How new school signs could boost morale this September

Signs for schools

We all remember that feeling well – the exams are out the way and you’ve just enjoyed six weeks of summer sunshine and absolute freedom, those seemingly endless hours crammed with holidays, footie in the park and barbecues with family and friends. Whether it was the beginning of the sixth form or the daunting return to the infants or juniors, going back to school after so much freedom almost always felt like a wrench.

There were positives too, though. Meeting up with friends again, for instance, or the nice feeling of starting a new exercise book and making a completely fresh start. One of the most morale boosting things was seeing how the school site had changed and been spruced up or improved during your absence – from a fresh lick of paint in the science block to all new school signs at the front of the premises. If you’re a head teacher, you know that the signage outside your school is usually the first thing people see, and it’s the first thing students will notice as they return from the summer break this September. Seeing immaculate new signs can have a wonderful, positive impact on how children approach the new term, so upgrading your school signage over the summer could have major benefits come the beginning of the autumn term.

The power of the school sign

Your school signs really can say a lot about your school. Whether it’s a nursery, secondary school, specialist sixth form college or a higher education establishment, the signage outside your premises not only proudly displays the name, motto and logo of your school, but speaks volumes about the ethos and principles which underpin everything you do. A well-made, well-maintained school sign shows that you take pride in the work you carry out as an educational establishment, and creates a positive and lasting impression on anyone who happens to visit or simply pass by the school gates.

By contrast, run-down or old-fashioned school signage can have a detrimental impact on the way the outside world views your school, because it hints at lower standards. Seeing poor school signage, local people might start to suspect those lower standards extend beyond external appearances to all other facets of school life, from the quality of the teaching down to the overall behaviour of the students. An attractive, polished façade to your premises, on the other hand, bodes well, creating a good first impression on all.

Research has also shown that children thrive academically in pleasant, attractive surroundings, and that extends beyond the classroom. People are always more inclined to look after the space around them when they can see it is worth looking after, so behaviour improves, students are keener to learn and everyone is happier. While they might not immediately spring to mind in this context, remember that your school signs are the first thing your students see in the morning and the last thing they see as they leave for home after the final bell.

Is it time for an upgrade?

There’s surely no better time to upgrade your school signage than over the summer break, when any noise and disruption isn’t going to impact on your students. There are all sorts of reasons for investing in new school signs. It could be that the school has a new head teacher or deputy head, whose name needs to be added to the signs, or perhaps it could be that contact details have changed, or even that the school is going in for a complete rebranding exercise and changing the logo and school motto. It could even be as simple as noticing that your old signs are looking a little tired or worse for wear, and a shiny new school sign is called for to brighten up the front of the building.

Whatever the reasons behind wanting an upgrade to your signage, now is the time to act. While schools are taking it easy with the long summer break, many companies, including signage companies, experience a massive boost in trade over the sunnier months, as people finally get round to all those odd jobs they’ve been putting off. If you think new signage is a good idea for your school, you can be pretty sure there are other schools and educational establishments in the nearby area thinking along the same lines. If you want to make sure you get to the top of the list for having your new school signage designed and installed, start planning ahead now to avoid disappointment.

Bold, beautiful, bespoke new signs could give students a real morale boost as they return from their summer holidays. Seeing the instant, positive change that a new sign brings might just put a little bit more of a spring in their step, as they try and ease themselves back into normality and the school routine after all those weeks of freedom.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we’ve had many years’ experience providing the highest quality signs for schools right across Sussex, London and the South East. With our expert team of designers and installers, we can see that you get the perfect new school signage to get September off to a flying start, ensuring your school’s unique character is fully captured and proudly displayed ahead of the new term. For more information on the services we can provide, simply get in touch with us today.

Why is University and College Signage So Essential?

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

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

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

Wayfinding Signage in Colleges and Universities

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

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

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

The Student as a Customer

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

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

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

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

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

Brand-Building

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

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

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

Final Word

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

Signs are academic…

SIGNS FOR SCHOOLS, COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

With over 20 years of experience and expertise in academic and educational signage, The Sussex Sign Company’s ability to produce a fantastic design and signage system is second to none. From the initial site survey, through to design, production, signage manufacture, installation and ongoing education and academic signage maintenance, you can trust The Sussex Sign Company to help you with anything from a way-finding system through to a complete signage package for a school, college or university.

Organising the appropriate signage required in a school, college or university can be daunting. That is why The Sussex Sign Company have signage experts who will guide you through the whole process, from carrying out site surveys, producing initial educational signage schedules from floor plans, to visualising your selected scheme. These are customised schemes that are unique to your school, college or university. They are visualised exactly to your specifications, which is perfect for your staff, your students and your visitors using the building. It is important that everyone can find their way around easily, especially if they are new to the school, college or university building. It is daunting enough joining a new establishment. The last thing you would want for your new intake, is confusion and people getting lost.

The Sussex Sign Company sign service is designed to fit around you. We help specified contractors, architects, school head teachers and facilities departments achieve there aims by delivering the best education and academic signage solutions through an unbeatable combination of design, reliability and service. See some examples of our work here.

With such a wide range of academic signage to choose from, the options are endless. College and school signage includes door signs, external post signs, individual letters, directional signs, entrance signs, window manifestations, wall graphics and wallpaper.

The Sussex Sign Company’s expertise doesn’t stop there. Our dedicated qualified Design Team visualise every sign and graphic, to make absolutely sure that we produce everything that you need and have asked for. Only when you are entirely happy with the design and it is approved, do we begin the production process through to manufacture.

Once the signage system or individual signs are ready to install, our experienced Installation Team attend your site to install the signage or graphics at your college or university exactly to your specifications. The Sussex Sign Company takes pride in working in environments, making sure that Our Team works neatly and efficiently, causing the minimum disruption.

The Sussex Sign Company is the educational signage company you can trust for all your signage and graphic requirements.

Inspirational sign design is a key investment that shapes our schools, colleges and universities and enriches the lives of the students, residents and the local businesses which engage with them.

The Sussex Sign Company signage systems are designed to enhance schools, colleges and universities and their open spaces to help students, teachers and visitors engage with their facilities and each other more intuitively.

The Sussex Sign Company has a passion for designing educational signage systems through tailored, exciting signage solutions and it is underpinned by a commitment to connect and share with the wider communities within which these institutions serve.

Image of – Free standing aluminium school signage – Sussex Signsimage of – Internal directory system for universities – Sussex SignsImage of – External totem pole signs for colleges – Sussex SignsImage of – Free standing aluminium school signs – Sussex Signs

Call us today on 01273 417057 or Email us from here

A list of the towns we work in throughout East and West Sussex is listed below.

East Grinstead , Crawley, Gatwick, Horsham, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, Steyning, Worthing, Arundel, Littlehampton, Bognor Regis, Selsey, Chichester, Midhurst, Petworth, Portslade, Brighton, Hove, Newhaven, Seaford, Eastbourne, Bexhill, Hastings, Hailsham, Lewes, Uckfield, Heathfiled, Crowborough.