Sign Maker Profile
More than a century of client first service
As one of the oldest sign making companies in the country, Widd is heralding a new future by focusing on an expansion in its services, while keeping its clients close to its ethos. Assistant editor, Ana Lambert, sat down with partnership and marketing director, Sarah Beaumont, to discuss the recent rebrand and company aspirations.
W
idd Signs was founded in 1888 by 15-year-old Arthur Widd, in the Castle Works workshop in Bradford with help from his brothers, Harry, a joiner, Tom, a sign writer, and Ernest, an expert in showcards.
Around six decades later, in 1945, Arthur Widd retired and Howard Cook took over as business owner and managing director and kept the Widd name. The new ownership saw a modernisation of the Bradford workshop and an evolution of the companies capabilities.
More than 50 years later, in 1998, the company changed hands yet again to the Williams family, who still form part of the leadership team. Now the company sees Leeds as its head office, with another manufacturing site workshop in St Helens.
To recognise the business’ evolution, the company was formally rebranded to Widd, on September 29, 2025, with its three pillars being signage, strategy, and sustainability.
Signage
The signage part of the business, allows for today’s company to provide its customers with dedicated craftsmen – who create its quality products. Learning about its history and the products, Sarah Beaumont, partnership and marketing director explained that they can be found in the most common of places, one example being a surprising connection to bus signage.
She said: “We found that we made the signs that went onto the front of buses. Apparently, those were known as
Sarah Beaumont, partnership and marketing director
Widd plates, owing to the fact that Widd designed a specific system used to fixed them on.”
While keeping traditions and heritage alive is important to Widd, it has recently focussed on the brand and service propositions.
Sarah, along with her team and local partners wanted to get clear on how the business was seen.
She explained: “We set out to consider how we show up in the marketplace, how we communicate what we do and how we tell people about our USPs and what we’re really good at.” The team initially planned on just
The fun in making new signage | 54 | January/February 2026
www.signupdate.co.uk
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