Meet Josh Luke and Meredith Kasabian of Best Dressed Signs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Luke and Meredith Kasabian.

Josh and Meredith, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After graduating from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in painting, Josh apprenticed at New Bohemia Signs, an all-by-hand sign painting shop in San Francisco, from 2005-2010. We met in 2007 and decided to move to my hometown of Boston for grad school in 2010. We started Best Dressed Signs soon after we arrived in Boston.

Back then, smartphones and iPad were not as common as they have become since, so we printed out some images of signs that Josh had painted in San Francisco, along with some business cards, and hit the streets. We first approached tattoo shops, since they had proven to be more open to hand painted signs than other businesses at the time. Our first sign in Boston was for Chameleon Tattoo and Body Piercing in the Garage in Harvard Square.

Since we didn’t have a website at the time, we relied on Flickr and Facebook to promote our work and finally launched our current website in 2012. In 2013, we joined Instagram and that continues to be the platform that gives us the most publicity. We now paint signs and murals for many different kinds of businesses, including tattoo shops.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like many freelance jobs, it can be a bit of a feast or famine situation for us so a big struggle is trying to keep afloat during the slow seasons and not get overwhelmed during the busy times.

Best Dressed Signs – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are an all-by-hand sign painting company, specializing in hand painted signs, murals, gold leaf, custom lettering, and logo design. All of our work is created and painted by hand but we are not opposed to using the computer as a tool during the design and prep processes. We’re known for bold designs and bright colors, executed in techniques that modern technology cannot replicate.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
In 2015 we were invited to design and lead a team of painters for a mural at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati as part of the 40th anniversary of the famous Letterheads. The Letterheads are a group of sign makers who are dedicated to passing down the traditional techniques of the trade. The four day event at the American Sign Museum included workshops, lectures, demonstrations, and six large murals painted on the walls of the museum and adjacent buildings. Our mural, “Fashion Frocks,” is an homage to the clothing company that previously occupied the building that the American Sign Museum currently resides in. Facilitating a dozen painters to complete the 12’x 25′ mural in four days at the country’s foremost institution for the preservation and promotion of traditional sign painting is definitely one of proudest moments.

Contact Info:

• Address: Mailing address: 185 South St. #5 Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
• Website: http://bestdressedsigns.com/
• Phone: 617-942-0189
• Email: info@bestdressedsigns.com

 Image Credit: Brent Refsland

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