Best New Year’s Resolution for Your Business? New Signage

Christmas probably seems like a distant memory, now that the reality of the New Year is upon us. The season of indulgence has passed and most people wake up on January 1st full of good intentions. We all make individual and often deeply personal promises to ourselves to lose weight, write that novel, learn a new language or finally get round to all the DIY projects we’ve been putting off. Yet the New Year shouldn’t just be about self-improvement and our own personal goals. If you own or manage a business, setting a few New Year’s resolutions for your company can also be a great way to beat the winter blues and give your business a much-needed kick-start, to see in the New Year…

New Year, New Start

This is the ideal time to harness that New Year enthusiasm and do something positive for your business. January is a month for fresh starts and a fresh look, and one of the best New Year’s resolutions you can set for your business is to improve its external appearance with some new brand signage.

Investing in brand signage brings a number of benefits to any business, especially at this time of year. Whether you own a shop, restaurant, gym, hotel or any other establishment with a frontage that people passing by can see, a new look for the New Year can work wonders when it comes to attracting customers and capturing passing trade. Thanks to the nation’s love of the January sales, this is one of the busiest periods on the High Street, as undeterred by the colder, wetter winter weather, shoppers up and down the country pound the pavements in search of bargains. Bolder, brighter and more eye-catching signage can ensure that your business premises stands out from the crowd, drawing in those much-needed sales and giving your company the early New Year boost it so deserves.

A well-presented façade is an invitation to the casual passerby, never so important as during these darker months when the evenings draw in early and the often miserable weather can lower spirits. Well-lit and well-presented brand signage does more than simply announce your company name to the world, it speaks to potential customers about what you do and how seriously you care about your work. You can have the most presentable and interesting of window displays or menus imaginable, but if the signage above the door is letting the side down, then customers are inevitably put off.

Badly executed or poorly maintained signage does not bode well in anybody’s book, and with such tough competition between retailers around this time of year, this is one area you cannot afford to overlook. Good signage promises good things behind the double doors, while an absence of signage or a sign which is looking a little on the tired and shabby side can really damage your brand in the eyes of customers.

A wise investment for 2017

This year looks set to be a difficult one for business owners. Often touted as a bellwether for British retail, clothing giant Next has seen share prices fall, after warning that 2017 would be a ‘challenging year’ on the High Street, and other businesses, both large and small, face great uncertainty. With consumer confidence slow to return in the wake of the financial crash and competition in the retail, hospitality and services industries tougher than ever before, staying ahead of your rivals has never been so vital.

Creating a strong brand identity which will stand out from the crowd and be memorable is key to attracting and maintaining a strong customer base, and that’s where well-designed brand signage can really help. Revamping your signage and giving it a bold new look will help you put your best foot forward as your business starts what could be a tricky New Year in 2017.

It’s also worth remembering that people notice change, especially when it’s for the good. Seeing an improvement to your business premises’ façade will inevitably turn a few heads, and when people see you’re taking a positive, proactive step to build your brand identity, they will take an interest.

While the cost of new signage might seem like a squeeze on your wallet after the over-spending of Christmas, new signage really can be the gift which keeps on giving. This is advertising with staying power, and if it’s well planned, well designed and properly maintained, your new signage will last you many years to come and stand as a testament to all the hard work you’ve put into your business.

In much the same way that we might view the New Year as a fresh start and change our own appearances with a different haircut or by shedding those extra pounds, this is the ideal opportunity to seize that New Year lease of life and give your premises a bold new look.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we have been designing, installing and helping business owners maintain exemplary brand signage for many years, and our professional signage services are in particularly high demand in these early months of the year. We understand the importance of making a powerful statement through your signage, and our highly skilled professional team is always on hand to offer support and guidance, if you’re looking for a New Year rebranding exercise which will make a real difference. Simply get in touch today to find out how we can help. Call us on 01273 417057

Brighten Up The Winter Months With An Illuminated Sign

Illuminated Signage

We are now well and truly in the depths of the bleak midwinter, when the evenings draw in early, the cold begins to get us all down and the weather is often as miserable as that post-Christmas feeling. It’s little wonder that when the January blues strike, most of simply bury our heads under the duvet and let our thoughts begin to turn towards holidays in the sun or taking solace in a little comfort eating or retail therapy.

This can, however, also be a time for fresh starts and reinvention. The New Year offers a new start, and with it a rush of good intentions and resolutions to improve on some aspect of our lives, be it a health kick after the guilt of overindulging in mince pies or starting that DIY project that has been put off for months. In our working lives as well as our personal ones, seizing that sudden flurry of motivation can be a fantastic way to counter the dreariness of the winter months and inject a little life back into proceedings.

Whether you own a small boutique shop or a large restaurant, this time of year can seem relatively quiet after the Christmas rush, so it’s an ideal time to act on those good intentions and give your business premises a little attention. Competition for trade is always a challenge, but never more so than when footfall on the High Street is low and the wintry weather is putting customers off venturing much further than the local supermarket.

One of the quickest, most effective and long-lasting things you can do to improve your chances of boosting trade during this quiet patch is sprucing up the front of your store with new signage. People notice change, and it catches everyone’s eyes when something they pass on a daily basis on the way to work or on the school run is suddenly given a makeover. By investing in illuminated signage in particular, you could banish the winter blues and give your business a new lease of life.

