Instant Custom Signs – Drew Brims' Blog

We get excited about the signs we produce. Just this week we made a huge banner for a customer that we thought was exceptional in design. A picture of it is here at the top of the post. It sits on a wall outside his boutique and looks dynamic. You can’t help but notice this banner if you are in the area. It’s a lifestyle image and the colours are spectacular! And the cost was very reasonable compared to the alternative of layers of coloured vinyl on a white background. It’s a far superior product at a very reasonable price!

Last time we talked about channel lettering. The second part of the fascia sign trifactor is the illuminated sign box. There can actually be some overlap between channel letters and sign boxes. Sometimes a designer will create a design for a sign box that extends beyond a regular rectangular box and becomes an odd shape to accommodate the outline of a logo. This is true “thinking outside the box”. These projects show that we are not restricted to just a rectangle and everything has to fit neatly inside. Signs like this will be more noticed than your garden-variety rectangular box. It’s something to consider when creating your brand image – more expensive than the rectangle, but much more effective in attracting attention. Isn’t this the reason for putting up a sign anyway? To be noticed above the competition?

So, let’s start at the top of the scale – Channel letters. Usually 5-6” deep with an acrylic face and internally illuminated. These used to be predominantly lit by Neon tubes but the expense of keeping Neon working has soured many people on that product. Many manufacturers refuse to make Neon – lit signs any more because of the potential for damage before the sign is even installed.

I often think of a fascia sign as the headline on the front page of a newspaper. At the top is the name of the newspaper in bold lettering and below is the day’s headline. This is how your sign should look.

That monument, ground or pylon sign standing outside your building should be a reflection of your image and brand. I once read, “A business without a sign is a sign of no business”. True enough. Not many businesses can survive without a sign to direct traffic to their doors unless they are a web-based company that relies on other methods. Not so the larger retail companies we recognize regularly. Shell, Esso, MacDonalds as well as The Bay, Sears, Canadian Tire and other bastions of retail excellence. Their pylon signs are not the only things that bring customers to their doors but it is an important part of the corporate strategy. It reflects the brand and broadcasts for blocks, where you should turn in.

Since discovering this material, we’ve had great success with custom dry-erase boards. Our customers love them because they don’t have to compromise on some standard template or size that the big stores offer. They can order a board that is 4’ wide by 10’ long if they wish (we’ve done lots of these for one customer) and the background graphics are limitless. They use these boards for production performance boards, line staffing organizers, vacation planners, projection planning, sales targets and results, all kinds of ideas. Having them custom printed makes them unique to the business and allows management and staff to fully realize the potential of the communication.

Your exterior sign is only a single point of contact. The hope is that your sign will help to create more points of contact. Keep in mind that a completely successful sign will only hold a person’s attention for 3 seconds!! That is not much time and you HAVE to make it count. Tell your viewing audience who you are and why they should care. ie: “ACME; Quality Furniture” The name is Acme and we can all get our quality furniture there.

So how large should the lettering be on your signs. “Go big or go home” is an appropriate saying here. If the lettering is too small to be easily read from the distance between your sign and the audience, you wasted money on the sign. I don’t like wasting money and I’m sure you don’t either.

Signs, Signs, everywhere is signs… Blocking out the scenery, breaking my mind…

And so the song goes. Sure, signs can block out the scenery but they can also carry a message beneficial to the audience and hopefully, profitable for the advertiser. Signs are a great way to advertise your product or service but, like anything else, if improperly executed, things can go horribly wrong. Have you ever wondered what goes into a really great sign and how to get the biggest bang for your buck?