On Wednesday 26th September, a team from Redhill-based signage company Stocksigns joined forces with staff and partners at Gatwick Airport, to take part in a sponsored walk showcasing the pedestrian routes that surround the airport.

Over 40 people donned their trainers and set off to discover lakes, walking trails, tunnels and underpasses all whilst helping raise valuable funds for the Gatwick TravelCare charity. The charity assists over 2,000 passengers with travel-related problems each year. With a knowledgeable team, many of whom are volunteers, TravelCare are on hand to ensure that passenger journeys through the airport are smooth, enjoyable and any problems are resolved as quickly as possible.

David Harbison, Stocksigns Senior Project Development Manager worked with Sara Marchant, Accessibility Manager at Gatwick Airport  to arrange the event.
“Having worked closely with Gatwick over the past 6 years, Stocksigns were delighted to be able to support Sara raise the profile of the many walking trails that surround the airport. I am sure many of the staff and passengers may be surprised to know that they could access such beautiful green space within a 5 minute walk of the terminal buildings” said David.

“Although the route may be a hidden gem for some, many are already in the ‘know’ as our team discovered when they met cyclists, runners and picnickers while completing the walk. One innovative taxi driver was waiting for his passenger to arrive while enjoying a spot of fishing by the lake – which we all agreed was a fantastic way to pass the time!”

Stocksigns Managing Director, Danny Adamson added “As a company we appreciate that regular walking can help both mental and physical health, and as such we introduced the Friday walking club.  So when the opportunity came to work on this joint initiative with one of our key customers it was the perfect fit for us.”

“The walk raised over £250 and we would like to thank everyone that took part on the day”.

Directories and wayfinding sign systems aim to make navigation around unfamiliar grounds and buildings as simple as possible. These signs are often the first point of contact a customer has with your company and first impressions count.

This short film is a “How to” guide to creating the best designs for directories and wayfinding signs.

Stocksigns has been manufacturing street name plates for many years. Over this time we have seen not only the style of signs change but also some of the roads’ actual names change. So we thought we would take a look at how some streets have gained their names.

According to the BBC, The City of London contains no roads. There are plenty of streets, squares and alleys, but traditionally not a single road. The reason for the historic anomaly is because the word ‘road’ was not coined until the late 16th Century, after nearly all the thoroughfares in the ancient City had already been named.

Before the 19th century, street names were typically generic and descriptive, usually named after the goods sold in them e.g. Bread Street. After this it became commonplace for streets to bear the name of renowned figures from British history. But while it is obvious where some streets derive their names, others have been corrupted over the centuries and have altogether less obvious roots. Just for fun we have listed some of the London road names and their origins. To find out more about London’s historic roads visit http://www.londononline.co.uk/streetorigins/.

Godliman Street, (EC4)  

It is not easy to account for the origin of the name as applied to this street, but “Godelmynges” were a kind of cordwain made from the skin of a young animal, this name being apparently derived from Godalming, where the trade of tanning is still carried on (Lib. Albus, I. 231, and III. 323).

From: ‘Globe Yard – Gofairlane’, A Dictionary of London (1918). URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63143  

Cannon Street, (EC4)

A corruption of Canwick, or Candlewick Street, which took its name from being the abode of candle-makers. In this street also, many weavers of woollen cloth were settled in business, having been brought from Flanders by Edward III, and their meetings were held in the churchyard of St. Lawrence Poultney. (Reference: Smith’s Streets of London, p. 381)

Leadenhall Street, (EC3)

So called from “Leaden Hall,” a large and ponderous-looking mansion inhabited about the year 1309 by Sir Hugh Neville. In 1408 it was purchased by Whittington, Lord Mayor of London, who presented it to the Corporation. (Reference: Jesse’s London, vol. II, p. 341)

Downing Street, (SW1)

Derives its name from Sir George Downing, Secretary to the Treasury in the reign of Charles II. Here stands the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury, conferred by George II on his favourite minister, Sir Robert Walpole, and on his successors in that high office for ever. (Reference: Jesse’s London, vol. I, p. 165)

Stocksigns  manufactures high quality street nameplates for many councils and boroughs. Signs can be manufactured using a variety of materials and techniques. Using traditional sign making techniques such as die pressed metal or vitreous enamel, not only look good, but are often the most long lasting solutions.  Contact our Sales Team for more information.

Safety signs and Disability Discrimination Act

On October 1st 2004 the final stage of the goods, facilities and services provisions part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act came into force. Although the legislation has been in place for some time our need to meet the guidelines is still firmly in place. This article is a reminder of what we need to consider in terms of signs and our obligations to the DDA.

