Illuminated signs
LED illuminated fascias, letters, lightboxes and totems, designed with the power supply, the isolator and the maintenance obligation planned in rather than discovered afterwards. See our guide to illuminated sign cost and planning permission for more detail.
Illumination is an electrical installation
An illuminated sign is not just a sign that lights. It is a fixed electrical installation on the outside of a building, and it brings a power supply, a fused spur, an accessible isolator, an IP rating appropriate to the exposure, and a maintenance obligation for the life of the sign.
Almost every illuminated sign also needs advertisement consent, which is the single most common reason a signage project runs late. Planning for both at the start is the difference between a six week programme and a fourteen week one.
Before you order
Illumination requires advertisement consent in almost all cases, and a conservation area or listed building adds a second application on a different timescale. Power also has to reach the elevation: where it does not, you are adding an electrician and a cable route to the job. Both are established at survey before we quote.
What we need to quote
- What the sign has to be visible from, and at what distance
- Whether power is already at the sign position
- The building designation, if you know it
- Operating hours, if the sign is to be timed
- Artwork and overall dimensions
Illumination types
Halo lit
LED behind a fabricated letter, washing the wall. Subtle, premium, the office and hospitality default.
Face lit
Opal acrylic face lit from within. Brightest and most visible after dark.
Trough lighting
External LED bar above the fascia. Often the acceptable option in conservation areas.
Lightbox
Fully illuminated panel with printed or opal face. Highest impact, lowest cost per lit area.
Control
Photocell or timer so the sign runs to your hours rather than continuously.
Maintenance
LED drivers are the usual failure point rather than the LEDs. We hold specifications on file for replacement.
Common questions
Do illuminated signs need planning permission?
In almost all cases, yes. Illumination requires advertisement consent, and a conservation area or listed building adds a second application on a different timescale.
What is the difference between halo lit and face lit?
Halo places LEDs behind a fabricated letter so it washes the wall, which reads as subtle and premium. Face lit pushes light through an opal acrylic face, which is brighter and better at distance.
What maintenance does an illuminated sign need?
LED drivers are the usual failure point rather than the LEDs themselves. Where we hold the original specification on file, a replacement is a same visit fix.
Planning an illuminated sign?
Tell us the building and what it has to be seen from. We will confirm the consent position before quoting.
Middle Barn, Fairclough Hall Farm, Halls Green, Weston, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SG4 7DP
Ten minutes from Stevenage. Visitors welcome.