About Us

Windsurfer to signwriter

It is always good to know that there is a reason behind why someone decides to go into a particular industry. My name is Sam Latham and I am the founder and owner of South East Signage, Signwriter Sussex.

Since the age of nine years old, I have been a windsurfer, pursuing a professional career in the sport and competing internationally for Team GB. I saw that there was a huge demand for eco-friendly sports signage to help competing athletes promote themselves and the brands that sponsor them – it was this that gave me the drive to produce great quality, durable Windsurfing Sail Numbers for competitive racing.

When I set up South East Signage, I decided that the first thing I needed to look at was how we produced Windsurf Sail Stickers. It then took me seven years to grow the environmental side of printing.

How it all started

I founded South East Signage during my degree placement year at Bournemouth Art University. During this time I studied 3D design, graphic design, wood and metalworking, digital printing and laser cutting which enables me to see a complete overview of a brand – this is especially valuable when a company is looking for a re-brand.

Passion and purpose – sail stickers that are kind to the environment

As a professional windsurfer, I am always respectful of the water and our planet. In the past Windsurf Sail Stickers would use PVC stickers made of materials that were harmful to the environment and difficult to recycle.

I wanted to change that. How could I windsurf, knowing that the stickers I had on my sail were no good for the environment? I am proud to say that our eco-friendly stickers are made from Polypropylene (PP) which is a highly sought-after material, however, only a few specific recyclers will recycle this.

If you are using PP stickers for a competition, please contact the sticker ambassador for Team GB who will return them to our company for recycling. This makes PP stickers far better for the planet – they will be recycled, whereas PVC will end up in landfill.

Sustainable signage for the future

The next step for our company is to continue looking at ways of producing, supplying, and shipping other products so they have minimal effect on the environment.

As a company, we produce stickers, banners and signs. As an environmentally-aware Signwriter, I am concerned about the environment. Our company continues to research eco-friendly ways of producing our products and disposing of waste. We have now found a recycling company that can recycle our normal PVC so that this has less impact on the environment, and we use water-based inks which are easier to dispose of than toxic equivalents.

We will continue to research and develop environmentally friendly materials for our customers – these may include biodegradable materials such as bamboo or hemp fabric. These materials are far less harmful to the environment and will break down over time. As soon as we have developed our next eco-friendly product, we will let our customers know and invite companies who are looking to reduce their carbon footprint to contact us.

Brand ambassadors

A large portion of our clients come from the water and extreme sports industry with personal passions in these sports – because of this, we like to give something back to the sports we love and support top athletes in the country. It is also a great way for us to test and develop products to ensure they are fit for purpose.

If you would like to help us grow our business by ordering your Windsurf Sail Numbers, then please follow this link to visit our e-commerce site or for any queries email: sales@southeastsignage.com or call 01903 247 742.

South East Signage is owned by Sam Latham, founder of Boards and Branding Ltd and owner of Worthing Watersports.