Always be sure your company message is understood using outdoor signs

Always be sure your company message is understood using outdoor signs

Coming Up With Your Message

One of the most obviously important parts of your custom outdoor sign is what is says. But the message you choose to put on your outdoor signage is vital for more reasons than you think. The words you put on your signage are more than just words; they're an important design element. The curves and points of each letter create word forms which utilize valuable space within the design.

You don't want your sign to be ignored by customers or left unread by those who walk by. One of the biggest design mistakes we see is bad wording, and an ineffective sign could very well lose you business. Once you choose the right message to put on your sign, you'll be on your way!

Be obvious

Isn't it obvious? Your store is called Tina's, so that's what you're putting on your business signage. But wait. Anyone who has never been to Tina's before won't feel a spark of interest when they read your sign because they don't know what Tina's is. Is it a bakery? A jewelry store? A carpentry shop specializing in wooden gnomes? There's no way of knowing. Your sign needs to convey exactly what type of business you run because it may not be as obvious as you think. Tina's Fine Clothing is a more appropriate message for the sign. Perhaps Tina's will be in big block letters on top and Fine Clothing will be in smaller letters underneath. This way, your message is effective and the name of your shop has not been changed.

Be clear

Being too joke—y or subtle with the message on your business sign can make it baffling. Remember that wooden gnome carpentry shop? What if the sign read “Tina's Gnomes – You Gnow It!” Believe it or not, some people might find that funny and clever! But if your potential customer is not one of those people – or can't decipher the joke, you've probably just lost a patron. Clear and simple is the best way to go.

3.5 Seconds

This sounds like the name of a new Tom Cruise movie, but it's not. 3 ½ seconds is about how long a passing motorist looks at your outdoor sign. That doesn't give you much time. They answer is to make your sign easily readable in that short window of time. Overcrowding your sign with too many lines of text will make it difficult to read. Using colors that blend together will make for a perplexed reader so make sure your text is in a color that contrasts with the background so reading your message is easy on the eyes.

As They Say, Less is More|Less is More}

You now know that your outdoor business sign shouldn't have too much text burying your message. But how much is too much? Get your message across using as few words as you can. The magic number is seven; so don't use more words than that. Remember, outdoor signs are meant to attract customers and spark an interest in them. You don't need to explain everything about your business right on the sign – there's plenty of room for more signs once your target audience is interested enough to pull in and walk inside. Because of this, you want your message to be as succinct as possible. Only say what needs to be sauid. Tina's Bakery: Pastries and Baked Goods is not an effective message. The name of the shop, Tina's Bakery, tells us that there will be pastries and baked goods inside, so the second line is unnecessary. For that matter, pastries are baked goods so the second line itself is redundant. A message such as Tina's Bakery: Always Organic is much better. Nothing is repeated and the most important feature of the business is stated.

You know the message on your custom sign is vital, and now you know just how much. Keep it simple, clear and obvious and your outdoor sign will catch you the target audience you're after. And remember, our sign specialists are here to help!