Why Car Wrap Advertising Is Your Secret Weapon

We’ve all seen them – vehicles wrapped in eye-catching graphics, with a great slogan. Maybe they’ve been in front of you in a traffic jam, or parked outside the supermarket. Perhaps you’ve seen one as you drop the kids off at school, or maybe there’s one parked in your road.

Car wrap advertising is on the rise, and no wonder. With costs per impression as low as 30p per thousand impressions, it’s a cost-effective form of advertising with enormous reach – far more than a static billboard. Yet vinyl wrapped vehicles are still regarded as an unusual form of advertising – and that makes them your secret weapon.

Eye-catching and attention-grabbing

In a stream of vehicles, you can’t help noticing the one with the car wrap – and that’s the point. Car graphics, when executed well, make your car stand out from all the other traffic on the road, and your brand becomes associated with that cool and creative vehicle. Who doesn’t want their brand to be associated with a form of advertising perceived as creative and innovative?

Better yet, wherever your vehicles are, they’re creating impressions without you having to do anything at all. That kind of passive advertising works because you’re not pushing your message at the audience, but allowing them to discover it for themselves. Your potential customers may not pay attention to your standard vehicle, but wrap it in a well designed car wrap graphic and their eyes will naturally gravitate towards it. By being in your face without being ‘in your face’, you won’t breed any negativity towards your brand.

Advertising by stealth

It’s this stealth advertising that makes car vinyl wrapping such a cost effective and adaptable way to get your message out there. According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), a vinyl wrapped car can generate between 30,000 and 70,000 impressions daily on the US roads, and in the UK, a vinyl wrap on a long-haul vehicle can generate 10 million impressions a year. It’s that impressive reach that makes vinyl wrap advertising so cost-effective.

Wrapping your vehicle in a well-designed vinyl wrap will help it stand out from the general visual noise, to create a real impact without you having to do hours of painstaking market research. This is a form of advertising that attracts interest across the demographic spectrum, penetrating markets from millennials to baby boomers. Advertising research has shown that that level of penetration is directly linked to an uptick in sales.

Agile marketing

Agile has been a buzzword for a while now, and agile marketing is designed to be nimble and responsive to market conditions and customer feedback. Agile marketing is experimental and it’s about knowing how to fail smart – and that’s where vinyl wrap is your friend.

An agile marketing plan is about running a series of low cost campaigns and seeing what works, and using the small scale failures as a unique learning opportunity. The great thing about car wrap advertising is that your campaigns can be totally flexible – start with the standard CTA then customise the message and the graphics to suit different campaigns. If you fail, it’s easy to craft another message, and if you want to be responsive to seasonal events you can add snowflakes or a jack o’ lantern.

Because vinyl wraps can be full or partial, and combined with cut letters and vinyl graphics they give you unparalleled freedom to try different combinations and see what works best for you. It’s the ultimate low cost way to experiment and fail smart, or to create a campaign that can be taken from temporary to permanent without a huge extra outlay. However you choose to organise your vehicle wrapping, it’s there until you decide to remove it.

Unexpected bonus

Using car graphics in Bognor Regis, or across the south coast, may be a brilliant way to get your message across, but it’s also an excellent way to protect your investment in company vehicles. Whether you have one company car or a fleet of vans, by wrapping them in vinyl that is car wash resistant and UV repellent, you’ll be protecting the original bodywork from deterioration caused by sunlight and wear and tear.

Vinyl wrap was first used in Germany in the 1990s, when it was used to convert domestic cars into standard beige taxis. After-service vehicles were usually sold at a heavily discounted price or had to be completely resprayed to make them marketable, but the Germans soon discovered that the vinyl wrap protected the bodywork, making reconversion both straightforward and profitable. The beauty of vinyl wrap is that, alongside all its other advertising benefits, it will protect your car bodywork for the amount of time it remains in place. That can make a difference when you come to sell on or upgrade your fleet.