Why Illuminated Signage?

What could be more inviting to the chilly High Street shopper than a warm and inviting shop front? Whether it’s a shop, restaurant, bar or any other business premises, a well lit sign and an attractive building façade are a welcoming sight when the mercury has plummeted and the rain is coming down in sheets. There’s far more to good signage than simply having your name spelled out correctly and your company logo pinned above the door. Illuminated signage has multiple benefits, especially at this time of year, making it a wise investment for any business owner.

Because the light begins to fade around mid-afternoon over the winter months, illuminated signage not only looks attractive but also plays a major role in ensuring casual passersby still notice you and potential customers can still find you. Having your name in lights above the entrance makes you more visible and more attractive, and the bolder, brighter and more beautiful your signage, the more likely you are to get people through the door. It’s a simple truth that people are more likely to stop on impulse, whatever the weather, if they see a shop or restaurant front which appeals to them.

A well-lit sign is, therefore, a permanent and prominent marketing tool. Acting as a beacon and announcing your presence to the world, your signage can be a powerful and effective piece of branding which it’s difficult for people to overlook – a strong design featuring your company name, colours and logo sticks in the mind and is remembered long afterwards, almost certainly giving you the edge over the competition.

A Pre-spring Clean

New signage is a belated Christmas present which your premises will thank you for, and despite the weather, this is the perfect time of year for having new signage installed. In fact, it’s arguably because of the weather that this is the ideal time.

Strong winds and driving rain can wreak havoc with old or poorly maintained signage, getting beneath the lettering, wearing away at fixings and generally causing it to look unclean and unsightly, not to mention the health and safety risks involved in elevated signage falling into disrepair. Investing in quality new signs might seem like a significant outlay at a time when passing trade has dwindled, but it will pay you back and be worth more than its weight in gold in the long-term.

Think of installing a new illuminated sign as a spot of spring cleaning, ahead of the better weather. If you’ve been delaying those odd-jobs around your business premises, then now’s the time to capitalise on the New Year good intentions, while things are slow in other respects and you have the time to give your shop front the TLC it so deserves.

Get That Glowing Feeling

If the weather’s getting you down and the post-Christmas lull is starting to take its toll, now’s the time to act. Not only will an illuminated sign help make your shop front more attractive despite the gloomy weather, it might even see you getting more customers through the door and more of those all-important January sales.

To find out more about how illuminated signage could benefit your business, speak to the experts at the Sussex Sign Company using our contact form or give us a call on 01273 417057. We have been providing beautiful, bespoke illuminated signs to businesses in East Sussex for many years, and with the highest quality workmanship and a wealth of knowledge, we can design, install and help you maintain your brand new signs.

Signage The Christmas Gift Which Keeps on Giving

We have already entered one of the busiest periods in the shopping calendar, with Christmas and New Year meaning bargain hunters everywhere have braved the cold and gloomy weather to grab those stocking fillers and fill their fridges for the celebrations. While retailers and restaurant or pub owners are probably already rushed off their feet, there’s one more job you should add to your to-do list and it could just be the one which helps you maximise sales over the festive period – installing new signage.

Competition in the retail and hospitality sectors can be incredibly fierce over the Christmas period, with everyone trying to outdo their neighbours with discounts, special offers and diversity of stock. It’s a critical time for making up if sales have been poor throughout the rest of the year, giving a much-needed boost to the balance books as the year draws to a close. Capturing your fair share of the Christmas market is, therefore, a big priority over the coming days and weeks, and new signage could be just the thing you need to catch the eyes of the Christmas crowds and pull in new customers.

Sussex and London: Shopping Destinations of Choice

It goes without saying that the capital is the number one destination for shoppers at this time of year, drawing in people not only from across the United Kingdom but around the world. While the wealthy fly in to stock up at Hamleys and Harrods, the majority of us will be spending our money in supermarkets, high street stores, big retail outlets and smaller independent shops. This year, spending is expected to bounce back to a level not seen since the financial crash of 2007, so it could well be a very merry Christmas indeed for the nation’s shopkeepers.

Oxford Street is, of course, one of the most popular shopping spots, but all across the capital shops, restaurants and bars will be hearing the tills ringing out in the Christmas period. Beyond the densely packed streets of Zone 1, there are countless London boroughs where you’ll find not only the big name high street chains, but slightly more unusual independent stores.

Sussex, too, has become something of a retail destination in recent years. Ideally situated within handy reach of the capital, savvy shoppers wishing to escape the worst of the crowds and find something a little different are increasingly drawn to nearby Eastbourne, Brighton and Chichester, which are all just a short train hop away. Smaller, more quirky stores located in picturesque towns such as Lewes, Rye and Arundel also pull in shoppers on the search for that elusive perfect present, as do the festive markets.

For shop owners, restaurant managers or pub landlords across Sussex and London, ensuring your premises are looking at their best can make a big difference to the footfall you get through your door at this time of year. People are automatically drawn to the most attractive, best-looking outlets, so a dreary shop window or a shabby façade can easily drive much needed custom straight into the arms of a local competitor.

