Help and Advice Sheets

Professional Nameplates

For centuries a plaque on the wall has been used as a 'badge of excellence', to designate a building for a unique purpose or to prove the status of the person whose name appears on it. For some professions, such as Doctor's and Dentist's, the practice is unable to operate without a professional nameplate on display. Very often this nameplate is the only external method of advertising the business.

Because of the kudos associated with a professional nameplate the public instantly feel a sense of trust, respect even reverence if they see a nameplate. Traditionally, nameplates are made out of Polished Brass; perhaps this is due to a close resemblance to gold, or the association Brass has with wealth and good fortune. Polished Brass will last many years outside and will not rust; however it does need regular polishing to maintain its appearance. A cheaply made, tatty or tarnished nameplate can have the reverse effect.

Austin Luce has specialised in supplying professional nameplates for 60 years. We understand the importance of the image they create so our products conform to a high minimum standard both in terms of material and finish. You are assured of premium quality every time. In addition to Brass nameplates Austin Luce also supply a product called 'Lustele'. This gives the highly polished appearance of Brass without the need for regular polishing.

Typically nameplates measure 30cm x 20cm or A4 size but we can custom build any size required. They are engraved to your requirements but we would normally expect to see a title followed by the persons name, their qualifications and finally their profession. When a practice has several partners each partner can have their own nameplate but they can all be mounted on a single woodbase with perhaps the practice name at the top and opening hours with telephone number at the bottom.

Lustele – highly polished & looking good – Today's professional image!
Lustele was released exclusively by Austin Luce in 1995. It is a different metal alloy to Brass but has the same colour and same highly polished finish. It is a much harder metal consequently it takes longer to engrave each letter and, therefore a little more expensive than Brass. However, we would expect this to considerably outlast the Brass alternative thereby making it exceptional value for money. Since we launched this product it's popularity has grown and now almost half of our nameplates are ordered in Lustele.

Dark Sepia Bronze
With a traditional pedigree this material normally has a 'patina' finish that gives it a matt dark sepia colour with ivory letters. It has an antique feel and appearance to it and is often used for commemorative plaques. It requires no regular maintenance but is left to weather naturally. We can supply Solid Bronze with letters engraved and in-filled with vitreous enamel.

Modern Clean Living?
The more modern materials such as Stainless Steel or Satin Silver Anodised Aluminium have a much brighter feel to them. It is usually thought Stainless Steel has a more upmarket appearance than Aluminium. Stainless Steel is normally a lightly brushed finish but it can also be supplied with a mirror polish, which can have a very contemporary flavour! It is often used when a polished Chrome effect is required.

Plastic
Engraved plastic is now used extensively. It is available in a range of colours and is often used for internal signs. Plastic is ideal when price is important but it has a more limited life expectancy.

The basics on Base's
Woodbases add significantly to the appearance. Without a woodbase a nameplate can look like a picture without a frame. With polished Brass nameplates it also has a practical benefit of raising the nameplate which helps to keep the metal polish away from the wall. Regular polishing can create a black ring on the wall around the nameplate, which is almost impossible to remove and will detract from the image the nameplate is aiming to portray. All types of timber are available and all from sustainable sources. We recommend the use of hardwood outside with Mahogany being used as standard. Not all nameplates need woodbases, for instance door nameplates or internal directional signs.

"I'm not really sure what I want."
It is always difficult to picture exactly what to say or to picture the colours etc. At Austin Luce we provide a colour drawing with a quote, without obligation, right at the first enquiry stage. It is always much easier to correct a draft than visualise a sign from cold! All we need is a rough idea of size and wording and we will come up with a suggested design.

Maintaining the look
Any Brass Polish and 'elbow grease' will work for Brass nameplates but we have discovered 'Q2' which is water based, biodegradable and polishes Brass quickly without hard effort. Available from Austin Luce for £4.95 for a 250ml bottle (inc P&P). Lustele and the other modern materials just wash with warm soapy water when required.
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