Why Business Signage Is A Critical Communication Tool For Your Business

If you’re a marketing manager, then you’re in the business of communication. One of the most effective ways of communicating information about your business is with a sign. A sign can help a customer find your business, or help other businesses find you. You need signs when you start up and signs when you grow. They’re the single quickest way to say who you are and what you do, and they can create an impression of your business at a glance, without demanding a customer’s full attention.

Thanks to their ubiquity, it’s easy to overlook the importance of a business sign. They’re a form of mass communication that anyone can use – from a sign asking for information about a lost pet, to signs telling you to mind the gap or advertising a garage sale, anyone can use the medium. But how do you use it well, to differentiate your business from the competition?

The ABC of Business Signs

Attract new customers: If you’re aiming to attract new customers, your sign acts as an index of the commercial environment, so those potential customers can find you. Imagine being new in town, or simply passing through but in need of a particular item or service. A sign will communicate your exact location and the nature of your business with strong visual clues. No business aims to stand still, and just a 7% increase in sales could equal over 120% profit. Your business sign can be crucial in maintaining and growing your customer base for increased profitability.

Build your brand: Your business sign is also key for building the repetition that leads to top of mind awareness, boosting your brand and creating a ‘go to’ association with your business. Your sign needs to command visual attention, reinforcing your business branding and foregrounding your logo. A coordinated effort to build recognition and recall needs to embrace your business signage.

Create impulse buyers: Your sign should accurately reflect your business and be attractive enough to prompt buyers to pop in and purchase. In our time poor age, your business sign can do plenty of heavy lifting in creating the right conditions for an impulse buy, but this can be entirely dependent on great design.

What your sign can say about you

In a recent US survey of small businesses, 64% of millennial business owners (18-34) prioritise graphic design in their signage, while the baby boomers (55+) preferred simplicity. Whichever your preferred approach, a well designed sign can be the difference between your business being lost in a sea of generic signage and creating an instantly recognisable and attractive vibe.

Whether you’re an estate agent who needs eye-catching panel signs, or you want to create a splash with vinyl window signs for a big promotion, great design is the difference between creating a lasting first impression and seeing your potential customers steer clear. It’s the accretion of small signifiers that creates the impression of quality – the right colour palette and font, and the use of quality materials. Fonts should reflect the personality of your brand but retain legibility, which means employing a professional design service. Don’t skimp on quality materials or installation, as both count towards the impression your brand is trying to create.

Making an impact

In a recent survey of 100,000 American households, business signs ranked second only behind TV advertising as an effective way to drive sales. However, less is definitely more when it comes to creating a sign with maximum impact – high contrast colours and an easy to comprehend message will create the impression that your brand is trustworthy and truthful. Your sign is intended to get customers through the door, so keep the message simple – no more than 7 words – and keep the rest of the information for when they’re through the doors. That brevity will focus your sign on the USP of your business.

By all means, take inspiration from a great sign that you admire, but be very clear on whether that style conveys the right impression for your business. A sign is one of the first pieces of visual collateral your business produces, but don’t be afraid to change your sign as your business grows and changes. The impact that your sign creates must accurately reflect the nature of the products and services you provide, and this will impact on all the choices you make, from the logo to the type of sign you use.

Use customer profiles to assess the impact of your business signage. Is the sign appealing to the millennial or the baby boomer? Does it create the right conditions to encourage a potential client or customer to walk into your premises? Define your goals and the thought process will help you make the right decisions for your business.

Why signs work

For your real world premises, your business sign is the signpost that drives customers through the doors. Even if they’ve found you on Facebook, your sign needs to match their expectations. Likewise, you can use your signs to drive the online-offline connection that’s such an important part of the contemporary marketing mix.

Everyone reads signs. They’re inexpensive and easy to use and part of the landscape of visual communication that is familiar to every user of the commercial environment. You don’t need any special resources beyond a shopfront, and an electricity supply if you opt for an illuminated sign. Cost effective and with incredible reach and impact, business signs are a critical communication tool. At the Sussex Sign Company, we can advise you as to the most appropriate signage solutions, including illuminated and LED lighting systems, that will ensure the best possible return on investment for our clients. Call us today on 01273 424900 or email us now.

How The Sussex Sign Company can help if you are a Facilities Manager

Facilities Managers have to juggle a lot of things, whatever type of site or building they are overseeing. In order to do this job efficiently, you need to have the ultimate organisational skills to see everything is ticking over smoothly and the needs of the site’s employees are fully met. As well as seeing the grounds and premises are well maintained, the communications infrastructure is working well and onsite cleaning, catering and security are all well-managed, you probably spend a lot of time liaising with other companies to arrange a variety of other services.

As part of keeping your premises looking attractive and presentable, you probably have a good deal of signage, both internal and external, which needs to be updated and maintained. That’s where The Sussex Sign Company can really help. Signage is one of those things it’s all too easy to overlook when you’re constantly trying to keep on top of all the competing demands of facilities management, but your signage plays a major part in the life of your site.

