Blog
October 18, 2026
Pylon and Totem Sign Boards: How We Design, Build and Install Them in Pune
A pylon sign board stands on its own, in front of your building, and is seen from the road day and night. Four pylons we have made in Pune, and exactly how we design, build and fix one.
What is a pylon sign board?
A sign that stands on its own
A pylon sign board, also called a totem sign board or totem pole signage, is a tall, free-standing sign fixed in the ground in front of a building. It doesn't need a wall. It stands at the gate, the road edge or the parking entrance, so people see it before they see the building.
Builders use pylons outside project sites, showrooms and petrol pumps put their name and services on them, and malls and office parks list their tenants. In the US a low one on a solid base is called a monument sign. In Pune most people simply say pylon or totem.
Pylons we have built
The Anthem, Advay Homes, Swojas Advait, V3 Tyres
Height
About 9 to 9.5 ft above ground, in one piece
Time
Proposal about a month; build and installation 7-10 days
Price
On request; most pylons cost upwards of ₹50,000
Every pylon is different: a different size, different contents, logos and name strips. We build each one to the client's design.
Where pylons work
Types of pylon and totem signs we make
A pylon is a fully custom job. You, or your architect, give us the design or the brief, and we build the pylon to that specification. These are the places we make them for:
Real estate project sites
A building-shaped head showing the project, its name, the developers, RERA number and amenities, at the site gate.
Showrooms and dealerships
Your logo on top and a strip for each service, lit for the evening traffic.
Malls and office complexes
Tenant name strips under the building name, changeable when tenants change.
Wayfinding and direction pylons
Directions to blocks, parking and entrances inside campuses, hospitals and townships.
Petrol pumps and roadside outlets
A tall lit sign seen from far down the road.
Anything else
Schools, hospitals, hotels, factories: if it needs to stand on its own, we can build it.
Job 1 · Swojas Advait, Model Colony · August 2024
A pylon shaped like the building it sells
For Swojas Advait, a 2 & 3 BHK project in Model Colony by Swojas Enterprises and Beharay Group, the top of the pylon is the building itself: a 2.5 inch deep acrylic box cut to the outline of the project's elevation, printed on top and lit from inside. It's a sneak peek of what's coming up behind the fence.
Below it sit the project name in lit white letters, a lit tile for each partner and the MahaRERA QR code, and the sales numbers. A side panel juts out with the amenities. It stands about 9 ft 3 in tall and 3 ft 10 in wide. See every photo of this job.
Up close
Lit from inside, read from the road
Hundreds of LEDs inside the pylon light the building, the letters and the tiles evenly. The black ACP base box doesn't glow, so the lit parts stand out at night.
The head
Shape-cut building, name letters and the amenities panel.
The tiles
Partner logos, the MahaRERA QR code and the sales numbers, all lit.
Real photos from the job, only light and colour corrected.
Job 2 · Advay Homes, Aundh Road · July 2024
Tested lying down, before it stands up
Advay Homes, a 2 & 3 bedroom project on Aundh Road, got the same idea a month earlier: the building cut out on top, the name in big white letters, logo tiles and a lit amenities panel listing a garden, a car lift, EV charging, a high-speed lift and a children's play area.
Here it is in the fabrication workshop, switched on for its light test while it still lies on the floor. Every pylon is lit and checked like this before it goes to site.
Job 3 · The Anthem, Aundh · 2023
Where the building-shaped pylon started
Our first building-shaped pylon was for The Anthem, premium office spaces and showrooms by Banyan Tree Realty in Aundh (Anthem is part of Banyan Tree Realty). The proposal showed the glass tower cut to its own outline on a black pylon, 105 in tall and 46 in wide (56 in with the side panel), with a side panel of selling points: 150,000 sq ft of commercial space, 150+ office spaces, 7 retail units, robotic parking and a Vaastu-compliant entrance.