Add Signage To Your Christmas List This Year

Whether you’re based in Sussex or London signage should be top of your Christmas list. It may seem like just one more thing to get done when you’re already rushed off your feet, but the benefits of installing new signage are immediate and impressive.

Customers really do like to see attractive shops fronts and are more likely to venture inside if they can see that the outside of your premises is well-kept and appealing. Getting people to pause and examine your window display or cast an eye over your menu is half the battle when it comes to clinching those all-important Christmas sales, and a bold, beautiful and eye-catching sign can be seen from quite a distance and may well lure customers over.

A high quality sign speaks volumes about your business and about you. Nobody wants to go through the doors of a shop or restaurant where the sign above the door is missing letters or looks grubby and unloved, but a well-lit and well-maintained sign has exactly the opposite effect and offers encouragement. At this time of year in particular, when the weather might be dark and gloomy, the warming glow of a good sign is a welcoming invitation to the casual passerby and certainly helps your business stand out.

Choosing The Right Signage For Your Business

Getting your signage right is key, and done well it becomes the gift which just keeps on giving. Signage is an incredibly powerful marketing tool which is both prominent and permanent, advertising your business round the clock simply by being so visible. Good signage does more than just put your name above the door – it’s a prime piece of branding, so must be bold and memorable, perhaps including your company’s logo or colours.

When it comes to Sussex and London signage, the Sussex Sign Company is the market leading provider of high quality, bespoke signs. We work all across the county of Sussex, as well as serving all London boroughs, so wherever you are, we’re on hand to help. With many years’ experience in this field, we are able to work with you to design, manufacture, install and help you maintain your signage, offering innovative solutions to all your signage needs. For more information about the services we provide, or to get advice on the best signage for your business, simply get in touch with our expert team today on 01273 417057 or contact us using the contact form.

How New Estate Agent Signage Could Help You Prepare for the New Year’s Rush

We all know there’s a dip in the property market in the run-up to Christmas. After all, nobody wants the stress of moving into a new home only a few days or weeks before the busiest time of year. However, the quiet period almost always ends as soon as the New Year begins, and people who have been delaying putting their houses on the market or holding off on the start of their search for a new home suddenly see the New Year as a new beginning.

If you own or manage an estate agency, this is one of the most important times in the calendar, and anything you can do to increase footfall and drum up interest can only be a good thing. With competition from other agencies and online agents so fierce, ensuring yours is the go-to agency can be a challenge. So what can you do to make sure that the New Year brings those much needed sales and success? The first place to start is with your shop front.

If you make one New Year’s resolution about your business, let it be that you’ll spruce up your estate agent signage and give the façade of your premises a little TLC as we enter the darker, gloomier winter months. When it comes to attracting new customers, there is little that can have so immediate and impressive an impact as a new sign above the door, so look no further and read on, to find out more about the benefits of sparkling new estate agent signage.

The perks of proper signage

There’s nothing like the dawning of a New Year to fill us all with good intentions and the get-up-and-go we need to make some big changes. After all the fun and indulgence of Christmas, this can be a month of transformations for the better, and that extends from the health kick in your personal life to the little shake up your business premises needs.

For most people, the New Year marks a fresh start, so it’s often the time when people spruce up their homes ready for sale, or begin to trawl Rightmove once again in search of the perfect property. That’s all good news for you, but now you need to capitalise on this sudden rush of interest. In order to attract as many people as possible through your doors, you need more than some nice homes on your books. You need to look the part to the casual passerby in the High Street and pull in customers with a winning shop front.

Giving your estate agents a new, well made and eye catching sign above the door will certainly give you an edge over the competition. People notice change, and seeing your estate agent signage go from tired and lacklustre to bright, bold and beautiful will definitely generate new interest in your business. At this time of year, when the evenings draw in early and the weather can be miserable, a well illuminated sign and shop front will offer a warm and inviting welcome to people out and about in the neighbourhood, encouraging them through your doors and onto your books.

Reaping the rewards of good signage

Giving your premises a little love and care now will pay dividends over the winter months. Poor weather can really affect old or poorly maintained signage, often causing it to look shabby and run-down, all of which puts off potential customers. We have all passed shops, restaurants and other High Street facades, where the signage is falling to pieces and looking a little worse for wear, and you wouldn’t want to join that particular club…

Installing and maintaining new signage will not only make the front of your agency more appealing, it will also speak volumes about your company and the work you do. Like the front door of your home or the clothes you choose to wear, the signage you have fitted reflects something much deeper. Good signage shouts ‘good company’, demonstrating that you care about and take pride in what you do. A bold, beautiful sign suggests that what lies beyond the front doors is similarly promising, whereas poorly maintained and outdated signage doesn’t bode well in any customer’s eyes.

A well made sign is also a memorable one, which is precisely what you need in such a competitive market. If your sign is bold and helps put your brand on a more visible platform, you’re already well on your way to garnering greater interest in your business. People like to see attractive shop fronts, and images including your brand name and colours will stick more clearly in their minds if your signage is distinctive.

A resolution worth keeping

Resolutions are hard to keep – just one last chocolate before the diet starts, just one more weekend before you hit the gym, just one more hour in bed before you start your novel. Whatever resolutions you might have made (and already broken) in your personal life, make new estate agent signage the one you keep for your company’s sake.

