Sign Painting A Two-Year Program

Computer Graphics • Truck/Van & Boat Lettering • Airbrush

The purpose of the Sign Painting Program is to train students with the necessary skills and capabilities for a career in the sign art industry.  Our endeavor is to promote creative individualism and to graduate students who can design and letter functional and aesthetically pleasing signs, trucks, vans, murals, and boats.

Sign painting is a trade in the strictest sense.  Yet it is also an art that requires both talent and training.  The techniques and materials of sign painting differ from those of other fields of art.

Businesses need to advertise and be seen.  And business people know that signs are an integral part of presenting a company’s image.  The design selected must be effective and easy to read, while still being attractive and exciting.  A good sign has impact.  Today we can see the practical application of signs in television, movies, promotions, displays, billboards, office doors, windows, charts, posters, and, of course, vans and trucks.  From small vans and paneled trucks to construction vehicles and large trailer trucks, signs and lettering make a memorable impression and influence people.

Signs are created in a variety of different materials: wood, plastic, metal, gold and silver leaf, magnetic, and glass.  The marketplace for signage includes but isn’t limited to boats, race cars,
custom cars, and funny cars.  Extreme sports equipment, like snowboards, and professional sports organizations are looking to sign painters to customize their equipment. The art of sign painting offers a wide scope of individual expression and creativity. There is so much work available that options are almost limitless for a dedicated and motivated graduate. 

The Butera Sign Painting training is specific, with emphasis on a thorough understanding of the basics.  The training includes mastery of the standard alphabets used in leading sign shops as well as contemporary lettering styles.  Practical instruction is given in
layout, arrangement of copy, design, color, airbrush, computer layout, and job estimating.  Students apply their understanding of alphabets to lettering classroom problems that are inherent to vans and trucks, boats, bulletins, indoor and outdoor signs, poster displays, reverse glasswork, and gold leaf.

Butera School of Art is unique in being one of the only schools in the country that offers a complete, professional, two-year course of study in the area of sign art. Our graduates are qualified for entry level positions in the sign industry.  Some graduates elect to open their own sign shop after they graduate.

As an art form, signs are somewhat taken for granted.  Actually, we’d be lost without them.  Signs direct, identify, and sell.  How many signs have you seen today

Sign Painting Program
Two-Year Diploma Course (1,800 Hrs.)