1. Give your signs a purpose
Purpose & placement are important when it comes to signage and both factors work in tandem. When it comes to placement, a sign generally has to be in a spot that’s easily visible that can get lots of exposure. The purpose of the sign helps dictate the location of the sign’s placement.
For example, if you want to promote a sale of products somewhere in the corner of your store, you can place a banner hanging off the ceiling with the words ‘SALE’ right above the products. By having the banner hang from the ceiling, you are making that sign easily visible to your customers. In addition, the purpose of the sign is made clear at first glance. This brings us to our second point.
2. Messages should be clear & attention grabbing
A clear message on a sign helps to get to your point across quickly. A sign that says ‘Buy 1, Get 1 Free’ is more easily decipherable to customers than ‘If you buy 1 hat, you get a 2nd hat for half off’ at a glance. To attract new customers, you want your signs to be direct, to the point, and able to grab their attention.
3. Be creative with it
Creativity can influence anything from the message, delivery of that message, or the aspects of the sign itself to be used to grab attention. The more creative & clever the sign is, the better. Take this sign from Double Cup Coffee for example:
Right away, you notice the creativity that was put into making this sign. This illuminated sign with white coffee cups in a box will make people stop and take a second look! It’s a conversation piece that will definitely grab attention just for the design alone and adds character to the brand as well. Think about the advantage this store has over a competitor’s average sign down the street. It pays to think outside of the box, or in this case, inside the box with cups!
4. Stay away from jarring colors & illegible fonts
Fonts on signs must be easy to read and big enough to be read from a distance. If your customers can’t read your signs then they won’t know what it says and ignore it. Choosing the style of font depends on the theme of your store and the style of your brand. Many brands often have a preset list of approved fonts or logos variations that they can use. Clear, bold and modern fonts are great for standing out and grabbing attention from the street while more artistic and organic fonts work well for more intimate settings, where guests will be reading the sign from only a foot or two away.
The colors of your sign also play an important role in designing. These should again match your brand colors to maintain consistency, but placement needs to be taken into account as well. Keep in mind whether the sign will work best at night, or during the day.
If you want to know whether your sign is appealing or not then you can test it and make adjustments based on the feedback of your ideal customers.