With many years’ experience providing bespoke and beautiful signage, the Sussex Sign Company are the number one choice when it comes to providing the best signage solutions for estate agencies everywhere. We can install and help you maintain the new signage your premises needs, so for more information on the services we offer, simply get in touch with our expert team today.

New Year, New You: How Fresh Signage Could Boost Your Gym or Trampoline Park’s Profile

Signage for Gym’s and Trampoline Parks

It’s the time of year when many of us begin to turn our thoughts from all the Christmas over-indulgence, to contemplate a new fitness regime for the New Year. As soon as the mince pies are all safely out the way, the list of New Year’s resolutions suddenly begins to look very challenging indeed. Lots of people want to shed the festivity-induced extra pounds and get back on the treadmill, either for the short-term fix, or with an eye on a more long-term healthy living overhaul. With so many different gyms and trampoline parks out there, all offering New Year deals to lure in the guilty, how do you make sure yours stands out from the crowd and attracts those all-important new members?

One of the best ways is through new gym signage, or treating your trampoline park to a façade facelift. This is a time of year when we all hope for transformations of one sort or another, so it’s the ideal time to look to the future and make things happen. Signage should be a critical part of your New Year, new look premises, so consider this a late Christmas present to your business and see the positive effects a new sign can bring.

Good resolutions

We all know how difficult it can be to keep New Year’s resolutions, but investing in new gym signage shouldn’t be a chore. With so many people on the lookout for a membership bargain, the competition between gyms can be fierce at this time of year and anything you can do to raise your profile can only help in the battle to attract new customers.

People inevitably notice when things change, particularly if it’s for the better. If someone walks past your gym and sees a change in your signs, they’re more likely to stop and investigate further. Just by being an eye-catching and noticeable alteration to their regular walk to the station or drive to the supermarket, you’ve already won half the battle by attracting their attention.

Thanks to the surge in interest for trampoline parks, this time of year is also going to be busy if you own or manage one of these. As more people look for fun ways of burning off the Christmas excess, making sure you build your brand identity and promote it in time for the New Year rush could be the very thing to put some spring back into your business.

The benefits of good signage

Installing new gym signage or a new sign for your trampoline park really could see you reap the rewards in fairly short order. Your signage is your brand identity, the first thing people will notice when they pass your premises. It acts as an introduction to you and your company, and it’s therefore important that you make a good first impression or you run the risk of putting potential customers off for good.

Well presented and well maintained signage not only makes your gym or trampoline park more visible to the casual passerby, it also says that you take pride in your company and the services you offer. It takes just seconds for people to reach a judgment on whether they’re interested or not in your brand, so it’s important you make a positive impact before they have a chance to move on. Well looked-after signs say you care about what you do, that you take your work seriously and have a lot to offer your clients. Good signage bodes well for what lies beyond the double doors, and people are more likely to be tempted in, whereas they will be wary that poorly maintained or shabby signage is likely to lead them to disappointment.

Good signage also has an added advantage at this time of year, when the gloomy winter months seem to make the high street feel cold and uninviting. With poor weather and the usual January blues likely to be affecting quite a few of the people who pass your gym front, a well-lit and attractive sign is like a big, warm welcome invitation to come in out of the cold. Everyone can feel cheered by a well-presented business premises in their neighbourhood – it elevates the tone of the area and can elevate the spirits at the same time – just the thing you need when the rain-lashed streets make everyone feel like shutting themselves indoors and comfort eating.

New year, new look

This really is the perfect time of year to revamp your gym or trampoline park, because it’s probably also your busiest. How well presented your premises are really could impact on how much of the post-Christmas market you can capture – whether they’re impulse exercisers or long-haul gym goers.

Investing in new gym signage or sprucing up the signs you already have are one late Christmas present your business will thank you for. There’s nothing like the start of a new year to concentrate the mind and fill you with good intentions, so if you act on them now, you could see the rewards before too long. A new year and a new look could be just the tonic you need to get you through the coming winter months, so set aside some time to think about the designs you want and make sure you stick to this resolution, even if the rest fall by the wayside.

Here at the Sussex Sign Company we have many years’ experience in crafting bespoke and beautiful signage, so you can rest assured that we’ll help you find the perfect signage solution to give your premises a new look for the New Year. We can’t promise those well-intentioned new customers will stick around until after January, but we can help you get them through the door. For more information on how we can help, simply get in touch with our expert team today.

For more information contact us on 01273 417057 or contact us using the contact form.

How good signage could boost Christmas sales for businesses in the Capital

Great signage in London

Christmas is always the busiest time of year for retailers, and with only a handful of shopping days left until the big day, clinching those all-important Christmas sales is crucial. Retail analysts are predicting that spending on Christmas this year will be at the highest it has been since the financial crash of 2007, which means retailers everywhere will be hoping for a major boost to profits during the festive period. Restaurants and hotels, too, see bookings spike around the middle of December, thanks to office Christmas parties and people travelling to visit relatives for family get-togethers.

