Your sign is one of the most basic and necessary means of making your business known and reaching your market. As such, the biggest problem you can have with your signage is people not taking enough notice of it. This is simply a result of how people often go about their lives when on the strip or downtown – very often they don’t take notice of the things around them. This is especially true if there are a large number of other shops on your street. Consequently, it may be difficult to producing an sign that people will notice.
There are a few elements to consider to increase the visibility of your signage. Primarily, your sign needs to be attractive and eye-catching — but without the overuse of vibrance and color that can sometimes turn people off to your message. This tends to drive a difficult balance, but a creative mind and a willingness to experiment will quickly see your store’s signs start to attract an expanding number of customers — and a return on your investment.
The Sign’s Position
As one would expect, the placement of your signage will have a significant impact on how easily it can be seen. As a rule, the sign’s position should be central and elevated so as to get maximum exposure to casual observation from the ground. At the same time, it shouldn’t be so high up that it’s removed from the customer’s field of vision. The design of your signage may also impact its best placement. For example, if it’s listing your shop’s name, then the best place to position it is directly above the store’s entrance. Signs advertising special offers or services are best at ground level, where they can be more easily seen.
Your specific situation may offer unique challenges and opportunities. For example, if your store doesn’t afford a favourable position for a sign directly above the door, you will need to look at alternatives. Many shops, for example, make use of A-frame signs, overhead signs and signs glazed onto windows. It’s also not unwise to experiment with placement over time, as you may find that some tweak may provide better results.
The Sign’s Design and Layout
Just as crucial to expanding the number of people who can see your sign is making the sign eye-catching — holding their attention. This means taking advantage of contrast and ensuring it reads as well up close as it does from a distance. Choosing a colour that stands out from the building itself is a good way to use contrast, and establish that eye-popping distinction.
Make sure that your sign is also large enough to be seen. Smaller signs may be easier to manage and take up less space, but they may also attract less notice or be difficult to read. While you can get around the challenges of having a small sign through careful positioning and taking advantage of certain signage like overheads, it’s best to use signage that is adequately sized to your message and visible from the street.
The type of sign design you use will also affect your potential intake of customers. Cartoonish, brightly coloured signs with chunky, bold lettering will give the impression of a casual, almost kiddy store and will attract customers looking for that sort of thing. If your store wants to attract more refined, adult customers, it may be an idea to revise your design to something a little more reserved. Services like those offered by Quality Sign Designer make it easy and cost-effective to design and refine your signs.
Also, keep in mind the sort of businesses and buildings surrounding you and take advantage of it. If you notice a trend amongst the signs for the competing stores along your street, then design your sign in a different direction. Doing so helps to make your store sign stand out more, and thus more readily attract interest and curiosity from people out on the street.
About the author:
Christian Mills is a freelance writer who comments on a number of issues from everyday life to the challenges of the modern business environment.