23-year-old Nick Lightfoot from The Signshop Nelson added to his list of industry achievements by being named Signee Apprentice of the Year 2021 at the NZ Sign & Display Association’s flagship event, the Awards of Excellence.
Lightfoot recently completed his apprenticeship at The Signshop Nelson under the guidance of owner Craig Barnes.
“Nick says going through an apprenticeship has enabled him to be a better artist and more hands on than he had ever been,” said Melissa Coutts, secretary NZSDA. “Having the qualification means he can continue to be a signwriter wherever he goes and has a future goal to help other sign writing apprentices through their qualification. Nick says he has always been interested in art and graphic design, thrived to be a signwriter, and it shows. Nick has many satisfied clients who say his work goes above and beyond expectations."
Lightfoot has a number of industry achievements under his belt. In the 2019 NZSDA Awards of Excellence, he was awarded with a gold award in the category Work Completed by an Apprentice, a silver award for an entry in Original In-House Design, and another silver in Sign Written Vehicles – Digital.
 |
| Category 13, Dimensional Signs: Country Retreats on Ranzau |
Most recently, Nick was involved in the design and production of 2-time award-winning entry “Country Retreats on Ranzau” (pictured above) at the 2020/21 Awards of Excellence.
Clients said: "Nick’s enthusiasm and ability to picture exactly what we were after was spot on! Nick’s workmanship is evident from concept and design to manufacture and installation. The new branding and signage are absolutely outstanding.”
As the Signee Apprentice of the Year 2021, Nick is awarded over $3000 in prizes thanks to Sponsors Computaleta, Cohesive and Resene.
“The NZSDA would like to congratulate Nick on this huge achievement," Coutts said.