What role does signage play?

Your signs are usually the first things which employees and visitors alike see when they approach your premises, so it’s vital that you make a good first impression. Well-made and well-maintained signs really do reflect the work you do as a Facilities Manager – taking pride in this initial calling card suggests you also take pride in every other aspect of your work, from the obvious things like seeing the grounds are kept neat and tidy to the underappreciated back-room work such as fixing loose wiring or changing the light bulbs.

Whether you’re a school caretaker with school signs to tend to or a Facilities Manager overseeing a retail outlet with large shop front signs, ensuring your signage is in top working order can make all the difference to how people view your company or establishment. Signs for schools, shops, restaurants, bars, gyms and other High Street outlets act as a beacon to draw customers in. Well-crafted and kept in top working order, they are an inviting and appealing prospect, but badly-designed and left to go to ruin, they don’t bode well and potential customers and visitors will find them a deterrent.

An overlooked asset?

We all know that familiarity breeds complacency. When you see something day in, day out, you can start to become blind to it and no longer notice it’s even there. Chances are you pass by your shop front signs, business site signs or school signs every day – so often, in fact, that they’ve simply faded into the background and ceased to make any impression on you.

Take a moment to step back and re-assess them with a fresh pair of eyes. Imagine you are a visitor to your site for the very first time – what do you see now? If your signage looks a little worse for wear or a little outdated and old-fashioned, the time might have come for an upgrade to give them a new lease of life. While they might be far down the agenda when it comes to firefighting tasks day-to-day, well-designed and well-made bespoke signs are a long-term investment that’s well worth making.

Other considerations

It’s also worth bearing in mind that as a Facilities Manager, you are the number one person when it comes to Health and Safety. Seeing that a building complies with all Health and Safety laws and regulations isn’t a choice, but a necessary legal requirement. Your signs play an important role here. Badly installed and poorly maintained signs can pose a major hazard to you, other employees and members of the public. Tragic cases of poorly-maintained signs injuring people and even causing fatalities are actually more common than most people realise, which is why fitting only high-quality signage and seeing that it’s kept safe is so crucial.

Taking out a long-term maintenance package from a professional sign company can take some of the weight off your shoulders if you’re a Facilities Manager, especially as it means you don’t have to keep reminding yourself about getting them seen to. It’s not simply about ensuring your halo illuminated signs are fully lit or giving your school signs a clean now and then. With an ongoing maintenance package, you can be confident that the fixtures and fittings are all up to scratch, guaranteeing that your signs are safe and you’re not running the risk of an accident or prosecution.

Deciding on a sign manufacturer

You should only ever work with a professional and exceptionally experienced signage company, such as The Sussex Sign Company. For more than two decades now, we have been working with Facilities Managers across the south-east and London regions to provide beautiful bespoke signage which stands the test of time.

Our team of highly-skilled and highly-qualified designers, signwriters and installers work together to create tailor-made signage solutions which will gives the premises you manage a whole new lift and ensure they’re looking their best for all the employees and visitors who regularly use your site. What’s more, by taking out one of our long-term maintenance packages, you can enjoy the peace of mind which comes with knowing your signs are spruced up and inspected on a regular basis, keeping them in the best working condition for many years to come.

For more information on the services we can provide, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of our friendly and highly experienced team today on 01273 424900 or email us now.

How The Sussex Sign Company can help if you are a marketing agency

Marketing agencies can have it tough, constantly having to think of increasingly innovative and creative ways to help their clients stand out from the competition. In a world dominated by image, online reviews and social media, things have never been so dog eat dog on the High Street, and companies across all industries are desperate to make their mark and stay one step ahead of their rivals. If you run a marketing agency, you need to think big when it comes to advertising – and that’s where working with The Sussex Sign Company could make a huge difference.

Signage is, in effect, one of the most powerful advertising tools a business has in its arsenal. Signs act as a round-the-clock and year-round advert for a business, helping to forge a strong brand identity, building trust and familiarity and letting potential customers know what a business can offer them. For more than two decades now, The Sussex Sign Company has been crafting beautiful, bespoke signage solutions for companies across London and the south-east. If you need help with your next marketing campaign, here are just a few reasons why working with us could revolutionise the way you advertise and market your clients.

Corporate signage: a marketing dream

Over the past few years, some big names such as BHS and Woolworth’s have met their ends as the High Street took a battering post-financial crash, concentrating business owners’ minds on how best to promote and grow their own establishments. Whether they operate a shop, restaurant, café, bar, gym, pub or estate agency, every business owner with a High Street presence is now keener than ever to find novel ways of differentiating themselves from their competitors.

It can’t simply be about constantly refreshing the product or service range available, important though that clearly is to winning over potential customers. It also has to be about building a brand name and an image which people become familiar with – one which they grow to trust and keep returning to. Marketing and advertising agencies play a massive role in helping companies to shape that powerful corporate identity, and factoring corporate signage into the package is the key to High Street success.

