31 Issue 250 - December 2023 / January 2024 email: news@signlink.co.uk ADNAMS X DB SIGNS For swing signs, Barber says as he works his way through the long list of them, he will often change them to bring them up to date using his father’s sign as a guide. “Sometimes I will go in a totally different direction, like The Swan Stallham. Sometimes I will do the same scene but change the style like The Sole Bay. Sometimes there is no need to change and if I did there would be an outcry as signs like The Eels Foot or The Red Lion Southwold have become so recognisable that changing the look would be detrimental to the brand.” If deciding to change a swing sign, Barber says he is usually met with a “do whatever you like, I trust you” from Holman. But out of courtesy, he will always run his ideas by her and notes that sometimes a non-signwriter’s perspective is good! Barber is responsible for all the research and says he always makes sure that the historical details are as accurate as possible. A current project for The Queens Head Blyford has taken Barber all over East Anglia with the signwriter visiting various churches and “meeting some great people” in the process. Barber continues: “I find the history fascinating, I have learned far more about a wide range of topics since doing the signs that I ever learned at school.” Pubs and hotels that are managed by Adnams all have their own individual identity which are historically designed in-house under the guidance of the head of creative. Barber will meet with the company to discuss materials and the desired look, enabling him to produce work that ticks all of Adnams’ boxes and aligns with their overall vision. Whilst some jobs lead to Adnams leaving it up to Barber, others require his input in order to achieve signage that stays true to the company’s values, whilst making the installation responsible, timely, individual, and eye-catching. To this day, DB Signs still takes care of 99% of Adnams’ pub and shop work which includes signwriting, cut vinyl, wide-format printing, gold, silver, and copper leaf work, as well as other areas of sign-making. This means that in addition to working with Holman on the signwriting side of things, Barber deals with a range of different people from all areas of the business, all of whom he describes as great to work with, bringing various skills and visions to the table. These people include chairman Jonathan Adnams OBE; chief executive Andy Wood OBE DL; chief operating officer Karen Hester; and Nick Attfield. Barber also paid thanks to head of creative Jess Turner; retail business development manager Rosalie Herron; marketing project manager Leanne Adams; contracts manager Tracey Smith; and Victoria Savoury, Manage Inns. Finally, Barber paid big thanks ▼ Photo: Adnams & Anthony Cullen
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