Family-owned. Jacksonville-rooted. 39 years of signs that work.
We're a family-owned and operated sign and graphics company located in Orange Park, FL. Founded in 1987 by Marvin and Patricia Thole — who came to Jacksonville by way of a Nebraska auto body shop and a new generation of computerized vinyl cutters — Custom Graphics & Sign Designs has been designing, fabricating, and installing commercial signage across Northeast Florida for nearly four decades.
What started as vinyl letters cut on a Gerber plotter has grown, capability by capability, into a full-service sign company that handles every part of a project under one roof — design, fabrication, paint, vehicle wraps, LED, structural installation, and permitting. Today we're one of the few truly full-service sign companies left in Northeast Florida, and we've kept the same core belief through every decade: your sign is your brand's first impression, and it deserves to be done right.
In 2020, we moved into our current facility at 99 Industrial Loop North in Orange Park — a purpose-built shop that gives us the space and equipment to fabricate, wrap, and install at the highest level. Every sign we build leaves our facility made in-house, built by our people, backed by our name.
Custom Graphics & Sign Designs was founded by Marvin and Patricia Thole in 1987. Before signs, the Tholes ran an auto body shop in Gretna, Nebraska. In the late 1980s, they started offering vehicle stripe kits and body-side molding installations — a service that introduced them to the new generation of computerized vinyl cutters that were just beginning to reshape both the automotive and sign industries.
That equipment is what brought the family to Jacksonville, Florida. The same plotter that cut precision stripe kits for cars could just as easily cut vinyl letters, logos, and graphics for businesses. What started as an automotive side service quickly became something bigger — and Custom Graphics & Sign Designs was born.
This photo captures Marvin in the early 1990s at the Custom Graphics booth at the Jacksonville Home and Patio Show, weeding vinyl on a Gerber IV B plotter in front of a giant yellow channel-letter capsule that read "We Light Up Your Sales." Trade-show booths, folding tables, and word of mouth — that's how the customer base was built, one Jacksonville business at a time.
Almost four decades later, we've added a fabrication shop, a paint booth, CNC routers, large-format printers, vehicle wrap bays, LED partnerships, and an installation crew — capability by capability, year by year. Today we're one of the few truly full-service sign companies in Northeast Florida. The equipment has changed. The standards haven't.
Marvin and Patricia Thole owned an auto body shop in Gretna, Nebraska. In the late 1980s, they added vehicle stripe kits and body-side molding to the shop's services — and bought one of the new computerized vinyl cutters that would soon reshape the entire sign industry.
The Tholes relocated to Jacksonville and founded Custom Graphics & Sign Designs. The same plotter that cut auto stripe kits could just as easily cut vinyl letters and logos for local businesses — and that was the beginning of the sign company.
We partnered with Daktronics in 2007 and installed our first display that same year — a monument-mounted Galaxy unit for Patrick's Uniforms in Garden City, Georgia, just outside Savannah. Nearly two decades and 50+ Daktronics installs later, the partnership still defines how we approach LED.
We relocated to our current purpose-built facility in Orange Park — a larger, better-equipped shop that allows us to fabricate, print, and install more efficiently and at higher quality than ever before.
We don't just build signs. We build lasting relationships with businesses in our community — and these are the principles that guide how we work.
We use premium materials, industry-leading equipment, and proven processes. A sign that fails is a sign that never should have been built. We don't cut corners on quality — ever.
39 years in this industry means we've seen almost every challenge, solved almost every problem. Our team brings deep knowledge of materials, fabrication, permitting, and installation to every project.
We pick up the phone. We meet our deadlines. We communicate clearly. Being a family-owned business means every client relationship matters to us personally — and we treat it that way.
A great sign isn't art for art's sake — it's a business tool that needs to perform. We keep your goals in mind through every design and fabrication decision we make.
A look at the work behind the work — hand-painting carved signs for Latitude Margaritaville, vinyl wrapping a Tesla, installing dimensional letters on a mesh façade, sketching script lettering by hand. Every sign that leaves our Orange Park facility passes through these hands.
Every project at CG Signs is handled by people who take real pride in their craft — from the first design concept to the final bolt on the wall.
Our design team works in professional signage software with real manufacturer templates — producing proofs that accurately represent the finished product. You'll know exactly what you're getting before a single panel is printed.
Our fabrication team builds signs the way they've been built for decades — with aluminum, acrylic, LED modules, and hands-on craftsmanship. In-house fabrication means we control quality at every step.
Vehicle wrap installation is a skilled trade — proper surface prep, panel alignment, heat forming, and finishing make the difference between a wrap that lasts 5 years and one that peels in 5 months. Our installers are trained professionals.
Every project has a dedicated point of contact who manages the process from first quote to final installation — keeping you informed, managing subcontractors, coordinating permits, and making sure the job gets done on time.
39 years of experience at your service. We'd love to hear about your project.
