A totem is often the first thing people see of your site. Positioned at a vehicle entrance or a busy approach, it announces who you are from a distance and guides visitors in before they have to slow down and look for you.
We design, manufacture and install freestanding totems from compact monoliths to pylons of ten metres and more, from our base in Bolton, Greater Manchester, for sites anywhere in the UK. Every structural totem comes with the engineering behind it: calculations, foundation design and certified steelwork.
What we make
- Monolith and pylon totems, single or double sided
- Illuminated totems, with lit faces, halo or face lit lettering and push through acrylic
- Totems with integrated digital screens
- Directory and wayfinding totems for business parks, estates and campuses
- Replacement faces and refurbishment of existing totem structures
Engineered to stand up
A tall sign is a structure, and we treat it as one. Every structural totem is backed by:
- Structural calculations for wind loading at its actual location and height, to BS EN 1991-1-4
- Internal steelwork manufactured to BS EN 1090, with certification available for your records
- A foundation designed for the sign and the ground conditions on site
- Hot dip galvanised steelwork as standard, so the structure lasts as long as the sign
Calculations, foundation details and steelwork certification are included in the handover documentation, so your client, facilities team or building control have everything they need.
Installed safely
Before we dig, we scan for buried services. Foundations are cast to the design, fixings are pull tested where the design calls for it, and our own teams install and commission every totem, working as Principal Contractor where the project needs it.
Finished to last outdoors
Faces are aluminium with durable printed or painted finishes to any RAL colour, so they stay sharp and colour stable outdoors for years rather than months. Illuminated totems use long life LED modules, and we design faces to be replaceable, so a rebrand or a change of tenant costs a panel rather than a new sign.
Planning, handled
Whether a totem needs advertisement consent depends on its size, position and whether it is illuminated. We check the position at survey stage and handle the whole application for you: OS location and site plans, elevations, technical and illumination data, and completion of advertisement consent and, where needed, conservation area consent.
Based in Manchester, working across the UK
We are based in Bolton and install totems across Manchester, Greater Manchester and the North West every week. We also deliver nationwide, including multi site rollouts where the same totem design needs to go in at every branch, dealership or campus.
Why clients choose SPI
- ISO 9001 quality, ISO 14001 environmental and ISO 45001 health and safety certified
- Principal Contractor accreditation with SafeContractor
- Structural calculations and BS EN 1090 steelwork on every structural totem
- Over 250 years of combined experience across our team
Questions we’re often asked
Are your totems structurally designed?
Yes. Every structural totem is supported by wind load calculations for its location to BS EN 1991-1-4, a designed foundation and steelwork manufactured to BS EN 1090.
How tall can a totem be?
Our tallest to date is around ten metres, and we can go higher where a site needs it. The practical limit is set by the structure, the ground and the planning position rather than by manufacture.
Do totems need planning permission?
Often. It depends on size, location and illumination, and illuminated totems usually need advertisement consent. We will tell you at survey stage and prepare and submit the application for you, including conservation area consent where it applies.
What paperwork do we get?
Structural calculations, foundation details and steelwork certification are included in the handover documentation for every structural totem.
How are totems installed?
On a foundation designed for the sign and the ground conditions, after a buried services scan, by our own installation teams.
Can a totem be updated later?
Yes. We design them with replaceable faces and panels, so a rebrand or a change of tenant costs a panel rather than a new sign.
Do you install outside Greater Manchester?
Yes. We are based in Bolton but install totems across the whole of the UK, including multi site rollouts.
Planning a totem? Tell us about the site and we’ll arrange a survey.
You can contact us in the following ways.
Explore our products
Illuminated Signage
Face lit, halo, edge lit and infinity mirror letters, lightboxes, fascias and neon, all LED.
Bespoke Architectural Signage
Feature walls, gold leaf, menu cases and one off architectural pieces.
Fascia & Projecting Signs
Shopfront fascias and projecting signs, lit or unlit, installed UK wide.
Printed Products
Window graphics, wall murals, vehicle livery and large format print, installed UK wide.
Hoardings
Hoarding and Heras graphics, printed in Bolton and installed on sites across the UK.
Interior Signage
Door, room and directional signs finished to match your interior.
Tactile & Braille Signage
Tactile and Braille signs with raised lettering and Grade 2 Braille, designed to BS 8300 and installed across the UK.
Digital Signage
Commercial grade screens, menu boards and digital totems, built into your signage and easy to update.
Wayfinding
Wayfinding schemes, fingerposts, map monoliths and internal directional signs.
Built Up Letters
Metal and acrylic built up letters, lit or unlit, installed UK wide.