A Message from the 2024 Apprentice of the Year

Jonathan Bradley Salter from Speedy Signs Whangarei has been awarded the 2024 Apprentice of the Year, recognizing his excellence in workmanship and commitment in the sign-making industry.

Jonathan discovered his practical and artistic mindset during high school, excelling in workshop and digital design classes. After working various odd jobs and traveling, he decided to pursue a sign-writing career, securing an apprenticeship at Red Star Signs in Hamilton. During the first year of his apprenticeship, he won a Silver Medal award at the NZ Sign Display Awards of Excellence for his work, under the category Work by an Apprentice

While still in his final year of apprenticeship, Jonathan moved back to his hometown of Whangarei to settle down with his partner, Olivia, and began working at Speedy Signs. Grateful for the support and knowledge he received from mentors along the way, he now takes pride in being a qualified sign writer and looks forward to the next stages of his career.

We caught up with Jonathan to find out more about his motivations, key experiences, and future plans in the sign-making industry.

What motivated you to apply for the Apprentice of the Year award?
When I was a first-year apprentice I attended a NZ Sign Display Awards evening, I saw a young fulla win the apprentice of the year category and I thought “I’ll have a go at that”. Life tends to go in different ways than you expect it to, four years had gone by, and I was living and working in a different city completing the last paper of my apprenticeship. It wasn’t much on my radar until Grant Alsop from Competenz gave me a bell and said he was recommending me to be a nominee for the Apprentice of the Year. I didn’t think I would get very far, but after some strong and positive support from people close to me, I decided I’d give it a crack.

What was the experience like attending the NZ Sign Display Awards evening and hearing your name announced as the winner?
It was a complete surprise. Seeing my mug pop up on the screen was a shock. It was the cherry on top of an amazing and humbling night, spent with friends who have supported me throughout my career.

What specific skills or projects do you think contributed most to your winning the award?
I was very lucky to be mentored by many artistic, highly skilled signees. Clinton Potter and Jeff Harness to name a couple. They’ve shared their knowledge and taught me many aspects of signage that have helped me become a qualified sign writer. The piece that I am most proud of was my final apprenticeship project, the “Mothbar light box”. The process wasn’t perfect, after a couple of attempts I built it exactly how I had imagined it.

Where do you see your career going now that you’ve won the Apprentice of the Year award?
Onwards and upwards. I still have much more to learn and contribute.

What are your short-term goals and long-term aspirations in the sign writing industry?
Short term, improve my skill set and focus on the old school skills of hand lettering. Long term, maybe one day invest in a shop or start one of my own and take on an apprentice. Possibly even try for a Master Sign Maker Accreditation.

Are there any specific projects or areas of expertise you are looking to focus on in the future?
Heaps!! To name a few: gilding, hand lettering, design, wrapping, LED lighting. I’m a bit of an artistic magpie. I love the shiny, flashy stuff.

What advice would you give to other apprentices who are considering applying for similar awards?
Go for it! Get stuck in, be creative, express yourself and absorb as much as you can. Don’t let the opportunity pass you, shoot your shot, you never know what may come of it.