Corporate signage, in whatever industry, is an effective marketing tool. Think how instantly recognisable the sign outside your local M&S or Tesco store is, how relieved you feel when you see the familiar orange signs of a Sainsbury’s when you need to grab some lunch, or the NatWest logo when you need a cash point. We’ve all felt that moment of instant recognition when we see a shop front sign we know and love. Branded signage can make a deep impression, acting as a beacon to pull people in and helping them feel connected and invested in a particular company or brand.

Factoring in bespoke signs

Companies these days have to market themselves in all sorts of ways. You might advise your clients on how best to keep their social media pages up to date, how to launch a leaflet advertising campaign, how to improve their internet search listings or website, or give them guidance on which promotional goods they should be giving away to potential customers.

Investing in a shop sign and a vinyl wrap for their commercial vehicles might feature highly on the agenda. When creating a new brand or conducting a rebranding exercise, signage is often the best place to start – this is, after all, the most visible and eye-catching form of marketing. Shop front signs are the first thing people see of a High Street company, prominently displayed on the façade of the premises and telling them everything they need to know about the business. A well-designed and well cared for sign tells a story, and shows the pride an owner takes in their work.

If you can get the colour scheme, font choice, logo and layout right on your signage, then the rest should follow naturally. From business cards to letterheads, van sign writing to promotional pens, once a client has decided on how they want their signs to look, you can use that as a basis for creating a coherent, unified brand image across a whole range of other marketing materials.

How can we help you?

The Sussex Sign Company is proud to employ a team of leading graphic designers and sign installation engineers, all of them at the top of the game in the signage industry and all with countless years of experience under their belts. We have spent more than two decades building up our expertise in this field, which is why we attract and retain some of the country’s most creative, innovative and highly-qualified signwriting professionals.

We have worked closely with many marketing agencies and companies across London and the south-east, to design, install and maintain the boldest and most beautiful bespoke signs. We work closely with our clients to tailor-make the highest quality signage which truly reflects their brand and their business.

We understand just how busy marketing agencies are and how hard they have to work to come up with new concepts which differentiate their clients from the hundreds of other businesses out there. For more information on how The Sussex Sign Company can help your marketing agency craft incredible new signage, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our expert team today, call us on 01273 424900 or email us now.

Creating seasonal campaigns with vehicle graphics

Making the most of your vehicles for marketing.

Incorporating seasonal elements into your campaigns at Christmas (or Easter) is a proven way of increasing sales and creating a huge visual impact. If you’re considering a seasonal campaign, then vehicle graphics should definitely be in the mix – here’s why.

Practicality and proven reach

The point about a seasonal campaign is its time limited appeal, which means you need a smart way to reach as many people as possible in a short space of time. That’s where creating mobile billboards through car graphics comes in. A vinyl wrap is a cost-effective way to reach many people quickly and easily, and the versatility of the medium means you can rapidly adapt your existing campaigns by adding additional decals or customising an existing wrap.

Given the cost of advertising, being able to create effective and affordable campaigns with such a huge reach is something every marketer should be looking at when a seasonal holiday rolls around.

Unconventional and effective

A vehicle wrap turns every traffic jam into a new marketing opportunity and every car park into a billboard. Though often perceived as an unconventional marketing method, 85% of customers in all markets and demographics are reached by car wrap advertising, making it extremely effective, with a minimal cost per impression of around 0.10p.

In addition, using a less conventional way of advertising has a subliminal impact, too. It says you’re a business that’s prepared to put themselves out there and take risks to maximise your marketing potential, and that can be very attractive, particularly to younger purchasers.

Influencing customer decisions

Seasonal holidays, particularly Christmas, are intrinsic to our popular culture and are now celebrated by millions of people around the world. It’s what makes the holidays the ideal time of year to run time-limited promotional campaigns, where urgency equals effectiveness.

There’s usually a huge uptick in spending around Christmas and the New Year, and people looking for products and services tend to feel pressured to get things done before the festive season. It’s a great time, therefore, to capture and convert potential customers, by influencing their purchasing decisions with a clever seasonal marketing campaign.

Planning your killer marketing campaign

First, pick your holiday. You may want to use vehicle graphics to promote a summer campaign or a spooktacular event at Hallowe’en, but let’s focus on Christmas, because it’s probably the focus of your current marketing strategy.

Evaluate your existing campaigns for clarity of message. Are you connecting with your customers? Are they engaging with your campaigns? If so, how?

Now you can start to nail down your messaging for your vinyl wrap design. Think about the emotions you want to evoke in your customer and an appropriate call to action. Keep it clear and simple – and seasonal. Start planning your campaign at least 2 months in advance and check with your sign company what their lead time is for seasonal vinyl wrap designs.

One of the keys to a successful seasonal campaign is watertight organisation of your assets across a wide range of media. That’s where your vinyl wrap can play a critical role in pushing out social media and contact details to as wide an audience as possible, so your call to action becomes crucial to the success of your mixed media marketing campaign.

