Britannia Design & Print has been making shop front signs for Birmingham businesses for over 20 years. We design them, make them and fit them ourselves from our workshop in Bordesley Green. No middleman, no waiting on a third party to turn up with a ladder.
Shop front signage covers everything on the outside of your unit: the fascia sign above the window, illuminated lightboxes, built-up letters, projecting signs, window graphics and pavement boards. Most Birmingham shops need two or three of these working together rather than one.
Fascia signs
The main panel above your window. This is the sign people read from across the road, so size, colour contrast and font matter more than anything clever. We make fascia signs in aluminium composite, Foamex and acrylic, either printed, vinyl-applied or built up with raised lettering.
These are best for retail shops, takeaways, salons, convenience stores, anyone with a standard shop unit.
Illuminated shop signs
If you trade after dark, an unlit sign disappears at 4pm in December. There are three main types of illuminated shop signs and they look very different.
LED lightboxes light the whole panel evenly from behind. Bright, cheap to run, easy to read from distance. The workhorse option for takeaways and convenience stores.
Halo-lit letters throw light backwards onto the fascia so the letters glow at the edges. Expensive-looking, better suited to salons, clinics and restaurants than to a chip shop.
Trough lighting sits above the sign and washes light down over it. Good when you want the fascia lit but can’t or don’t want to illuminate the sign itself.
Built-up 3D letters
Individual letters cut from acrylic or metal and fixed straight to your fascia or wall. They read as a step up from a flat printed panel and they last. We cover these properly on our 3D letter signage page.
Projecting and hanging signs
A double-sided sign fixed at right angles to your building so people see you coming down the street, not just standing in front of you. Worth every penny on a narrow high street or a row of shops where everyone’s fascia blends together.
Window graphics and frosting
Vinyl applied to the glass. Use it for opening hours, service lists, offers, or frosted privacy film if you’d rather people didn’t see straight into the treatment room. Cheap, fast, and easy to change when your offer changes.
Pavement signs and A-boards
Portable, no fixings needed, and useful for catching foot traffic. One thing to know before you buy: Birmingham City Council requires a licence for A-boards on the public footway and you need to leave a clear pedestrian route. Check with the council before you put one out.
We do a lot of signage for takeaways, restaurants and cafés across Birmingham, and for salons, barbers, convenience shops, clinics and soft play centres. If you’ve got a unit with a fascia and a window, we can sign it.
We also handle everything else that goes with a new shop front. Menus, flyers, vehicle graphics, a website. It’s all under one roof at Bordesley Green, which saves you chasing three different suppliers to get one brand looking consistent.
The cost depends on the size, material and whether it’s lit or not. However, we do promise to give you the best quote in Birmingham for any look-a-like job.
Moreover, every quote is fixed before we start. No surprise charges for fixings, access equipment or waste removal.
For most retail units, an aluminium composite fascia sign with built-up or vinyl lettering, plus window graphics. Add illumination if you trade in the evenings or sit on a road with poor street lighting.
Most single shop fronts are fitted in one day. Larger runs, illuminated signs needing an electrical connection, or jobs requiring scaffolding can take two to three days.
A well-made aluminium composite or acrylic sign will hold up for 8 to 10 years outdoors. Printed vinyl graphics usually start to fade after 3 to 5 years in UK weather. Foamex used outdoors tends to go first.
LED lightboxes, halo-lit (back-lit) letters, face-lit letters and trough lighting above the fascia. LED lightboxes are the brightest and cheapest to run; halo-lit letters look the most premium.
Yes. Design, manufacture and installation are all done by us. We cover Birmingham and the wider West Midlands.
Anyone trading from a physical unit. Takeaways, retail shops, salons, barbers, clinics, garages, gyms, offices. If a customer needs to find your door, you need a sign.
Start with where your customers come from. If they're driving past at 30mph, you need size and contrast. If they're walking a high street, a projecting sign matters more. If you trade at night, it has to be lit. Tell us how people find you and we'll design around that.
Usually yes, and it's the cheapest option. If the panel and any lighting are sound, we can re-skin it with new vinyl for a fraction of a full replacement.
