The Signal Gang

Starting as a traditional graphic design company, Signal designed its first web site in 1994 for the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau. Over the past 17 years, the agency has evolved to approximately 30 full-time professionals and launched a variety of new service offerings to keep pace with the changing needs of its clients. This includes the rollout of video and multimedia capabilities in 2001, email marketing in 2003, and marketing/brand strategy and a variety of web marketing services (including search engine optimization) in 2004.

“We are proud that our business family has reached this agency milestone. Our diversification of services was essential in enabling Signal to continually grow and evolve into a full-service creative agency that provides clients with integrated design, marketing and technology solutions,” said Rick Haynes, president of Signal.

One key differentiator for Signal is its technology team, which has grown to encompass both traditional web developers and application developers. The technology team is responsible for creating custom web applications for clients. Much of their work focuses on integrating databases with web sites, complex tracking and analytics for marketing campaigns, building intranets/extranets, working with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, surveying tools and mobile applications.

Signal has worked with a broad range of clients and brands throughout the years. The agency got its start designing trading cards and a variety of sports entertainment products for Marvel Comics (“X-Men”), DC Comics, NFL, NBA, Disney (“Toy Story”) and James Bond 007. Signal’s current client roster is diverse and includes industry leaders such as John Deere, GlaxoSmithKline, Bald Head Island, Alma Lasers, Medical Mutual Insurance Group, North Carolina Medical Society, ExperienceOne Homes, Highwoods Properties, Quintiles, McKim & Creed and Syngenta, in association with Gibbs & Soell.

“Signal has been working with many of its core clients for over a decade. A lot has changed during that time. As new technologies and the Internet transform the way our clients connect with their audience, we will continue to evolve to help deliver their message and reach their business goals,” stated Bryan Kristof, Signal’s director of marketing.

“Signal isn’t just another vendor to us, they are a direct extension of our marketing team. They put serious time and effort into getting to know us and our target audience. Year after year, they consistently produce quality creative solutions and fresh thinking for both our print and web efforts. No other creative firm has delivered results in the way that Signal has,” commented Shawn Scott, associate deputy executive vice president for the North Carolina Medical Society.