Best Practices To Boost Your Signage ROI

Signage best practices can be used to enrich the customer experience and reinforce your brand. But how do you create well designed signs that enhance success for your West Sussex business, while delivering a quantifiable return on your investment? These are the three most effective strategies that can help you integrate signs as part of a successful business strategy.

Integrate signs into your design strategy

Well thought through and designed signs can make a contribution to the customer retail experience that can be directly evaluated in increased sales. The trick is to deliver clear and consistent branding and uniquely dynamic displays that attract consumers and become part of your brand equity. Following best practice for readability, informational clarity, uniqueness and viewing enjoyment can directly impact on the success of your signage and your bottom line.

Keeping you user at the heart of the design strategy can be a primary factor for success. Starting with defined user personas, your design should respond to the way your customers think and act. Iterative design processes deliver signs that enhance the user experience to retain existing customers and attract new ones.

Value propositions and signage

Make it part of your business strategy to award excellence in sign creation. Focus on engaging all stakeholders from the local community to develop unique design strategies that engage and drive both brand recognition and customer loyalty. Never look at sign development in isolation, but always as part of a deeper commitment to enhancing the customer experience and the local built environment.

Using experienced professional designers will allow you to embed great design at the heart of your brand signage strategy. Visualising and implementing design solutions that are closely mapped to the customer experience will build excellence into the design process and help to optimise your return on investment.

Increase collaboration

Signs don’t exist in a vacuum. In fact, they’re increasingly integrated into the architectural elements of the retail environment. Advances in the way that signs are fabricated and the materials used have raised the profile and value of signs, creating high quality landmark elements and unique environments for high concept stores.

High quality signs that are manufactured and installed effectively will reinforce the quality of your brand and should be central to your marketing strategy. Leading retailers who are design-centric and who focus on developing great signs can expect a three times higher return on investment per square foot of retail space than businesses that don’t pay attention to attributes like legibility, appropriate scale and viewing pleasure in their signs.

Using end to end services to boost your ROI

At The Sussex Sign Company, we offer a fully integrated signage service. This means that we can guide you through every part of your sign’s development, from design to installation. That leaves you free to develop user profiles and research the user experience to develop effective design strategies for our graphic artists to implement. We’ll collaborate with you at the manufacturing stage to ensure that your signs are created from the most appropriate materials to enhance the value of your premises and create a unique architectural feature that gives your business the edge. If you want to find out more about maximising your ROI with integrated sign services, contact us today.

Business signage and the benefits of LEDs

There are many benefits to changing to LED signage. Did you know that the per-lumen price of LED bulbs has fallen by a factor of fifty since they first came into use in the 1960s? In fact, LEDs are now so cheap that there’s really no excuse not to use them for your illuminated signs. Still need convincing? Here are the biggest benefits of LEDs for your business.

Exceptional Efficiency

A highly efficient technology, LED bulbs convert around 80% of the electricity they use into light. And because that light is generated in one specific direction, wastage is reduced, driving down your energy bills.

Extended Lifespan

LEDs don’t burn out – they simply fade away. And their lifespan is astonishing – an LED with a life expectation of 100,000 hours could stay continually lit for 11 years. Use that bulb for just eight hours a day and it could last as long as 20 years without replacement.

Eye-Catching Signage

LED light is instantly on at 100% and produces a clear, brilliant light in a huge range of colour options. Visible in sunlight, and pin-sharp at night, LED light creates the clearest illumination possible for your logo or outdoor signs.

There are none of the brightness issues associated with neon and far lower running costs. Thanks to their efficiency and durability, you can create beautiful effects that last far longer than other conventional lighting methods.

The Sustainable Choice

Whether your business has sustainability targets or not, lowering your environmental impact as a business is something your customers respond to. A typical 10W LED bulb uses around 80% less energy than a neon sign and can be fully recycled because there are no toxic materials involved in its design.

The benefits of LEDs include reducing the carbon footprint of your business by up to a third and support technology that preserves resources, one of the great benefits of LED illuminated signage is a savvy choice.

Easy to Maintain

Simple and durable, LEDs can be used just about anywhere. There are no glass tubes to break, and they’re simple to keep clean because they emit very little infrared or UV heat and therefore aren’t a burn hazard.

They’re a breeze to maintain, giving you long-lasting light with a fraction of the costs of other lighting systems.