Ask the experts

If you’re interested in boosting your advertising with the power and stealth of car vinyl wrapping, then you need a company that can take your ideas from conception through to design and installation. Only a company with the expertise to offer truly integrated services will fully unlock the potential of car wrap graphics for your vehicles. At the Sussex Sign Company, we have the expertise and the skill to turn your vehicles into mobile billboards that create hundreds of thousands of impressions, without you having to lift a finger. Contact us today via phone or email and our design, manufacture and installation teams will be happy to help you exploit the power of vinyl wrap for your next campaign.

Why Your Sign Company Can Be Central To Delivering A Brand Experience

Whether your retail premises have recently undergone a refit, or you’re designing a walking route around a stately home, the challenges that face you are fundamentally the same: how can I use beautifully designed signage to enhance the brand experience for customers and visitors?

The problem that faces you is whether you can use bold and innovative signs to head off frustration, and whether you can develop a wayfinding strategy that hits all the touchpoints of your customer’s experience to positively improve brand recognition and experience.

Apply online navigation to offline spaces

Your customer should never be confused about the space they’re in. Signs need to be consistent with your branding and attractive and clear enough to bring in first time customers who can quickly interact with the brand thanks to the cues from your signage. Just as customers browsing your website will click away if the navigation isn’t simple, precise and consistent across the site, so your offline customers will go elsewhere if you don’t apply the same navigation principles.

The decision making process

Wayfinding is about keying into the critical decisions that consumers make and giving useful information at every decision point. The fact is a well-designed entrance will attract people when the overhead sign may be ignored, but the success of your overall strategy is directly dependent on how well all the elements of the wayfinding environment come together in the designs you create with your sign maker.

Wayfinding and the branding experience

If wayfinding is part of a wider visual environment, then it must be part of the broader conversation around branding. After all, it’s the purpose of good quality signage to control the movement of consumers within the retail environment. From the first touchpoint with your brand, you need to establish clarity and tone of voice, whether that’s a map on a flyer or spoken instructions on a phone message.

Interact with the space

Retail spaces are no longer designed to be static. Instead, ranges, layouts and promotions often change, which makes effective signage absolutely vital in helping customers navigate the store successfully, and creating a positive impression of their interaction with your brand. Treating the signage as integral to the success of the overall design will help avoid pitfalls that lead to frustration and disconnection with your brand.

Using a sign company to make signs work

You’ll need both directional signs (those with a visual clue like an arrow) and location signs (those that tell you where you are). Ask your sign maker to produce a group of signs that use corporate colours to enhance your signage, and pay attention to contrast, fonts and font size and accessibility. Remember that your customers will assume a frictionless brand experience that is the same offline and online, and if you don’t deliver, you’ll create a poor brand experience and impression that can be hard to recover from. Search out a decent sign maker who can help you deliver.

If you’re looking for an experienced and professional sign company in London, or the south-east, then here at the The Sussex Sign Company, we strive to earn the best ROI for our customers. Contact us via phone or email for more details.

How Built Up Letters Can Make You Stand Out

There’s a good reason that built up letters are so popular for everything from shop signage to commercial business signs. These 3D letters are designed to really pop, giving your brand instant and powerful visual appeal. Striking and distinctive, they’re also totally bespoke and the processes involved in their manufacture are the most complex in the industry. When you’re looking for a sign company in Littlehampton who can give your premises the wow factor, checking whether they can produce high quality built up letter signs is critical.

3D letters: get the effect

Obviously, the kind of standing 3D letters you see outside commercial organisations have the most wow factor, but you can achieve a similar effect on a budget if you explore some different options – a good sign making company will be able to advise you on the smart choice for your shop signage.

Flat cut aluminium and acrylic letters can both be attached to a backing board to create a very subtle and cost effective 3D effect. Both are lightweight materials that can be effectively painted to match your branding colours. Acrylic can also be pigmented, so it doesn’t peel or rust.

