Northcliff is where Servaro is based. A site survey here is a short drive, and a second look at a fascia, a window or a vehicle before the final quote costs nobody a morning.
What is asked for here
Northcliff is mostly homes, on the slopes below Northcliff Hill, one of the highest points in Johannesburg. Its businesses are gathered in small centres and along the main roads, Beyers Naudé Drive among them, and many are owner-run: medical and dental practices, salons, restaurants, and trades that work from a bakkie more than a shop.
That shapes the work. A modest fascia, lettering on the window with the opening hours, decals on the doors of the work vehicle, and a website and Google Business Profile, so that a neighbour searching for a plumber or a physio finds the business by name. For most of these, a small sign and a strong listing do more than a large sign alone.
Before a sign goes up here
Northcliff is in the City of Johannesburg, so the City’s 2018 Outdoor Advertising By-law applies: one unlit sign of up to 8 m² on your own premises, or a lit one of up to 12 m² built into the face of the building, needs no permit.
Many businesses here work from converted houses on residential streets. When a sign there does need a permit, the City weighs its effect on the neighbours in deciding, so we keep such signs in scale with the street, and check what applies to the property before we design.