Getting the design right

Always be aware of the shape of the vehicle that you’re wrapping – your sign company should be able to produce some 2D modelling that will give you an impression of the final effect. Try not to use too many competing graphics and photos, keeping colours consistent with your brand. Remember, your car wrap designs should be consistent with the rest of your advertising and marketing.

Choose simple sans-serif fonts and say no to script fonts unless it’s part of your overall branding. Keep the message clear, and if the campaign is a seasonal one, inject some seasonal humour – nothing works at Christmas better than a silly cracker joke or a pun that’s relevant to your business.

You need to think about visibility and maximising the impact of your vinyl wrap, so work with a good team of designers who understand the importance of great design in car wrapping.

Installation art

The final piece of the vinyl wrap jigsaw is the installation. It’s what makes car wrapping such a flexible and responsive way of advertising, but don’t be fooled by companies offering cheap wrapping services – getting it right is an art.

Ideally, you’ll be working with a company that understands the importance of great installation and that offers integrated design, manufacture and wrapping services. Not only will your vehicle be out there looking its very best, but a properly installed wrap – however temporary – will also protect your van or car from wear and tear.

So is a seasonal campaign worth it?

Your seasonal advertising campaign will have four major benefits for your business: customers are more likely to act when a campaign is seasonal and time limited, their spending behaviours are more generous, they’re more likely to sign up for your offers and you don’t actually need to do much market research!

If you want to harness the power of seasonal campaigns with a unique form of advertising that has a huge reach and proven visual impact, then you need to start Christmas wrapping – your vehicles, that is! Get in touch with us today to discuss how you can harness the power of vehicle graphics in Seaford. Call The Sussex Sign Company today on 01273 424900

How The Sussex Sign Company can help if you are an architect

Need signage, we can help.

While it may not be your top concern when you’re designing a new building or redesigning an existing one, signage has an important part to play in architectural planning. Both internal and external signage needs to fit seamlessly into the building to be at its most effective, while developing wayfinding signs with a professional sign company can have a huge impact on how people navigate and use a space.

If you’re an architect undertaking a new project, then working with The Sussex Sign Company to develop the highest quality signage solutions could greatly enhance your work. With more than two decades’ experience under our belts, we have all the knowledge and expertise you need to help you get the most from your new signs.

The benefits of wayfinding signage

Any architect worth their salt thinks long and hard about how large groups of people might use the internal space of a building, whether it’s a restaurant, office or retail outlet. Avoiding log-jams in smaller areas such as lobbies, foyers and corridors is essential, so steps must be taken to ensure that people are kept moving and circulating, so they don’t end up crowded.

Wayfinding signs have a very significant role to play in helping people navigate their way around a building. In public buildings such as hospitals, police stations and community centres, they can help direct people towards specific wards or departments, enabling them to get to their destinations by the fastest and most direct route and keeping a free flow of incoming visitors.

In shops, bars and restaurants, they can be used to guide people to specific product aisles or let them know where the checkouts, fire escapes, toilets or changing rooms might be found. Creating wayfinding systems which work and help people get from A to B makes a vast difference to how people feel about a building, avoiding frustration and ensuring the space is used as efficiently as possible.

External signs

Factoring signage into the design of a new building really should be high on the agenda if you’re working on a new architectural project. Most business owners will say that signage is a priority for them – it is, after all, a form of advertising and one of the most effective ways of promoting their business and catching the eyes of potential customers.

If, for example, you’re designing a new retail unit, then it makes sense to incorporate shop front signs into your earliest designs. There needs to be space for shop signs to be prominently displayed on the façade of a building, so this may need to be factored in when thinking about the positioning of doors and windows.

Schools and universities often need educational signs positioned somewhere highly visible too, so incorporating the school’s signage into the design of a new-build could play a big role in dictating the overall external appearance. Similarly, hospital signage tends to be large and may need to be displayed in multiple locations, depending on the site.

Internal signs

The signage inside a building is just as important as the signs over the door. When planning the internal space of a building, it’s critical to factor in where important signs might be positioned. Signage in lobbies and foyers often has to be fairly large, to make it easy for newly-arrived visitors to find out where they need to be and how to get there.

When planning things such as lighting, door and window positions and even wall socket positions, you probably need to factor in internal signage, as large expanses of wall may be needed to accommodate sign boards and wayfinding signage. A professional sign company will be able to advise on the best place for internal signage to be installed, which means opening up discussions early on in the design process could be key to getting the most from a building’s internal space.

Other factors

The types of signage you need will be largely dictated by the nature and purpose of the building you are working on. The size, shape and appearance of the signs required will often be influenced by the type of building they serve, which is why signage can never be an afterthought when it comes to building design.

Factoring signage into your initial plans is critical if you are to ensure there is enough space to accommodate them. Retrofitting signage and trying to cram it in at a later date simply won’t work, so it needs to be high on the agenda for any architect working out how best to design the appearance of a building’s façade or make use of a building’s internal space.

How can we help you?

