The people who make the sign are the people who hang it.
A full-service design, fabrication and installation shop in Basking Ridge, New Jersey — founded in 1990 by master carver Gary Johnson.
Since 1990
One workshop, one set of hands, thirty-five years.
The Great American Sign Company was founded by Gary Johnson in 1990 and has operated from Basking Ridge ever since. It is a full-service shop: we design the sign, prepare the drawings your township needs, carve and finish it, then install it ourselves.
That last part matters more than it sounds. When one shop owns the whole process, nothing is lost in translation between the designer, the fabricator and the crew on site. The sign that gets hung is the sign that was drawn.
“My goal is to give you a sign that is not only beautiful, but communicates. It should complement its surroundings and impress all who pass by.” Gary Johnson · Founder & Master Carver
The craft
Carved, not printed.
Most signage today is a flat panel with a printed vinyl face. It is quick and it is cheap, and in five years of sun it looks it. Carved signage works differently: the letterform is cut into or raised out of the material, so it throws a shadow and stays legible from an angle and at speed.
We work in high-density urethane, solid cedar, cherry and mahogany, aluminium and steel, PVC panel and stone — finished with marine-grade coatings and, where the job calls for it, genuine 23K gold leaf.
- High-density urethane (HDU), sandblasted or CNC carved
- Solid cedar, cherry and mahogany hardwood
- Fabricated aluminium and steel
- Genuine 23K and variegated gold leaf
- Epoxy resin, crushed glass inlay and prismatic lettering
- Carved stone and turned timber bases
By the numbers
A long record, in one place
Google Reviews
What our clients say
Start your project
Ready to be noticed?
Tell us about the building, the brand and the budget. We will come back with drawings, a realistic timeline and a firm price.