Signage… in architecture
Hey all, I’m a project manager and estimator with 12 years in the signage industry, mostly working across commercial fitouts, hospitality, retail and large scale developments.
One pattern I keep seeing on tenders is that signage gets left right to the end. By the time it lands on our desk, the brief is often vague, substrates have been specified or left out without thinking about how they work with mounting locations and clash with services, illumination wasn’t planned for power and so on. The client ends up with rushed decisions, value engineered finishes that don’t match the architectural intent, and a signage package that feels bolted on rather than designed in from the beginning.
I’m curious whether the architecture community would see value in having a signage consultant involved from the early design stages, similar to how you’d bring in an acoustic or lighting consultant.
The idea would be a complete signage package built alongside the documentation, covering things like wayfinding strategy and hierarchy, material and finish selection aligned to budget and the architectural language, substrate and mounting detailing that coordinates with structure and services, illumination strategy with power requirements flagged early, council and compliance considerations, and a fully scoped tender package so pricing comes back consistent across bidders. Someone there to answer all RFIs related to the signage.
A few questions I’d love honest feedback on:
Is this something you’d actually find useful, or does it feel like another consultant cluttering the team?
At what stage would you ideally want them involved? Concept, developed design, or documentation?
Would you expect this to be engaged by the architect, the client, or the head contractor?
How do you currently handle signage on your projects, and where does it usually fall down?
Not pitching anything, just genuinely trying to understand whether there’s a gap worth filling or whether architects feel signage is handled well enough as-is. Appreciate any thoughts, especially the critical ones.
Legends 🤙