While bargain hunters might have snapped up some deals during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, when it comes to Christmas shopping, the vast majority of us still like to do things the old-fashioned way. Online sales might have increased and the Amazon effect might have made things harder for smaller independent shops, but at this time of year most people still like to brave the crowds and see and feel the goods they are buying. The same holds true for restaurants. People naturally look to online reviews to gauge how good an establishment is, but just as often, you’ll find people have paused to study a menu and make a booking on impulse, having walked past a restaurant whilst out and about.

At this time of year, it’s hardly a surprise that London is the number one destination for Christmas shoppers, drawing in the crowds not only from across the rest of the country but from overseas. The capital boasts some of the best shopping destinations in the world, not only in the inner city areas but across all the outer boroughs and in the many outlying towns which surround the capital. The bright lights of Oxford Street have a major pull factor, and big brand names or the likes of Harrods and Hamleys are never going to struggle. For smaller businesses in the capital, however, standing out from the crowd can be hard. Shoppers on the lookout for something a bit out of the ordinary might have more luck outside of the department stores, so competition between independent retailers can be fierce.

Capturing the Capital’s crowds

So how can you make sure your business stands out and catches its fair share of the capital’s crowds this Christmas? The most obvious answer is through better signage, and in London signs really need to stand out.

It’s no longer enough to simply spruce up your window displays and crank up the Christmas songs, and shop owners today have to go that extra mile if they are to compete with the bigger players. Your shop front is the first impression a potential customer has of you, and since there are no second chances, you need to make sure it’s a good one. A bold, bright and memorable sign will help you stand out from the competition and catch the eye of the casual passer-by or the impulse buyer, and that means more chance of them returning.

A high quality sign speaks volumes about you and your business. We’ve all seen unappealing shop or restaurant fronts with missing letters or wonky logos, and when we do, we naturally expect that what they have to offer beyond the double doors is not going to be of a very high standard. A high quality sign tells the rest of the world that you care, that you take pride in what you do and that you want the public to take an interest in your goods or services.

The best time of year for a new shop sign

There are lots of competing pressures on retailers or businesses in the hospitality trade at this time of year, but it’s also the best time to give your shop front a revamp. People notice when things change, and seeing a new sign as they’re out and about doing their Christmas shopping will certainly turn a few shoppers’ heads.

The colder and darker weather at this time of year can, in fact, be an advantage when it comes to luring Christmas shoppers in. A well illuminated and well maintained sign is an invitation that’s hard to refuse, so whether you are the owner of a small toy shop or the manager of a restaurant, investing in a high quality sign will attract attention. People are far more likely to stop and examine your goods or read your menu if the sign above the door jumps out at them.

The feel-good boost we receive in the run-up to Christmas can quickly descend into post-festive gloom throughout January and the long winter months, so acting now to give your shop front some TLC could help counter the winter blues. If a change really is as good as a rest, then sprucing up your shop front as part of a pre-spring clean could not only lift business but lift the spirits too.

With many years of experience in this field, the Sussex Sign Company are the go-to people when it comes to signage and our London signs team work right across the capital, in every London borough. That means wherever you are, we can be on hand to design and install your new sign or help you maintain the signage you already have. For more information contact us on 01273 417057 or contact us using the contact form.

Vehicle Signwriting: What are the Benefits?

Being a business owner means no end of tasks and concerns to tackle and take care of. Of these responsibilities, advertising and business promotion is perhaps one of the most costly and time-consuming. Many businesses choose to consult a marketing agency – a choice which inevitably involves paying substantial fees and handing over the future of your business to people that you have never met, who themselves lack the intimate knowledge of your business necessary to draw up a plan that properly responds to your needs, values and goals.

Vehicle-based advertising offers a way out of this conundrum. Forget using a paintbrush and a pot of paint to literally write your advert onto the side of your vehicle – the long-established art of vehicle signwriting has moved on leaps and bounds in recent years.

Vinyl for High Impact, Long-lasting Signage

The use of vinyl instead of paint carries with it a wide range of benefits. For one, it’s far less time-consuming and doesn’t require the trained and talented hand of an artist. Indeed, you could apply your own vinyl lettering depending on the complexity of your sign, but for larger vehicle signage covering the dips, gaps and raised surfaces of the side of a van, the skills of an expert can be a godsend.

Modern vinyl sheeting takes advantage of the latest advances in technology, including special egress channels on the adhesive side to allow air to escape, making those annoying bubbles a thing of the past. Certain kinds of adhesive are also available which allow the installation technician to move the vinyl sign around on the substrate before activating the adhesive once the perfect location is found.

As a result of not requiring an artist, modern signwriting that makes use of vinyl is also much more cost-effective, with a typical sign likely to set you back hundreds, not thousands, of pounds. More complex and detailed signage, including that done with full or partial vinyl body wraps, can carry a larger price tag, but also allows us to demonstrate another compelling benefit of vinyl – its longevity.

Some vinyl wraps can last up to five years, and lettering is even more long-lived. Standard vinyl letters last from four to seven years, while higher quality premium vinyl can last up to an entire decade, ensuring that your investment in vehicle signwriting provides a healthy return for many years to come. Vinyl is highly durable and withstands the elements of the notorious British climate without difficulty.

