In the commercial environment, getting noticed is half the battle. There’s a growing sea of competition and that means standing out from the crowd is more essential than ever.
As your company’s face to the world, exterior business signage is the crucial first step in cultivating a professional image. Whether your style is traditional, rustic, comedic, or over-the-top, there are custom eye-catching signs for buildings and sign solutions that capture your brand’s essence. The key lies in creating exterior signage that reflects your company’s identity and appeals to your audience.
Here are seven secrets to creating a compelling outdoor presence through signage.
1. Entice people to learn more about your firm.
If you think about it, signage has a lot of power. A cleverly-designed sign can act like a beacon, garnering attention and drawing people to your location. According to the International Sign Association (ISA), on-premise exterior signage is the least expensive but most effective form of advertising and can be responsible for more than half of your customers. It’s an indispensable tool that’s a smart investment in your company’s future, provided you use your signage to its full advantage.
2. Choose your colors carefully.
From contemporary to classic, youthful to mature, colors help convey a company’s personality. Decades of research have gone into understanding color psychology, the science of how various colors elicit specific reactions from viewers. Businesses often harness color psychology to select branded color schemes that trigger the consumer emotions with which they want to be associated. Use complementary color schemes that complement your branding efforts to craft an appealing image that resonates with your target audience.
3. Prioritize readability.
Many companies try to cram so much into their exterior signage that it becomes an illegible jumble of words and images. Instead, keep it simple and strip away any unnecessary content. Much like a headline in the newspaper, strive to be clear and concise, relaying core information such as your company’s name, tagline, and possibly a short call to action. Be sure to consider the font style and lettering size, too. The industry standard is the ‘10-by-1 rule’, which means that one inch of letter height can generally be read at a maximum of ten feet away.
4. Add some compelling imagery.
People tend to be visual creatures, giving signs for buildings with graphical elements the leg-up over their bland text-only counterparts. Incorporating graphics makes them more interesting and memorable for most people. Imagery can also be used to relay branded information about a business or service, such as its logo or other identity elements.
5. Go digital.
Among a street lined with conventional, static signs, digital signage can really shake things up. These signs use screens instead of printed substrates, making them far brighter, and their design also allows for much more customization. They can be cost-effective, too, because the text images can easily be updated when branding efforts change rather than having to install a new sign each time. Digital signs are especially beneficial for operations with frequently- changing products and services, such as restaurants offering daily specials or retail stores with numerous sales and promotions.
6. Light up the night.
Adding a light source to your sign turns it a 24/7 advertising vehicle and a beacon in the dark. Backlit signage is a popular choice that illuminates text and graphics from the inside out. The results are enhanced aesthetics, clarity, and readability, plus one of the easiest ways to stand out in a crowded commercial district.
7. Tap into the magic of depth and texture.
Texture provides contrast for outdoor signage, which increases both its legibility and general appearance. Shading, for example, improves readability. Shading can be incorporated into the design itself or by placing lights strategically. The use of contrasting colors is another way to give letters and graphics extra pizzazz, while 3D elements such as dimensional letters and logos add character and visual depth to signs for buildings.
For stunning, visually-appealing custom exterior signs that will get your business noticed, rely on the experts at Adler Display. For more than 80 years, we’ve been crafting amazing outdoor signage solutions that work. Ready to get started? Please contact our knowledgeable team today!
About Adler Display: Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, Adler Display brings more than 80 years of experience to its clients in need of recognition displays, lobby and corporate interiors, custom exhibits, historical timelines, trade show displays, and signage and graphics. For more information about Adler Display, please visit the website at https://adlerdisplay.com/ or call 855-552-3537.