The aim of this legislation is to achieve equality between the disabled and able-bodied; it introduces a basic duty not to treat disabled people less favourably than others. The new basic duty or obligations apply to anyone providing a paid or unpaid service to the public. As a “service provider” you must ensure that access is available to all disabled people and that entry routes, facilities and all information are clearly defined and indicated by suitable signage. The regulations concern access, mobility and site signage, they apply to all service providers, ranging from large corporations to small businesses (not the owners of the premises).

Under recent changes to part 2 of the Act, all employers must now ensure that they do not discriminate against disabled people in terms of recruitment and employment conditions. Compliance with the DDA can be achieved effectively by most businesses within a modest budget; however, planning is essential to ensure that the disabled user is not at a disadvantage. The new provisions are a further important step towards ensuring that disabled people have access to services that others take for granted.

10 Sign areas to consider with the Disability Discrimination Act

You are required to make reasonable adjustments to your premises; the areas to be considered are the signing and marking of:

  1. designating disabled car parking bays
  2. setting down points
  3. routes to and around buildings
  4. building entrances and exits
  5. directions to facilities i.e. lifts, stairs, reception, toilets, restaurants etc.
  6. information on additional services available to the disabled
  7. clear indication of help points
  8. emergency exit routes
  9. emergency disabled refuge points
  10. the enhancement of general information signage

For additional advice on signage and the DDA we would recommend carrying out a site survey for your premises.

There are several elements of school signage schemes that can be used to build school identity. These can range from clear branded welcome boards, navigation signs, information signs, down to standard health and safety signs. They all have their part to play in building school identity.

Why do schools need signage?

1. Improves safety inside schools

Keeping students safe inside a school’s premises is the top priority and signage can help support that. This means making sure that health and safety signs are in the appropriate places.

Schools have to make sure that fire alarms, fire exits and other safety signs are clearly displayed, and every classroom and corridor has a sign which directs students to the nearest fire exit and alarms in case of an emergency.

2. Increases punctuality and attendance

Punctuality and attendance is always a concern for school’s because it reduces learning time when students are not in the classroom. Sometimes, the reason for this is because in larger schools, it can take students more time to navigate themselves to the classroom because they either get lost, or are not aware of the quickest routes. A good way to help students get to classrooms quicker is by installing arrow signs to remind students which directions to take.

3. Helps promote core values and the brand

It’s common for schools to promote their core values and brand identity using signage. These are often displayed in the main entrance, in classrooms or on the walls. When promoting core value, the schools have a real opportunity to communicate to potential students and parents, which might reflect their decision to join your school or another. 

What types of signage should be used in schools?

The information for this header is already in the blog. I think this H2 should be at the top, following the list of signs (school welcome signs, navigational, information signs, safety signs etc). Some imagery of these types of signs should be included with internal linking to the products. 

How to improve school safety using signage?

To ensure maximum safety within a schools premises, you need to make sure signs are placed in all the necessary locations where hazards and risks could arise. This includes cleaning signs in toilets, fire hazard signs in kitchens and warning signs in classrooms with chemicals. Here you can find all the school signs you may need. If you’re unsure about the types of signs required, check out ‘Most Common Workplace Safety Signs in the UK’ 

Once you’ve got the signage. You need to make sure that their positioned at the correct height so they’re visible to children and workers. The positioning of the signs must comply with Safety Signs and Signals Regulations 1996. 

School Welcome Signs

The main school entrance signs and welcome boards are your first signage points of contact with staff, children, parents and visitors and are your primary identity builders. If you start with strong images and messages on these boards, these design elements can then be carried throughout the school and grounds on all the remaining signage.

Navigational and Wayfinding School Signs

Your wayfinding signs should carry the same branding elements e.g. school colours and logos etc as your “Welcome” School signs. Directories and wayfinding sign systems aim to make navigation around unfamiliar grounds and buildings as simple as possible. These signs are often the second point of contact after the “Welcome Boards” that people have with your school and first impressions count. As well as the functionality of the sign, design and aesthetics should be considered. School names and logos should be recognised at a glance and directional instructions should be instantly understood. An efficient way finding system will help new students orientate themselves quickly and alleviate some of the anxiety felt by new pupils. If they can find their way round easily from the start they will have a much more comfortable and relaxed start to their time at your school. All these small elements help to build a positive feel to the identity of the school.