Whilst your sign may last for ten years, we’d naturally recommend changing it and giving your vehicle a facelift slightly more frequently to ensure that your sign keeps turning heads and attracting the right kind of attention. And, unlike painted signs, which require very expensive full vehicle body resprays, vinyl can simply be peeled off with the right tools.

But how effective is it as a form of advertising? Read on to find out why we believe it’s one of the best forms of business promotion available, ticking every box and making the lives of business owners much easier.

Widen Your Reach

When you buy an advertising slot on the radio or rent a billboard, your advert appears at a particular point in time or space respectively, after which it disappears. If your advert failed to attract much attention to communicate your message during this short window, then your marketing investment was wasted.

When your advert occupies space that you already own for an unlimited amount of time, and is attached to a mobile vehicle, then you have overcome the constraints on time and space that the above traditional means of promotion carry. This allows your sign, and thus your message, to reach a far wider range of people than would otherwise be possible.

And this expanded reach for your promotion isn’t inconsiderable – marketing research suggests that on a busy high street, around 3,000 people will come into contact with your sign every hour. If your vehicle spends the day parked outside a shop in which you’re doing work for the owner, the number of people that you could reach would number the tens of thousands. This demonstrates the unparalleled power of vehicle signwriting.

Boost Awareness and Favourable Sentiment

It goes without saying that by transforming your vehicle into a mobile billboard, your target market will slowly become more aware of your company and what you have to offer. This is an excellent benefit in itself for one reason – studies have shown time and again that consumers are far more likely to purchase from a brand that they’re familiar with, even if they haven’t personally tried their products or services before.

There is an array of additional benefits from increased brand awareness as well. One piece of market research that focussed on brand awareness from vehicle signage in particular found that around three quarters of respondents claimed to have a favourable opinion of companies and brands that they encounter through vehicle signs. Consumer perceptions of these businesses typically include that they are well established and successful firms.

This in turn makes consumers more likely to seek to purchase your goods or services, as well as recommending you to their friends – even if they haven’t personally required what you have to offer.

Cost-effectiveness

Vehicle signage, measured by cost per impression, comes out far cheaper than all other forms of advertising – this is a well known fact. But few people think about the additional financial benefits. By turning your vehicle into a moving advertisement, you can transform unproductive time, such as a traffic jam or your daily commute, into potentially productive time well spent.

And your usual productive work time is multiplied further – while you’re busy working away, your vehicle will also be silently but strongly promoting your firm’s unique proposition to a whole host of potential customers. Call us today on 01273 417057 to see how we can help.

Could Estate Agent Signage be Banned? Here’s Why We Think it’ll Never Happen

It hasn’t been a great month for estate agents, what with the government announcing a ban on tenants’ letting fees in the Autumn Statement. While this was understandably welcomed by most citizens and homelessness charities across the country, the move triggered a wave of condemnation and despair from estate agents and landlords.

Agents are naturally concerned about any move that harms their bottom line, and landlords are worried that estate agents will seek to pass the costs on to them through higher property management fees, which as yet remain untouched by the government. The change has yet to be formally legislated and is pending a consultation process, but already the estate agent sector has seen a fall in share prices.

London-based Foxtons estate agents lost 13 percent of its value within an hour of the announcement, and this on top of a 23 percent slide since the Brexit referendum. Critics were quick to point out that administrative fees have been banned in Scotland since 2012, a move which the sector then absorbed without any serious problems. Nonetheless, industry blogs and forums were awash with consternation about the future.

Estate agent signage: an uncertain future?

Now, to add to these worries, proposals have emerged from Belfast City Council to ban the ubiquitous “To Let” and “For Sale” signs seen on almost every street in the country. The Council’s proposal is a response to complaints from local residents about the length of time that the signs are displayed and the effect that it has on the visual environment.

Estate agent signs are already regulated by the Planning Regulations (Control of Advertisement) 2015, a planning code which breaks down signs into three groups, each requiring different levels of consent from local planning authorities on behalf of the affected communities.

Nothing is yet set in stone, much like the announced ban on tenants’ lettings fees, and much discussion is likely to follow in the council’s consultation over which is more appropriate – additional restrictions or a blanket ban. Further restrictions may be the more palatable option with the potential to please all stakeholders, and proposals floating around include limits on the size of the signs, the amount of time they can be displayed and a rule that they must be attached flush to the surface of the building, instead of protruding.

Such a set of standards would, however, require continuous enforcement, which could be costly. There could also be additional costs for estate agents in seeking to meet the requirements of the new regulations. An outright ban, by contrast, would immediately lead to a visual improvement in the affected communities, but estate agents would likely require alternative channels for marketing.

The problem is reportedly a particular concern in predominantly student areas, where almost every house changes hands every year, leading to streets full of estate agent signage. If such a blanket ban were adopted and proved to be popular and successful, it could see widespread uptake across the UK.

In light of the arguments against its use, is estate agent signage an anachronistic and aesthetic blight on our communities or a vital and powerful marketing tool? In the age of Zoopla and Rightmove, do house hunters even look for the signs anymore? The question is divisive, no doubt, but finding an answer is particularly important, given the above pressures facing the estate agent sector at an uncertain time for the wider housing market.

