Custom Neon Lights Guide

Glow Up Your Space With Custom Neon Lights

The allure of custom neon lights is timeless. These luminous signs have been used in brand advertising, home décor, and contemporary art for decades. Multi-coloured and glowing, custom neon lights are often seen in bars, restaurants, and retail stores for promotional or decorative purposes too. At Carousel Lights, we design and produce custom neon lights and signs to align with whatever ideas you dream up – with the experience and expertise to pull it off. We have the tools and the know-how to prepare traditional glass neon lights, LED neon signs, outdoor neon signs, neon art, and much more.

In this brief guide, we’ll cover the ins and outs of custom neon lights, including the cost of neon signs, the allure of modern LED alternatives, and the types of personalised neon lights we can construct on your behalf. Carousel Lights is a leading supplier of custom neon signs in the UK, and the sky is the limit on what we can create, so keep reading to find out more!

Personalised Neon Signs: What To Know To Get That Glow

These days, custom neon signs are a popular way for people and businesses to express creativity and individuality. The range of options at hand when it comes to custom neon lights gives you the chance to build exactly what you want – choosing specific colours and fonts, customising messaging, and creating a design to reflect a theme or brand.

You’ll often see personalised neon lights at important corporate events like product launches, as well as at major personal affairs like weddings and birthdays. The unique ways you can build custom neon lights is appealing in plenty of different settings; the only limit is your imagination.

Traditional Glass Neon Lights

You can choose to go the route of traditional glass neon lights (created via hand-bent glass tubes filled with neon or argon gas) specially crafted to your specifications. Traditional neon signs are much rarer these days, but at Carousel Lights, we have the tools, skills, and patience to craft compelling traditional neon signs.

Neon LED Signs

Alternatively, you can opt for custom LED neon signage (or ‘faux’ neon) made from recyclable acrylic and high-efficiency LEDs to give the effect of traditional neon signage.

Custom LED Signs: UK

LEDs are often a more energy-efficient, cost-effective, and durable form of custom neon lights. Unlike traditional neon signs, LED signage does not use neon or argon gas, nor does it require special hand-bent glass.

LED neon lights can consume up to ten times less energy than traditional neon signs, giving you an eco-friendly option that also saves money in the long run. You’ll also get a wider range of versatility with LED including adjustable brightness and a broader selection of colours and styles for your custom neon lights. Going the LED route is also favourable when it comes to maintenance, as they’re both easier to repair and tend to last longer in general.

At Carousel Lights, we offer two neon LED solutions – Neon Ultra® and Neon SuperFlex, both giving off the same effect as a traditional custom neon light would.

• Our Neon Ultra® custom signs are made from opal recyclable acrylic and high-quality LEDs. Often the product choice for contractors, designers, and architects, our Neon Ultra® signs are a robust and stylish neon light solution.
• Our Neon SuperFlex product uses high-efficiency LED strip lights to give off the same effect as traditional neon signage. These faux neon light options are of the highest quality, and are custom-made right here in the UK.

You can easily order personalised custom neon lights at Carousel Lights, whether you want the old-school stylings of traditional neon lights or prefer the more energy-efficient, modern-day LED variety.

Is Neon Expensive To Run?

Traditional neon lights can consume quite a lot of electricity and can therefore be more expensive to run. LED lights, on the other hand, are often more energy-efficient and cost-effective, offering a versatile alternative to the high-energy usage that comes with traditional neon signs. With that being said, most neon signage is not particularly pricey to power – it really depends on the size, wattage, quality, and type of sign you’re looking for.

Why Is Neon So Expensive?

The high cost of traditional custom neon light signs is due to the specialist tools and expensive materials needed to produce them. LED custom neon light signs come at a far more affordable rate because of their lower production costs, while also occasionally offering improved energy efficiency and durability.

Is Custom Neon Expensive?

Custom neon lights are often more expensive than regular neon signage options. However, modern LED custom neon lights are often more affordable than traditional customised neon signs.