We even placed the design on a photo of the actual site fence, so the client could see it standing there before we built it.
Before we build
The pylon, placed on the real site
A mock-up on a photo of the site, from our proposal for The Anthem, next to the same pylon after installation. The mock-up answers the question every client asks: how will it look out there? The photo shows the answer.
Before: the site mock-up from our proposal for The Anthem.
After: the same pylon installed and lit on the site fence in Aundh.
Job 4 · V3 Tyres, Vijay Group · 2026
Three designs, many rounds, one pylon
V3 Tyres, the Vijay Group's tyre showroom, wanted a pylon outside the showroom listing its services: 3D alignment, wheel balancing, nitrogen, alloy wheels, batteries and accessories.
It started with a sketch on paper and a photo of the site. We sent three designs, then round after round of changes. It took more than a month before the final one was approved: a black pylon about 9 ft 1 in tall, with the tyre logo on top and a red strip for each service.
Day and night views of the final design on a photo of the site (an approximate visualisation, from our proposal).
From the proposal
From a sketch to three options
The client's sketch, the site photo and the first three designs we offered.
From our proposal to V3 Tyres. The final design came after several more rounds.
V3 Tyres · made and installed
From our office to the showroom gate
The tyre logo on top is laser-cut acrylic with LEDs inside; each service strip is a hollow acrylic box lit from underneath. Every part is lit and checked here before it goes on the frame.
Installed
The V3 Tyres pylon at the showroom, just after installation.
The logo
The lit tyre logo, before it went on top of the pylon.
Real photos from the job.
How we plan a pylon
Proposal first: you see it before we build it
Because every pylon is custom, it starts with a proposal. Planning usually takes about a month, because the design goes back and forth until it's right. It's the same way we plan every sign board (how we plan your sign board). For other kinds of signs, see all the sign boards we make in Pune.
1
Your inputs
Your logos, a photo of the site, the size you have in mind, and what the pylon must say.
2
Proposed layout
How the building or logo, the name, the strips and the side panel sit on the pylon.
3
Dimensions
Every height and width marked, to check against the site and with your architect.
4
Materials and colours
Which parts glow, which stay dark, and the colours of each layer.
5
Specification and cost
What each part is made of, and the price.
6
Day and night views
The pylon placed on a photo of your site, by day and lit at night.
How it is built
The layers of a lit pylon
We design every pylon and make its faces in our own workshop in Pune: the UV printing, the laser cutting and the LED letters. Our fabrication team welds the steel frame, assembles the ACP box around it and installs the pylon on site.
1
Black ACP box
About 2 inch deep, exterior-grade ACP on an aluminium section frame. Rust-proof, waterproof and fade-resistant. The base box doesn't glow.
2
Shape-cut acrylic head
A 2.5 inch deep box of 3 mm cast acrylic, cut to your building or logo outline, UV-printed on top. It glows from the front, not from the sides.
3
Letters and logos
Laser-cut white acrylic box letters, gold mirror-acrylic letters in 3D, or stencil-cut acrylic LED letters, as the design needs.
4
Printed panels
Backlit printed vinyl and exterior-grade UV print for the tiles, the strips and the side panel.
5
Light
Branded, exterior-grade waterproof LED modules, white or warm white (we suggest warm white), with an outdoor power supply.
Look inside
Rows of LED modules
Open a name strip and this is what lights it: waterproof LED modules in rows, wired to the power supply inside the pylon.
Structure and foundation
How a pylon stands up, and stays up
Inside every pylon is an MS steel frame, and the ACP is wrapped around it. Steel angles welded to the bottom of the frame run about 2 ft further down, with X cross bracing between them.
On site we dig a pit about 2 ft deep, pour concrete into it and set those angles into the concrete. That footing holds the pylon firm in wind, rain and knocks.
How tall?
ACP sheets come 10 ft long, so a pylon of about 9 to 9.5 ft above ground is made without a single joint. The tallest we have built is about 9 ft.