The Sussex Sign Company has been working with architects across the London, Sussex and the South East regions for many years, and we’ve had a helping hand in a wide variety of new-build and redevelopment projects. Having created signage solutions for multiple retail complexes and public buildings, we understand precisely how signage can be used to enhance a building’s design.

With expertise in internal and external signage, illuminated signs and wayfinding sign systems, we can come on board at the very beginning of the design process and work with your architectural practice throughout your project, to ensure you get the very best signage solution, tailored to the building you are working on and suited to its purpose.

Our professional team of highly-skilled and exceptionally well-qualified designers and installers can work closely with you from day one, crafting the highest quality bespoke signage to give your project a real boost. For more information on the services we can provide to your architectural practice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today.

Feeling lost? How wayfinding signs could help

Wayfinding signage is really important.

We won’t name names, but there are certain shops you walk around that seem to be a confusing labyrinth of displays and shelves or a route march through endless stacks of products you have no interest in. We have all wandered around these poorly laid-out places feeling completely lost and with no sense of direction, unable to locate the checkouts or the changing rooms.

The same is true of other public spaces. Finding a ward in a hospital can be tricky without directions, as can finding a specific room of a gallery or museum, or the toilets or shop in a historic landmark property. When you are feeling disorientated, wayfinding signs are the thing you often look to for guidance and a sense of direction. What makes for a good wayfinding signage system and how can installing wayfinding signs help your business?

What are wayfinding signs?

A wayfinding sign does exactly what it says on the tin – helps you to find your way around. No matter what sort of business you run, the chances are you are going to need a wayfinding system of some description if you have business premises that are open to the public.

Usually positioned overhead or somewhere else prominently in the customer or visitor’s eyeline, they help people to navigate their way around your establishment and locate all the things they need. Whether they mark out the types of products to be found on an aisle of shelving; direct people towards the changing rooms, toilets or tills; or guide them towards the entrances and exits, wayfinding signage is critical to help people find their way about.

What makes a good wayfinding sign?

Wayfinding signs need to convey as much information as possible in the most compact and succinct way. The chances are that someone who has stopped to look at a wayfinding sign is new to the premises. They may be in a rush to get in and out, or may already be feeling frustrated at being lost. Nobody wants to spend valuable time wading through too much information when they simply want to get from A to B as directly and as quickly as possible, so wayfinding signs need to tell them exactly what they need to know in as short a space of time as possible.

Strong wayfinding signage therefore needs to be crisply and clearly printed so that it is easy to read. The text should be a reasonable size and in a font that is not overwhelmingly complex and intricate, so that it can be read from a distance without a visitor necessarily needing to slow down to decipher the words. Uncomplicated and fuss-free wayfaring signs are essential and should tell a visitor everything they need to know without them having to slow their pace or read too much information.

You also need to think about text and background colour, as this can have a major impact on the readability of wayfinding signs. A dark background and light text is often the easiest form of sign to read, or vice versa; alternatively, you may wish to put up wayfinding signage that uses your company’s colour scheme. If this is the case, consulting a wayfinding designer from a specialist signwriting company is often a good idea, as some colour combinations are easier on the eye than others. A professional designer will know what works best in these situations.

The benefits of wayfinding signage

Getting lost in any public place is frustrating and can be upsetting, with inadequate wayfinding signage potentially putting customers off visiting your premises again. When people are unfamiliar with the layout of your shop, anything that prevents them finding the goods and products they need is a major inconvenience.

Wayfinding signs are vital in a retail outlet. Cleverly installed, they not only guide your customers to the things they need but can also help with regulating footfall, keeping people moving and circulating, and even directing people towards products they might have overlooked. If you can naturally guide people around special displays and offers, they are more likely to impulse buy because they do not feel that they have been manipulated into making a purchase.

In public spaces in which large numbers of people often gather – such as hospitals, offices or shopping malls – wayfinding signs help to keep the crowds moving and prevent log-jams in tighter spaces such as foyers, lobbies and corridors. With various departments, wards or shops dotted around, people need to be quickly and easily directed to their destination so that you can keep up a steady, moving stream of footfall and minimise the risk of a crush.

Working with the professionals

Wayfinding systems are often very complicated and it is all too easy to get them wrong. Poor sign design or badly-placed signage can render the exercise completely useless – if people cannot see the signs well enough or have to spend too long deciphering them, the system is a failure and visitors will become frustrated.

To get the best wayfinding signage solution, you need to work with an experienced, professional sign company that has experience in installing such systems and understands how they work. At The Sussex Sign Company, we employ some of the most highly-qualified wayfinding designers in the country, with plenty of successful past projects under their belts.

Working with site managers, architects and our in-house design and installations teams, our wayfinding designers can help you to get the most from your wayfinding signage. For more information on how these systems work or to learn more about the services we provide, simply get in touch with our expert team today.

Top tips for planning your shop signs

How to choose your sign company

You have decided that the time is right to invest in new shop front signs, which is great news, but how do you know where to begin? Planning your shop signs can seem like a daunting task if you know you have little in the way of graphic design knowledge or think you lack an artistic eye; however, with a little planning and the help of a professional sign company, you could get the perfect signage solution for your business.

