Present for Your Best Days.
Gentle on Your Hardest Ones.
We are a family owned bronze plaque company, and what we actually do is something more meaningful than just designing bronze plaques. Every project that comes through our door represents a moment in someone’s life that matters enough to mark permanently in metal.
Sometimes it’s a best day. A law partner calling on the morning their firm opens its doors, a school district dedicating a new building, a family celebrating a patriarch’s legacy with a plaque that will outlast all of them. These are joyful calls, and we love making them even better.
Other times, it’s one of the hardest calls we’ll take. A family, still deep in grief, trying to find the right words to honor someone they’ve lost. A veterans organization memorializing brothers and sisters in arms. A church community honoring a beloved pastor who shaped generations of lives. These calls require something different from us: patience, gentleness, and a genuine understanding that we’re not just making a sign.
“My time in the military taught me how short and precious life is. Coming home and building something that helps people mark the moments that matter most. That’s not work. That’s a privilege.” — Mitchell, Owner
We never rush those conversations. We listen first. We ask the questions that help us understand what this plaque needs to be, not just what it needs to say. We work with you until it’s exactly right, because a permanent tribute deserves nothing less.
That is why, when you call Innovative Signs, a designer answers. Not a voicemail, not a chatbot, not a call center. A real person who genuinely cares about your project.
The Commitments That Have Kept
Us Here for 42 Years
These aren’t marketing promises. They are the values this family owned bronze plaque company was built on in 1984, and the same values Mitchell carried through nearly a decade of military service before taking the helm.
A Designer Answers Every Call
Not a machine. Not a script-reader. A real designer picks up during business hours, ready to work on your project from the very first conversation.
You See It Before You Buy It
Every client receives a complete design proof and quote before placing an order, at no charge, with no obligation. Know exactly what you’re getting before you commit a dollar.
We Revise Until It’s Right
There are no revision limits. We work with you, patiently, until your design is exactly what you envisioned. Your image is our number one concern.
Only Real Work, Honestly Shown
Every design proof we create is a true, accurate representation of your finished plaque. No guesswork, no surprises. What you approve is what you receive.
100% Money Back Guarantee
The only true 100% Money Back Guarantee in the industry. If you don’t love your plaque, return it for a full refund or full credit. No argument. No hassle.
We Own Our Mistakes
We’re human. Occasionally we make mistakes. When we do, we own it immediately and make it right as fast as possible. No deflection. No fine print.
You Can See the Difference
Between Ours and Everyone Else’s
Our team walks past bronze plaques all the time. On buildings, in lobbies, at memorials and parks. After 42 years of making them, we can usually tell at a glance whether a plaque is ours. Not because we are looking for it — because the differences are visible once you know what to look for.
The most common issues we see in other companies’ work: text spacing that looks mechanical rather than designed, portrait images that appear dropped into the layout rather than built with it, manufacturing artifacts from overseas foundries or rushed production, and finishes that look inconsistent or unintentional.
These are not subtle flaws. They are the difference between a plaque someone is proud of and a plaque they quietly wish had turned out differently.
Every plaque our designers produce starts with a blank canvas. The proportions, spacing, typeface selection, and layout are considered specifically for your content, your size, and your installation. Template companies drop your text into a pre-existing design. You can see the difference.
When you call Innovative Signs, a designer answers. That same designer handles your project from the first call to the finished piece. They designed your proof. They know what it should look like. They are the last set of eyes on it before it ships. That is not how most plaque companies operate.
We do not use overseas foundries. We maintain complete control over our manufacturing process. Our quality control is not a checklist — it is the designer who built your proof reviewing the finished piece. They know exactly what it should be, and they are not signing off on anything less.
Our 100% Money Back Guarantee exists because we believe in our work enough to stand behind it unconditionally. No other bronze plaque company offers this. We offer it because four decades of doing this right means we almost never need to honor it — but when we do, we do so without question.
A Family Owned Bronze Plaque Company,
Started in a Garage
Innovative Signs began with a quarter-page display ad in the March/April 1984 issue of Case and Comment, a magazine for legal professionals. Bart Baker was finishing his final semester at Purdue University. The business was entirely mail-order, the only product was bronze plaques, and there were no cell phones, websites, email, or even fax machines.
Wearing every hat himself, Bart mailed information packets during the week and spent weekends doing what every great small business story starts with — manufacturing plaques in a two-car garage at his parents’ home.
Law firms nationwide reacted enthusiastically. Many of those early clients remain customers to this day, which says more about who Innovative Signs is than any award ever could. That’s a facthat speaks more about who Innovative Signs is than any award ever could.
The product line grew over the decades to include cast bronze, aluminum, etched metal, and CNC machine-engraved plaques with 3D PhotoRelief® graphics. Through it all, one thing never changed: the belief that your needs matter more than ours.
