First Impression Sign Company

Logo and sign I designed and painted over 50 years ago. Time flies when you’re having fun!

Mick Needham’s new sign was installed today… 2024. Originally done in 1974. Wow. Such a trip. One of my very first signs and designs Re-done exactly 50 years later.

First Impression Sign Company is closing up shop after doing business in Chico for 50+-years.
Check out photos on the First Impression FB page - many many more to come. Keeping the FB page for archiving, photos and stories… working on it.
I have sooo many memories with people and sign projects. It’s been a wonderful career.
Here’s me w/ Doug and Kaylinn Hignell years ago.
I have worked for Hignell almost from the beginning, w/ Fred Hignell.

Tony and Jesse installing Scott Teeple’s mural art.

I designed and hand painted this sign in 1974 for Mick. (50 yrs ago?) I got a call from Mick recently about redoing his sign. Lucky for him it was on a 50 year warranty. Working on it now! (Digital printed vinyl this time), Oh my, how time flies.
Retired now. More archived photos of Chico signs to come. Stayed tuned.

Here’s a design and hand painted sign donated to KIXE. Many years ago.

Now the daunting task of cropping, organizing, categorizing and archiving hundreds of signs and design photos. This is just the first 25 years when everything was saved with photographs. The next and last 25 years was mostly saved digitally. HELP. Not sure how to find time to store and present it all. Maybe just put ‘em back in the box.. ha

Speaking of Carmel Plaza. I met the manager of the plaza Maggie Hays in Chico through her son Curt who was going to college here and lived next door. I did many sign projects for her and the plaza, including these graphics in the parking basement. I was 25 at the time and my buddy and co-worker Byron McLaughlin helped with a lot of this.