Flexible Options

Smaller, thinner, brighter and completely controllable, LEDs are the ideal choice when you need to create signs that takes your marketing to another level. For example, LEDs will dim right down to 10% brightness smoothly and seamlessly.

The sheer range of options for colour and control make LEDs the obvious choice for professional-looking signage that effortlessly stands out from the crowd.

Ask the Professionals

If you want to harness the power, flexibility and benefits of LED lighting for your illuminated signs, then talk to us. At the Sussex Sign Company we offer end-to-end services to design, create, install and maintain your signage in London to the very highest standard, ensuring a maximum return on your investment. Call or email us for more info.

The Sussex Sign Company scores top marks.

When it comes to ensuring the highest levels of health and safety for its staff and customers, The Sussex Sign Company has scored top marks.

Based in Portslade, East Sussex, The Sussex Sign Company has a long record of providing some of the most innovate and creative signage in the South East and London and has now been awarded CHAS accreditation for the second year running, which is considered to be the highest accolade in terms of health and safety credentials.

MD, Norman Mayhew, is delighted to report that the business is one of a very few who have achieved the status – on top of Safe Contractor certification – putting The Sussex Sign Company at the top of its game in terms of health and safety.

CHAS (Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme) is rapidly becoming a construction industry award which improves standards across the whole industry.

Founded in 1995, The Sussex Sign Company has grown into one of the most successful sign manufacturing companies in the industry, with a reputation and diverse portfolio to match.

Norman said health and safety is taken very seriously and the business constantly works towards improving their processes and systems wherever they can.

‘We are delighted to gain the CHAS Accredited Contractor Award for another year. It demonstrates our commitment to Health and Safety legislation and because CHAS also focuses on reducing duplication, it helps our suppliers and buyers work with us seamlessly,’ he added.

The Sussex Sign Company also hold SafeContractor accreditation, which further provides assurance that the business has achieved the highest levels of health and safety compliance.

Why Halo Illuminated Signs Are So Popular On The British High Street

Wherever you look on the average British high street, you’ll see illuminated signs with a subtle and sophisticated halo lighting effect. This beautiful way of highlighting and differentiating a sign uses built up letters and LED lighting to create the effect.

What is the halo effect?

Using lightweight and hollow letters, the internal LED lights are projected backwards onto the wall, creating a halo of light behind the letters. This is an extremely effective and eye-catching effect that can also match your company’s brand colours to produce beautiful – and energy efficient – signage.

Creating 3D effects

The use of channel letters creates a 3D effect, which is enhanced by the use of the LED halo lighting. Your sign company should mount the letters themselves on spacers, allowing the halo effect to amplify, while the use of either contrast colour or high impact white will further enhance the sense that the letters are floating in mid-air, creating an incredible 3D boost.

If you want to heighten the illusion of the letters floating in mid-air even further, try alternating lighting effects to highlight some letters more than others – the range of effects you can create is infinite and can even lend the appearance of movement.

If you want to create another level of illumination, then ask your sign company to panel mount the entire sign and then halo light the panel itself. Not only is this an excellent way to differentiate your sign from a similarly coloured background, but it creates a real wow factor with the extra level of illumination.

Eye-catching communication

In the visual noise of the typical high street, creating a sign that communicates with your potential customers and develops brand awareness is paramount. Nothing does that more effectively than a halo illuminated sign, which is why they’re so popular with big high street brands like M&S and Caffe Nero. The reason you can automatically identify their branding is thanks to well executed halo illumination using bright white to make the brand name pop.

Why use LEDs?

LED lighting is the ideal way to illuminate channel letters. Energy efficient and capable of a comprehensive range of lighting effects, LEDs last for 20 years or more and don’t require a large and potentially dangerous transformer, giving your business the flexibility to get the best possible return from your investment in halo lit signage.

Halo illuminated signs: not just for outdoors

The combination of your corporate colours and font, when used in a branded illuminated sign, are a powerful mnemonic for your business. So why only use such a powerful tool for the outside of your building. Across the British high street, you’ll see the repetition of halo illuminated signs throughout some stores, to reinforce brand awareness. It’s a trick you can use in your own premises.

If you’re looking for a sign company in West Sussex to execute beautiful halo illuminated signs for your business, then contact us at The Sussex Sign Company via phone or email. We’re experts in using LED technology to create stunning signs that ensure the best possible return on investment for our clients.

Why Your Business Needs To Light Up With Illuminated Signs

Illuminating your signage is about so much more than showing customers where you are. In fact, a well-illuminated sign will provide cost-effective advertising 24 hours a day, maximising the effectiveness of your message. Even if you don’t stay open all day and all night, your sign will still be doing your marketing for you.