Weatherproof
Built to sit outdoors in rain, sun and wind: exterior-grade ACP, cast acrylic and waterproof LEDs.
Power is simple. The power supply (SMPS) sits inside the pylon with one wire coming out. You bring a power cord to the spot, and we connect it.
Illustration: how our pylons are built and fixed. Not to scale.
At a glance
Pylon sign board specifications
Size
Made to your design; about 9 to 9.5 ft above ground in one piece (our pylons: 105 to 111 in tall, 36 to 46 in wide)
Structure
MS steel frame inside, exterior-grade black ACP wrap, steel angles set about 2 ft into a concrete footing
Face
Shape-cut lit acrylic head, acrylic letters and logo tiles, backlit printed vinyl, side panel if you want one
Lighting
Hundreds of industrial-grade waterproof LED modules, built-in power supply; you provide the power cord
Warranty
6 months from installation, as for all our fabricated signs
Time
Proposal and design about a month; fabrication and installation 7-10 days
Planning a pylon?
Price, time and what to send us
There is no list price for a pylon: the size, the faces, the lighting, the structure and the site change the cost, so we quote each one after the proposal. Two real jobs give you an idea; these prices are indicative, from the year each job was done.
Pylon and totem sign boards
price on request; most pylons cost upwards of ₹50,000
The Anthem (2023)
about 8 ft 9 in x 4 ft 8 in with the side panel: ₹72,800 + GST (indicative job price)
V3 Tyres (2026)
about 9 ft 1 in, incl. installation: ₹54,800 + GST (indicative job price)
Time
about a month for the proposal; 7-10 days to build and install
Installation
by our team, with the concrete footing
Good to know
Your design or your brief
Send your architect's design, or your logos, a site photo and the size you need; we turn it into a proposal.
Power at the spot
Arrange a power cord to the pylon location; the power supply is built in.
Warranty
6 months from installation. After that we repair on a chargeable basis.
Where
Pune and nearby; ask us about other cities.
Building a project, a showroom or a campus? Send us your design or a photo of the site, and we'll send you a proposal. See our workshop and machines.
Questions people ask
Pylon sign boards: FAQ
Pylon or totem: what is the difference?
In Pune they mean the same thing: a tall, free-standing sign. "Totem" is often used for slimmer ones, "pylon" for taller roadside and mall signs. A monument sign is a low one on a solid base.
What does a pylon sign board cost?
Each one is custom, so the price is on request. Most pylons cost upwards of ₹50,000: The Anthem came to ₹72,800 + GST in 2023 and V3 Tyres to ₹54,800 + GST with installation in 2026 (indicative). The proposal gives you the exact price.
How long does it take?
About a month to agree the design, then 7-10 days to fabricate and install.
Will it fall in the wind?
The steel frame is set about 2 ft into a concrete footing with cross bracing, so it stays firm.
Can it glow at night?
Yes. The head, letters and tiles are lit with LEDs from inside; the base can stay dark.
Made in Pune
Your building, standing at your gate
A pylon is often the first thing people see of a project or a showroom, long before they walk in. We'd love to build yours.
See more
Our work
Swojas Advait building-shaped pylon
Every photo of the pylon at the Swojas Advait site in Model Colony.
See the job →Our work
Backlit boards on construction-site fences
Glowing project boards along the site fence, for builders across Pune.
See the job →Your turn
Need a pylon for your site?
Send us your design, or a site photo and your logo, on WhatsApp. We'll send you a proposal.
Looking for any specific product?
Drop us a line. Send us your query. And we’ll get back to you with solutions and answers.
Mitesh Sanghani
Mitesh lives, mostly for Saturdays.
But when forced to work, you’ll find him heading Orchid Digitals – a printing press in Pune.
If it’s an emergency, try looking for him in the hills behind his house. You’ll almost certainly find him… lazing under a tree, with a book in hand.
