How to Choose the Right Signage for Your Business
When you’re driving down the road, trying to find somewhere to eat or grab a coffee, you scan the horizon for a beacon of interest. You’re searching for a sign that catches your eye that says “Eat here” or “Grab a coffee here!”. Now, usually, the signs aren’t literally saying to eat or drink there.
It’s eye-catching and unique design, purposeful color palettes, the right placement location, and creative thinking that make a sign effective and draw people in. But how do you choose the right signage for your own business?
What will draw customers in, and set you apart from the rest? Will your customers know where to find you, what your hours of operation are, and what services you provide? Signage of all kinds is essential for a business. Without signage, you might as well be invisible. But how do you choose what signage will work best for your business? Let’s talk about how to choose the right signage for your business.
1. Establish Your Budget:
To start, the best way to begin choosing business signage is to establish a budget. Your budget range will decide how big your signage can be, what quality of materials you can have, and how large your array of colors can be. Believe it or not, certain shades and hues of colors will cost you more money, but could be worth the price.
Your budget should not stop you from creating effective business signs. A higher budget does not necessarily mean effective business signs. For recommendations about how to create effective signage within your budget, speak to a member of the Wrapology team!
2. Choose A Color Palette and Brand Style:
Not all colors are good for signage.
Many colors are unreadable from far away, like certain shades of yellow and pastels. Contrasting colors can render a sign unreadable, but complementary colors can take a sign design to the next level. Think of the color wheel, and consider choosing colors and their direct opposite counterparts like orange and blue, or green and red. However, a simple monochromatic color scheme can be quite successful.
You should also decide if your signage will remain on brand, or serve a different purpose. Signage meant to introduce or advertise your company or service should remain on brand. However, if you’re choosing business signage that is meant to communicate information or a message, like your store hours or describing a service, straying from your brand’s style guide might serve you well.
If you’re unsure of what you want, Wrapology is here to help. The Wrapology team can help with all stages of the design process. If you need to start from square one, no problem. We’re the sign experts, and our design team will help you create the best signage for your business.
3. Choosing Your Materials:
Choosing business signage material that is in budget, durable, and looks nice can be a little confusing. When deciding on your material, Wrapology will help you decide on the following factors:
1. Where will this sign live? Depending on the location of your sign, a specific material will be necessary. Generally, outdoor signage does best when made out of aluminum. Aluminum is durable and strong, can last for years, and is generally a cost-effective option.
2. What is the purpose of this signage?
a. Is this signage meant to stand out and be extremely noticeable? You may want to consider a pole sign, which is visible from a long distance, and is generally a strong and resilient sign option.
b. Should this sign make a statement, and elegantly display your business branding? You may consider a monument sign, which is built lower to the ground and makes your business easy to locate from the street.
c. Is this signage inside of your business, and shows off your bold branding or directs a customer to a certain area of our store? A member of the Wrapology team will be happy to assist you in choosing the most effective interior sign options for you.
For more options and examples of effective business signs, visit the signs section of our website.
4. Location and Placement Matter:
Consider how your sign will read from far away, in different lighting, and what kind of audience or clientele you’re trying to attract.
Keep in mind that choosing where to place your sign will affect how it ages, and how it will be perceived. Signs that sit in the south-facing sun will experience color aging faster than north-facing signs. If you have light colors like yellow or pink, those colors will fade fast in direct sun depending on the material your sign is made of.
If your signage is well visible and makes a statement, you will be more likely to receive inquiries and interactions from new customers. Signage that is visible from close range, like from the road or the side of a vehicle, will give a prospective client or customer a clear view of your signage and may effectively communicate who you are and what you do.
5. Context is Key:
Have you ever read an advertisement for a company or service, and not quite understood what the service they provide is? A company named “(insert last name here) and Sons” could offer any service. If their signage only stated their company name and phone number, you wouldn’t know what the service was that they were providing.
Context is extremely important when designing effective business signs. You want to give just enough context that a potential customer or client will know the basis of what you offer, and be interested enough to reach out or inquire about your service. You don’t want customers to have to guess what it is you offer.
6. Don’t Get Clutter Happy:
Overcrowding your sign can be disastrous. A sign with too much information or visual weight will keep a customer from looking at your sign or reading the whole thing. A successful design is a simple one.
If your design is cluttered, nonspecific, or confusing, someone may assume that your company is that way too…
7. Reach out to a professional to help you with this process.
The Wrapology team members are the brand visibility professionals. With the experience and know-how to get your brand or message onto a high-quality wrap, graphic, or sign, you can trust us to get your message out to the masses. Not sure what you want or need? Call us at 479-368-6490 for help with choosing business signage and all things signs, commercial wraps, and more.