Versatile and stylish, illuminated signage can take your visual assets to another level. More than that, a well-executed sign will add value to your business, thanks to its perceived value.

The ABC of illuminated signs

There are several practical questions you need to ask yourself when installing illuminated shop signs. Is the illumination visible and effective? Is the message legible? Is your sign well maintained, and if not, how will you keep it looking its best and doing its job. Work with a professional signage company and these issues and more will be worked out during the design, development and installation process.

However, before you approach a sign company, check the functionality of your concept by asking the ABC questions – does your sign Attract new customers, Build brand awareness and Create impulse sales? If you think your sign can do all three, then it’s a worthwhile investment.

Send a subliminal message

When you work together with a professional designer on your commercial signage, you’ll be surprised at the strong yet subliminal messages you can send with colour. Your bespoke LED signs don’t need to be pure white, though that can look clean and professional. Colour can make a subliminal statement about your business when coupled with clever design, for an effect that enhances your business.

Maximise your marketing budget

Illuminated shop signs create thousands of impression throughout the course of the day, giving you an exceptionally low cost per impression. The cost of your signage is a one-off in your budget, and when you compare the ROI against other forms of marketing, your illuminated signs can be quite a bargain, and they can have a reach that far outstrips more temporary forms of advertising like billboards and radio, TV or online ads.

Consider the interior options

While your exterior illuminated signs will be reaching out to passing trade at all hours of the day and night, don’t ignore the power of a sophisticated indoor sign with LED illumination. Beautifully designed, perhaps using halo illuminated letters for a subtle and stylish effect, an illuminated logo on the wall behind the till, or as customers first enter your premises, can drive brand recognition and create a stunning first impression.

Work with the professionals

At The Sussex Sign Company, we can offer you a range of stylish and effective solutions for your illuminated signage, whether that’s halo illuminated letters or a banner effect. We’ll steer you through the process from concept to design to installation, discussing illumination options and a maintenance schedule. If you want to see what illuminated signs can do for the exterior and interior of your store or office premises, then contact us today via phone or email and we’ll be happy to discuss your options.

Create A Wow: How To Use Halo Lit Signs Effectively For Your Business

What do Kiehl’s, Triumph and Versace all have in common? These diverse businesses all use halo lit signs to project a sophisticated image. This unique and subtle lighting effect is used to create eye-catching signage that elevates not only the perceived value of the sign, but also the company that uses it. In short, if you want to create a real wow for your business, you need to invest on halo lit signage.

Getting started with halo lighting

This stunning yet subtle lighting effect is achieved by projecting white or coloured lighting, often using LEDs, onto the background for your sign. It’s clear, therefore, that your sign needs to be mounted on a particular type of background. Too glossy and there’s too much reflection, too dark and the light is absorbed.

There are workarounds, however, to both issues if the background is intrinsic to your brand identity. On a dark surface, white cut vinyl letters can be used to mount the sign for optimum reflection. With a high gloss, the use of a diffuser can soften the glow and create the perfect halo effect.

Create the effect

You also need to ensure that your LEDs are facing towards the interior of the letters. This gives a smooth halo with no individual pinpoints of light. You could also use fluorescent lighting, but it’s neither as energy-efficient as LED or as interesting to work with, as LEDs can be used to create a wide range of colour effects and even different temperatures of white.

One other issue to consider is the mounting distance of your letters. Too close, and you’ll negate the halo effect, too far away and the letters themselves become indistinct. The optimum mounting distance for halo lit signs is usually one and a half to three inches, but you’ll need to work with an experienced fitter to help you achieve the best effect for your installation.

Communicate your brand with colour

While some brands are clearly under the impression that the only colour for halo lighting is bright white, you can differentiate your sign by understanding the way that you can communicate effectively with colour. While white can project a clean and professional image, using corporate colours may enhance your sign or be used to add warmth for hospitality industries.

Be careful when using multiple colours, however. Lighting your logo and company name differently, for example, may look disjointed. But using your brand colours where appropriate can be a clever way to enhance brand recognition and give your sign extra appeal.

Work with the professionals

Halo lit signage can have a dramatic impact when constructed and installed properly. With so many variables that can affect the overall presentation of your halo lit sign, you need to work with the best to ensure every aspect from design to installation and maintenance is taken care of. At The Sussex Sign Company, we deliver the best possible return on your investment, creating halo lit signs that project a professional and cohesive image for your brand. Contact us today via phone or email for more details on how you can harness the power of the halo for your new signage.

