Signwriter

Certificate II in Signwriting

2008 - Semester One

Signwriters design, paint and build signs even commercial displays on various surfaces including brick, metal, wood and plastic. They do this to attract attention and to provide information. Their work ranges from the advertisements painted on business windows to chalkboard menus in your favourite cafe.

Not quite the career you are looking for? Please try the related course profiles below:

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Entry into this occupation is becoming more and more accessible thanks to TAFE SA Vocational Education courses. There are 45% of signwriters who have either a Certificate III or Certificate IV and there are approximately 47% of signwriters that have no post school qualifications. It is recommended that you gain the best possible chance of gaining employment by enrolling in an available course.

TAFE SA offer various courses to enable you to become a successful signwriter either working for someone else or starting up your own business. To help you gain employment in this occupation is a Certificate II Sign Writing, Certificate II Printing and Graphic Arts or the Certificate IV Art Practice. Still unsure then try a short course also offered through TAFE SA such as Signwriting. For further information on these and related courses go to the TAFE SA website at http://www.tafe.sa.edu.au.

There are SA Apprenticeships available in this occupation for further information go to the Traineeship & Apprenticeship at http://www.employment.sa.gov.au or phone the Freecall number 1800 673 097.

Most signwriters are self-employed. Others work for signwriting firms or industrial and commercial firms. Most jobs are in metropolitan areas. With over half of signwriters in the State work in marketing and business management the need for training is ever increasing. It is a small occupation and competition for apprenticeship places is strong.

Technological changes and computer-aided production have significantly reduced the workforce. The demand for signwriters, which is influenced by levels of business activity and the size of advertising budgets is projected to remain steady in the medium term.

Personal And Other Services,  Property and Business Services

This is a second career for me. I’d been driving interstate trucks since I was 18 but I started a family and decided it was time to stay home. The only way I could get into another career was to learn something. I’d dabbled in signs and done some work on a few trucks over the years and I thought I’d go and learn how to do it properly… see if I can do it from home and make a little business out of it. It’s better than wages and even though the Christmas break-up party doesn’t crack up to much with just me, it’s been good.

I found out about the PreVocational Signwriting course because, of all things, I saw the sign advertising it as I was driving past in a truck. From memory the course was about 8 or 9 months, 4 days a week. It was a good basic course and taught you all the main things that you need to know – layouts; colours; computer generated design on vinyl and brush techniques.

Brush work unfortunately is a dying art and that’s what I focus on here. Doing the course is the only way to learn it because I don’t think there are many tradesmen who would be willing to teach you brush skills today. They believe that it is dead and buried, which it probably is, but a few of us try to keep it alive.

After the course I was lucky enough to get an apprenticeship but unfortunately it didn’t really work out. It looked good but the reality was that the apprentice wage didn’t go that far when you had adult responsibilities…house and kids and school fees etc etc.. So the money and the distance I had to travel to do it put an end to the apprenticeship which is unfortunate because it would be good to call myself a tradesman.

The outcome however was that I started my own business…just grabbed the bull by the horns and rode it. Business wise I’m probably 3 or 4 years further ahead now than if I didn’t leave.

It was fairly unplanned. I bought the equipment, advertised… got the name out there and just did the work. The work came pretty quickly. I was lucky and picked up some really good jobs and got some good equipment.

I still maintain that the most important part of the equipment is your brushes and tool boxes and your paints, because if the electricity ever goes out, which it does quite often up here in the hills, you’d be sitting on your hands quite a lot if you were just a ‘vinyl person’.

Considering that some of the brushes are a $100 each it doesn’t take much to fill a box up with $2000 - $3000 worth of stuff. Then you’ve got your gold leaf, stocks of paint … I’ve probably got 100-200 litres of different paints in the shed - enamels, and some pretty expensive paints like ‘candies’ and ‘chameleons’.