Cheap Custom Neon Signs: UK

Finding affordable custom neon lights in the UK is rare, but Carousel Lights is here to change that. Our entire manufacturing process, from design to production, takes place in the UK. As such, your custom neon lights’ air mileage is minimal, and should any breakages happen, we can easily assist with repairs. When you order your custom neon signs from Carousel Lights, we include a free quote for our custom designs so that you’re clear on the final price. You can also send us a pre-made design and we’ll let you know the cost before getting started.

We work with a wide range of materials for custom neon lights, from traditional glass neon to LED neon and lightboxes, giving you the freedom to select the exact light signage for your purposes. You can also go the route of semi-custom neon light signs, where we help out with custom designs and ideas so that you can secure the perfect final product. With a client base covering a broad array of sectors including retail, hospitality, film & TV, events, exhibitions, and more, you can rest assured that you’re getting the best quality custom neon lights from experts in the industry – with plenty of experience to boot.

How Long Do Custom Neon Signs Last?

The lifespan of custom neon lights and signs ranges from around 8-15 years if used only modestly, but they can last much longer with the right maintenance and care.

Can I Make My Own Neon Signs?

It takes a high level of expertise to safely construct custom neon light signs. While there are certainly ways to create DIY signs, your best bet is to reach out to a professional who can hand-craft custom neon lights in accordance with your needs.

Custom Neon Lights: Outdoor Purposes

Custom neon lights aren’t limited to indoor settings. Bars, restaurants, markets and more often use custom neon signs outdoors for promotional and decorative purposes. With Carousel Lights, you can score both traditional custom neon lights and faux neon signs able to weather the outdoors. All you have to do is let us know that you intend to keep your neon signs outside so that we can make sure that all outdoor safety conditions are met.

The main difference between an indoor custom neon sign and an outdoor neon sign is in the transformer used. Our Siet neon transformers are all outdoor-rated, meaning your custom neon lights can be safely installed outside with no need for additional housing. As long as we know the exterior location of your custom neon lights, we can easily manage accessibility and power supply for a seamless installation outdoors.

Personalised Light-Up Name Signs

Whether for yourself or someone else, a personalised neon sign displaying a specific name can be a great way to celebrate someone or something. These custom neon lights and signs are popular at events like weddings, birthdays, baby showers, anniversaries – the list goes on. Your custom neon lights can be designed to match the theme of your event or any specific interior style, and they can be used for photo opportunities or serve as the centrepiece of the event – adding that extra wow factor to the celebratory mood with a dazzling neon glow and your name, quite literally, spelled in lights.

Custom Neon Light Logos

Turning your company’s logo into a vibrant and colourful custom neon sign can be a powerful branding tool, adding an extra layer of personality that can help your business stand out in a crowded market. Physical stores often compete with several others in close proximity, and a custom neon sign is a smart way to pull attention towards yours, whether you’re running a café, restaurant, retail store, or any other establishment eager to draw in a crowd.

A custom neon light can serve as your permanent sign, or you can use it for special occasions like pop-ups, charity events, product launches, milestone achievements, and whatever else suits your fancy. Whatever your cause, custom neon signs from Carousel Light can be designed to match your brand’s identity and style, helping to elevate your company’s presence as a whole. The versatile design options with custom neon lights means you can easily replicate your logo’s design, keeping your brand consistent across all fronts.

Custom Neon Light Art

Neon art and customised neon lights have been around for decades. Since Gyula Kosice first used neon tubes in his art in 1946, custom neon lights have become a popular way for artists to express creativity. Now known as ‘light art’, some of the most renowned artists in the world are using custom neon lights in innovative and stylish ways. Whether it’s for a home, an art gallery, or a larger commercial space, neon art can tie a room together and add that extra finishing touch to just about any space.

At Carousel Lights, we’ve worked with plenty of established artists to help them bring their visions to life. Some of our clients include The Royal Academy, Murder Me, Science (UK), and Jealous and Halcyon – all highly regarded in the field of neon art.