The Unexpected Benefits Of Illuminated Signs

A successful business plan lives or dies by the number of customers who actually set foot through the door. After all, if nobody visits your business, how can you sell them your goods or services? That’s why you need attractive and attention-grabbing signage for your commercial premises. However, upgrading your commercial signage with illumination can take the value of your visual assets to another level and the functionality of your upgrade will quickly become apparent.

Clear advantages of illuminated signage

The advantages are clear. Your business automatically becomes highly visible and your sign keeps working for you 24/7, particularly if you use energy-efficient LEDs. Another benefit of a well-designed illuminated sign is that you’ll attract passing trade in a more effective way than you did before and you’ll drive brand recognition.

The unexpected benefits

Beyond the shining beacon of your illuminated signage, there are a host of benefits that are quite unexpected, that can further boost your intangible assets. Here are some of the most interesting hidden perks:

Increase the value of your property: investing in illuminated signage is a smart move in as much as it enhances the kerb appeal of your business. And that, as any estate agent will tell you, can significantly enhance the value of your property. By enhancing your signage and boosting brand recognition through illumination, you’re adding value to your business assets.

Inspire customer decisions: Nearly half of all purchases are made on sheer impulse. Imagine how you can leverage that impulsive behaviour with a bright and attractive illuminated sign? Now factor in the percentage of the population who are actively looking for local commerce. Illuminate your signs and you’ll be directly in their eye line. It’s your way to take control of the customer journey and influence those impulse decisions.

A community landmark: Not only will illuminated signage catch the eye of potential consumers, but it will also give your community an attractive focal point. Imagine becoming a local landmark and meeting spot, and then think about how that recognition will drive footfall. Make a good enough job of your illuminated signage and you may even attract the attention of the local council who may choose to reward you for business innovation and/or regeneration.

Multiple impressions: Your illuminated signage will not only attract customers and boost your sales, but it can also create multiple impressions throughout the day and night. Estimates put the number of impressions as high as 60 per month for 85% of your customer base. Each time they view your signs, it reinforces brand recognition, keeping your business top of mind and having an impact, whether subconscious or conscious, on your customer’s purchasing decisions.

Ask the experts

Of course, when you make the decision to upgrade your signage, then you expect your new illuminated signs to have that wow factor that will reap all these unexpected benefits. At The Sussex Sign Company, we can offer advice on the most appropriate illuminated signage solutions, including LED lighting systems, ensuring the best possible return on investment for our clients. Contact us via phone or email to find out more.

Should You Invest In LED Illuminated Exterior Signage?

LED displays are one of the most rapidly growing sectors in illuminated signage, with a market share expected to reach at least $12 billion by 2020. Advances in technology have made LED the illumination of choice, but is it always the right choice for your business? Before making an investment in illuminated exterior signs, it’s important to know all the ins and outs of LED lighting.

Light up the night

There’s little wonder that LED lighting has risen in popularity. It’s both extremely striking and highly cost-effective, with LEDs lasting up to 60,000 hours, compared to 10,000 hours for fluorescent lighting. Not only will LEDs drive down your replacement costs, but you’ll also experience lower energy costs, with 80-90% energy efficiency.

It’s this efficiency, coupled with the fact that LED bulbs don’t leak mercury and argon like neon signs, that make LEDs the green choice. If sustainability is important to your business, then LEDs are the eco-friendly way to light up the night.

Signage styles

LED signage can take several forms. For example, you might decide to use a fret-cut fascia using backlighting to highlight your logo and text. Or you may prefer to use a halo effect with built up letters. This is a particularly effective and impressive way to create an effect. Great design and layout with clever use of colour will enhance your visual assets and drive brand recognition in a cost effective way. Colour is also excellent for attention generation, giving your LED exterior signs an even greater impact.

What the stats say

Over 70% of your target audience will see your LED signs and be engaged by them. That’s higher than internet, TV and billboard advertising, and a quarter higher than the reach of social network platforms. In fact, 84% of retailers believe an illuminated sign is essential for building brand awareness and engaging with your customers.

LED signage is second to none when it comes to location branding and costs per impression are astonishingly low, at just 4p per thousand impressions. Although the initial installation costs can be higher than other forms of illuminated signage, the rapid returns and effectiveness of a good LED sign can more than recoup the investment.