The company eventually found its way to Mitchell, a family member who had spent nearly a decade serving as an Air Force officer in military intelligence and space operations — operating at some of the highest levels the service has to offer, earning the Air Force Commendation Medal, and building a deep conviction that great outcomes come from genuinely valuing the people around you.
That conviction was shaped, in part, by hardships Mitchell faced during his time in the military. Those experiencest sharpened his sense of how short and precious life is, and how much it matters to show up fully for the people in front of you. When the opportunity came to lead a family business built on helping people through their best and most difficult moments, it felt less like a career choice and more like a calling.
Today, Innovative Signs serves clients in all 50 states, several U.S. territories, and countries around the world. Mitchell’s background — military precision, a deep respect for people, and a hard-won understanding of what matters — shapes how this team approaches every single project.
Our journey
This Certification Means Something
Personal to Us
The SDVOSB designation is a federal certification that recognizes businesses owned and operated by veterans who were disabled in the line of duty. Learn more about the SBA’s SDVOSB program. For government agencies, schools, municipalities, and contractors, it opens the door to set-aside contracts and preferred procurement consideration.
But for Mitchell, it’s not a procurement strategy. It’s a reflection of who he is. He served as an Air Force officer in military intelligence and space operations for nearly a decade, working at some of the highest levels the service has to offer. The experiences he carried home from that time — the weight of them, the perspective they gave him about life and what truly matters — are a large part of why he leads this company the way he does.
When a veterans organization calls us to create a memorial for fallen service members, or a military installation needs a dedication plaque, or a Gold Star family is trying to find the right words — Mitchell understands those calls in a way that goes beyond customer service. That understanding is baked into how this entire team approaches every project, veteran or not.
Government & SDVOSB Contracting“The only true 100% Money Back Guarantee in the industry.”
Read the Full GuaranteeWe Stand Behind You.
Not Just Our Product.
Almost every plaque company stands behind their product. Innovative Signs is the only one that stands firmly behind you. If you don’t love your plaque, return it in its original condition for a full refund or full credit toward another product — your choice, no kidding.
We take it back because we want you to be happy. We never want you stuck with a plaque you don’t love, and we are willing to take the loss to make sure that never happens.
We work hard to make sure you never need the guarantee. Every design proof we send is a true representation of your finished plaque, accurate in layout, proportion, and detail. We want you to know exactly what you’re getting before you commit to anything.
It continues with the free design proof before you order, the careful revisions we make until you’re satisfied, and the multiple quality inspections every plaque goes through before it ships. We want that “wow” moment when you open your box — every single time.
- Full refund or full credit if you’re not satisfied. Your choice.
- No restocking fees, no deductions, no fine print exceptions
- Return in original condition for full consideration
- Free design proof before you order eliminates surprises
- If we make a mistake, we own it and fix it immediately
Three Steps.
Zero Runaround.
From first call to delivery, the whole process is designed around one thing: making it as easy as possible for you.
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Call. A Designer Answers.
A real designer picks up immediately during business hours. Tell us your story. We listen, ask the right questions, and get to work.
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We Begin. Revise Until Right.
After your first call, we get to work immediately. We revise as many times as needed — no limits, no charges — until the design is exactly what you envisioned.
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Delivered to Your Door.
Your approved design goes to production, passes quality inspection, and ships directly to you, anywhere in the U.S. or worldwide.
42 Years of Trust,
Built One Project at a Time
“The plaque is incredible! It’s always hard ordering something like this over the web and across the country with such a strict time limit, but it came that Thursday night and it’s perfect. Much better than we had even dared to hope.”
Nancy Rivera & Donna Mosich
Soquel Union Elementary School District, CA
“I have had the pleasure of working with the designers from Innovative Signs for a number of years. Service and products have always been top-notch!”
Lorena Hernandez
Customer since 1987 · 37-year relationship
“At our church, we have had them cast many bronze signs and also rehab some cast bronze signs that were 100 years old and needed modernization. I highly recommend Innovative Signs for their customer service and their workmanship, both five stars.”
John Goodpasture
Church client · Customer since 2016
“The Belleair Community Foundation has used Innovative Signs for years. We have probably purchased over 100 different signage pieces. We have signs in our parks that are 15 years old and they look great. Their design team worked with us at the highest professional level.”
Karla Rettstatt
Belleair Community Foundation · 15+ year client
“It has been nearly 20 years the team at Innovative Signs has served my needs. Through this partnership I have delivered dozens of high quality bronze plaques throughout Southern California cities, parks, harbors, and resorts. My clients have always been pleased.”
Bill Atkins
Graphic Designer · Municipal projects · 20-year client
Meet the Designers Behind Every Plaque We Make
Carl, Mark, and Mary have each spent years at this. Before you call, take a moment to meet the people who will answer.
Meet Our Design TeamWhatever Your Moment,
We’re Here for It
Call us and a designer will answer. Tell us your story. We’ll listen carefully, ask the right questions, and be in touch within 24 hours to begin. No obligation, no pressure — ever.