There are lots of things you will need to consider before you approach the signage company of your choice. To get you thinking, here are a few top tips to follow when planning your new shop signs.

What do you need to include?

An obvious starting point is to plot out what sort of information your signs need to convey to potential customers who might walk past your business premises. Naturally, you will need to incorporate your company name and logo, and to use your company colour scheme to ensure your signage matches the other strands of your branding to create a unified look across your marketing material. You might also want to include contact details, such as your address and telephone number, and directions to your website and social media pages.

What is your budget?

There is no two ways about it – signage can be expensive; however, you really do get what you pay for. Attempting to cut corners and scrimp on your shop signs could spell disaster. Not only will they look cheap, tacky and unattractive but also they will probably need more maintenance in the long-run to ensure they stay intact, well-lit, and do not pose a safety risk. Stretch your budget to high-quality signs and they will more than pay for themselves long-term, especially if you invest in a maintenance package to keep them in tip-top condition.

Prepare to be flexible

It is always good to enter a process such as this with a rough idea in mind, but be prepared to be flexible and heed advice. If you work with a top-quality professional sign company, its graphic designers will be experienced, highly skilled and extremely well trained, so trust in them and listen to what they have to say. They will always take your ideas on board and work with them, but they may be able to suggest alternatives or find ways to improve on your initial thoughts.

Location, location, location

Think about where your signs need to be positioned for maximum visual impact. There is no point investing in high-quality signage only to tuck it away somewhere passers-by might struggle to see it. You want your building sign to occupy a prominent position so it is directly in people’s eyeline as they walk down the street. Take a few steps back from the façade of your premises and see where your eye is naturally drawn, which may not be the same position your old signage currently occupies.

Think size, shape and scale

Once you have decided where your signage needs to go, you will be able to tell your signage company how much space they have to play with and how large your signs need to be. Too small and people will either ignore or find them difficult to look at, too large and you risk detracting from window displays or other attractive elements of your shop front. Signs do not have to be limited to boring square or rectangle shapes either – there is plenty of scope to experiment and create something unusual!

Bright ideas

Illuminated signage is definitely the way to go if you want to make the biggest visual impact on passers-by. Push through letters backlit with LEDs, halo illuminated signs or traditional fluorescent tubing can all work wonders on your shop front signage, with a well-lit sign impossible to ignore. Illuminated signs act as a beacon come rain or shine and stand out from a mile off. When people see the glow of a shop sign that stands out, they are far more likely to be drawn towards your business.

Choose your sign company with care

It is vital that you choose your sign company with care. Not only will they help you to create your new signs but also you might be entering into a long-term partnership if they take on a maintenance contract from you. The best sign companies employ experienced and talented graphic designers in addition to installers who know the trade inside out. Check out previous examples of their work and perhaps look at a few projects in person. Make use of other customer reviews to gain a better picture of their work and ensure it fits your own vision for your signs.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we have been crafting beautiful bespoke signage for well over two decades, helping local businesses across London and the South East to find the perfect signage solution. We employ only the most skilled designers and installers in the industry and have all the experience and technical know-how to produce the very highest quality signs, tailor made to suit your company.

We can take your initial spark of an idea and work with you to convert it into the perfect signage solution. For more information on the services we provide, simply get in touch with The Sussex Sign company today and let us help you to plan your next signage project.

New term, new education signs

Signs for Schools

The new school year is now well and truly underway, with students the length and breadth of the United Kingdom firmly settled behind their desks for another academic year. If you manage a school site, you probably spent at least part of the summer holidays – dim and distant as they may now seem – on maintenance jobs around your school.

Beyond adding a new lick of paint to the classrooms or fixing up the things you never find time for when the students are around, did you pay any attention to your school signs? For many school site managers, this is the part of the premises that is all too often overlooked, largely because the signs have become so reassuringly familiar that they have faded into the background. When you pass your signage every day, it is easy to stop taking notice; however, those approaching with a fresh pair of eyes may see things differently.

Why invest in signs for schools?

Signage is critical for any school. Your school signs are often the first thing visitors will notice when they arrive at your site, with a well-designed and well-presented sign speaking volumes about the institution and the importance of the work you do. Signs for schools act as an introduction to all the parents, governors, inspectors and members of the public who are almost constantly filing in and out of your premises, so seeing that they are attractive and visually impactful always makes a good first impression.

Signs for schools are also a reflection of your establishment and what it stands for. If poorly maintained and badly designed, your school signs speak of low standards and a lack of care. This might translate to other aspects of the institution, such as pupils’ behaviour or the quality of teaching and leadership. Well-designed signage, on the other hand, suggests you take pride in appearances and are proud to show the world that you strive for the highest standards in every regard.

A good new term morale boost

Remember that it is not just visitors who see your signs every day. There are some even more important people who pass by your signage: your students. Your school signage is often the first thing they will see in the morning when they arrive and the last thing they will see after the bell has rung and they head out of the gates for home.

