A Behind-the-Scenes Look at How Sign Installation Works

A marketing leader can spend months perfecting a brand from determining the right logo color to selecting the ideal typography before later signing off on the design. But your brand’s reputation isn’t always experienced on a PDF. Sometimes, it’s brought to life in eye-catching outdoor signs like a 20-foot-high visual on the side of a building.

A sign is your brand’s first impression. If it’s delayed due to permitting, or not installed or illuminated properly, your hard work can feel like it’s been for nothing. Therefore, some of the most important people behind your brand getting noticed are the installers. Today, we’ll introduce a few installation experts to share how sign installation works and what it’s like transforming concepts into brand landmarks across project sites every day.

Meet the Experts

Installation is an incredibly technical and meticulous skillset, oftentimes requiring electrical and safety certifications depending on regulations that can vary by state. Having a crew of professionals to hang your sign helps minimize your liability and gives you peace of mind.

When Kolton Bruhn jumped in to assist his father and franchisee at FASTSIGNS® of Farmington, New Mexico, during the COVID pandemic, he didn’t know it would lead to a career he loved. He was a second hand on installation wrap projects and as roles opened and he gained more knowledge and experience, he naturally stepped into his current role as Install Manager. Kolton has always been mechanically minded, a builder who fixes things and prefers jobs where he’s working with his hands.

Chris Beasley, Installation Manager with FASTSIGNS® of Kirkland, Washington, first began as an apprentice on electrical installs when his friend’s dad asked if he needed a job. Over time, he got certified as a Journeyman Electrician and has now been installing signs for almost 20 years. After coming to FASTSIGNS of Kirkland, he started a YouTube channel chronicling his adventures as an installer, which now has over 1,000 subscribers.

For Adam Williams with FASTSIGNS® of Beckley, West Virginia, he came to the installation world about five years ago after being in the glass and construction industry for 20 years. A MacGyver-type who grew up on a small farm, he attributes his skillset to several coworkers over the years and his father-in-law who was a coal miner.

From electrical to safety certifications, installers come with a technical skillset to properly hang signage.

From Concept to Completion

The team at FASTSIGNS of Farmington initially took a leap of faith into the world of installation, forcing them to grow and learn every day. But it has paid off as they have landed various franchise clients including Burlington Coat Factory, Kia Mitsubishi and a Take5 Oil and Bahama Bucks coming later this year. “It’s fun working with these larger brands that everyone knows,” shared Kolton.

Commercial sign installation also presents opportunities to troubleshoot, such as learning that a second site survey after contractors get done is beneficial to make sure no changes were made that could affect sign installation process steps or timeclock. From drill bits to hard hats, problem solving is just a part of the gig. You never know what you’ll get when you’re out, but the goal is to have all the tools needed so anything and everything can be tackled onsite.

Creative and prompt problem solving is something that sign installers do on a daily basis.

Kolton’s team also incorporates project planning into their sign installation process steps with a dedicated colleague who is in constant communication with their customers. “We believe that’s a big part of every job,” shared Kolton. “Anything can be done as long as you’re communicating with the customer. If they aren’t happy, you stop and assess how you can ensure they are happy.”

“You have to expect the unexpected in this role,” Chris shared, noting the wall is the thing that’s different each time. “Any time you put something on a wall, you have no idea what’s going to happen and what success will require.” Ultimately, he has to be prepared for most every situation that could be thrown his way. “My job at the end of the day is to make it happen and look like the picture I’m given by the design and production team.”

Safety is also paramount for this industry. Adam and his franchisee make sure they harness up with safety glasses and hard hats. Kolton is meticulous about everyone wearing safety vests and hard hats on his sites, even taking it a step further, making sure his team feels comfortable in what they’re doing and that no one feels outside of their skillset. If a situation arises, he gives his team autonomy to trust their gut before installing a sign, encourages them to take photos, call the customer and connect with the project manager before moving forward. Chris shared wholeheartedly, “There’s only one way to do any job and it’s safely.” Effective, efficient and any time there’s potential for a fall, they always harness up. Chris shared that when you put on a harness, vest or hard hat, it’s like you adopt a “hard hat mindset,” and you’re more mindful of everything and everyone around you.

