ELECTRIC SIGNS
ELECTRIC SIGNS in Salt Lake City, UT.
Half the year in Utah, it is dark before most businesses close. An unlit sign simply stops working at that point, and so does the frontage it sits on. M Graphics & Signs Inc designs, builds, and services electric signs in Salt Lake City, UT for retailers, restaurants, and commercial properties across Salt Lake County. We handle the permit, the electrical coordination, and the install. Describe your building on our contact page and we will take it from there.
A DARK SIGN READS AS A CLOSED BUSINESS.
Drivers make a fast judgment about whether a business is trading, and an unlit frontage answers that question badly. Illumination keeps you legible through winter afternoons, storm cover, and the long stretch between sunset and closing time. It is the difference between being an option and being invisible during the hours people are actually out.
Everything electrical we build is assembled and wired in house to UL standards, then tested on the bench before it ships. Nothing leaves the floor with a fault waiting to appear a year later.
- UL certified electrical assembly
- 10-year parts warranty on electrical components
- Energy-efficient LED illumination throughout
- Permits and electrical coordination handled
Smoother Daily Operation
A door sized and hung correctly opens and closes without sticking, dragging, or requiring a shoulder to shut. We confirm dimensions and swing direction before ordering so the finished door operates the way it should from day one.
ELECTRIC SIGNS
LIGHT DONE PROPERLY LOOKS EFFORTLESS.
Bad illumination announces itself: hot spots through the face, a shadow where a module failed, a color temperature that clashes with everything around it. Good illumination is simply even. We space LED modules to the depth of the cabinet, choose lens angles for the face material, and match color temperature to the surrounding lighting so the sign reads as one clean surface rather than a grid of bulbs behind plastic.
WIRED FOR UTAH WINTERS AND UTAH SUMMERS.
Electrical components fail where temperature swings and moisture meet. A cabinet that bakes at 100 degrees in August and freezes in January puts real stress on drivers, seals, and connections. We seal penetrations properly, mount power supplies where heat can escape, and use components rated well beyond the conditions they will meet, which is why our repair calls are rarely on signs we built.
WE UNDERWRITE WHAT WE BUILD, FOR 10 YEARS.
Confidence in a lighted sign is easy to claim and harder to underwrite. We back the electrical components in ours for 10 years on parts, which is only possible because we have spent 27 years learning which drivers, modules, and seals survive this climate and which ones look identical on a spec sheet and fail in the third winter. How long has your current sign been up?
WHAT A LIGHTED SIGN DELIVERS
VISIBLE AFTER SUNSET
Evening trade depends on being seen from the road at 6 p.m. in December. Illumination extends your frontage's working hours to match the hours your doors are actually open.
LOW RUNNING COST
LED systems draw a small fraction of what neon and fluorescent tubes consumed, so the light stays on all evening without a noticeable change to the utility bill.
DEPENDABLE THROUGH WINTER
Sealed housings and properly mounted power supplies keep moisture and temperature swings away from the electronics, so the sign keeps working through the months when it matters most.
CONTROL OVER THE HOURS
Timers and photocells switch the sign on at dusk and off when nobody is looking. You get the visibility you want without lighting an empty street at 3 a.m.
SERVICEABLE, NOT DISPOSABLE
Modular LED construction means a failed section is a swap rather than a rebuild. Faces, modules, and drivers can each be replaced individually while the structure stays in place.
CERTIFIED AND INSPECTION READY
UL listed assembly satisfies inspectors and insurers without argument. Documentation travels with the sign, so the electrical sign-off at the end of the project is a formality rather than a hurdle.
WHAT WE ILLUMINATE
OUR ELECTRIC SIGN WORK.
Lighted signage spans a wide range of construction, and the right one depends on your building, your setback, and what the local code permits. These are the illuminated formats we build and service most often.
FRONT LIT
Illuminated Channel Letters
Individually fabricated letters with translucent faces and LED modules inside give the brightest, cleanest storefront read. Each character mounts separately or on a raceway, and colors are matched to your brand at the face.
FULL PANEL
Lightbox and Cabinet Signs
A sealed aluminum box with a printed or routed translucent face suits multi-tenant buildings and pole mounts. Faces slide out for replacement, which makes rebranding or tenant changes a short job rather than a rebuild.
