Homegirl London pays homage to Goodwin and Goodwin (officially written as Goodwin & Goodwin with an ampersand). This company makes high-specification illuminated signage for theatres, festivals, restaurants, fashion retailers and more. They also sell their lightbox signs and cinema lightboxes to the public with the option to customise. You can hire their giant marquee letter lights for weddings and events, which have been extremely popular. I was invited for a tour of their London-based workshop. Join me on a look behind the scenes at Goodwin and Goodwin.
Workshop
Goodwin and Goodwin Illuminated Signage
Husband and wife team Paul and Viviane Goodwin started their design business back in 2009, designing typographic style home accessories like bookends, clocks, etc., along with a few metal signs. I’ve already written a profiles feature about the duo, but because the signage side of the business has boomed I decided to give them another write-up.
Meet Paul, Viviane (standing on the right) and Team (plus the dog who very well behaved on my visit!)
The interest started after their services were commissioned for the GQ for the Man of the Year Awards to produce massive illuminated letters for the event. Now their work is so converted that they are being hired by all the best businesses and events. They recently made cinema-style signage for the new Crouch End Picturehouse and other projects have included mirrored letters for Nike Town in London, illuminated letters for Strictly Come Dancing and gigantic billboards for rock festivals
Crouch End Picturehouse
I had a look around their existing workshop in the Chocolate Factory, which is in N22. I say ‘existing’ because they are about to move into a larger warehouse space within the same building due to fast growth. It was a pleasure to see behind the scenes and witness how much work actually goes into making quality illuminated signs and lightboxes. They have top-notch machinery, which is all very big, and I’m not sure what it does, but it did look impressive. Their spray room is now too small because everyone wants massive signs and letters, so that’s another reason for needing bigger premises.
Workshop and Dancing Light Box
The success of this business is a testament to Paul’s love of typography and his design eye, along with Viviane’s business and selling skills. Today, they are London’s best-illuminated sign makers who are setting the trends for this industry. They’ve won various British Sign Awards, including the Craftsman Award and Architectural Sign of the Year. Because they are leading the market in the illuminated signage, letter and lightbox sector, there are many companies imitating what they do. So make sure you buy the real thing and look for the authentication sticker with the serial number and name of the person who crafted your specific piece.
Goodwin and Goodwin Illuminated Signage and More
Here are some of the smaller items you can buy and customise. LightBox Signs: These are available in six size options. You can upload your own artwork if you want something bespoke. For the box surrounds, you can choose your own colour, or go for matt black, black metal, natural-looking plywood, walnut, chrome, rust effect, brass or frameless. Viviane told me that the walnut surround was new and thinks it will be a big seller. Your design can be placed on one side, or you can go for the double-sided option. Prices vary according to the specifications, starting at £175 for A4.
LightBox Sign
Cinema Light Boxes: Inspired by classic American movie theatres, these vintage-style cinema lightboxes come in various sizes. They also have packs of letters, numbers and symbols which come in different sizes, and you can customise a font if required. They can make the cinema lightboxes to any size, which comes in satin black or silver anodised for internal or external use. These are perfect for hotels, kitchens, restaurants or loft apartments. Prices vary according to size and specification but start at around £245. You can also hire large cinema lightboxes for events.
Cinema Light Box
Light Up Letters: If you want to see your name up in lights, you can buy vintage-style marquee letter lights individually. These have been fitted with traditional turbo lights, with faceted reflective illumination, that you’d find at a fairground. The letters are wired with a 2m cable, and you get the relevant wall hangings. For a 40cm high letter, it is around £245. You can also buy words like Love or Eat already made. Other items include fairground arrows, hearts and more. You can hire 120cm tall letters and numbers for events and weddings.
Light Up Letter
Buy Goodwin and Goodwin Illuminated Signage Products
To find out more about the products, visit the website Goodwin and Goodwin. You can also buy a selection of products from their shop at notonthehighstreet.com. They can ship the products overseas if required. If you have ideas not covered on either website, they are happy to talk to you about making something totally original and amazing, if you dream it, they can make it! They also offer a sign fitting service.
Author: Homegirl London. Photographs: Homegirl London and G&G. Thanks: Vivian, for the behind-the-scenes tour.
