FEATURE

Contact: Emily Luck

Phone: (618) 696-9781
Email: emluck@siue.edu
Target audience: Area community members
Target Publication: Signs of the Times
Magazine
Peer Editor: Cassidy Moss

A Sign Wizard is Born

BETHALTO, Ill. (Nov. 19, 2023)—It’s 1995 and Steve Luck is beginning an adventure that
would turn into his life long career. Creative minds were hard at work when the discussion of
opening a sign business came about. Back in the late 80s and early 90s, Luck had been employed
at multiple places. He was trying to figure out how to make money while doing something he
was interested in. This all happened after his revelation; his radio broadcasting degree wasn’t
making him enough money. The hunt for new jobs began. Over this course of time, he worked
different jobs such as being an apartment complex manager, working for Heely Creative, R&J
Sign Supply, and All Sign of Illinois. Luck was faced with the question “How can I make money
doing something I love?”
Luck had always been interested in art and music. From a young age he played a variety
of instruments and enjoyed art class more than anything. After high school he went to Lewis and
Clark Community College, where he got a radio broadcasting degree. This field of work was fun
for him, but it wasn’t advancing the way he hoped it would. That’s when he leaned into his
artistic side. Heely Creative was a design studio for advertising, where Luck got his foot in the
water for creating and drawing up designs.
-more-
R&J was a sign supply store where he learned all about sign materials. At this job he was selling
the materials to customers, as well as training them on how to use the materials and computer
design technology. This is where he met Steve Forbes, a customer at the time who would turn
into a business partner years later. Forbes was buying materials and getting trained on the
technology from Luck. They exchanged small talk and realized they live 10 minutes away from
each other. If you get the chance to meet Luck, you would know how talkative and friendly he is.
He’s everyones friend. This started a friendship between the two since Forbes was a frequent
customer. Later, Luck worked at All Sign of Illinois before opening his own business. During his
two years at All Sign, he learned the hands on skills of sign making. This is where the
conversation started. “Forbes and I should open our own sign business.”
The two business partners sat down and talked logistics. They settled on opening the shop
in Godfrey, Ill. in 1995. That was the birth of Sign Magic, Inc. Together they offered vehicle
lettering, window lettering, commercial signs, decals, and custom orders. Over time their
clientele and branding grew. They were getting more and more customers that caused for their
office to grow. Forbes decided to retire in 2003, resulting in Luck buying over the business and
becoming sole owner.
Now, Luck has grown the business even more than he ever imagined. His large client list
keeps him busy year round, and in 2020 he moved the shop to Bethalto, Ill. Since the move there
has been no pauses in the flow of work. Over the years he has become more specialized in three
dimensional signage. This new product, added to the list of his services, has drawn in an even
bigger crowd. Luck has become the official sign wizard. His passion for art and design created
this unique business, which he loves dearly. He finally found what he loves to do, while making
a living. That’s the best of both worlds.

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