About Us

Design Signs is a local, custom sign shop in Essex, VT dedicated to serving our clients in the Chittenden County area and our communities. We love what we do and our greatest thrill is hearing how the signs we built stimulated growth for the businesses we partner with.

We are known for our creative designs, superior service, and outstanding workmanship. With the best materials and years of combined experience, we pay attention to every detail giving our commercial signs both a distinguished appearance and a long life cycle. Whether you need a property management sign, a sign for a business, or a lighted sign we have the expertise to get the job done.

Our Staff

We are proud of the wide variety of skills our team brings to making your sign. With multiple decades of combined experience, we can create something special to make your business stand out.

Tom & Nicole Juiffre | Presidents

Phil Seeley | Cad-Cam Operations, Fabrication, Graphic Design & Installation

Nicole Dileo | Graphic Design & Marketing, Fabrication & Installation

Peter Dickerson | Cad-Cam Operations, Fabrication & Installation

Matt Igler | Cad-Cam Operations, Fabrication & Installation

John Floyd | Founder & Special Projects Coordinator

If you have other questions about Design Signs or the work we do, please visit our contact page.

Our History

The original owner, John Floyd, started Design Signs in a former auto repair shop in Burlington in 1985. This was after four years working under the tutelage of a journeyman signmaker in Colorado, and three years in a local sign shop. Itching to have creative control over all aspects of sign design and construction, he worked alone for several years and gradually added staff as the reputation of Design Signs and the demand for his services grew.

When John started in the sign business, everything was done by hand, from cutting out 3D logos to painting text on signs. As computer technology came into the sign industry, he took advantage of the labor-saving capabilities without losing the dedication to creative design and quality workmanship that so many “knock-out” sign shops succumbed to. He loved that technology allowed the team to create, for example, interchangeable directory panels, each with exactly the same shape and screw holes in exactly the same spot. But to this day, we still use our brushes and chisels when they provide a better result for our clients.

The variety of materials has changed a great deal over the years. Aluminum composites and environmentally responsible plastics available today far outperform many of the sign materials available 28 years ago. The team continues to look to future advances in materials to provide longer life to our signs, which means a better return on investment for our clients. Contact us to learn about the newest possibilities!

Read this article for more about the history of our business.