Bayan Signage works with architects, facade contractors and developers to make architectural signage that is part of the building: tenant bands, routed ACP cassettes, laser-cut aluminium screens and lit panels aligned to the cladding grid. Our draftsmen coordinate the shop drawings with the facade design, and our Ajman factory fabricates every panel to the building's tolerances.
Architectural signage is signage designed, detailed and fixed like the cladding around it: panels that follow the building's grid, match its materials and colours, and happen to carry a name, a number or an image. A mall tenant band in the same grey cassettes as the facade, car park level numbers routed out of the panels and lit from behind, a school name laser-cut through a perforated screen. It suits new buildings, major refurbishments, retail parks, hospitals, schools, government buildings and office parks.
The benefit is coherence, and the price is early coordination. Panels must line up with joints and mullions, lit panels need 100 to 150 mm of depth behind them, power routes must be agreed with the MEP design, and in a ventilated rainscreen the sign cannot block the drainage path. Once the facade subframe is fixed, adding any of that means removing finished cladding. Our draftsmen join the coordination early, work to the facade contractor's tolerances and produce shop drawings, samples and mock-ups for each review.
Bayan Signage has been fabricating in Ajman since 2016 as the production arm of Bayan Advertising, which has spent 15 years in the UAE market. CNC routing to ±0.1 mm, laser cutting of aluminium and steel, powder coating, galvanised frame welding and LED assembly all happen in our factory at Alam Square, Industrial Area 2. Our team of designers, technical draftsmen, fabricators and installers works with one project manager from brief to handover.
Trusted by 500+ UAE businesses, including
The technique follows the architectural intent and the lighting plan. These are the ones we are asked for most, with links to related products.
Letters routed from a solid ACP or aluminium panel and backed with acrylic, so they glow at night while the panel reads as cladding by day.
View details →Names, patterns and images cut through solid aluminium sheet, backlit or open. Suits gates, screens and feature walls.
View details →A continuous band of matching cassettes on a mall or retail park facade, where each tenant's panel can be swapped without disturbing the rest.
View details →3D building names and logos fixed to facade cassettes, with fixing points and backing plates designed into the panels from the start.
View details →Panel-based wayfinding for hospitals, schools and office parks, built in the same materials as the buildings they serve.
View details →Community and campus entrance walls with recessed or applied names, detailed to match the landscape and gate architecture.
View details →We study the architect's elevations, facade panel layout, joint sizes and MEP drawings, then visit the site to measure as-built conditions, check access and agree interfaces with the facade contractor.
Our draftsmen lay the signage out on the facade grid, detail cassettes, subframe, lighting depth and cable routes, and issue shop drawings and material data for consultant review.
We produce finish samples and, where needed, a full-size mock-up panel with lighting, so colours, perforation effects and brightness are approved outdoors at full size before the production run starts.
Panels are CNC-routed or laser-cut, folded into cassettes, powder-coated or supplied in PVDF, and lit panels fitted with LEDs and run at full brightness in our test area before sign-off.
Our crews install in step with the facade contractor's programme, adjusting brackets to take up site tolerances and keeping the rainscreen drainage and ventilation paths open behind every panel.
Every panel is checked for alignment, joint widths and light uniformity, including a night check of lit panels. You receive as-built drawings, material data and the outdoor warranty document.
The specification we start from for facade-integrated signage. On most projects the consultant's specification governs, and we match it item by item.
| Element | Our standard | Upgrade options | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Face panel | 4 mm ACP, FR core, PVDF coated | A2 core, 3 to 4 mm solid aluminium | Facade signage generally has to meet the same fire expectations as the cladding. |
| Graphic method | Routed letters with push-through acrylic | Laser-cut, perforated image, applied 3D letters | The method follows the architectural intent and decides the lighting depth needed. |
| Cassette | Folded returns 25 to 50 mm, hook-on pins | Concealed clip systems matching the facade | Removable cassettes let one tenant panel change without touching the band. |
| Lighting | IP65 LED modules in a sealed box behind lit panels | Linear lights, dimming, timer control | Lit panels need even light without blocking the rainscreen drainage. |
| Subframe | Adjustable aluminium rails to structure | Galvanised steel brackets for heavy panels | Adjustment absorbs the few millimetres every building is out of true. |
| Joints | Matched to the facade, 10 to 20 mm | Sealed joints where the facade is sealed | Panels need room to move with daily temperature swings of 30 degrees or more. |
Architectural signage is mostly a coordination job. These are the points our draftsmen push for on every project, ideally before the facade design is frozen.
Lighting depth, power routes and panel joints are cheap to change on a drawing and expensive once the facade subframe is fixed. A lit tenant band needs 100 to 150 mm behind the panels and a driver location someone can reach. If we see the facade drawings at design development stage, those requirements are built in rather than cut in later.
Facade panels usually run on a 600, 900 or 1,200 mm module. We centre letters and logos on panels so joints fall between words, never through a letter. A mall tenant band of 900 to 1,200 mm tall typically carries letters of 400 to 600 mm with margins for the joint lines. A lit letter cut by a joint shows as a dark line at night.