Information School Signs

Children’s information signs help to create boundaries and guidelines to keep children safe. By publishing some of the guidelines you advertise your commitment to safety and to children’s personal and social development. Our article on using school and playground signs as teaching aids illustrates how they can be used to promote people skills and relationship building as well as traditional learning. For general information signs and notices use your school colours and keep the font used the same throughout. Even the simplest of information signs benefits from adding your school logo – adding authority to your messages. Use bright 3D Pictorial signs in your premises, these not only soften harsh building environments and add colour but work as teaching aids and can help students with learning difficulties. Use banners not only to advertsise school events in the community but also to celebrate success.

They can be used to display fundraising targets, results or just good news.

School Safety Signs

Safety signs have an obvious purpose – they are used to protect and guide pupils, staff and visitors. There is a legislative obligation to have the correct signage in place. However if you have to have them you may as well get them to work harder and promote your school identity. Add you school logo or name to help create uniformity throughout the school. Use braille sign versions of safety signs to aid your commitment to DDA regulations and children with special needs. Many signage companies will carry our signs site surveys to make sure you are complying with the latest safety sign legislation giving peace of mind to staff and parents.

By careful planning your signs can do so much more, whether replacing worn-out signs or going through a refurbishment make sure every sign you purchase works hard in terms of functionality but also helps reflect your school identity.

You don’t need to be a Marketing Guru to know that advertising helps promote a business and is vital to success. There are many ways to advertise and signs are one way of the most cost-effective and visual ways to do so. There are many forms of signs, each with their own roles to play within a business. Signs can be divided into four main groups: corporate signage, wayfinding signs, information signs and safety signs. Part 1 of this guide concentrated on how to get the best from your Corporate Signage. In Part 2 we are going to look at how you can use your functional wayfinding signs as part of your company branding campaign.

Directories and way finding sign systems aim to make navigation around unfamiliar grounds and buildings as simple as possible. These signs are often the first point of contact a customer has with your company and first impressions count. As well as functionality of the sign, design and aesthetics should be considered. Company names and logos need to be recognised at a glance and directional instructions should be instantly understood. By using the same colour themes and logos, your signage system can carry your brand identity throughout.

Graphically the signs should display your name and logo to its best advantage, different signage styles will suit different company brands, for example free standing monoliths have the advantage of having a large surface area to display additional graphic features to create impact and drama. However the functionality of your wayfinding signs and directories will also effect how your company is perceived. A complicated confusing signage system will give visitors a negative experience of your company no matter how well your logo is displayed. To help create a simple and effective navigation see our article on planning your wayfinding system

Don’t forget your internal signs – wayfinding and directories are an essential part of interior design and can influence a visitors perception of your company and the brand you are trying to create. By choosing an internal sign system such as a Slatz system or similar your sign theme can be carried from desk top signs through to suspended signs and directories.

Stocksigns’ extensive project management experience ensures that maximum benefit can be generated from your wayfinding: a system should be clear and simple but also help to strengthen your corporate identity. From planning routes, advising on styles to complete installation we can guide you through the whole process.

Part 3 of How to use signs to build company brand is coming soon – part 3 will concentrate on using general information signs to build brand as well as inform your staff and visitors.

London is a great city for walking. The Mayor’s vision is to make it one of the world’s most walking friendly cities by 2015. Walking is an enjoyable, free and accessible activity and for most people, a necessary part of their everyday journeys.

Legible London is a wayfinding project designed to improve the navigation throughout the Capital for people who want to walk. A study conducted on behalf of Transport for London found that the present multitude of standard signs in central London are ineffective and often confusing, and that there was a consequent over-reliance on the Tube map to help people navigate above ground. External directories and wayfinding sign systems can simplify the journey around unfamiliar grounds. (more…)

You don’t need to be a Marketing Guru to know that advertising helps promote a business and is vital to success. There are many ways to advertise and signs are one way of the most cost-effective and visual ways to do so. There are many forms of signs each with their own roles to play within a business. Signs can be divided into four main groups: corporate signage, way finding, information signs and safety signs. Part 1 of this guide will concentrate on how to get the best from your Corporate Signage. (more…)

Best And First -Dyson Stick Vacuum V8, Is the Dyson V8 worth it?

Dyson believes that cordless Vacuum Cleaners(create a solid https://www.bestandfirst.com/vacuum-cleaner/) are the future, whether handheld vacuum or robot vacuum, yet battery innovation has been the big sticking point. The latest V8 cordless claims to last two times as lengthy and to be able to completely replace a corded vacuum.

The Dyson V8 Absolute is the current in a long line of Best Handheld Vacuum(interested to see the https://www.bestandfirst.com/best-handheld-vacuum/), which started life as the DC16 in 2007. Ever since, they have actually ended up being more powerful, and with enhanced energy-efficiency and batteries, they last longer between fees. They’ve also gained flooring devices and sticks to transform them right into full vacuum-cleaner replacements.

