I began signwriting in 1984 upon joining an introductory evening class at Vauxhall College, London. My very first sign (an ambitious copperplate script) began my lifelong passion for the craft and the following year I began a full time course at Hammersmith & West London College, under the excellent tutelage of Jon Gibbs, Bill Stewart and Graham Prentice. I earned a triple distinction in the craft level City & Guilds 593 syllabus in signwork and went on to achieve the same at advanced level in 1986/7 picking up the British Sign Association student of the year award along the way.
My growing skills & knowledge of hand produced signwork caught the attention of the proprietor of The Fulham Sign Shop, a traditional sign painting company based in the New Kings Road. I joined the firm in 1986 and stayed until its closure in 1991. During these five productive years I honed my signwriting and gilding skills to the extent that I felt confident in tackling any job 'freehand' (without need of full size working drawings), had mastered a number of different, individualised alphabet styles and could reproduce any chosen font. I also became senior gilder for the company, a craft I still take great pride in having mastered and maintained to this day.
1991 saw big changes as a result of the Fulham Sign Shop going into liquidation. I began making preparations to open my own signwriting and gilding business, but as it turned out this was not to be.
On my final college report back in 1987, Jon had written "... would you be interested in doing any part time signwork teaching". This had stuck in my mind and after making enquiries it turned out that right at that time HWLC were looking for a full time lecturer in signwork. I applied and was delighted to be offered the job starting September 1991. I taught craft and advanced craft City & Guilds signwork right up to its withdrawal from the national FE curriculum in 1998. It was superceded by the new NVQ 2 in signmaking which I developed, taught and assessed right up to July 2005.
I did not stand still or restrict my skills base to the traditional crafts during my college years. I took my opportunities to learn new skills both in education, in gaining first class honours at Greenwich University (BA hons Education & Training), and in mastering up to date computer aided design and self-adhesive vinyl types, properties and application techniques.
That brings us up to now and my departure from full time signwork teaching in further education.
It had been my desire for some time to work once more in the commercial world of sign making. Hence the launch of Tiger Signs, signs & designs which carry my personal assurance of the highest professional quality.
Bruce Barber
7 September 2005
