Signage Brings Art And Productivity Into The Workplace

Introducing art into your London workplace has a range of benefits. Opting for a splash of colour is proved to affect mood, while artworks from graphic glass manifestation stickers to digital wallpapers can help your workforce think smarter and be more creative. Proving that signage doesn’t have to be purely functional, art-based solutions are a savvy choice.

Stimulate creativity and productivity

Office design isn’t just about ergonomics or functionality. After all, out of the box thinking never happened in a plain white box. An Exeter University study showed that workers in an enhanced environment with art and plants were 15% more productive than their co-workers who were set tasks in a bare-bones environment. Where they had a personal input into their environment, that figure jumped to 32%.

Art in the office is about more than improving the aesthetics of the workplace. A digital wallpaper containing significant areas of red, blue and green can help employees focus on detailed tasks while boosting and stimulating creative performance.

Aesthetics not anaesthetic

A utilitarian office space filled with unmotivated employees sounds like a nightmare. Yet many office spaces are designed to be precisely that. Injecting art into a bland office opens up lines of communication between employees who are keen to discuss the meaning of the new digital wallpaper, and actively reduces stress – in a Forbes’ survey, 78% of employees surveyed responded that artwork in the office helped them to relax.

Because art elicits an emotional response, it can promote social interaction and foster personal connections. That can be important as working in an increasingly digital environment makes employees less social.

Reflect your visions and values

Including art in the office environment speaks volumes about the vision and values of your business. Bare walls can give the impression that you run a no-frills operation, but add some stylish digital wallpaper and you’ll be perceived as being dynamic and savvy.

83% of employees say art is important in an office. We all take notice of our surroundings because the design elements that surround us combine to create an atmosphere and convey the right message. Give your employees input into the choice of images they see every day and you’ll create a sense of alignment between your staff and your business.

Invest in signage as art

If you’ve discounted the use of digital wallpaper or aesthetic glass manifestations for your business on reasons of cost, think again. With the proven ability to improve productivity and creativity, reduce stress and connect employees who can struggle with motivation and isolation, signage as art is a worthwhile investment.

It makes sense to create a work environment that makes your employees happy. Beautifully designed elements like digital wallpaper can create superb aesthetics that your employees will enjoy day in, day out.

Ask the experts

If you’re interested in bringing elements of art and design into your office environment, innovations like digital wallpaper are a savvy way to change things up. At The Sussex Sign Company, we can take your ideas from conceptualisation to the finished product, creating an office aesthetic that leads to productive and creative employees, so contact us now.

Production Team Member / Vehicle Wrapper

The Sussex Sign Company is delighted to announce that we have an exciting opportunity for an experienced production team member / vehicle wrapper to join our team!

Please contact our Operations Director, Linda Edwards – 01273 424900 to find out more!

Signage Fails And How To Avoid Them

Creating signage for your London business can seem like a nightmare and it’s easy to get it wrong. Nailing the design and readability, choosing the right materials and displaying your logo correctly are all time-consuming. It can seem easier to spend time and money on your website and forget your sign altogether, and that’s the biggest signage fail of them all – a stellar sign can do wonders for your brand appeal and integrity.

These hints and tips should help you avoid the most common fails and help you create killer signs that tie all your marketing channels together in your bricks and mortar premises.

Common design fails

There are three obvious design faults that can spoil the impact of your design: lack of contrast, the wrong choice of font and poor character spacing.

Your signage should incorporate your brand colours, but don’t be afraid to use a high contrast background, against which your logo and lettering can really pop.

When it comes to choosing fonts, classic san serif styles are always easier to read than gothic or handwriting style fonts and legibility is the name of the game. While your font can reflect the personality of your business, when it comes to Comic Sans, just don’t!

Spacing is all about creating an aesthetically pleasing look that is easy on the eye. A couple of useful tips are to measure and measure again, to make sure your letters don’t end up climbing up the side of your sign. And always use a template to ensure proper spacing for letters that can butt up to each other and those that can’t.

Size matters

It’s not just about readability, but do you know what your logo looks like when inflated to the right size for your new sign? You only have to Google ‘sign fails’ to identify seemingly innocent logos and images that went horribly wrong.

But size is a serious issue when it comes to creating signs that have maximum impact while retaining readability and legibility. From a viewing distance of 30 metres/100 feet, each letter needs to be 10cm/4 inches tall with a balanced negative space all around – you’ll need to factor this in when creating fascias and it may impact the installation location.

Material world

Do you really need premium materials for the sign you have in mind? Or will a minor upgrade ensure that your signs has a longer lifespan? Always choose the right quality of materials bearing in mind installation and location – what works for one business may not work for yours, and materials that perform well in one location might let you down if your installation is particularly exposed.

