Culture, Art and Colour in Signs

Make Your Business Sign More Visible With These Six Fun Tips

The sign above your business sets the tone for your brand, welcomes people to your shop and most importantly, heralds the presence of your store. Increasing the visibility of your sign can have a direct impact on your business. Want to get visible? Check out these six fun tips:

1. Increase the size of your font

Obviously, the larger your letters are, the more visible your sign will be. As a general rule of thumb, every 2.5 cm you add in height gives you about 3 meters in viewing distance. For example, if you have a sign with 7.5 centimeter letters, it is visible from about 9 meters away, and if you increase your font to 10 centimeters high, you increase your sign's visibility to 12 meters.

Instead of designing a sign visible in space, however, choose a font size that makes sense in regard to the location of your business. If you are trying to be noticed by drivers on a long desolate flat road, a super large sign can be extremely effective. However, if you are creating a sign to be noticed by foot traffic in a busy commercial area, you may not need something that large.

2. Keep it simple

Beyond size, you need to address complexity. If you have a very intricate sign with lots of details and a fancy font, it may be impossible for someone to read as they drive or walk by. Because of this, you need to keep the sign simple. If you want to test it out, consider making a mock sign on a large piece of paper. Attach it to your building, and drive or walk by from various angles to see how the font works.

3. Light it up

Obviously for increased nighttime visibility, your sign needs lights. You can buy LED signs that are totally lit up, you can buy signs with just the letters lit up or you can train a spotlight on your sign. In other cases, you can have business signs designed that have 3D lighted elements for even greater visibility.

4. Make it three-dimensional

If you like the 3D idea, consider a channel letter sign. Fabricated from sheet metal, channel letter signs are essentially 3D words that can be stuck on the front of a building. You can get all colours, a range of lighting options and any font.

5. Play with angles and projection

Having channel letters protruding from your building increases your visibility, but you should also think about playing with other angles and projections. Instead of a sign that attaches directly to your storefront, consider one that hangs perpendicular to your building's facade.

For maximum efficacy, look at the signs of the surrounding businesses. and hang your sign at a contrasting angle. You can even mix and match angles for different occasions and purposes. For example, you could have your main business sign directly on your building, and you could hang sales banners or special signs perpendicular to your main sign.

6. Integrate your sign with your exterior display

While you want your sign to contrast with the signage of surrounding businesses, it should be artfully integrated with your business's exterior and window displays. When designing your sign, think about how it will look with the brickwork, roof colour and every other element of your building.

If you have window displays, make sure they complement your sign or create a contrast that increases the sign's visibility. If possible, consider putting curtains between the window display and the rest of the store. That shortens the depth of the field of view behind your sign. If passersby see your sign overlaid over your entire interior, the sign can get lost in the busyness and be less visible as a result.

For more information, contact a company like Landells Signs.


Share