Foamex letters are another affordable alternative that can be wall mounted or raised on a stand-off of your choice. Foamex comes in a range of widths, so you can play with perspective. Coated with an acrylic or dibond, you can create a robust and premium feel for your retail signage. They have a high strength to weight ratio and can stand up to all but the harshest weather conditions.

Polystyrene letters can also be a savvy choice when you need something temporary that makes a strong and dramatic impact. These types of letters are gaining a lot of currency at events where the ability to create a great social media photo opportunity is factored into your marketing strategy.

New and innovative products are emerging in the market all the time. Your sign making company will be up to speed with new technologies and materials as they emerge, in order to give you the widest range of options available.

The premium choice: channel letters

True built up letters are known as channel letters and are created using a channel letter bender machine. However, once the machine has finished its job, that’s just the start of the process. This is when the finishing touches are added to your letters, making the difference between full on impact or disappointing damp squib.

It’s at this point that your letters can be wrapped in various films, given a distressed look, or fitted with different types of LED lighting. Stainless steel lettering, either used alone or in combination with other materials like perspex, gives a really strong architectural look, while powder coated aluminium can replicate any RAL corporate colours for letters that are robust, weather resistant and lightweight, for use just about anywhere.

Standout signage: current trends

While polished metal letters continue to be hugely popular for creating that premium association between your shop signage and your brand, distressed letters and those with an aged patina are becoming incredibly popular, particularly across the hospitality and leisure sectors. Effects like verdigris can add real star quality to your standout letters. In the heritage sector, letters crafted from bronze and copper add a weighty, traditional feel.

Illuminated letters continue to increase in popularity, either front, open or halo lit. The uptake is being driven by low cost LED lights that last for years with low maintenance. They are infinitely customisable in terms of colour, brightness and warmth.

Light up your signs: the Halo effect

There’s a reason why halo illuminated letters are becoming more and more popular. A halo illuminated sign is distinctive, stylish and really comes alive at night to give a stunning iridescent effect to your shop signage. A halo LED sign is the perfect way to differentiate your business from the competition.

Halo or reverse lighting doesn’t illuminate the face of the letters. Instead, the lighting is directed onto the wall behind the letters and then reflects back, giving the distinctive halo effect. If you’ve invested in 3D built up letters, then this is the most effective way to light them and create a real sense of depth for a sense of drama. Halo illuminated letters can also be seen from a greater distance, boosting the impact and the legibility of your 3D sign.

Best of all, by using low energy LED lighting, you can create a wide range of effects, highlighting different parts of the sign with different colours, while driving down your energy bills.

Get the effect for your business

There’s no doubt that built up letters and illuminated signs can really take your signage to the next level. When you’re looking for a sign company in Littlehampton to take your designs from conception to installation, you’ll need to think not just about reach and impressions, but the return on investment from your 3D signs.

At the Sussex Sign Company, we’re experienced in helping our clients get the best value for their investment, whether that’s in vinyl car wraps or built up letter 3D signage. If you want to see how a combination of clever signage design and LED lighting can give your signage and displays the ultimate wow factor, contact us via phone or email today and our friendly and knowledgeable team will be happy to help.

Choosing The Best Sign Material For The Job

If you need new signs, then the chances are you’re looking for a high quality sign making company to deliver on your concept. You’ll need to think about design, manufacture, installation and the type of material to be used.

Whatever the kind of signage you have in mind – whether that’s a shop window sign, wayfinding signage or signs for schools – it’s critical that you choose the right material for the job. Will you be wall mounting your sign, creating a car wrap design or covering up an existing signboard? Or will you be creating a new freestanding rigid sign or display? Is this an interior or an exterior sign, and for permanent or temporary display? When you have the answers to those questions, you can start making choices about available materials.

As with any aspect of the sign making process, a good sign company in Arundel or elsewhere will be able to guide you through the process, offering the right material for the signage you have in mind.

I want to cover an existing rigid sign

If you have an existing sign that you simply want to cover with a new image, then printed self adhesive vinyl is the savvy choice. This has a white surface and can be overprinted with your branding, slogans, or even a high resolution image. It’s a clever way to recycle existing signage without breaking the bank.