Seeing bright, bold and beautifully-crafted signs can be a major morale boost for students, particularly now the colder, duller weather of autumn and winter is upon us. Research has shown that people of all ages learn better when they appreciate the environment around them, which extends far beyond the classroom to your school grounds and building façade.

People also extend a greater level of care to their environment when they can see there is something to care about; therefore, investing in quality signage will not only have a positive impact on your students’ emotional wellbeing and educational potential but may also help you to keep your school looking well cared for and pleasant.

What makes for good school signs?

Good school signs should do more than simply display your school logo and relevant management and contact information; in addition, they should tell your story. Every school is unique and has a history and story to tell, which is why it is worth investing in bespoke, high-quality signage that conveys everything you want the world to know about your institution.

Regardless of whether you are a nursery, primary, junior or secondary school, sixth form college, FE college or university, all learning institutes have a message they want to convey and can benefit from well-made signs. These are places in which an incredibly deep sense of community and belonging can be built up, with students feeling an amazing attachment to their fellow pupils, their teachers and the school itself. The emotional attachment to your old school or university can run very deep, with many us having very fond memories of certain people, subjects and places.

Your signs should build on this sense of shared identity and a common story. Designed so that they work well together, your logo, school motto and textual information should combine to paint a picture of what your school stands for and the pride you take in it.

Work with the professionals

As the new school term moves on, now is the time to invest in high-quality school signage that works for you and your establishment. With worse weather on the way, this is a good time of year to make a fresh start and install the best signs you can ahead of the high winds, rain and snow of the autumn and winter months.

School signs are only worth the investment if you go for bespoke and top quality. Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we have been supplying the best quality education signs to schools and universities across the south-east region for many years, working closely with headteachers and school site managers to ensure they get the signage they deserve.

We employ some of the most experienced and highly-skilled designers and installers in the country, which means we reach the highest standards when it comes to crafting bespoke education signs for our clients. For more information on the services we provide, simply get in touch with The Sussex Sign Company today and let’s get the new term off to a flying start!

LED lighting: how to choose the right signs for you

LED lighting comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours, so how do you know which type is the best for your business? Whether you are looking for new shop front signs, signs for schools, estate agent displays or signage for a bar, gym, restaurant or café, finding LED lighting that works for you and shows off your premises is vital.

Technological advances mean that LED lighting is now more advanced and more sophisticated than ever before. Here we look at the various types of signage solution you could choose from and assess the benefits of each for your high street premises.

Push through letters

One of the most effective forms of illuminated signs, push through lettering is crafted from acrylic or built up stainless steel and back-lit to make the text or images glow. This type of illuminated sign is fantastic if you want to achieve a clean, crisp lighting effect and is the perfect choice for an external sign.

As they are so bright and eye-catching, this sort of LED sign is a great option for those who run businesses that stay open late. Bars, restaurants, takeaway shops and convenience stores could all benefit from a push through letter sign; in addition, they can be a great choice for shop signs.

Fluorescent tube lighting and neon plus lighting

Fluorescent tube lighting has been a popular choice for decades and shows no signs of disappearing any time soon! A simple yet attractive form of lighting, fluorescent tube lights look good as shop front signs, proudly glowing above the front door of your premises.

You could also choose the sleek, sophisticated and ultra-modern neon plus lighting, which is a more contemporary take on the traditional Neon Signage. Again, it is a great choice for any shop, restaurant or takeaway outlet because it is so modern and appealing to the eye.

Powder coated letters and halo effects

One of the most visually stunning forms of illuminated signage, the halo effect that can be created with powder coated lettering is a thing of beauty. LEDs are situated behind the letters and emit a warming glow that makes your signs really stand out. This type of illuminated sign is great for both external and internal displays, particularly in places in which you want to create a specific atmosphere or ambiance.

Used indoors, the halo effect can really change the mood of a place. Imagine this type of LED illuminated sign adorning the wall behind your bar, for instance, or on the wall of a restaurant where it can become a piece of artwork and a conversation starter in its own right! The possibilities really are endless and there is plenty of room for you to flex your creative muscles when designing your signage.

Up-lights and down-lights

Another very simple yet effective form of illuminated signage involves up-lights and down-lights, which are good for both external and internal displays. These work particularly well if there is something you very much need to draw attention to – a signboard displaying your café’s menu, for example, or a sign containing your company’s contact details.

For shops or places serving food and drink, this sort of simple lighting effect is a good way of grabbing the attention of passing trade and directing this attention to something you particularly need to highlight. Installed cleverly and professionally, up-lights and down-lights can create a very attractive display that will get your premises noticed.

Why choose LED illuminated signs?

Arguably, there is little point investing in new shop front signs if nobody pays them any attention! Your signage is your introduction to the world; therefore, maximising its visibility and getting people to take notice of you and your business is crucial in capturing passing trade and inviting people over the threshold of your front door.

