“Once, I was painting apples, bananas and watermelon on a signboard for a customer. A goat that was passing by jumped onto it, thinking the fruits were real,” signage painter Mohammad Nazeer recalls, his eyes filled with pride. From the late 1980s and through the 90s, his brushstrokes contributed to the identity of several shops in Nampally, Hyderabad, and number plates carried his handiwork. Today, most of those boards have been replaced by digital flexes, LED displays and radium plates.Nazeer and his brother, who earlier founded SK Arts, now work together at Nazeer Arts in Nampally. He recounts the steady rise of orders and recognition in the early years when customers began recognising his signature — “Nazeer Arts” — neatly painted in the corners of every board. With a team of nearly eight artists, they painted signboards, school walls, number plates, and decorative artworks across the city. At its peak, the team carried out 60 to 70 assignments a month, with each member earning at least ₹1,000 a day. “Around 80% of our original work has disappeared,” says Nazeer. As hand-painted signage gradually paved the way for digital tools, he had to rethink his business. “Many of my friends left this profession because there wasn’t enough work.”Nazeer’s story mirrors that of many signboard painters across Hyderabad. Before digital printing became the norm, the city’s streets were lined with hand-painted signboards, political banners, cinema hoardings and shopfronts. These boards reflected an artist’s craftsmanship and often lasted over a decade. Remembering his busiest years before 2010, Nazeer adds that the handcrafted boards demanded two to four days of work.Technology brought speed and affordability to commercial signage, but also transformed a profession where every board once carried the unmistakable touch of an artist. Nazeer and many other artists adapted, learnt digital designing while continuing to preserve whatever remained of their original craft.Similar stories unfold at the workshops of Rajan Kumar Sahi of Rajan Arts, Shekar of Shekar Arts, and Nizamuddin Adli of Rainbow Arts. “Whatever work comes our way, we do it together now,” says Rajan. On an afternoon, the trio and a small team of artists were painting colourful murals and educational illustrations at the Mandal Parishad Primary School in Chanda Nayak Nagar Thanda, Serilingampally. The work had reached them after passing through multiple contractors following the government’s award of the original tender.