I’ve got a system up here where if I’m flat-out busy we will have the vinyl cutter running pretty hot and if work tappers off a bit we’ll get the brushes out …there is more profit in it; it’s better fun; and it keeps your skills up. We are finding a lot of our work here is brush anyway. People come to us because it is brush. A lot of clients are cottage based companies… ‘Bed and Breakfasts’, ‘Olde Time’ shops, blacksmith shops and things like that, and they don’t want modern vinyl or digital signage …they want to go for the real McCoy.

I am also getting a bit of a name for myself with the old horse and carriage people, push bike, motorbike and car restorers and Hot Rodders. I do a lot of pin stripping, graphics, and flame jobs with different paint effects. I’m always looking around at new stuff and trying to come up with something different.

The course was in 2001 so I’ve been in business for two and half to three years now. The business side of things came pretty easily because I had run my own business truck driving for 20 years. I used to have my own removal company driving from Adelaide to Brisbane … coordinating with all sorts of bods and businesses… so the business skills were there.

If there is a down side of this business for me it’s the dealing with people. When you are a truck driver you are locked in cabin by yourself …when it comes to dealing with the public with signs…people change their mind half-way through and it gets frustrating … I should probably do a course on how to deal with people more diplomatically.

The computing side of the business was also a bit of a rude shock to me. I didn’t know how to switch them on when I started and nowadays here I’m pushing the computer for all it’s got. With all the software I’ve got I make it smoke sometimes... I use an American programme - ‘Vinyl Master Pro’. It’s a good programme. A lot of people might think it’s slow but we’re a bit like the ‘Jack Daniels Company’ up here, we just take it easy as well, we are not in a hurry.

After signwriters and their clients reach an agreement on matters such as concept, design and cost, the signwriting process can get underway. Signwriters prepare their designs either by hand or computer and then go about selecting the materials that will be used. The surfaces they work on also need to be prepared, which means ensuring they are clean and that the correct chalks, paints or computerised designs are selected. Next, computerised designs and lettering are printed, or designs and letters drawn and painted, while the design of logos also is an important part of the job role. At this stage, work boards may also need to be cut to size and framed, and surfaces finished or sealed with chemical sprays.

Designs and styles may be specified by the client, it's useful to have creative flair and the ability to listen to and interpret other peoples' ideas. As computer manufactured signs are becoming increasingly popular in the signwriting industry, a desire or willingness to work with computers would also be an added advantage. Multi skilled signwriters usually have a talent for one or more type of signs - neon, electric, pylon, painted wood or vinyl, and depending on their area of specialisation, may also have painting, electrical and airbrush skills.

To attract as wide a client base as possible, it is important for signwriters to create a portfolio of their best work. Signwriters divide their time between working in a studio or office where they design and draw plans for signs, and on site where they meet with clients and construct signs. A studio or office environment should be well lit and ventilated, and consideration should be given to any safety aspects which might be harmful to the signwriter during work.

On site conditions vary considerably, and signwriters may work indoors or outdoors, on scaffolding or ladders, and sometimes in physically awkward positions, depending on the nature of the job. Employment opportunities exist in signwriting firms and government departments, but with extensive business training behind you, you can also venture into self employment. Being your own boss, points out that there is, ''enormous potential to be self employed.'' But be cautious, small business training is essential. It will largely be up to these self employed individuals to generate business for themselves. This is very much an industry where the ability to promote one's skills is really important and you'll need to be prepared to 'get out there' and promote your work to interested individuals. Although running your own business can be stressful, the hours are more flexible, but average 42.1 hours per week. The capabilities of self employed signwriters will invariably have to include keeping up to date with the latest industry trends, bookkeeping, customer service and advertising skills.

For further information, contact:

Master Painters, Decorators and Signwriters' Association of South Australia
Unit 2, 797 Port Rd Woodville SA 5011
Ph: (08) 8243 1677
Fax: (08) 8243 1077
Email: mpasa@adelaide.on.net
Internet Address: http://www.masterpainterssa.com.au

Apprentice signwriters can expect a starting salary of around $25,000 and this may rise per year. With a few years more experience, signwriters can earn around $40,000 and this may go as high as $55,000 per year.

For further information about all TAFE SA Courses, phone 1800 882 661 or email tafeinfo@saugov.sa.gov.au