Avoiding signage fails with The Sussex Sign Company

If you’re fully invested in the success of your business, you won’t want to forget about your offline branding. Getting it right can have a huge impact on the way your business is perceived, and a well designed and executed sign can speak volumes about your brand.

At The Sussex Sign Company, we’ll help you avoid the obvious signage fails to create signs that promote brand recognition and maximise your return on investment. Contact us today to start maximising your offline business assets.

Signage Trends That Make Your Business Instantly Instagrammable

Social media is a brilliant tool for building your brand. With 3 billion people worldwide now using social channels to directly connect to their favourite brands, shares and likes are some of your best marketing weapons. If you’re not working these signage trends, and you are a business in a major global city like London, can you afford not to have a business that’s Instagram-ready. Is your signage up to the job?

If you’re a business that relies on social interactions, then you’ll know that Instagram is one of the best social media platforms for business, with over 71% of global Instagrammers falling into the 35 and under demographic. There’s also a near perfect crossover with YouTube, with 95% of Instagrammers also using the video platform. That’s a lot of influence.

So where do signs fit into the equation? If you’re encouraging customers to snap and share, you need your branding to be absolutely on point. If a picture paints a thousand words, tired and worn looking signs are a quick way to put a dent in your brand image when they’re all over Instagram.

Signage: is yours Insta worthy?

If social is part of your marketing plan, then it pays to step outside of your business and ask yourself some questions. Try snapping some selfies with your signs in the background – do they look exciting, fresh and inviting, or could you be doing better? Do you need additional signs to create a more customer-friendly experience or could your entire branding do with a makeover to create a more Instagrammable result?

If you’ve dismissed Instagram as a platform for your business, here’s a statistic to make you think again. 60% of Instagram users – that’s upwards of 600 million people daily – search for new brands and products on Instagram. Is that a market your business can afford to miss out on? Are you picking up on these signage trends?

Get started by looking for similar businesses and seeing how they use their Instagram account and the kinds of images that guests are taking and posting. How does your signage measure up? Whether your brand would benefit from a minor refresh or a major overhaul, putting yourself in your customer’s shoes will give you the advantage of making yourself Instagram friendly.

Getting up to speed

If influencing Instagram is your goal, then investing in new signs and impactful branding is critical. If your aim is to get your brand on a social platform in a way that positively impacts your marketing, then you need to work with the professionals to create consistent and eye-catching signs that are worth sharing.

Consider illuminating your signs with low energy, low cost LEDs to ensure they’re well lit and more than just the background to a customer’s selfie. Innovative lighting effects created with channel letters allow your sign to project a message at all times of the day and night.

Professional signs in Sussex

At The Sussex Sign Company, we can create the kind of signs that influencers will take notice of. We can help you stand in your customer’s place and create branding that makes the most of Instagram’s social reach. Contact us today for more information on new signs for your London business.

Vehicle Livery: What It Is And Why You Need It

If you want to align your East Sussex business with 21st century marketing, you need vehicle livery. Offering low costs per impression with high impact branding, this type of advertising is ideal for small businesses who need a cost-effective way to reach their target audience. If you don’t want to be just another business with a generic white van, vehicle signwriting can differentiate you from the competition and keep your business top of mind for your customers.

What is vehicle livery?

One of the most cost-efficient ways to create a strong brand identity, vehicle wrapping make the most of what is most often under utilised advertising real estate. Imagine creating a consistent branded look across your premises, your website, your print assets and your vehicle that reinforces brand recognition.

Now imagine pushing that out to your target audience 24/7, whether you’re parked outside a client’s house or on the move. Whether you choose a durable vinyl wrap or decals that shout out your contact details, your mobile advertising goes where your shopfront can’t.

Why does my business need vehicle signwriting?

Because you already own your vehicle, the only expense involved is the cost of the wrap itself. After that there are no oncosts – maintenance is a simple case of keeping your wrap clean and out of direct sunlight.

You’ll also benefit from the obvious professionalism that vehicle signwriting confers on your business. Investing in this type of vehicle personalisation tells your clients your business is here to stay and that’s reassuring. After all, with the average lifespan of a professionally produced and installed wrap being anything up to 8 years, you can expect a long lasting return from your initial investment.

What type of vehicles can be wrapped?

Whether you have a company Smart car or a fleet of vehicles from motorbikes to lorries, you can get your vehicles wrapped. Obviously, truck wraps are the most effective for their sheer size and impact, but applying consistent branding across a fleet can have a massive impact, whatever the size of the vehicle.

That’s not to imply that smaller vehicles can’t also create a buzz. Head-turning vehicle graphics are instantly Instagrammable and will draw potential customers’ attention to your branding whether they see it on the road or online. In fact, vehicle wrapping can be a savvy choice for your works van because it’s constantly in view.

What about design for vehicle livery?