Signage: a powerful and multifaceted marketing tool

To evaluate the future of estate agent signs, we first must consider its purposes. The primary function of ‘To Let’ and ‘For Sale’ signs is to drive interest in a property by marking it out to all who walk and drive past. As such, the signs act as a beacon for opportunistic house buyers who spot a house that takes their fancy and telephone to book a viewing on impulse alone. This can work wonders with those properties requiring a little additional exposure, such as those that have sat on the market for several months.

Not only can such signage drive interest among potential buyers, but it also works in conjunction with word-of-mouth referrals to spread news of the property much further than the initial group of people walking past the house in question. It’s a given that most people encountering the sign won’t be looking for a house, but they will likely subconsciously notice and remember the sign.

Then, at a later date, anyone from a colleague to a neighbour or friend may mention that they’re looking for a property in a given area. The person who subconsciously noticed the sign then remembers it and mentions it to the house hunter. This ability to start conversations is where the real power of promotional signage lies.

And the sign alone is often more than enough to get people talking. We’ve all heard or said something along the lines of “That house down the road is up for sale again,” and these conversations as a result of the sign itself boost the reach of your marketing significantly. This is particularly evident in villages and smaller towns where people come into contact with each other regularly, but has the same effect in neighbourhoods in cities as well.

Here to stay

As we can see, estate agent signage is here to stay for the foreseeable future. With over two decades’ experience, we can comfortably say that ‘we know signage’, and we know the power that estate agent signs have to spread word of your properties and your brand. If you’d like to find out more about what we can offer your agency, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Call us on 01273 417057

Why Does Effective Wayfinding Signage Need That Expert Touch?

Wayfinding signage presents us with a paradox – if it’s doing its job effectively, it shouldn’t even be noticed by those who use it. Effective signage, therefore, is conspicuous only by its absence, when people realise how much they depend upon wayfinding systems in order to orient and traverse urban spaces. Despite the fact that we rely on signage every day, we remain largely unconscious of the impact that it has on our daily lives.

It would be a mistake to fall into a false sense of security, however. Like many things in the modern world such as smartphones or the internet, it may appear effortless and seamless on the surface, but there’s a huge amount of research, expertise and creativity occurring behind the scenes that goes into producing effective wayfinding systems.

Here we take an expert in-depth look at what wayfinding is, how it’s used and what constitutes an effective wayfinding system. Given the widespread applications of wayfinding in contexts as diverse as airports, hospitals, city centres, universities and shopping malls, the answers to these questions are of note to relevant officials across the public, private and third sectors.

What is Wayfinding?

Wayfinding involves the process of traversing through a given space to a final destination. This process involves a series of steps in order for the traveller to get from where they are to where they want to be. The first step is to work out where one is; this orientation is then used to guide oneself through the space to one’s destination. Wayfinding systems and signage are employed to enhance this experience by providing a series of cues, both subconscious and overt.

These cues act to create nodes throughout the journey to streamline the passage through the space. As a result, the traveller can navigate from node to node with ease until they reach their final destination. For example, a person enters a shopping mall. They want to get to a store on the third floor in the left-hand wing of the building. The first node could be a sign indicating the direction of the stairs or lifts. The second node will be placed outside the lift on the third floor, and additional nodes may be required depending on the length and complexity of the remaining journey.

How is Wayfinding Signage Used?

We’ve all encountered simple directional signage before, but modern wayfinding systems frequently include other elements that play a supporting role to these directional signs. It makes sense that, in response to the growing complexity of the urban environment and the array of functions that particular buildings play within that environment, wayfinding systems should adjust to respond to these additional demands.

These other components that constitute a modern wayfinding system most commonly include ‘you are here’-style maps to assist travellers with orientation and to help them plan their next steps. These cartographic maps tend to be highly simplified, presenting only the minimum amount of information required to avoid information overload. This is a central principle of wayfinding signage – too much information can be just as harmful as not enough info.

Other Applications

As well as helping people to get to their chosen destinations, wayfinding can be used to encourage travellers to take particular paths that they may not have taken otherwise. This has applications in museums and galleries, for example, where exhibitions are curated to be viewed in a particular order. Wayfinding can be employed in these contexts to ensure that no exhibits are missed – a vital function considering the often circuitous layout of these buildings.

The same principle can be applied to urban centres or historic towns to guide visitors to ‘hidden gems’ that may be out of the way. An increase in local business footfall can also be encouraged via strategic use of wayfinding systems.

How do Experts Create a Truly Effective Wayfinding System?

There are also other ancillary components designed for use in specific contexts alongside ‘you are here’ maps and common directional signs. These tend to be highly innovative, and include examples such as the use of coloured lines that run along the corridors of hospitals, where each colour refers to a particular ward. The same principle has even been applied in large corporate headquarters using brand-specific colours.

Indeed, including elements of branding across all aspects of the wayfinding system is a great and highly effective way to boost brand visibility. This has the corollary effect of ensuring that the positive customer experience that occurs as a result of using the wayfinding system is associated with your brand, leading to a boost in favourable customer perceptions of the given brand, as well as the space itself.

