July 14, 2020

Heritage Barbers wanted a sign evoking the traditional roots of its craft. Trowers Creative gave them exactly what they hoped to see…

The news is full of stories about The High Street and how shops and the retail industry are collapsing upon themselves. It seems unlikely though that Amazon will be able to transport a gentleman’s head for grooming and return it to him by drone anytime soon so, it’s probably safe to say, that barbers are safe from retail contraction for now.

‘Safe’ probably understates the case. Barbers, as a category, represents one of the fastest growing sectors in the customer facing markets. Barber-Class grooming is in strong demand. Facial hair is more popular than it has been for years and the environment and culture growing around the whole experience of a barber-shop grooming is here to stay.

Heritage Barbers is based near Stoke-On-Trent and the business has a long standing relationship with integrated design and sign production company Trowers Creative, itself Stoke based. Trowers was approached recently by Heritage to advise in terms of providing a very traditional looking sign for a brick end-wall. A sign that would reflect and evoke traditional roots but that would have to be produced in the here-and-now.

Trowers is no stranger to creative challenges and so set to with the design task first. Having a team of creatives under its own roof was a great advantage to draw upon for Trowers in approaching the Heritage signing job. A design was developed in house in short order and then approved by the client for production.

Trowers considered painting the sign on the raw brick elations of the Heritage Barbers’ premises but ruled it out of the running in favour of the digital route. The design was instead printed using an HP Latex Printer on Metamark MD5-HB and laminated with the product’s matching gloss laminate. Metamark MD5 is available in many variations. All are designed to print brilliantly and liberate the full gamut of the printer. MD5-HB has a particularly high-tack adhesive making it a good partner for challenging surfaces after simple tests to establish its suitability.

The Trowers team applied its creation to the carefully prepared brick wall and stood back to admire the results. It’s like winding the clock back. Most signs on brick elevations are now long-faded echoes of signs past - Ghost-Signs. This one fully evokes an era long gone, but it’s rendered in a brilliant modern medium and has touches that acknowledge all it promotes and the era in which its set. It’s a brilliant design. It’s a brilliant application.

Trowers Creative can be justly proud of its work. Not only has it proved its worth as a strong, design-centred company, it has delivered a sign that speaks realms about its capability as a sign producer. Metamark MD5 can take a bow too. This digital flagship media certainly helps Heritage Barbers look a cut above its competitors.