Standard sign panels may not meet facade fire requirements, and they can fade at a different rate from the cladding around them, so a sign that matched on day one stands out after three summers. We specify the same core grade and coating system as the facade, from the same manufacturer where possible, with data sheets for the consultant.
Colours, perforation images and lit effects look different at full size outdoors than on a sample chip or a render. A single mock-up panel, lit and viewed from the street at dusk, avoids a surprise repeated across fifty panels. It also gives the consultant, landlord and authority something real to approve, which tends to speed up sign-off.
Recesses, perforations and sills collect sand, and a pale panel under a dusty ledge streaks quickly. We slope sills, add drainage to recesses, and make sure the building maintenance unit or a cleaning crew can reach every sign panel. On car park facades with perforated images, we choose hole sizes that do not trap dust.
Architectural signage is priced from the facade drawings and the specification. Send the elevations, panel layout and the signage intent, and we will return an itemised quote, usually within 24 hours for a defined scope.
FR and A2 cores, solid aluminium and PVDF coatings matched to the facade cost more than standard sign panels.
Applied vinyl is cheapest; routing with push-through acrylic, laser-cut screens and perforated images add machining time.
Lit panels need sealed LED boxes, drivers, cable routes and coordination with MEP, priced as their own lines.
Repeated cassettes across a tenant band are efficient; many one-off panel sizes add drawing and fabrication time.
Finish samples and full-size lit mock-ups are itemised so you can see their cost against the risk they remove.
Installing in step with a facade contractor, at height or in phases, affects the labour and access lines of the quote.
Architectural signage is usually reviewed by the architect, facade consultant and landlord before it reaches the authority, then included in the municipality or free-zone permit submission: Dubai Municipality, Sharjah or Ajman Municipality, or authorities such as JAFZA, DMCC and TECOM. We prepare shop drawings, material data and samples for each stage and respond to comments.
Because these panels form part of the external facade, they generally need to meet the same fire safety expectations as the cladding, and Dubai Civil Defence and other authorities typically expect FR or A2-rated materials on facades. The project's fire consultant normally confirms the exact requirement. We supply materials with manufacturer data sheets to suit, and confirm the rules for each project.
Our technical draftsmen work from facade and MEP drawings, prepare shop drawings and structural plans, and attend coordination with the design team.
CNC routers and laser cutters in our Ajman factory cut ACP, aluminium and steel to ±0.1 mm, so panels match the facade tolerances.
We build finish samples and lit mock-up panels so colours, perforation images and lighting effects are approved at full size outdoors.
Panels are specified to the same core grade and coating system as the surrounding facade, with manufacturer data sheets for the fire consultant.
Outdoor architectural signage is covered for 5 years on LEDs, powder coat and structure, with a warranty document issued at handover.
A single contact coordinates with the architect, facade contractor, consultants and landlord from the first drawing to final handover.
Architectural signage is designed as part of the building, following its panel grid, materials and fixing systems, while a normal signboard is fixed onto a finished facade. Architectural panels look more integrated and can be changed panel by panel, but they need earlier coordination with the design team and usually cost more.
It depends on the materials and core, the graphic technique, lighting, how many panel types there are, samples and mock-ups, and how installation fits the facade programme. A routed, lit tenant band costs far more per metre than applied vinyl on cassettes. Send the elevations and signage intent for an itemised quote.
Yes. Letters can be routed or laser-cut and backed with acrylic, perforated panels can be backlit, and 3D letters on cassettes can be lit. Even backlighting usually needs 100 to 150 mm behind the panel, and power routes and driver locations must be planned with the facade and MEP design.
Usually, if they form part of an external facade. Authorities generally expect facade materials, including signage panels, to meet fire safety requirements, which often means FR or A2-rated ACP or solid aluminium. The project's fire consultant normally confirms the requirement, and we supply materials with data sheets to suit.
Yes, that is how most of these projects run. We review the facade drawings, prepare shop drawings, attend coordination meetings, provide samples and mock-ups, and sequence installation with the facade contractor's programme. Involvement before the facade subframe is frozen makes the biggest difference to cost and quality.
Yes, if the band is planned that way. We use removable cassettes, so a tenant's panel can be taken out and replaced with a new routed or printed panel in a single visit, and lit panels have accessible light boxes. The band stays consistent while tenants change.
Often, but it takes more work. We survey the facade, check the subframe and structure, and design panels that align with existing joints and finishes. Matching weathered cladding colours is the hard part, so samples on the wall matter. Sometimes a well-designed ACP signboard or 3D letters are more practical.
Longer than a standard sign, mainly because of reviews. Shop drawings, samples, a mock-up and consultant comments often take longer than fabrication itself, and installation follows the facade programme. We agree a realistic programme with the project team at the start and update it as approvals come through.
Send your logo, the fascia size and a site photo. Our estimating team replies with options and an itemised price, usually within 24 hours.