A long term investment

When it comes to evaluating your business, most customers take around 7 seconds to decide whether they’ll step through your doors or not. Eye-catching and effective signage is the perfect way to create a strong first impression that brings the customer in through the door and then helps them to find you again and direct their friends and family to your business.

At the Sussex Sign Company, we understand that your signs will act as the visual standard bearer for your business for years to come. That’s why we’ll advise you as to the most appropriate illuminated signage solutions, including LED lighting systems, to ensure the best possible return on investment and the best possible visual representation for your business. Contact us via phone or email today to find out more.

How to Choose the Best Signwriter for Your Business

Finding a great signwriter should be easy in this day and age. After all, we have the internet with its range of trade checking websites to help us make that decision. For example, if you were looking for signwriting in Crowborough, you’d Google it and take your pick. But how will you know you’ve really chosen the right signwriter to take your ideas and concepts from design to installation?

If you want to ensure that you’ve found the right signwriter for you, you need to be clear on why you need quality signage for your company and the type of signage that’s going to work for you. Having the killer idea is only one piece of the puzzle – your signs should be executed to your specifications, using the right corporate colours and logo, manufactured from durable and appropriate materials and installed in the right place.

What Quality Signage Means for Your Business

Signs are a brilliant marketing tool for any business. They’re your primary visual assets, and they’re a powerful tool for promoting brand recognition. A great sign will differentiate your business from the competition – over 76% of consumers say they’ve visited a business because of the quality of its signs – and provide advertising 24/7. And once you’ve paid the upfront costs, good signage is one of the most cost-effective forms of marketing there is, creating impressions all day every day.

Given what a great return on investment signage has, and how much it can boost your brand, finding a sign company that can meet your needs becomes even more imperative.

Individual Expertise or Integrated Services?

It’s very tempting to try to find the best designer and invest in some exceptional designs for your signage. After all, creating a visual wow factor is what will set your signs apart from the competition and attract customers to walk in off the street. Then you’ll need to find a company that can manufacture those signs and make good on your designer’s vision, and then you’ll need to find a handyman who can install them with good-quality fixings in the optimum position.

Or you could find a sign company with an excellent reputation that offers all these services as an integrated package. The advantage for you is that you’ll know exactly what’s going on at every step of the process. A good sign company will be able to optimise every step of the process and even offer you a maintenance package so your signs remain in the best possible shape.

Experience and Expertise

When choosing your signage provider, you can’t afford to settle for an amateur because your signs need to look polished and professional. You need a signwriter who knows what works and can advise you on the right design, colours, fonts, materials and message, and who knows exactly what size of signs you need and how to display them. It may be tempting to choose a start-up that has interesting and innovative ideas, but when you’re making an investment in your visual assets, you really need to work with a company that knows what works. Who knows, in ten years you might be asking that start-up to design your new signs now that they’re established and experienced in the business.

Ask around, and don’t be afraid to approach businesses that have signage you particularly like. After all, you don’t want to rip off their signage: you simply want to create first-class signage that boosts your brand and boosts your local reputation.

Check Out Their Portfolio

A sign writing company’s portfolio should speak for itself, offering you a wide range of creative and innovative design solutions for your business. After all, if you can see from their previous work that they’re capable of creating exciting and eye-catching signs for a range of businesses, the chances are they’ll be able to work the same magic for you.

Make sure the company offers a wide range of design options and would be happy to create a campaign that encompasses everything from illuminated signs to vinyl car wrapping. Do they offer a wide colour range and the latest print technology? And will they be able to source the best materials for the job?

Will They Work for Your Business?

A good signwriting company will really engage with your business to create signage that is active and engaging for your potential customers. Don’t settle for the passive and generic – if your signwriters can’t deliver a range of ideas for powerful and exciting signage, then you need to look elsewhere. If your signwriter has produced signs that really stand out from the crowd for other clients, then you can trust them to create the same quality of signage for you.

Choose a Company You Can Trust

You don’t always want a company that is cheap and fast – when it comes to signage, you want a company you can trust to deliver the maximum return on investment. Quality will always count when it comes to creating a suite of signs that attract the attention of potential customers and bring them in through your doors. That’s why you need a company like the Sussex Sign Company, who can create bespoke signage that delivers everything your company expects and more. Whether you’re looking for halo lettering, wayfinding signage or vinyl car wraps, we can deliver them all, so contact us today via phone or email for more details.