ABOUT HOUGH SIGNS

In the late fifties I took a course in sign making through the Creative School of Art in Toronto. This was followed by opening a shop in Bracebridge. It was a slow process at first as I had not apprenticed and I had to learn many things the hard way. It was a great help when I hired an experienced Sign Maker from Toronto from whom I learned a lot about the art of sign making.

Even after taking training in any field nothing substitutes for learning on the job. In the beginning I decided to make the best signs I could using the best materials available. You must operate properly as a business. This seems to be a problem today with many sign shops.

From the early sixties until the mid eighties, most signs were hand lettered with the exception of Screen Printing and the Poster Programs. We hand lettered thousands of signs in this time period. When I started in the sign business, the materials were tempered masonite, plywood, metal and selected wood planks. I painted signs and lettered vehicles for many new businesses. Some have gone and others have replaced them. Others have grown and become large local businesses. Many of the logos you see on some of these businesses were designed by me.

As these businesses grew so did mine. We also built illuminated signs, highway billboards, a variety of painted signs custom and regular, screen printing and vehicle lettering. We also handled directory boards and plastic letters.

In the late seventies I introduced the sandblasted sign to the Muskoka-Parry Sound area. This was a nice addition to our sign business and it required the skills of a sign painter to turn out a first class job. In the early 80's we were the first in this area to have sign making computers. At the tine they were slow but were a great help when it came to signs with a lot of information on them. As time went by the technology improved. We now have state of the art technology for designing and producing the bulk of our signs. My wife has become very proficient with this work and has been doing it for over 15 years.

We use state of the art technology for designing and producing the bulk of our signs. We provide hand lettered sandblasted signs in paint or gold leaf. Custom signs in paint or vinyl are available.

We do not make a sign for a customer without first asking what the function of the sign will be, where it is going to be located, how close to a road, highway or on a commercial building. Then we look at the sign information to see if there is too much. At this point we give our opinion and if the customer still wants it done his or her way that is fine. If permitted our job is to make this sign as legible as possible. If you are looking for a good quality sign or a fresh idea please give us a call.