Sign Company Serving Charleston, SC
Looking for a Charleston, SC sign company? Imperial Sign Crafters designs and builds monument signs, exterior and interior business signs, vinyl signage and vehicle wraps for Charleston businesses, offices, medical practices and residential communities. Our Summerville shop has Charleston work across the peninsula, the suburban corridors and Johns Island.
- Summerville shop serving Charleston
- Founded in 2017 by Matt Harris
- 30+ years in the sign industry
- Charleston projects in our gallery
Imperial Sign Crafters is a sign company founded in 2017 and based in Summerville, South Carolina that serves businesses in Charleston, SC. The company designs and produces monument signs, exterior business signs, interior business signs, vinyl signage, custom signage and vehicle wraps. Charleston work in its gallery includes monument signage for Southern Cosmetic Laser and Bayer Heritage, exterior signage for Coastal States Bank, interior signage for Century 21 and Plantation Dental Care, and vinyl signage for Actemium. Charleston business signs are approved through the City of Charleston Zoning Division and, inside designated districts, the Board of Architectural Review or the Design Review Board.
What kinds of signs do we make for Charleston businesses?
We build the sign types listed on our sign services page. Monument signs are the most common Charleston request, because so much commercial development here sits back from the road behind landscaping. The entrance sign ends up doing the job a storefront sign would do somewhere else.
- Monument signs for office parks, medical buildings, banks, churches and community entrances
- Exterior business signs for storefront and building-mounted identification
- Interior business signs for lobbies, wall graphics and branded interior displays
- Vinyl signage for window lettering, door lettering and wall applications
- Custom signage built to a specific property, brand or site condition
- Vehicle wraps, partial wraps and vinyl lettering for work trucks and vans
- Community mailbox kiosks and pavilions for HOAs, apartment communities and new developments
Mailbox kiosks come up a lot in Charleston because so many new residential and mixed-use developments need them, and they look best when they match the entrance monument.
Which Charleston projects have we worked on?
The project gallery is the best answer, and it is worth a look before you call anyone. Our Charleston work covers a mix of tenants instead of one niche: medical and dental, banking and professional offices, industrial and technical firms, and residential communities.
We also produced vinyl signage for Actemium, business signage for Meridian Metal Management, and community monuments for Windward Townes, Boltons Landing and Brighton Square. We will not narrate details about jobs we cannot document, but the photos and the clients are real.
Do you need approval for a business sign in Charleston?
Yes. The City of Charleston routes sign approval through its Zoning Division, and properties inside a designated district also go to the Board of Architectural Review or the Design Review Board. This is the part of a Charleston sign project that catches people off guard.
- An illuminated sign brings an electrical permit into the package
- A sign that overhangs the public right of way brings an encroachment permit
- The city lists a City of Charleston business license and a South Carolina contractor license among the requirements on a sign permit application
- Daniel Island adds a separate Architectural Review Board step before a permit is submitted
None of that is a reason to avoid a good sign. It is a reason to design the sign with the review in mind instead of designing it twice. We do not publish fees, size limits or review timelines here, because they change and they depend on your zoning district, any district overlay and whether the sign is lit. Confirm current requirements for your address with the City of Charleston Department of Planning, Preservation and Sustainability.
Working in Summerville instead? Our guide to business sign permits in Summerville covers how the Town handles it.
How does signage change across Charleston?
Charleston is not one sign market. The peninsula, the suburban corridors and the newer planned areas each push a project in a different direction, and the difference shows up in materials and in how much review the sign has to clear.
The peninsula and the historic district
Downtown signage is a design problem before it is a fabrication problem. The Board of Architectural Review was created in 1931 alongside the first preservation ordinance in the country, and it reviews exterior work visible from the public right of way inside the historic districts. In practice a downtown sign tends to be smaller, quieter and more material-driven: projecting blade signs, painted or dimensional building identification, awning and window lettering, and finishes that sit well against older facades. A sign that sails through on a suburban parcel can be the wrong answer two miles south.
West Ashley, James Island and Johns Island
Out here the sign competes with traffic speed and mature landscaping. A monument at the entrance drive does most of the identification work, and tenant panel layouts matter more because many parcels hold several tenants. Our Millers Crossing monument on Johns Island is an example of entrance signage built for a community instead of a single business.