Custom Neon Light Writing

Neon writing is the use of custom neon lights, whether traditional or LED, to display specific words or phrases. People often use illuminated test designs for famous quotes, catchy phrases, and even witty humour. For home décor, these signs add style and personality to a space, and the variations you can create give you the freedom to really express your creativity.

At Carousel Lights, we can work with script or block-style fonts in the colours of your choosing to construct snappy quotes in neon lights. We’re also more than happy to make design suggestions; you can send us an example of the text you want, or simply explain your vision, and we’ll have graphics of your custom neon light signs ready in no time.

A Few More Personalised Light Signs

Neon signs, LED or otherwise, are gorgeous – but that’s not the only option at your fingertips.

There are other lighting options that give off similar effects or elevate your signage, if standard neon is not exactly what you’re looking for. A few other illuminating and colourful options that can be quite impactful include:

Animated Light Signs

Animated lighting is a nice alternative to static neon signs. Shifting colours, rhythmic on-and-off patterns, scrolling texts, and more are all exciting options to spruce up your signage. You can simulate animations with neon lighting, creating unique and innovative pictures that move before your eyes. Often used for visual merchandising, modern art, branding, and promotional purposes, animated lighting gives your custom neon sign a whole new level of flare.

For animated light signs, we offer Neon Ultra®, made from acrylic and LEDs that are perfectly suited for commercial use. Our custom light animation options include RGB, DMX, and Spectrum.

1. The RGB option comes with an RGB controller for you to adjust the colours of your sign across Red, Blue, and Green. With this option, all elements of the light are the same colour at any given time. For example, all red or all blue for your custom neon light.
2. The DMX option includes RGB LEDs set within the custom neon light, and you’re given a DMX controller and encoder. You can then pre-program the lights to flash and animate as you please, all controlled via a lighting desk.
3. The spectrum option with custom neon lighting gives you the most freedom, as every single LED is adjustable. You can pre-program the lights to create specific animation effects such as waves of colour or customisable flickering.

Bulb Letters

Bulb letters as an alternative to custom neon lights have stayed popular through the ages, from drive-in theatres and carnivals to pop-up concerts and product launches. The bold choice highlights each illuminated letter, helping your sign stand out from a distance.

Custom light bulbs can be made in just about any size you wish, with the most commonly requested size being around 300mm. At Carousel Lights, we use high-efficiency CE-marked LEDs for our bulb letters to keep them operating at perfect efficiency despite the high volume of lights in the lettering. A bulb-lettered custom light sign can be erected at the entrance of your establishment, in the middle of an outdoor festival, or at the centre of your high-end event – it’s really up to you.

Fairground Lights

Fairground lights, or cabochons, can often be spotted at carnivals and festivals. They’re usually added to bring some excitement to the atmosphere while illuminating stages and outdoor settings. Our fairground lights option uses LED bulbs and multi-coloured cabochon caps that can be mounted on a variety of different materials, including wood and aluminium.

Lightboxes

Lightboxes are – you guessed it – boxes or containers lit up electronically to display a text message or graphic design. A thin layer of material with said texts or graphics covers the container and is illuminated from behind to create the custom light impact. The vibrant box is lit up with LEDs that can be controlled via a remote that allows you to adjust brightness and colour.

Edgelit

Edgelit signs are a powerful way to bring complex illustrations and designs to life. We laser cut your edgelit signage to follow the exact contour shape of your design and shine a light through the acrylic. The etched areas and edges light up, creating a unique style of signage that can suit a variety of settings.

Carousel Lights: Customise Your Neon Signs

Neon wall signs hold a unique charm, from modern neon artwork to classic light-up signs; their vibrant glow has remained popular through the years. At Carousel Lights, we’re dedicated to delivering top-quality craftsmanship and are proud to be one of the few companies that manufacture all of our signs locally within the UK.

Whether you’re after personalised neon signs and large bulb lettering, or sleek contemporary neon art and innovative edgelit lighting solutions, we’re here to make your neon dreams a reality. Simply reach out to us, and we’ll take it from there. Share your designs, or let us create some for you, and we’ll start crafting your custom neon signs in no time.