Kolton shared just how great it feels seeing that final version hanging on the building. “After a month or more of work and fabrication, it feels like a boulder being taken off your chest when installation is complete. Seeing the sign light up, the customer happy and everyone in town getting to see the signs is awesome.”

“There’s an immense sense of satisfaction after spending hours working on it to turn on the breaker and it works. One of my most favorite parts about the sign industry is after they’ve spent months working on their business, installing the sign is the cherry on top. It’s official - they light up when they see their sign,” said Chris. “To see them move forward with their business and get to be a critical part of that, I love that and it keeps me in the sign industry.”

While Adam has installed a sign as high as 65 feet up in the air, the installs he enjoys the most are things like window perforation on the doors and windows of schools. “After you do the install, they come outside, turn around and are in awe. It’s the coolest thing ever,” shared Adam. “It takes a lot to impress the older ones, so when they think it’s great, it makes you feel good. The parents and community members that share how much they love it also makes it worth it.”

FASTSIGNS experts install durable signage with a variety of tools and vehicles.

Why "Turnkey" Matters to a Marketing Budget

The benefits of professional sign installation include creating a more streamlined experience and removing the middleman which can sometimes create communication and cost challenges. A turnkey signage installation team also aids efficiency as they know the ideal tools for the job to save time. Kolton and his team have recently cut their time down with a generator post pounder used for fencing around job sites or A-frame jobs for real estate professionals. Their digging and concrete pouring time used to take three to four hours. Now with the post pounder, it’s cut their time drastically down to 45 minutes.

Kolton’s mantra is the classic: Measure twice, cut once. With everything so fast-paced, he prepares before speaking with the customer or designer. “We are focused on details. If one person gets something wrong, it trickles down, so we have everything included in the order, knowing exactly what our customer wants that we can easily reference.” The team also makes site visits, sometimes meeting with the General Manager and private managers, so the team understands the expectations, has a full picture of the space and can ensure a successful commercial sign installation process. “If you take the time to invest and figure things out on the front side, it helps eliminate issues on the backend,” shared Kolton.

With electrical signs, Chris tries to encourage people not to do individually mounted letters and put letters on a raceway instead. “It saves you from drilling a bunch of holes in a new wall to do the wiring.” Chris also shares a little about maintenance and proper care of interior signs, encouraging his customers to give signs a light dusting and wipe them down regularly without harsh cleaning products. He also shared how important it is to have someone experienced hang an electrical sign to ensure proper power supply. If not, things can be against code and become a fire hazard and a liability for your business.

Adam shared that it’s important to know the size of the sign and more importantly, that you have access to where it will be installed, even if it requires a bucket truck or lift. Sometimes their team has to pivot when they realize a certain piece of machinery might not work for a specific installation. He recalls one time they had a significant hanging challenge with a sign on the back side of a shopping center that was also set up on a hill.

“Most people think it’s as simple as taping or screwing to a wall,” shared Adam. “What they don’t understand is that mother nature will wreak havoc, and the wind will destroy stuff quickly. You have to hang it the right way so it stays for a long time.”

Not only is it wise to enlist the professionals to handle it from the start with turnkey signage installation, there’s the added layer of accountability from the sign provider for any future needs. Having professionals for your installation ensures a sign remains functional, eye catching and effective at maximizing the marketing dollars you’ve spent.

Having a professional install your sign can ensure a great experience and continued success.

Your Brand, Delivered.

FASTSIGNS Installers, the last step on the journey, get to fully bring the customer’s vision to life. “We love to share how signs help customers represent themselves and how much a sign actually means. It’s not just about you and your business but how you want to interact with your customers and the community,” Kolton said.

“I love the sign industry, and I don’t see myself doing anything else. It’s a fun and dynamic trade, you wear many different hats, travel to cool places and do fun things,” shares Chris. “If you're somewhat mechanically inclined or know how to use power tools, there are always openings for full-time and contract installers. This is one of the best jobs I’ve had, and I would encourage anyone to give it a shot.”

“I never dreamed I’d be doing something like this in my life,” Adam noted. “It’s something different every day including production, going out on site and talking to different people. I would encourage people to do it.”

At FASTSIGNS centers, our installation teams truly love doing what they do. Because of that, they handle your brand with equal respect as you would. If you have an upcoming project or want to learn more about an installation career, we look forward to hearing from you!