To be honest, this is not a project that you’ll want to DIY. And because it’s a one-off investment it really does pay to work with the professionals to achieve the best results. You need to take the angles and curves of the vehicle into account when creating a wrap design and a professional designer will have the experience to create a unique and bold design that puts you head and shoulders above the competition.

If vehicle livery is a good fit for your brand, then get in touch with us at The Sussex Sign Company. We can offer an end to end service that takes your vehicle from blank canvas to professionally wrapped brand enhancer to help you optimise your brand identity across East Sussex and beyond.

Supporting Our Military – The Sussex Sign Company Signs The Armed Forces Covenant

Military personnel including veterans have a new ally in their search for employment after The Sussex Sign Company has pledged its support by signing The Armed Forces Covenant.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.

Businesses can choose to adopt it as a demonstration of their support for the armed forces community and, with so many of the armed forces struggling to adapt to civilian life, The Sussex Sign Company has done so.

It means the award winning Sussex Sign Company which employs 24 staff and is based in Sussex, will uphold the covenant’s key principles across its operation and advocate these practices to its customer base of 5,000 SMEs.

The principles of the Covenant are twofold – first that no member of the Armed Forces, past or present, should be disadvantaged compared to any other citizen in providing public and commercial services and, secondly, that they may be due special treatment, especially if injured or bereaved. The Sussex Sign Company has also committed to support any member of its team who are also in the Armed forces reserves.

In practice, the signing of the Covenant means The Sussex Sign Company will promote itself as forces-friendly, help Armed Forces personnel seeking employment recognise the transferrable skills they have. Support employees who choose to be Reservists and educate the company’s customers about the benefits of employing reservists and cadets.

The Sussex Sign Company is one of just over 1,000 companies in the UK to have signed The Armed Forces Covenant.

It was signed in Brighton by the company’s Operations Director Linda Edwards.

Linda said: “The service men and women of the UK’s armed forces are not assured an easy transition back into normal life when they leave the military. All veterans both Long and short serving often have to take a huge leap from their experience in military employment to whatever they do next, and it is rarely easy. We at The Sussex Sign Company are committed to supporting wherever we can.

Contact The Sussex Sign Company here

Compassionate And Dynamic Leadership Leads To Award

Organic growth and the desire to work with people’s strengths are behind Linda Edwards’ successful award as a local business woman.

The Operations Director of The Sussex Sign Company received the Highly Commended Award this week at the Johnston Press East Sussex Women in Business Awards – an accolade that is well deserved according to her Managing Director, Norman Mayhew.

‘Linda is resourceful, tenacious and confident and her strength and resolve have helped bring our business phenomenal success,’ he said, adding that having a considered and realistic approach has been ideal for the company’s growth.

‘There is no doubt she is a genuine asset to the development of The Sussex Sign Company, she offers a voice of reason and a natural balance to my more risk-taking personality. We would not be the same without her.’

Linda first experienced working within the sign industry when she was at school on a work placement and continued throughout her higher education.

Linda started at the Portslade-based organisation 16 years ago, as the company’s first ever official Graphic Designer.

She was soon promoted through the ranks and became an integral part of the company and subsequently the senior management team.

‘My strengths were recognised and it was fabulous to work in a business where I could put all my abilities to use, above and beyond my job description.’

Within five years she was managing her own branch in Newhaven and consequently took on greater responsibilities for the growth and expansion of the company as it amalgamated through acquisition.

‘At the start of my employment we were a team of six, in 2018 we are proud to employ at team of twenty four, having successfully exceeded Norman’s original ambition to have a £1m turnover business.’

With the organisation having achieved in excess of £1.4m, as a Shareholder, Linda has further ambitions to continue to develop a profitable, sustainable business.

Linda continually strives for the achievement of collective successes for all team members, regardless of their role and or responsibilities within the organisation.

‘For me, it is paramount to recognise and acknowledge where individual team members’ strengths lie and elevate them to the foreground.’

She added that there have been many obstacles and encounters along the way but Linda has always ensured that she has utilised these as an opportunity for professional growth and progression for both her and the organisation.

Even when the country suffered the deep recession following the financial crash, Linda was determined that the organisation would withstand the crisis which saw revenues drop dramatically, with the business reaching a critical point for survival.

‘It was an incredibly challenging time, nevertheless the experience provided the opportunity for me to develop and demonstrate a much wider skill and knowledge base – incorporating skills such as; leadership, crisis management and problem solving. I was confident that collectively, Norman and I would lead the organisation to ensure its continued existence – which included personally investing to become an additional Shareholder.’

Linda’s award reflects the philosophy of The Sussex Sign Company – with Norman commenting that there is no doubt that she is a deserving recipient – ‘She has been critical to all our success and her approach has been dynamic, genuine and compassionate.’

The awards were announced at the Cavendish Hotel and presented by guest host Vicky Edwards who stage work includes seasons at Chichester Festival Theatre, a stint in the West End and several national tours.

