What Kind of Exterior Sign Does Your Business Need?

Whether you have a new building, an old sign that needs replaced, or you’re in the rebrand­ing process, once you’ve deter­mined you need a sign, the next step is to consider what type of sign you need. What are you trying to accom­plish with your sign – branding, adver­tis­ing, wayfind­ing, infor­ma­tion sharing, or all of the above? What image do you wish to project, who is your potential customer, and what are your limitations?

How big should the sign be? The sign should be easy to read from the highest traffic area where your sign is visible. There’s no set answer to how big your letters should be. An expe­ri­enced sign builder can help you determine this by con­duct­ing a site inspection.

What are the reg­u­la­tions? Every munic­i­pal­ity has different reg­u­la­tions. Again, an expe­ri­enced sign provider will be able to walk you through this com­pli­cated, often slow, and sometimes frus­trat­ing process.

Should my sign be lighted? In most cases – yes. If your sign is only iden­ti­fi­ca­tion or direc­tions, maybe not, but most signs are much more than that – they’re one of the more cost effective ways of adver­tis­ing. Why would you ever want to turn your adver­tis­ing off?

How many words should I use? A good average is 3 to 5 words. You want prospects to quickly and easily grasp your message while keeping in mind they may be in their car, and are certainly being bombarded with thousands of other messages.

What font should I use? Think read­abil­ity first, demo­graphic second, and style third. We would advise against difficult to read fonts, regard­less of how attrac­tive they might be.

What color should my sign be? The first question is what are you trying to convey? For example, yellow is stim­u­lat­ing. The soothing quality of blue may be appro­pri­ate for a Yoga studio. Many restau­rants incor­po­rate warm tones for their energy and enthu­si­asm. Here’s more on the psy­chol­ogy of color.

There are many points to discuss when designing an exterior sign. Size, reg­u­la­tions, and style must all be con­sid­ered. Your customer, demo­graph­ics, and what you’re trying to accom­plish are key. If you aren’t convinced how critical color, typog­ra­phy, and design are to the success of any sign — these fun fonts, color, and design brain­teasers may offer some insight.

TKO Signs (formerly Plain­field Sign) has over 25 years expe­ri­ence in designing and installing exterior signs. If you have any questions about exterior signs feel free to contact us at 888–544-8051 or 317–271-1398.