Creating signage for your London business can seem like a nightmare and it’s easy to get it wrong. Nailing the design and readability, choosing the right materials and displaying your logo correctly are all time-consuming. It can seem easier to spend time and money on your website and forget your sign altogether, and that’s the biggest signage fail of them all – a stellar sign can do wonders for your brand appeal and integrity.
These hints and tips should help you avoid the most common fails and help you create killer signs that tie all your marketing channels together in your bricks and mortar premises.
Common design fails
There are three obvious design faults that can spoil the impact of your design: lack of contrast, the wrong choice of font and poor character spacing.
Your signage should incorporate your brand colours, but don’t be afraid to use a high contrast background, against which your logo and lettering can really pop.
When it comes to choosing fonts, classic san serif styles are always easier to read than gothic or handwriting style fonts and legibility is the name of the game. While your font can reflect the personality of your business, when it comes to Comic Sans, just don’t!
Spacing is all about creating an aesthetically pleasing look that is easy on the eye. A couple of useful tips are to measure and measure again, to make sure your letters don’t end up climbing up the side of your sign. And always use a template to ensure proper spacing for letters that can butt up to each other and those that can’t.
Size matters
It’s not just about readability, but do you know what your logo looks like when inflated to the right size for your new sign? You only have to Google ‘sign fails’ to identify seemingly innocent logos and images that went horribly wrong.
But size is a serious issue when it comes to creating signs that have maximum impact while retaining readability and legibility. From a viewing distance of 30 metres/100 feet, each letter needs to be 10cm/4 inches tall with a balanced negative space all around – you’ll need to factor this in when creating fascias and it may impact the installation location.
Material world
Do you really need premium materials for the sign you have in mind? Or will a minor upgrade ensure that your signs has a longer lifespan? Always choose the right quality of materials bearing in mind installation and location – what works for one business may not work for yours, and materials that perform well in one location might let you down if your installation is particularly exposed.
Avoiding signage fails with The Sussex Sign Company
If you’re fully invested in the success of your business, you won’t want to forget about your offline branding. Getting it right can have a huge impact on the way your business is perceived, and a well designed and executed sign can speak volumes about your brand.
At The Sussex Sign Company, we’ll help you avoid the obvious signage fails to create signs that promote brand recognition and maximise your return on investment. Contact us today to start maximising your offline business assets.