Providing this kind of innovation and creativity is vital to the effectiveness of a wayfinding system. Wayfinding signs, perhaps more than any other type of sign, are integrated conceptually with the environment in which they are placed due to their purpose of directing people through that environment. To be truly effective, then, they should also be integrated aesthetically. An expert can do away with simple arrow signs and create innovative directional cues, including use of lighting, colour and symbols to steer people to where they want to go.

In order for this to be successful the eyes of an expert are vital, particularly one with a background in manufacturing or implementation. These experts will possess intrinsic knowledge on the possibilities of fabrication and a clear understanding of what is viable and realistic.

Let’s Work Together

At The Sussex Sign Company we have decades of experience in the signage industry. In this time, our highly qualified team has accrued invaluable conceptual knowledge and had the opportunity to sharpen and finely hone our practical skills. We’d love to put our expertise to work to create an unparalleled wayfinding signage solution for your business, organisation or institution, so get in touch today to learn about the things we could achieve together. Call us on 01273 417057

Why is University and College Signage So Essential?

The use of signage in universities and colleges serves two primary purposes, which together make signage an absolutely vital tool to the further education sector. Firstly is the function of signage as a component in any effective wayfinding solution. Wayfinding signage helps students, staff and visitors to navigate large campuses and individual buildings, allowing the institution to operate efficiently.

The second purpose of signage in the further education sector is as a powerful marketing tool which, if used correctly, can develop and propel the status of an educational institution to new heights. Universities and colleges face certain unique challenges since the introduction of higher tuition fees and increased competition for students over the past five years.

A coherent and strong marketing response is required to turn this situation from a hindrance into an opportunity. It goes without saying that signage is an integral component of any marketing campaign. Today we’re going to look in more detail at the functions played by university and college signage, and some of the benefits that this signage can deliver to institutions and service users alike. Read on to find out all you need to know.

Wayfinding Signage in Colleges and Universities

Helping people to orient themselves and get to their destination is one of the paramount roles played by signage in general. Most universities and colleges are large institutions, often with thousands of staff members working on research and teaching across many different disciplines. Being able to navigate around the campus and find whoever and whatever you need is essential for the effective and efficient functioning of such a huge interdisciplinary organisation.

As well as the staff employed by the institution in question, many universities and colleges host academic conferences which attract researchers from all over the world. As well as making sure that these important visitors can find their way around your campus without trouble, wayfinding signage also plays a secondary role here. These visiting academics will take back their impressions of your institution as effective, high functioning and well organised, and will likely tell anyone who asks them how their trip went too, providing valuable word-of-mouth promotion.

This helps to build the profile of your educational institution internationally, and is essentially free promotion, as this is a secondary effect of signage designed to help people find their way.

The Student as a Customer

Alongside academic staff, the lifeblood of a university or college is its students. Effective wayfinding signage systems are absolutely vital to create that all-important first impression on prospective students and their families during open days. What could be worse for an educational institution that has to take in lots of new students every year in order to survive, than lots of potential students getting lost, having a negative experience and choosing to go elsewhere?

The open day experience is a complex one. First of all, visitors need to be able to find parking. They then need to be able to get from the car park to the reception, and so on. Each step of this journey requires effective wayfinding signage, and if just one step fails, then the experience of the entire day is likely to be somewhat negative. It’s clear, then, that a well-planned wayfinding system is simply essential.

But there’s more to it than that. Not only is university and college wayfinding signage necessary, but it’s also good for customer service provision. Other sectors of the economy adopted a customer-centric outlook decades ago and American universities were the first to bring the idea of the student as a customer into the world of higher education. British universities are only just catching up, and not necessarily through choice either.

Much has changed in the sector over the past five years, from the increase in tuition fees to the lifting of the cap on student numbers. Universities are also becoming increasingly dependent on fees for their income as the government cuts research grants. Adopting a customer service outlook ensures that universities and colleges can continue to survive by attracting ample numbers of students.

Part of providing excellent customer service in an educational environment is ensuring that the experience of the customer is pain-free, easy and intuitive, and this is where wayfinding signage excels.

Brand-Building

As well as using wayfinding signage to ensure that already-existing student-customers are satisfied, there’s the ever-present need to attract new students further down the line. This is where branded promotional signage comes in. Brands have existed in higher education for centuries, although they have only recently been recognised as such – just think of the power behind the Oxford and Cambridge University brands.

These two institutions needn’t worry, but not everyone can benefit from such powerful brand equity. Well-designed signage can remedy this problem, however. Branded university and college signage such as vinyl overlays attached to glass windows or free-standing signs could promote the institution’s achievements in student results or research. This helps to create recognition of the organisation as an educational institution which is especially useful for newer universities and colleges.

As well as raising the profile of such institutions, the presence of the brand on this signage provides an opportunity for the institution to create a unique image with personality, setting it apart from competitors. With consistent branding across all media channels, brands create a unique image because they tell a story. Particularly effective branding tells a story that viewers are inspired by or can relate to, which is easier for educational institutions than, say, multinational corporations to achieve, and it’s all made possible thanks to signage.

Final Word

With over two decades’ experience in signage, The Sussex Sign Company has the expertise to create a powerful signage solution for educational institutions, responding directly to the unique placement, goals and needs of each institution and its staff, students and visitors. Get in touch today to find out more about how we can work together, call us on 01273 417057