from how Display Signs and the sign industry itself operated back then. We’ve pulled out an old photo album to explore how Display Signs has adapted to the fast paced industry within which it operates.

In 1977 Alan Kelvey established Display Signs and sign wrote his first van to be used by the company on site visits. As the business grew so did its fleet of vans and the companies abilities in vehicle graphics. Small van sign writing jobs became large coach and lorry jobs.

Today the company has 4 vans, all well equipped with roof racks and tools and ready for the challenges our installation team overcome for our customers. Our hub has dedicated access for vans so as to keep them sheltered from the elements while they are prepared and sign written.

In order to accommodate its rapidly growing business and staff, Display Signs moved into its first official premises at the end of the 70’s.

By the early 2000’s Display Signs had upgraded to a larger premises on 3 occasions. Eventually opting to purchase our own land and factory, our founders and directors Alan and Jane Kelvey had the existing structure demolished and replaced with the existing structure we work in today. A magnificent factory designed and built to cater for solutions we create in our day to day work.

In the late eighties Display Signs started exhibiting at a small exhibition in London with a view to reach out to local business’ and help them improve their signage endeavours.

We now exhibit all across the UK at exhibitions with targeted demographics who we know need our help. The above image is of some of our sales team at 2016’s Care & Dementia show allowing us to meet and catch up with an audience that we provide bespoke signage solutions for on a daily basis.

Traditional Sign writing is where it all began for Display Signs. Carpentry, ironmongery and hand painted art was how things where done back then;  no machines or designers to aid manufacture.

With not quite as much call for traditional sign writing as there once was, Display Signs now has state of the art machinery in place in the stead of skilled artists and carpenters. From flat bed printers and laminators to cutting plotters and CNC Routers, the possibility of what we can achieve has become endless. The technology available to Display Signs has ensured we can remain competitive in the industry and maintain an edge over other sign makers.