I want to put a sign in a window

Printed clear self adhesive vinyl can be printed on in reverse, stuck to your window, and then backed with white vinyl. The effect is crisp and smart and the vinyl is lightweight and can be easily removed when you want to update your signage.

I want something flexible

If you want to create a stunning wall display, or a car wrap design with plenty of impact, you need cut self-adhesive vinyl. This comes in a wide range of colours and is most often used to produce single colour text or silhouette shapes. Unlike using a wall stencil, it’s easy to unpeel cut vinyl, making it ideal for temporary displays or to add design accents for summer or Christmas promotions.

These types of cut stickers are often seen as single panels on a car, when a fully vinyl wrap is not required. They can even be used on display stands to spice up your exhibit, but remember to remove them if your stands are hired.

I need a rigid sign, after all

There are three main types of material that are used for rigid signage. These are usually known by their brand names: Correx, Foamex and Dibond. These are also sometimes known by other names and come in various thicknesses. Each has its particular strengths and weaknesses as a material, which your sign company will explain.

I want an estate agent’s sign board

The cheapest form of sign board is Correx and it’s ideal for estate agent signage. This is a type of corrugated plastic sheet that’s super lightweight, and it should be printed with weatherproof inks, then laminated, for superior weather resistance. Correx signs are often used when low cost temporary signage is required – on a building site or for a short term exhibition, for example.

For outside use, a Correx sign should be mounted to an additional wooden board for strength, as the material is prone to bending along the flutes when caught in a strong wind. Washers should always be used to stop the screwheads ripping through the board.

I want an outdoor wayfinding sign for a visitor attraction

PVC foam sheet is an excellent material for use indoors and out, and comes in 3mm, 5mm and 10mm thicknesses. Foamex offers good durability while also being cost effective and it behaves like a solid plastic sheet.

Foamex has an excellent strength to weight ratio, although the 10mm sheets can be quite heavy for larger signs, making Dibond a better option. Because this material is so easy to cut, it can be used to create really exceptional signage for indoor and outdoor use. It’s waterproof too, so it can withstand the worst that the British weather can throw at it!

Opt for lightweight 3mm for indoor boards that can be wall mounted with velcro, and use the thicker boards for outdoor signage that has great strength, resistant and durability – ideal for wayfinding signage. These outdoor signs are simple to drill and attach with screws.

I need a permanent display sign for a coastal café

You need Dibond, the longest lasting of the rigid materials. Consisting of a solid sheet of polyethylene at its core, sandwiched between two thin aluminium panels, Dibond is just 3mm thick, but can stand up to heavy wind and rain.

There’s no limit to the signage shapes you can create with Dibond, as it can be drilled, screwed and shaped with ease. It has a huge range of uses, from shop signage to exhibition and event signage and so much more. Dibond can also be clamped to metal poles for even greater stability.

Dibond is fantastically light and terrifically strong, making it the premium choice for rigid signage, especially where it needs to stand up to all weather conditions and stay looking good for years.

I need to find a good sign company in Arundel

At the Sussex Sign Company, we can help you create permanent or temporary signs for interior or exterior use that will make the best possible first impression. When your visual assets are so important, let us help you maximise your return on investment by creating signs that use the right materials for the perfect installation. Contact our friendly and knowledgeable team by phone or email for more details.

The humble LED that’s lighting the way for marketing

The LED has come a long way since it illuminated all our simple on/off switches. Now LEDs power everything from printheads in wide format printers to a wide range of illuminated signs including backlit halo signs that create such a visual impact. But the next iteration of the LED is on its way – say hello to Li-Fi.

What is Li-Fi?

Li-Fi or Light Fidelity is a way of running visible light communications (VLC) at exceptionally high speeds, using common household LEDs to achieve data transfer speeds of up to 224 gigabits per second. Professor Harald Haas of the University of Edinburgh coined the term in a TED talk he gave in 2011, where he foresaw that the ability of LEDs to flash on and off instantly could act like a kind of wireless router using visible light.

