Chris and Lawrence take on Signwriting
Back where it all began
Last month, Greens’ own father-and-son duo, Chris and Lawrence Green, Owner and Managing Director respectively, travelled from our Hull factory to Signmode in Worthing for a signwriting masterclass.
Before digital print, CNC machines and modern manufacturing technology, hand-painted signwriting was the go-to for signage and vehicle livery. It was a painstaking craft, requiring years of experience and a steady hand to produce the precision and character expected of a professional signwriter.
One of those craftsmen was Chris’s father and Lawrence’s grandfather, Reginald Green, who began signwriting to meet rising demand in the years following the Second World War.
Starting out painting directly onto shopfront fascias and car number plates, Reg gradually expanded his offering before founding Greens the Signmakers in 1963.
More than six decades later, his son and grandson (now heading up the family business) found themselves taking a trip down memory lane as they brushed up on a craft that helped shape the company's beginnings.
And the nostalgia didn't stop there. Chris used Reg’s original signwriting brushes, which still worked a treat all these years later.
Keeping the craft alive
Both Chris and Lawrence thoroughly enjoyed the day, getting hands-on with a traditional skill that has played such an important part in Greens’ history.
While signwriting can be a great creative pursuit in its own right, the masterclass is also designed for those looking to enter the industry, develop new skills or refine their existing craft.
For Greens, the day offered something more. While our Hull factory can produce almost every type of modern signage in-house, traditional signwriting is currently something we outsource. Learning more about the craft gave Chris and Lawrence an opportunity to explore its potential as another skill we could bring into our own offering.
Six decades on from Reg picking up his brushes, it seems fitting that the next generation of Greens is doing the same.