Medical, professional and hospitality tenants
These tenants usually need two signs working together: exterior identification that gets a first-time patient or guest into the right parking lot, and interior signage that makes the space feel finished once they walk in. We have done both in this market, including interior signage for Plantation Dental Care and Century 21 and monument signage for Southern Cosmetic Laser.
| Charleston setting | Signage that usually fits | What to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| Peninsula storefront in a historic district | Smaller-scale building identification, blade or projecting signs, awning and window lettering | Zoning review plus Board of Architectural Review for properties in a designated district |
| Suburban commercial corridor | Monument sign at the entrance drive, building-mounted identification | Zoning review, sight distance at the drive, tenant panel layout on multi-tenant parcels |
| Office park or medical building | Monument identification plus interior lobby and directional signage | Matching exterior and interior branding |
| Bank or financial branch | Exterior building identification and site monument | Illuminated signs add an electrical permit |
| Residential community entrance | Masonry or dimensional community monument, often with a mailbox kiosk | HOA or developer approval alongside city review |
| Sign overhanging a public sidewalk | Projecting or blade sign | Encroachment permit for the right of way |
What should you have ready before asking for a sign quote?
The fastest quotes come from people who show up with a few things in hand. You do not need all of them to start, but each one cuts a round trip out of the process.
- The property address, so the zoning district and any overlay can be identified
- Vector artwork or a logo file, plus any brand standards your corporate office enforces
- Photos of the building, the entrance drive and the view from the road
- Whether the sign needs to be lit, which affects the build and the permit package
- Any landlord, HOA or property management sign criteria that already apply
- Your real deadline, including a grand opening or lease commencement date
Why choose Imperial Sign Crafters as your Charleston, SC sign company?
Because the person who designs your sign, the person who builds it and the person answering your questions should be in the same conversation. Owner Matt Harris founded Imperial Sign Crafters in 2017 after more than 30 years in the sign industry, including production and design work for national sign franchises, and a 2015 appearance on Shark Tank with a product he invented and patented. Our Google reviews tend to name Matt directly, which says something about how the work gets done.
For a Charleston project that has to clear design review, fit an older facade or match a corporate brand standard exactly, that direct line matters more than the size of the shop. Read more about Matt and the shop.
How far into the Charleston area do we work?
We are based in Summerville and work across the Lowcountry, including Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Goose Creek, Moncks Corner and the surrounding communities. Charleston proper is the largest share of the work in our gallery, from the peninsula out to Johns Island.
Charleston sign questions
Does Imperial Sign Crafters serve Charleston, SC?
Yes. Imperial Sign Crafters is based at 709 Miles Jamison Rd, Suite 2, Summerville, SC 29485 and works throughout Charleston and the surrounding Lowcountry. Charleston projects in our gallery include monument signage for Southern Cosmetic Laser and Bayer Heritage, exterior signage for Coastal States Bank, interior signage for Century 21 and Plantation Dental Care, and vinyl signage for Actemium.
What types of business signs can you make for a Charleston property?
Monument signs, exterior business signs, interior business signs, vinyl signage, custom signage, vehicle wraps and lettering, and community mailbox kiosks and pavilions. If you need something outside those categories, ask and we will tell you plainly whether it is work we take on.
Does a business sign in Charleston need city approval?
Yes. The City of Charleston routes sign approval through its Zoning Division, and a sign on a property inside a designated district also goes to the Board of Architectural Review or the Design Review Board. An illuminated sign adds an electrical permit, and a sign overhanging the public right of way adds an encroachment permit. Requirements vary by zoning district and overlay, so confirm the specifics for your address with the city.
Can you make a sign for a building in the downtown Charleston historic district?
Yes. Signage on properties inside the historic districts goes through the Board of Architectural Review, which reviews exterior work visible from the public right of way. That usually pushes a downtown sign toward a smaller, more material-driven design than a suburban monument, so settle the design direction with review in mind before anything is fabricated.
How much does a monument sign cost in Charleston?
There is no honest flat number. Monument sign pricing depends on size, materials, whether the sign is illuminated, the site conditions at the entrance drive and the review your property is subject to. Send the address, your artwork and a photo of the entrance and you will get a real quote instead of a range.
Do you make interior signs as well as exterior signs for Charleston offices?
Yes. Interior business signage is one of our core services, and we have produced interior signage for Charleston clients including Century 21 and Plantation Dental Care. Medical and professional tenants often handle exterior identification and interior lobby signage together so the branding matches.
Our shop in Summerville
Charleston customers work with us out of our Summerville shop. Call ahead if you want to stop by and talk through a project in person.
- Imperial Sign Crafters
- 709 Miles Jamison Rd, Suite 2, Summerville, SC 29485
- Phone
- (843) 926-7446
- imperialsigncrafters@gmail.com
Planning a sign for a Charleston property?
Tell us the address, send your logo, and we will talk through what will actually work on your property, including the review it has to clear.
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