Hand painted signs in Fife’s sunny coastal Crail.
The Beehive is well known to locals in Crail – a small village in the East Neuk of Fife.
Centred on the High Street, the Georgian building has served the local community for decades. In early 2021, extensive renovations were underway.
Joanne and Iain Stewart own the former convenience store and have transformed the building through meticulous care.
Their business serves coffee, cakes and ices, as well as displaying an array of crafted products from near and far. Iain contacted me to share his vision for The Beehive and to ask advice for manufacturing his signs.
The listed building is located in a conservation area. Fife Council stipulate regulations for signs which consider the appearance and setting of listed buildings. The installation method was especially important due to the roughcast walls. In this case, painted plywood signs were preferred.
Signwriting in Fife is not as common as general signmaking. Joanne and Iain wanted hand painted signs to complement The Beehive’s creative ethos and respect the character of the building
Joanne and Iain provided me with the dimensions, typeface and colour codes, as well as their logomark.
I suggested options for manufacturing bespoke plywood panels with hardwood edges and rain caps. The hardwood edges protects the plywood and prolongs the life of the sign. Split batons fabricated on the backs of the two wall signs disguise the signs’ fixings and add depth.
A powder coated metal projecting bracket hangs the sign near the cafe’s entrance.
Joanne and Iain were satisfied with my proposal and approved my quote. We agreed on the lead time and I contacted John Rennie from Fifth Generation Joinery.
John and I have collaborated on various signage projects for years. We’ve made and installed hand painted signs throughout Fife and Dundee for many years.
Following the manufacture of the plywood signs, I brushed on ten coats of paint. The matt finish results a very soft sheen.
My dad, Brian kindly helped me hand letter the signs and speed up production. We lettered the signs in one day with two coats of dark blue acrylic paint. Brian returned the following day with his smallest brushes for the little logos on the gable sign.
John and I loaded two Transits with my tower scaffold and the signs before driving to Crail on a beautiful Sunday morning.
The uneven roughcast surface posed challenges. John carefully packed out and levelled the walls’ battens, ensuring the backs of the signs would slip into position in our first attempt.
Installed by late afternoon, locals and curious visitors shared Joanne and Iain’s delight.
‘The craftsmanship, care and attention to detail from you, your dad and John is very much appreciated and there have been so many positive comments from locals this week which is the icing on the cake’, said Iain.
The signs’ journey had ended and started a new chapter for Joanne and Iain’s new business.
Get in touch to discuss hand painted signs in Fife.