About
Who We Are
GDS is a leading consultation, design, management, and fabrication company within the signage industry - boasting a high volume of projects on both a local and national scale. From creative conception to final installation, we have developed the most successful process for outfitting any built environment with identification and wayfinding sign programs, both interior and exterior.
Our company has been implementing effective architectural signage solutions, comprehensive user experience studies, and environmental graphic designs since 1996, with a predominant focus on healthcare, education, and retail industries.
Our team of accomplished creative artists, professional project managers, quality-conscious production personnel, and certified technicians allows GDS to outfit any business with any type of custom signage system. From request to installation, our project team prioritizes clear and constant communication that enhances our long-term partnerships with each and every customer.
What We Do
Interior and Exterior Signage Systems
Comprehensive Wayfinding Studies
Customized Digital Wayfinding
Modular Signage with Interchangeable Components
Individually Branded Design Solutions
Donor Recognition Displays
ADA & NFPA Code Compliant Signage
Graphic Design Services
Turn-Key Project Management
25+ years of experience
“Our mission is to navigate the built environment through strategic planning and tangible solutions.”
What We Value
The GDS approach and philosophy is one of partnership through collaboration, efficiency, and innovation. When we are selected to facilitate a project, we work closely with our clients to ensure that each system we create, or program we implement, exceeds expectations.
We bring an integrated approach and solution to wayfinding and user engagement across multiple efforts; static signage, informational collateral, digital kiosks, and mobile applications. All of these touchpoints should work together to ensure the best possible experience that not only informs but also engages your customers, patients, visitors, and staff.
Between our offices in New York City, Long Island, Connecticut, North Carolina, and New Hampshire, GDS is capable of handling all of your signage needs, both locally and nationally. We are proud to be a part of the International Sign Association (ISA), Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD), Northeast States Signs Association (NSSA), and are a preferred vendor through a number of nationally recognized contracts.
Collaboration
Trust is built with our client base through consultation and adaptive problem solving. Working together to determine overall needs allows us to support common goals and establish a collective strategy. Our thorough understanding and unwavering dedication are key ingredients in developing partnerships that result in shared success.
Efficiency
Our process-driven approach yields consistency in project execution unmatched within the industry. Accuracy and professionalism are quintessential aspects of our operation and a trademark of our expertise.Merging proven tactics with a comprehensive methodology produces incomparable results.
Innovation
Combining classic techniques with contemporary talent,we offer a tailor made experience geared towards elevating and promoting brand loyalty. We utilize the technological advances available to drive sustainable turn-key solutions. Endless creative possibilities provide us an avenue to enact any vision.
The Team
Joe Motta - President/Owner
In 1996, Joe Motta Founded GDS Inc. He is the President and CEO. He has helped propel GDS into one of the leading providers of graphic design consulting services, wayfinding, and architectural signage solutions. Joe has revolutionized how the general public attains code-compliant signage through online outlets such as Amazon.
Mark Green - Principal/Owner
Mark is an Owner and Principal of GDS. Mark was formerly the Co-Founder and CEO of Connexient, a leading Mobile Wayfinding app company that was acquired by Everbridge in 2020. Mark has also served in executive roles at software companies such as Silknet, Kana Communications, and Relicore.
Chris Glanzman - Vice President of Operations
With over 15 years of experience, Chris has found a way to work in every specialty that the sign and design industry has to offer. Starting as a Graphic Designer, he quickly moved on to Project Management while never letting an opportunity to produce or install one of his jobs pass him by. He has overseen all operations for GDS since 2016.
Sarah Martin - Senior Project Manager (PMP)
A proven successful PMP, Sarah oversees interior and exterior signage projects while supervising the Project and Design teams and overseeing upwards of 100 active projects nation-wide. Her previous experience in real estate and construction has cumulatively enabled her to facilitate the technicalities specific to the signage industry.
History
Founded in 1996 in Manchester, New Hampshire, GDS was a small team of dedicated experts crafting signs for the local area. As we grew into the company we are today, it made sense to join our clientele in New York City!
Today, we have offices in Astoria, New York and Manchester, New Hampshire, and a shop in Hauppauge, Long Island. Our in-house design team creates customized signs for our clients nationwide. Our production shop is able to fabricate and produce those creations, and then deliver or install the final product directly.
Branding
The evolution of our visual brand mirrors that of our company as a whole. Starting in 1996, we were focused on putting out an image of a contemporary company that utilizes the technology available to help drive projects. While the “clip art” style graphic that is woven into the first iterations of our combo mark may seem dated by today’s standards, at the time it aligned with the ever growing digital economy.
As the new millennium progressed, so did we, and it is evident in our logo. We continued to expand and build up our capabilities so our brand took on a more sophisticated and direct aesthetic. Removing our sunrise graphic seemed in line with the changing times and it was paramount that our brand always conveyed the adaptive spirit that lives in the heart of everything we do.
