Case Study: HNS Signs
The Brief
HNS Signs — a Birmingham-based signage company with a reputation for craft and precision — commissioned dpix to document their finished installations across active project sites. The work included large-scale commercial signage, shopfronts and specialist applications including gold leaf lettering.
The purpose was to build a portfolio of installation photography that HNS could use to demonstrate the quality of their work to prospective clients — photography that matched the level of craft going into the signage itself.
The Creative Process
Installation photography on live commercial sites is a specific discipline. The work has already happened; the photography needs to capture the result and communicate the quality, scale and precision of what was achieved — often in environments that are not designed to be photographed.
For HNS Signs, the range of projects meant adapting to very different contexts: exterior commercial signage, interior applications, and the particular challenge of gold leaf — a material that photographs beautifully but demands the right conditions and careful handling to apply.
Preparation
Shoots were coordinated around the completion of each installation — arriving on site once the work was finished and ready to be documented. Location photography on commercial sites requires liaison with site managers and clients, clearance for access, and planning around how the space will look at the time of shooting.
For the gold leaf project, the challenge of the material itself was a preparation consideration: gold leaf applied in windy conditions can be lost to the breeze. Shooting the application process as well as the finished result meant understanding the constraints and working with the team on site.
Execution
dpix documented HNS Signs installations across Birmingham, Leicester and London. Each site presented different conditions: exterior light, interior mixed lighting, active commercial environments where the photography had to happen around the reality of a working location.
The gold leaf shoot in Birmingham was the most technically demanding — photographing craftsmen working with a material where a single gust could cost the client significant waste. Working closely with the HNS team, the photography captured both the delicate application process and the striking finished result.
The Result
HNS Signs received a portfolio of installation photography across multiple projects and locations — imagery that gave the company a professional showcase for work that truly warranted it. The photography has featured on the HNS Signs website, demonstrating the breadth and quality of their commercial signage capability.
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