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We strive our best to make custom neon signs that meets your design visions and brand images. We make signs for weddings, events, store fronts, interior, films and much more! Upon confirmation of the design and the receipt of the 50% deposit, we will fabricate the sign for you in ~3 weeks. From design to bending and assembly, everything takes place within our Chicago-Evanston Shop.

Established in 1986, Neon Design is right now under its 5th owner Charles Evanson, and have moved to its permanent location in Evanston in 2019.
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The business was sold to salesmen Mike Bruno and Pete Schwaba around 1988 and moved into a little storefront on the east side of the 3800 block of north Ashland Ave. By the end of the '90s, Mike moved to New York City and the shop moved across the street to 3722 N. Ashland Ave. After a short temporary stay on Lincoln Ave, in 2019 Neon Design moved from Wrigleyville to our new ideal permanent space on Evanston's southern border, 519 Howard Street, one street away from Chicago.After training at the short lived American School of Neon in Minneapolis, present owner Charlie Evanson came to Chicago in 1990 to gain more glass-bending experience.
Our signs have lit up many places and occasion such as those below, and beyond! Despite neon's longevity, it's also fragile and will break if mishandled. Depending on the issue, we can either repair the broken sign, or remake the sign entirely. As a rule of thumb, red neons (that contains neon gas) are repairable while other colors are not, and the entire section will have to be remade. We also offer professional cleaning service for neon signs, for many people find handling neon glass to be challenging and intimidating.
For neon signs, we do two main kind of installs: on a backing or directly on the wall. For the former, neon signs mounted on a backing are just like any framed pictures, they are easy to move & install by yourself! For the latter, neon signs mounted directly to the wall is cleaner and more permanent; one can also choose to hardwire the sign to a switch.
Reviews (9)
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J. D.
Apr 26, 2017
Good business, they did a great job repairing (4) pieces of damaged neon for my exterior neon sign to keep us illuminated, it looks great.
Theresa T.
Oct 21, 2016
I went to Charlie 6 months ago and is back for more stuff! Charlie is professional and a pleasure to work with. He was responsive and very helpful from beginning to end. He understood these signs are a tough business decision. Thank you Charlie for your great work, business, professionalism, and customer service. I will definitely be telling all my friends about you.
C. M.
Sep 02, 2016
These guys rule. Very helpful! Handmade craftwork is hard to come by these days! Thanks again, I have a couple more projects in mind.
Kris K.
Jan 04, 2016
I worked with Charlie at Neon Design for the last few weeks to have a sign created for my company's new office downtown. Upon my initial contact, all the way through the final installation, Charlie was responsive, professional, patient and friendly. I had sent out several inquiries simultaneously to obtain quotes, and it's Charlie's tremendous customer service and Neon Design's fair price that kept me from looking further.

The final product was better than expected. They worked quickly and accurately, and our company couldn't be more pleased with how it all turned out. Mark installed the sign and did a fantastic job with it. Overall, great team to work with and we will be coming back for all of our future needs. They've earned our highest recommendation!
Cs H.
Aug 06, 2014
I own a restaurant and have used these guys about 5 different times for my business. They are a smaller shop and are very attentive. I've priced them out and they are very reasonable and their work is top notch. I recently blew a transformer on one of my signs that they did not need to warranty, but still did, great customer service. They have done a few straight forward Carry Out and Open signs as well as doing some custom design. I highly recommend them and will continue to give them my business.
Jim S.
Apr 04, 2012
Had Peter and his crew make up two neon signs for our office. Everything was ready when promised and looked better than expected. My foot traffic has doubled since I have the signs installed. They do great work!
Stephanie K.
Jan 26, 2012
I own Bottle & Bottega, an art studio at 2900 N. Lincoln, and was referred to Neon Design by the owner of another small business. They created an oversized neon version of my logo (7 distinctive bottle shapes) as the main feature in my center window. It looks amazing. The price we received for the quality of the work and craftsmanship was incredible, too. I would HIGHLY recommend them.
Lara M.
Jan 25, 2012
I commissioned Neon Design to help me make a sign for my boyfriend for Christmas after driving by their storefront. Peter the owner helped me to design it, even though I couldn't get into the store during regular hours. We did it all over email and phone. When I picked up the sign, it was exactly what I hoped it would be. Overall very happy with the job.
Grant S.
Jun 19, 2008
I heart neon design, inc. I have used them several times for neon signs and this is what I expect from any business. They say what they do and do what they say. All they guys down there are good at what they do and real down to earth. The owner Peter, helped me and held my hand through the whole process of conception, layout, design, and installation. Great job guys keep it up!