The large distinction between the Dyson V8 vacuum and last year’s V6 is that the new Dyson cordless insurance claims to last for as much as 40 mins battery life. Is it ultimately enough to clean up the whole residence?

You can get it on BestAndFirst. The email address you previously opted in to receive updates will have the shipping status in 1-2 business days. Leave us your email so that our customer service can contact you.

Best Vacuum Cleaner(read this awesome blog post on how to do https://www.bestandfirst.com/best-vacuum-cleaner/)

Easy to Use

Unlike a corded vacuum cleaner, there’s nowhere to save the unused upright the cleaner, which would add weight, yet it is a little bit of a pain.

With a stick and drive cleaner head affixed, the Dyson V8 Absolute manages like a cylinder vacuum’s wand without the weight of the attaching tube and main unit to drag around on the flooring. It really feels very different to an upright, however utilizing it quickly becomes natural. The greatest distinction is that because most of the weight is in your hand it’s a whole lot easier to pick up and relocate the soft roller cleaner head around without dragging it across the flooring. It converts to a handheld when needed.

In spite of weighing just 2.6 kg and being lighter than a lot of various other cordless vacuums, I found that after cleaning up an entire home with the Dyson digital motor v8 I could really feel the muscles in my hand and arm start to ache. Relaxing my hold and allowing the head on the floor take the weight helped, however it is something you have to get used to.eufy robovac(elements of a https://www.bestandfirst.com/eufy-robovac/)

Battery life

Dyson asserts the V8 will last for 40 mins without a powered head, making use of the crevice tool or similar suction-only accessory. You can get free tools worth 75 when you add to basket. The combination tool could be very convenient for you. It will last as much as thirty minutes with the fluffy head attached, as much as 25 minutes with the standard spinning brush head or seven minutes when in optimum powerful suction setting.

 

I found the battery life greater than long enough. An extensive tidy of 4 spaces, a kitchen area, a shower room and a flight of staircases with both carpet and hard flooring surfaces, including cleaning around the sides with the crevice tool, and utilizing the mini motorized tool directly the stairways, left me with one-third of the battery left.

A lighter weekly clean left about fifty percent in the storage tank, while I could utilize it for a whole day of tidying up throughout and after DIY without issue. A complete fee takes five hours and the Dyson V8 Absolute can be stored in a wall-mounted dock that holds and charges the main device, plus has clips for two devices. The various other devices, including the various other motorised heads have to be stored separately, which is a little bit messy.

Performance

The V8 can be found in two variations: the Dyson V8 Absolute and the V8 Pet. The Pet is the starting version and comes with one large motorised brush head, a gap and mix device and a smaller motorised go to cleaning the stairways and various other bits. The Absolute also comes with the cosy go to cleaning difficult floors.

The heads and devices can be connected straight to the V8 or via the stick, which is light sufficient to raise with the crevice tool to reach the corners of the ceiling.Small Vacuum Cleaner(Small Vacuum Cleaner’s website)

The Dyson V8 Absolute is the most flexible, easy to use and practical vacuum cleaner I have actually ever before made use of. Previous models wouldn’t constantly do the whole residence on a fee; the V8 will certainly be able to clean also a five-bed residence in one go, which is a big step forward.

With the weight of the motor and battery in your hand, it has to do with as tiring to make use of as an upright, regardless of being much lighter and extra manoeuvrable than the majority of other vacuums. There’s also a question over how much time the batteries will last. It has a two-year assurance, but similar to a mobile phone, the batteries will at some point discolor, indicating it could not last as long as a corded vacuum.

It is still a compromise, between power, battery life, weight and utility, however the Dyson V8 Absolute strikes the most effective balance so far. It is fully capable of replacing a corded model for even the messiest of work with the included benefit of a handheld vacuum cleaner constructed in. The V8 only actual issue is the cost, which is really high indeed.eufy robovac 25c(post (eufy robovac 25c))

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Here are some factors to think about when choosing your External customised Sign Directories and Way Finding Signage Systems.

  • When Planning your custom made signs or way finding scheme it is best to physically walk the route, obstructions such as trees and other signage are often not marked on flat plans.
  • If possible get someone who is not familiar with the area to help. Their unfamiliarity will ensure your health and safety signs are placed in exactly the right place to make navigation easy.
  • A sign site survey from Stocksigns becomes invaluable in these situations.

Custom made signs

Stocksigns the signage manufacturer