Hull signage firm awarded £100,000 tax relief for innovative new project

The firm worked with innovation funding specialist Catax, a Ryan company, in order to attain the tax relief.

Rob Daysley, managing director of Designs Signage Solutions, said: “We’re in a very competitive market, and so we need to create our own niches and efficiencies to ensure we can continue to grow.

“That’s why we do so much R&D work — and the money we receive gets put back into the business and capital investment. Our whole senior leadership team is always looking at R&D and ways we can improve and have a point of difference over our competitors.”

The firm was awarded the tax relief in part for its work to develop a high quality printed sign which could remain resistant to heavy rain and wind for multiple days at a time. Signs such as those produced by the company are also subject to being repeatedly built, deconstructed and transported.

Designs Signage Solutions was tasked with creating a sign that could withstand such use while continuing to look new throughout its lifespan.The firm noted that all other previous solutions compromised the “overall quality” of the sign.

The company managed to overcome those challenges to develop a first-of-its-kind signage technology to hit the required brief.

Claire Robinson, key account manager at innovation funding specialist Catax, added: “It takes a lot of time and effort to become a leader in your industry, and Designs Signage Solutions keep innovating to make sure they stay at the forefront of their field.

“The company keeps coming up with new challenges they want to overcome, which not only helps their business to grow but also produces great results for their customers.

“The tax relief they have received will go back into the business and even more R&D projects.”

The company is also developing 3D imaging technology which can map a surface to which a design will be applied.

The firm said that this is particularly useful when the surface is curved, as old techniques rely on masking tape and hand-drawing. The technique also increases accuracy, as 3D scans take curved surfaces into account, rather than relying on a flat design that needs to be adapted accordingly.

The company also noted that 3D imaging significantly reduces the amount of time taken to develop designs for the space, and mitigates the risk of human error.

R&D tax relief was introduced by the Government