By attaching a microchip to an LED and harnessing the power of binary, Professor Haas claims that we’ll be able to download an HD movie in just a few seconds. Because of the multiplicity of light sources already available, this technology could open up connectivity in tube carriages. Instead of us sharing limited bandwidth, it will be multiplied out through available lights.

Li-Fi has its limitations – the inability to pass through walls means that connectivity in the home depends on having LEDs in every room. However, for a large conference hall or an outdoor space, this new technology could prove limitless, leaving conventional Wi-Fi in the dust with double the connectivity for a fraction of the power.

Who’s using Li-Fi?

So far, there are two Li-Fi products on the market, a ceiling unit and a desktop unit, both of which provide both light and connectivity. The implications for the Internet of things are obvious, but this is also an interesting space for retail business, allowing savvy shop owners to transmit personalised data to a shopper’s mobile securely, rapidly and remotely. There are already rumours that Apple has plans to integrate LiFi into future iPhones.

Updating Piccadilly Circus

The iconic billboards at Piccadilly Circus were switched off in January and will remain dark for the longest single period since WWII. Illuminated lettering has been a feature of the Circus since the 1890s, with the first ever illuminated sign – advertising the French brand Perrier – erected in 1908. Since then, the billboards have always moved with the times, embracing the new technology of neon and then projectors in the 1990s.

Since the WWII blackout, the lights have only gone dark for the deaths of Winston Churchill and Princess Diana, and the patchwork of screens have become a huge tourist attraction. The patchwork effect will remain, but the separate screens will be replaced by one massive state of the art screen, retaining the curved shape and with the capacity to be taken over by one company for short term promotions.

At 790 square metres, it’s the biggest screen of its kind in Europe and will reopen in the autumn. The new screen will also feature live streaming, social media integration and the capacity to personalise messages to respond to particular car brands or tourists’ cultures, adapting the language or advertising that appears. However, as Professor Haas argues, it could all be so much faster if the new screen was equipped with LiFi.

Using LEDs for advertising

Your business may not be in the market for screens and LiFi, but illuminated signs never go out of fashion, as Piccadilly Circus proves. In a visual landscape that’s crowded with competing signs, it’s the illuminated kind that catches our eye. LED has proved a popular alternative to neon, thanks to its relative stability and ultra low running costs. With a lifespan of anywhere up to 10 years, LEDs are the salesman that never sleeps, and LEDs are considerably safer than other forms of illuminated signage too, running at a very low temperature.

LED illuminated signs can also scroll through different colours and are easy to install. The overall lifetime cost of ownership makes this type of illumination extremely attractive from an investment perspective. There’s no limit to the kind of signs you can create, thanks to the flexibility of LED cables.

Create and differentiate

A well thought out LED halo sign will help you differentiate your business from the competition, by standing out from the visual clutter. Low cost LEDs can be illuminated 24 hours a day if necessary, meaning you’ll catch passing trade in the early morning and the early evening. If you need advertising that never sleeps, then LED is the savvy choice.

A well-designed LED sign communicates a sense of professionalism to your customers and can provide new touchpoints for engagement on the customer journey. Why be just another business, when a clearly thought out, well designed and well targeted sign can make your business a memorable standout?

Use the professionals

An illuminated sign works best when it’s professionally designed, installed and maintained, creating the optimum return on your investment. At the Sussex Sign Company, we’ll take your ideas and message and translate them into eye-catching signs that create instant impact. With our expertise, we’ll help you get everything right, from the message to the location, to create a bespoke illuminated LED sign that makes your business stand out.

If you’re interested in exploring the difference that a professionally designed and installed sign can make for your organisation, contact us today and we’ll be happy to help you put your name in lights, call us today on 01273 424900 or email us here.

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.

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.

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

The advantages of car vinyl wrapping