What We Do
We make handmade signs in our Edgewater, Maryland shop: carved quarterboards, gold leaf boat names, custom life rings, dimensional signs and letters, and carved wood and HDU signs. We also gild on site, from gold leaf house numbers and transom windows on historic homes to restaurants, specialty shops and residential buildings. Over the years we’ve gilded monuments, memorials and public buildings in Washington, DC and Annapolis.
Gold leaf boat names, carved quarterboards and handmade signs, built to last.
For businesses and homeowners, we make dimensional letters, plaques and signs in brass, bronze, stainless steel, glass, acrylic, PVC and HDU. We design, build and install every sign ourselves, from the first drawing to the final installation. Send us your request by email for a quote.
For boats, interior displays, and cottage entrances, we carve quarterboards and nameboards in mahogany and teak. We create gold leaf boat names with matching life rings. In historic homes, we use traditoinal glass gilding techniques to create gold numbers above the front door. See our photo gallery!
Our Story
Brendon J. Brandon founded Designs & Signs in 1976, after a sign making career that took him through Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and the United States. He is a past President of the International Society of Gilders and served six years as head editor of its magazine, “The Gilder’s Tip.” He has taught gilding and sign making for the Smithsonian Institution, the Society of Gilders, the International Sign Association and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Today his son, master gilder Travis Brandon, runs the shop in Edgewater, Maryland, and every sign is still made by hand the traditional way.
Let's Get Started!
We've been making signs by hand since 1976, from gold leaf boat names and carved quarterboards to dimensional letters and glass gilding.
The quickest way to begin is to send us a message with your project details, and we'll get back to you with ideas and pricing.
We look forward to working with you!