The Art Sign Company was founded in Oakland, California by Alistair Wilson at the close of World War II. He had previously worked as a journeyman sign painter and show card artist. Among other things, Al was one of the unsung army of artists who had hand painted some of the memorable movie posters of the 1930's and 1940's. His first shop was located on Grove Street (Martin Luther King, Jr. Way) and eventually moved to 1014 Webster Street. Al and his wife Signe (really!) with occasional hired help and family ran the business successfully for 33 years. The success of the business was based on hand painting and screen printing with an emphasis on commercial real estate and related signs.

The present owners were successful self-employed sign installers back in the late 1970's. They had begun to handle the majority of sign installations for Mr. Wilson's clients. When, in early 1978, Al decided to retire, he sold the business to Signs, Etc.: the sign installers, Paul Ewen and James Curtis.

Since 1978 The Art Sign Company has grown and changed considerably, from a small "Mom & Pop" sign shop to a modern enterprise with a 12,000 Sq. Ft. facility employing over a dozen full time employees. While the main emphasis remains on serving property- related industries, the way signs are designed and manufactured has created new opportunities for productivity and versatility. As in most other manufacturing and service industries, commercial signs and graphics have been revolutionized by the computer. Computer aided design, computer-graphic vinyl applications, thermal printed vinyl have created an incredible range of graphic possibilities (see Recent Projects ).

The Art Sign Company begins the 21st Century with state of the art tools, a work force dedicated to client satisfaction, and a desire to continue to make sign-making history.