Illuminated signs are not only pleasing on the eye but also a visually impressive way of announcing your presence to the world. What’s more, they work as advertising for you day and night, 365 days of the year. With LED bulbs now much more advanced, they are greener, cheaper to run and do not get hot, meaning you can leave them on around the clock without having to worry that they will pose a fire risk to your business premises.

Even when you have shut up shop for the evening, your illuminated signage glows away all night to let people know about your company. You may not be open for business in the wee small hours; however, if people can see your signs even in the depths of a winter’s night, they are more likely to remember you and return when you are ready to serve them.

Work with the professionals

LED lighting is a great choice for any business; however, it must be professionally designed, installed and maintained to be effective. Letting the lights go out on your signage is a big no-no and really puts customers off.

If you want to get the most from your illuminated signs, working with a professional sign company such as The Sussex Sign Company is important. We have spent many years providing local businesses with the highest-quality bespoke illuminated signs and we are confident that we are the experts in this field.

Work with our team of highly-skilled and qualified designers and installers to get the most from your new illuminated signage. For more information on the services we can provide, simply get in touch with The Sussex Sign Company today, call us on 01273 424900.

What content and message should your signs get across?

Your signs and getting them right.

When designing your new vehicle vinyl or shop front signs, it is important that you convey all the relevant information you can as clearly and succinctly as possible. We have all seen signs that are a jumbled and confused mess of logos, contact details, social media pages and jarring colour schemes, so how do you avoid these pitfalls and create the most visually striking signage?

Working with a professional signwriting company will minimise the risk of getting unattractive, difficult to follow or meaningless signs that do not accurately convey your brand identity. Sign design is an art form and expert designers are experienced and highly trained in crafting signage that brings together multiple important elements to create the cleanest, most visually appealing and informative signs.

Vehicle signage options: what content should you include?

You should think about the side of your commercial vehicle as the perfect mobile display board for your business; once you have your branding on there, you could reach thousands of people an hour with your vehicle signage. Car wrapping and applying vehicle vinyl to vans has never been an easier or more cost-effective way of getting your message across, so investing in high-quality vehicle signwriting is a wise business move.

Car wrapping allows you to fully customise however many vehicles you have within your fleet, whether you are a one-man-band with a single white van or a taxi company owner with multiple vehicles in need of a unified single vehicle livery. As vehicle vinyl can be recreated as many times as you need, you can achieve a coherent and easily-recognisable look across the board.

As hardly anyone leaves their home without their smartphone these days, it is important your vehicle signs include your contact details, website address, and any social media pages you manage. Thanks to the small screens in their pockets, more and more people are likely to immediately visit your online profiles when they see your vehicle drive past. They have little time to forget your name and logo, and may even be tempted to put in a spur-of-the-moment order.

Vinyl graphics: getting the right look

In addition to your contact details, you need to consider the visual impact of your vehicle vinyl. It is hard for people to miss a branded vehicle, whether they are a pedestrian you pass on the road or a fellow motorist following you up the motorway as you whizz between jobs and meetings. Ensuring that your car or van sticks in their mind is crucial if you want to make a lasting impression and capture a slice of this passing trade.

You need to make sure that your message is clear. Your company name and logo need to be sharp, attractively arranged and easily identifiable so that they lodge in people’s minds and these potential customers will recognise them again the next time you pass by. People switch off when the image they are looking at is unattractive or incoherent; however, a well-designed sign that is bold, bright, beautiful and clear will certainly turn a few heads.

You really can have too much of a good thing, however! Try to pack too much information onto the side of your vehicle or go for a crazy colour scheme or overly-complicated logo and people will be turned off. You want your vehicle to stand out, but for all the right reasons – make it too busy or too much of an eyeful and people will switch off.

Design layouts: how to get the best from your vehicle vinyl

The best vehicle vinyl can convey all the important content you need to get across and give people a good idea of what your company stands for. The best signs – be they car wrapping, shop front signs or signs for schools – can tell a story about an establishment. Your potential customers and clients need to be able to work out at a glance what you do, what goods or services you provide, and what you could do for them.

Your logo and company name need to be displayed in such a way that they imprint themselves on the memories of passers-by. Clearly defined, they can tell people everything they need to know in an instant, from who you are and what you do to how to get in touch and even how trustworthy your company is likely to be.

People can tell a lot from your signs. Well-designed and well-maintained signs demonstrate that you take your work seriously and take pride in what you do. Caring about appearances is not shallow but a good way of showing you care about other aspects of your work. Putting a positive face on your vehicle and premises with beautiful signage is encouraging to potential customers, who are more likely to connect with your brand and approach you if they think you care about how you come across.

Work with the best for the best results

If you want the highest-quality signage, it pays to work with the most professional signwriting companies. The Sussex Sign Company has been working in the signage industry for well over two decades and our highly-skilled designers are amongst the best sign writers in the country. With their expert knowledge and years of experience, they can work with you to craft incredible car wrapping and shop front signs that perfectly convey the content and message you need to put across to your customers.

For more information on the services The Sussex Sign Company can provide, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us today on 01273 424900