Bill Mann: Boat lettering on the North Shore

Like a lot of sign makers, Bill Mann found his way into the sign business through a different passion: boats. A long-time competitive sailor, he had worked in a few other aspects of the marine industry. About 20 years ago, though, he spent some time working on the creative side of ad agency work. Friends began asking Bill if he could design a name for their boat and do the lettering. Before long he bought a plotter and Vinyl GraphicWorks was born.

Bill, 53, lives and works in Marblehead, a small town on the North Shore of Massachusetts. The region spans about 30 miles of Atlantic coast from New Hampshire to Boston, and the marine industry is a big player there. He does some vehicle graphics, some retail and corporate signage, but boats are his specialty.