UPGRADE PATH
LED Retrofits and Relamping
Older fluorescent and neon cabinets can usually keep their housing while the internals are replaced. Swapping to LED cuts power draw sharply, removes the ballast maintenance, and brightens a tired sign in a single visit.
SOFT GLOW
Backlit Halo Letters
Light thrown against the wall behind solid metal letters produces an outline rather than a glowing face. The effect suits professional offices, hotels, and medical buildings where a bright storefront read would feel wrong.
HIGH VISIBILITY
Pole and Pylon Signs
Raising an illuminated cabinet above parked cars and landscaping puts your name in the sight line of passing traffic. Structural engineering, foundation depth, and wind load calculations are part of every one we build.
GROUND MOUNTED
Illuminated Monument Signs
Low-profile bases with lighted faces or internally lit lettering suit office parks, clinics, and schools where a tall sign would be refused. Landscape lighting and address numbers are integrated into the same structure.
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★★★★★
Mike T.
THE WORD ON OUR WORK
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY.
Illuminated work is where clients tend to compare us against a previous supplier, usually after a cabinet failed early. What we hear back most is that the light is more even than what they had before, and that nothing has needed attention since.
Common Questions
frequently asked
questions.
Lighting adds electrical questions to every sign decision, from certification to running hours. These are the ones that come up most before an illuminated project gets approved and built.
What is the difference between neon and LED signs?
Neon uses gas-filled glass tubing shaped by hand and driven by a high-voltage transformer. LED signage uses low-voltage modules behind a face or inside a letter, which is brighter per watt, more durable, and simpler to service.
Can an old fluorescent sign be converted to LED?
In most cases yes. The cabinet, faces, and mounting usually stay, while lamps, sockets, and ballasts come out and LED modules with a low-voltage driver go in. The sign gets brighter and the maintenance load drops sharply.
What is a lightbox or cabinet sign?
A sealed enclosure holding the lighting behind a translucent face. Graphics are printed onto or routed into that face, and because it slides out, the artwork can change later without touching the structure or the wiring behind it.
How are electric signs wired and connected to power?
A low-voltage driver inside the sign converts building power for the LED modules. A licensed electrician runs a dedicated circuit to the sign location, and we coordinate that connection so the inspection covers both sides at once.
Do electric signs need a separate electrical permit?
Usually the sign permit covers the structure and the electrical work is inspected alongside it, though some municipalities require a separate electrical permit. M Graphics & Signs Inc confirms which applies at your address in Salt Lake City, UT.
What does UL certification mean for a lighted sign?
It means the sign was built to a recognized electrical safety standard and carries a label proving it. Inspectors, insurers, and landlords all look for that label, and its absence can stall an occupancy approval late in a project.
Can an electric sign be dimmed or put on a timer?
Both are simple to add. Photocells switch the sign at dusk and dawn automatically, timers hold it to set trading hours, and dimmable drivers let you reduce output where a bright sign would disturb neighboring residential property after hours.
How bright should a business sign be at night?
Bright enough to read from the far lane without glaring at the property next door. Local code often caps luminance near residential zones, and M Graphics & Signs Inc sets output against those limits across Salt Lake City, UT.
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Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged.
STEP 06
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text.
HOW WE WORK
FROM FIRST DRAWING TO POWERED UP, HERE IS HOW.
STEP 01
Survey Power And Structure
We check what electrical service is available near the sign location, how far a new circuit would run, and whether the wall or ground can carry the load. Those answers shape the design before it starts.
STEP 02
Design The Lighting, Not Just The Sign
Module spacing, face material, and lens choice all get specified alongside the graphics. Deciding how the light behaves at the same time as how the sign looks is what prevents hot spots and dark corners.
STEP 03
Clear The Permit And Code Review
Illumination is the part of a sign application most likely to draw comments, particularly near residential zones. We prepare the electrical detail with the drawings so the reviewer has everything needed in one submission.
STEP 04
Build And Wire To UL Standards
Cabinets are welded and sealed, faces are printed or routed, and modules and drivers are installed and wired on the bench. Every assembly carries a UL label before it is crated for delivery.
STEP 05
Test Before It Leaves
Each sign is powered up in the shop and left running, so early failures happen on our floor instead of on your building. Brightness, evenness, and color are checked against the approved sample.
STEP 06
Install, Connect, And Inspect
Our crew sets the sign, coordinates the electrical connection, and stays for the inspection. Before we leave, the sign is switched on after dark to confirm it reads the way the rendering promised.