The inaugural BSGA British Sign Awards has proved an unqualified success, attracting over 250 entries across 13 signmaker categories, which were accompanied by over 750 images and half a dozen videos; received support, in the form of sponsorship from 13 of the industry’s leading businesses; and climaxed at a gala awards ceremony attended by over 320 people at Villa Park in Birmingham at the end of October.
“It’s the highest profile event organised by the BSGA for many years and it exceeded all our expectations,” said David Dyke, Association President. “We felt that the industry needed an awards scheme that had real meaning and value and that the BSGA, as the organisation that represents the interests of the industry and constantly presses for higher achievement in terms of both creativity and quality, was the right organisation to manage it.
“The response, in terms of support from the sponsors and the level of interest among sign businesses has been fantastic. We’ve started something that will, hopefully, continue for many years to come.”
The 2014 Awards reached their climax at the Gala Presentation staged at the Holte Suite at Villa Park, Birmingham on October 30th. Hosted by Bob ‘The Cat’ Bevan, one of the UK’s leading after dinner speakers, the lunchtime event attracted an audience of over 320 people who saw the unveiling of 12 signmaker award winners plus the presentations of a ‘product of the year’ award and a special BSGA award and, finally, the announcement by corporate sponsor 3M of the winner of the Sign of the Year trophy, which went to Kettering-based Sign of the Times for a quite extraordinary sign created for the Heinz Innovation Centre in Holland.
“The award categories were created to reflect every facet of modern signmaking, from hand-crafted signs to those which incorporate the very latest technology,” said David Catanach, Director of the BSGA. “Every category was competitive, but we were delighted that the ‘Small Signmaker of the Year’， open only to businesses employing between 1 and 5 people, was the most competitive, with over 40 entries.
“The panel of judges faced an unenviable task but, to make things absolutely fair, the identity of every entrant was carefully redacted from every submission. The judges based their decisions purely on the written submissions and images supplied.
“The awards were open to every sign business in the UK and most entries did, in fact, come from companies who are not members. We hope that the Awards will serve to highlight the role of the BSGA in representing and supporting the industry and that business that entered the awards will now consider it worth joining the association to support the important work we do.”
The winners included:
SIGN OF THE YEAR
Presented by Corporate Sponsor 3M
Winner: Sign of the Times for ‘The Heinz 57 Wall’
RETAIL SIGN OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Complete CNC Solutions
Winner: ASG （Essex） for ‘The Perfectionists’ Cafe’
Highly Commended: Sign 2000 for ‘Hamleys, Heathrow’
Highly Commended: ASG （Essex） for ‘Xbox One’
ILLUMINATED SIGN OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Vink Lighting Solutions
Winner: Castleton Signs for ‘Scottish Gas Edinburgh’
Highly Commended: Sign of the Times for ‘Heinz 57’
Highly Commended: Trade Signs Uk for ‘ITV’
VEHICLE GRAPHICS OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by William Smith
Winner: Allen Signs for ‘Billy Branston Bus’
Highly Commended: Paul Turner Signwriters for ‘IVC VW’
Highly Commended: Joyce Design for ‘Airlift BMWs’
ROLL-OUT PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Nationwide Platforms
Winner: Absolute SG for ‘Worldpay’
Highly Commended: HNS Signs for ‘Lafarge Tarmac’
Highly Commended: Sign 2000 for ‘Post Office’
SMALL SIGNMAKER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Metamark
Winner: Goodwin&Goodwin for ‘Illuminated projects’
Highly Commended: HNS Signs for ‘Penny Blacks’
Highly Commended: IMO Graphics for ‘Bloxwich Childrens Centre’
WIDE FORMAT PROJECT OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Soyang Europe
Winner: Adam Bourn Creative for ‘One Commercial Street’
Highly Commended: Dyson Signs for ‘Westfield School, Sheffield’
Highly Commended: Signbox for ‘Invesco at London Wall’
THE SIGN CONSTRUCTION AWARD
Sponsored by 3M Tapes and Adhesives
Winner: Trade Signs UK for ‘ITV’
Highly Commended: Castleton Signs for ‘Rambert Dance School’
Highly Commended: PFI Sign Solutions for ‘NEC’
THE INNOVATION AWARD
Sponsored by Epson
Winner: Signbox for ‘StepJockey Smart Signs’
Highly Commended: W&Co for ‘Canaletto Apartments’
Highly Commended: Trade Signs UK for ‘ITV’
DIGITAL SIGNAGE PROJECT OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Vink Digital Signage
Winner: Image Technique for ‘The View from the Shard’
Highly Commended: Sign 2000 for ‘Hamleys, Heathrow’
Highly Commended: Bright Green Technology/Forrest Media for ‘Xpressway’
THE CRAFTSMAN AWARD
Sponsored by Trade Etching Direct
Winner: HNS Signs for ‘Penny Blacks’
Highly Commended: Enigma signs for ‘White Orchid’
Highly Commended: Creative Sign Solutions for ‘Rusty Bottom’
ARCHITECTURAL SIGN OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Foamalux
Winner: Harrisons Sign for ‘Nestle’
Highly Commended: Trade Signs UK for ‘ITV’
Highly Commended: M4UK for ‘Atrium Apartments’
INTERIOR SIGN OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Decordirections.co.uk
Winner: Castleton Signs for ‘NHS Dean Street’
Highly Commended: Sign of the Times for ‘Heinz 57’
Highly Commended: 360 Signs for ‘TGI Fridays’
WAYFINDING SCHEME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Cobal Sign Systems for ‘The Library of Birmingham’
Highly Commended: Merson Sign Group for ‘Waverley Station’
Highly Commended: Merson Sign Group for ‘Hillington Park, Gasgow’
SIGN PRODUCT OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Signs Express
Winner: The Zeta Bespoke Solar Signage Kit