Name: Unical Graphic
Address: Passatge la Carola, 2, Cabrera de Mar, Barcelona, 08349, ES
Telephone: +34937502304
Price range: €€

Question 1

Do I need a council licence to put up a sign on my premises?

Accepted Answer

Almost always yes, and it's what delays a project most when it's left until the end. In most municipalities around Barcelona, a prior notification or minor works licence is required to install a facade sign, and the process becomes stricter if the sign projects beyond the facade plane (flag signs, awnings) or if it's illuminated. In historic centres and heritage-protected areas there are also bylaws limiting materials, colours, sizes and even the type of lighting. We prepare all the technical documentation the council asks for (dimensioned drawings, materials specification, a photomontage on the real facade, an electrical installation certificate if it has LEDs) and support you through the process. Approval usually takes between two and six weeks depending on the municipality, so it's worth starting it alongside the design, not afterwards.

Question 2

How long does the whole process take from when I call you?

Accepted Answer

You get the quote within 24 working hours of the site visit. Once you approve the design, average production and installation time is two to four weeks: one week for design and approval, one to two for workshop manufacturing depending on the system, and installation over one or two days. Timelines extend when a council licence is involved or when the sign includes special pieces, like laser-cut steel letters. If you have a fixed opening date, tell us on the first call: we'll rearrange the workshop schedule to meet it, working backwards from opening day.

Question 3

Can I get signage without a logo or brand guidelines?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it's more common than you'd think. Our design team can create the identity from scratch or adapt whatever you already have, even a sketch or a low-resolution image. What we always do before production is a photomontage on a real photo of your facade, to scale and using the measurements taken at the site visit, so you can see exactly how it will look from the pavement opposite and at night. Revisions are included until you approve it: nothing goes to the workshop without your sign-off in writing.

Question 4

What's the difference between a tray sign and dimensional letters?

Accepted Answer

A tray sign is a continuous aluminium or composite box that covers the whole face of the sign: it's cheaper, covers wide or irregular facades well, and lets you change the graphics without touching the structure. Dimensional letters are individual pieces fixed directly to the facade, adding relief and giving a more solid, considered brand feel, especially with indirect backlighting. A tray hides what's behind it, which helps if the facade is in poor condition; dimensional letters leave it on show, so the wall surface needs to be presentable. If you're set on dimensional letters, its specific page has the detail by material.

Question 5

Do you manufacture in-house or subcontract?

Accepted Answer

We manufacture at our own facility in Cabrera de Mar and install with our own team. We don't subcontract either part. In practice this means three things for you: a single point of contact from start to finish, timelines that depend only on our own schedule, and if something needs adjusting on install day it's sorted on the spot without opening a case between suppliers. It also means the warranty covers the whole job, not each piece separately.

Question 6

How long does an outdoor sign last before it fades?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the material and the facade's orientation. We work with cast 3M and Avery vinyls, which carry a manufacturer warranty of five to ten years outdoors; with direct UV printing on rigid substrate, which lasts about six years with no noticeable colour loss; and with lacquered composite aluminium, which stays stable for over ten years. Laser-cut stainless steel is virtually permanent. The difference from a cheap sign shows in the second summer: monomeric vinyls and unlaminated prints fade and shrink, especially on south-facing facades.

Question 7

What maintenance does it need, and what warranty does it carry?

Accepted Answer

A well-made sign needs no more maintenance than cleaning with water and mild soap once or twice a year, avoiding abrasive products and pressure washers on the vinyls. If it has LED lighting, the driver is the part most likely to fail first, which is why we always mount it somewhere accessible so it can be replaced without dismantling the whole sign. We give two years' warranty on manufacturing and installation, and pass on the longer manufacturer warranty of the materials. If anything doesn't meet what was agreed, we fix it at no cost.

Question 8

Can you sign while the premises stays open, without closing the street?

Accepted Answer

In most cases, yes. Shop window and interior work is done during normal hours without closing. For facade work, if the sign is accessible with a ladder or a small platform, closing isn't needed either. When installation requires a lift or occupies the pavement or road, a public occupancy permit needs to be requested from the council, and the usual approach is to install early in the morning or on a Sunday to cause minimum disruption. For chains and franchises, we almost always work outside trading hours, at night or on public holidays, specifically so the shop doesn't lose a single day of sales.

Question 9

What do you need from me to get started?

Accepted Answer

For the site visit, just access to the premises and to be told about any known restrictions: residents' association rules, heritage protection on the building, or an existing sign that needs removing. We measure the facade, check the condition of the wall surface and fixing points, check whether an electrical supply is available for lighting, and photograph the surroundings for the photomontage. If you have brand guidelines or vector files of the logo, even better; if not, we rebuild them. And if the premises is still under construction, the sooner we're brought in the better: planning the sign's electrical supply during the works saves quite a bit of money later.

Question 10

Do you work outside Barcelona?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with our own installation teams covering the whole of Spain. We've installed in Madrid, Valencia, Bilbao, Seville and many other cities to the same standards. For single-shop jobs outside Catalonia, we include travel within the quote, with no surprises later. For chains and franchises we set up a rollout schedule by site, grouping by geographic area to optimise travel and giving you a single point of contact for the entire rollout, not one per province.

Question 11

What happens to the old sign I have now?

Accepted Answer

We handle removal and waste disposal, included in the quote unless stated otherwise. It's important to flag this from the start, because surprises sometimes turn up behind the old sign: damaged wall surfaces, rusted fixings or old electrical installations that don't meet current regulations. We check as much as we can at the site visit, but you never see everything until it's taken down. If something turns up that requires facade repairs, we tell you before continuing, never after.

Question 12

Can you coordinate with my architect or building contractor?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it's the recommended approach when the premises is being refurbished. We regularly work with architecture and interior design studios and with building contractors: they send us the plans, we fit the sign to the project, and we coordinate our entry to the site at the right moment, usually once the facade is finished but before scaffolding comes down, which reduces installation costs. We can also deliver the technical documentation in whatever format the designer needs for the licence application.

System	Ideal use	Estimated durability	Relative cost
Composite aluminium tray	Wide or poor-condition facades; lets you change the graphics without touching the structure	Over 10 years	Medium
Applied dimensional letters	Presentable facades where a more refined image matters	Depending on material, from 8 years to virtually permanent in steel	High
Cut or printed vinyl	Shop window, glazing and interior graphics	5 to 10 years outdoors with cast vinyl	Low
Awning or flag sign	Narrow streets where the front sign isn't visible from afar	Depending on the fabric and exposure	Medium

Typical package	What's included	Indicative
Shop window	Cut vinyl with logo, opening hours and services	From 120 €
Basic facade	Composite tray with printed graphics, unlit	From 300 €
Illuminated facade	Tray or letters with LED lighting and its electrical installation	From 500 €
Full premises	Facade, shop window, interior graphics and access plates	Depends on the project

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Five Guys

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Everything you see, inside and out

01Shopfront

02Shop window and glazing

03Interior of the premises

04Awning and flag sign

05Access and wayfinding

06Rebranding and chains

What holds up for ten years on the street

Composite aluminium

Acrylic and PVC

3M & Avery vinyls

LED lighting

Stainless steel

UV printing

Visit and measurements

Design and simulation

Workshop manufacturing

Installation and handover

Which sign system suits each facade

How the price of signing a premises is worked out

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