The Psychology Of Signage And Making It Work For You

If you’re struggling to break through the visual noise and get your business noticed, you may need to resort to psychological warfare. At least, you might need to look at the psychology of signage in order to break through and connect with your audience. Signs can increase sales, drive customer loyalty and improve the customer experience if you take time to understand the way they work.

The differentiation of the unfamiliar

In a visually dense marketing landscape, we start to apply filters that allow us to perceive messages selectively. Where signs can have an edge in differentiating your business in London is their relative unfamiliarity – we’re not bored with seeing them, so we allow our brains to take notice. In fact, 75% of people claim to remember a sign they’ve seen in the last month.

Signage has direct relevance

Relevant signs allow you to target the right customer, in the right place, at the right time in a way that other marketing channels do not. An ad for fresh sandwiches on the radio doesn’t have the relevance, context and impact of an advert outside a sandwich shop.

Adapt to your consumer with personalisation Your signage can be adapted for your consumer, with different signs carrying different messages depending on factors like footfall. Personalised signs are more responsive than other traditional advertising channels and are more responsive to consumer needs.

Let the consumer take control

Traditional forms of advertising impose themselves on the consumer. But signs that allow the consumer to take control of the way they interact make your advertising feel as if it’s less of an imposition. Allow your audience to interact with your signs in a natural and intuitive way and you’ll remove the negative connotations associated with pushy marketing. Your audience will make purchasing and other decisions based on the merits of your content, not because they feel forced into doing so.

Creating a better customer experience

Relevance, personalisation and control are all critical to a better customer experience. Instead of simply adding to the noise with irrelevant messages that consumers can’t be bothered to respond to, high quality signs are a genuinely creative marketing channel that delivers the right message at the right time and in a way that is fresh and relevant. Your signs can educate, entertain and inform, and persuade the consumer to take certain purchasing decisions rather than hectoring them. By earning your audience’s attention rather than demanding it, good signs deliver a great customer experience.

Ask the experts

If you feel that you’re losing the war for your audience’s attention, then take a fresh look at your signage. Using signs can deliver unexpected benefits when you understand the psychology behind them, but harnessing that power demands responsive, professional design for best results. At The Sussex Sign Company, we know how to maximise your ROI by offering a complete end to end service that delivers great signs with the minimum of fuss. If you’re interested in creating signs that break through the advertising noise, contact us via phone or email today for more details.

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.

The Rules Of Good Signage

Good signage earns attention, and it doesn’t bully your audience. But how do you know what a good sign looks like?

Know your objectives

It’s always tempting to put brand awareness top of your list of objectives, but how do you intend to measure what that looks like? Instead, bind your objectives to clear metrics that allow you to measure success – or failure.

Identifying your target audience allows you to create signs that are relevant to your customers. It’s that relevance that drives action, whether that’s reaching out or making a purchasing decision. Be clear on your customer profiles, from their fears and desires to their emotional profile and spending habits, and let objectives and profiles inform placement, design, message and timing.

Know your location

The placement of your signs will differ depending on customer profiles and type of content. So an interactive sign aimed at women aged 40-55 will require a different placement to a point of sale promotion aimed at 18-25 year old males. Don’t equate footfall with relevance, and always take accessibility into account when locating your signs.

Understand design

The design of your signs should always complement the message. While the Stroop test shows that some level of disruption can force the brain to pay attention – when the word blue appears written in green, for example – be wary of splitting your audience’s attention as that can delay comprehension of the message. When the time to make an impression and impart information is already limited, it doesn’t make sense to slow comprehension any further.

Send a clear message

Your signs should prioritise a simple message delivered as effectively as possible. A simple message demands your focus and a response, and that counts when the human attention span is just 8 seconds – lower even than a goldfish. The point is that signs and signposting are very much a medium that is glanced at and they need to stand out from the visual noise of our modern marketing environment. Don’t make an impression without making a real impact.

Get the timing right

Timing is dependent on both the location of your signs and the medium you use to convey the message. A static sign is entirely appropriate for a roadside drive-by location, but won’t earn attention in a static location. Get the balance and timing wrong and you’ll frustrate your customers by failing to get your message across.

Good signage puts the customer first

Advertising often gets a bad rap, but it’s not the marketing channel itself that’s at fault, but irrelevant and intrusive content that turns consumers off. Consumers are responsive to well designed and relevant content – in a survey 77% of respondents said they wanted the ability to ad filter rather than flat out ad block – but you need to ensure that you’re giving your audience that optimal advertising experience. Make your content engaging, relevant and meaningful. Make enhancing the customer experience central to every piece of signage you create. With entertaining and interesting signage from The Sussex Sign Company, you’ll impress and engage customers in West Sussex and beyond. Call or email us today for more information.