By Eye, by Hand, by Heart.
Quintessentially
London’s Best Dressed Lettering.
NGS is a very modern ‘Traditional’ sign writing and brand-signage design studio.
Founded by renowned lettering artist Nick Garrett in mid-eighties, now joined by the inspirational typographic signwritress, Seraina Baumgartner.
”We specialise in 100% hand-painted sign design, sign painting & gold leaf signwriting, delivering the complete city sign painting service”.
Our growing catalogue of our recent and past work; shows our projects, case histories, from a contemporary, Roman inspired, city of London.
NGS’s Seraina at work. The woman artists’ special creative narrative adds an important edge to NGS today.
REPAINTING A NEWLY THRIVING CITY
A London based Sign Co. specialising in hand-lettered design, signwriting & gold leaf, glass gilding.
Remembering London 25 years ago, starting out in my early career, very few cafes served espresso, or set out al terrazzo tables, and Pizza came with pineapple and milk-shake.
Today, London is a global capital reinvented: from our design perspective, fabulously alive.
OUR GOALS: Simple, to be best of Modern Traditional.
NGS has been established with the aim of providing custom signage, fonts, logo design, lettering and generally making London more beautiful.
For all: NGS celebrate accessibility, and hope you find the perfect sign writing solution on these pages.
Love, adore, and enjoy.
Nick Garrett. NGS Founder.
HIRING US: Very easy… whatsapp us
We are normally booked up for at least 7-14 days.
ASAP jobs are possible but also need confirming asap.
We work with all types of projects booking being confirmed on receipt of a deposit.
To help us estimate by return we will need to know:
a) Your location/post code
b) What you want writing
c) The dimensions and surface material to be painted on.
We respond to emails and Whatsapp pretty quickly, we are normally up the ladder but at the ready.
NGS STUDIO HISTORY
1986-2023: THEN AND NOW
Studio Original Location:
Wandle Workshops, Wandsworth, SW18.
Main Projects/Clients: Allied Breweries, Watney Brewery Isleworth.
Not much has changed in approach other than growing with experience and deepening the interest in our art.
Below: my first pub for Watneys painted originally in c1984.
IN THE MOMENT: FOCUS
Nick Garrett Signwriting | AKA ‘NGS’
We’re known as NGS Signwriters today, giving our clients a great piece of signage that builds on everything we’ve learnt, and you’re aiming for.
NGS signwriting emerged from the original art studio founded in 1986, in an old garage in Brixton, South London. Founder, Type creator and product designer Nick Garrett brought a radically new approach to signage and interior design that led to the creation of some of London’s most iconic lettering and furniture projects.
From Designers Guild to the top line of Amazon, Fullers, and Fred Perry, Nick applied a driven approach which resulted in brand signage and products that defined their category.
Three decades, +2000 projects later, the studio has been commissioned across 4 continents, working with governments, master-planners, developers, hotel groups, corner shops, renowned chefs, home-grown retailers and start-ups to reinvent the way we read modern yet classical signage experiences.
TYPORIGINATORS
NGS works inclusively across defining categories. The studio creates, designs and owns fine brand signage; founder is a leading voice of the industry, passionately shaping letters for those with vision.
NEW CATEGORIES – SEWN & BUILDT ON STYLE
NGS’s brands define their category and add continually to their custome catalogue.
We adhere to the mantra that style will always overshadow fashion. The studio’s proprietary design process delivers signwritten type that stands the test of time.
NO ORDINARY TYPE
Each project, font creation or product is an extraordinarily crafted piece of artwork.
Always made for one and all.
With thousands of projects completed we’re vastly experienced, and highly motivated.
MEET SERAINA THE ‘S’ IN NGS:
Seraina Baumgartner
SPECIAL PEOPLE MAKE ESPECIALLY BEAUTIFUL THINGS.
Hailing from Zurich (the home of great type, pointy rocks and chocs).
The ‘S’ in NGS: officially known as the Gold Goddess – because of her beautiful Italian gilding across London.
Seraina specialises in gold leaf work and also hand painted type and lettering.
She excels at traditional sign writing and gilding, creating our bespoke signage, original art pieces and limited edition artworks.
Her family roots in Italy, add to a design accent that imbues that zestful, cultural style. Recently she has a font titled after her ancestral family name of Parietti.
SERAINA: EXPERTISE + SKILLS
Seraina’s favourite areas of sign practice include: custom typographic designed, glass heirloom, gift-line art-works.
Along with Gold Leafing to transoms and bespoke sign designs for shop windows… she pretty much covers it all… usually in gold.
OUR CLIENTS
Loved by.
From BB King to King Charles II | just love getting it right.
Summary: Seraina.
SIGNMASTRESS GILDER DESIGNER
15 years experience | all areas of graphics-signwriting | gold leaf specialisation
Seraina Baumgartner
Hand Made is cool
USING THE BEST TOOLS
ADDS TO THE MAGIC.
We make our own Fonts too.
NGS SOHO FONT FOUNDRY
Hand made by us. ‘New Classical’ London font styles.
Probably best known for our range of ‘New Classical’ styles of signs these are all designed by us, entirely from our projects, predecessors and journey.
SOHO BOLD is born.
‘GOING UP CLOSE TO THOSE LETTERS IN SOHO ON THAT STUDENT TOUR DAY IN 2014 WAS A GAMECHANGER.
My creative connection is with Soho & that London Transport Johnston lettering, and of course the carved ‘Romans Capitals’ of Rome and Pompeii’.
Nick. Garrett
NGS Font Foundry | ENTER
