Your sign should help people find your business, get a sense of what you do, and feel like stopping in. When choosing signage for your business, it’s important to consider visibility, your brand, building regulations, and practical installation.
Storefront signs are often the first interaction a potential customer has with your business before ever speaking with one of your team members, so it’s important to put some serious thought into your signage beyond just selecting the biggest sign you can find. Strategic and well-scaled signs can help even smaller businesses stand out, while cluttered signs or signs that aren’t scaled appropriately can end up getting lost in the city.
Clear Messaging and Visibility Come First
Start With Signage Messaging
Before you worry about the finer details like sign lighting and materials, it’s important to consider the message you want your sign to send and what you want people to take away from it after only a few seconds of viewing it. For some businesses, it’s important to feature their business name, while other businesses may want to focus on the type of service they offer if their business name doesn’t exactly scream what kind of business it is.
While you don’t want to sacrifice your brand personality when choosing signage for your business, remember that your sign will most likely be viewed by people passing by in vehicles or on foot, so less is often more when it comes to impactful business signage.
When deciding on your storefront sign messaging, ask yourself:
- Will my business name be legible from my target viewing distance for new customers?
- Will my sign help direct people to the entrance of my business?
- Will there be enough contrast between my lettering and sign background to make my sign legible?
- Will window graphics obscure the view into my business or block natural light?
- Can I incorporate elements of my brand personality in a way that won’t detract from the legibility of my sign?
The best storefront signs tend to be those that convey a simple message at a distance but provide more detail the closer you get.
Choose a Sign Type That Fits the Building
When it comes to choosing a sign type, consider the type of building your business is located in. Signs that might look great on a sprawling retail storefront may not translate well to smaller suite entrances.
- Dimensional letters are a great option for businesses located in buildings with uncluttered signage space that are highly visible.
- Cabinet Signs offer a large, eye-catching illuminated face that can be helpful for businesses that see a lot of their traffic after dark.
- Window graphics can provide businesses with additional signage space without the need to install it on the building.
- Projecting signs can help businesses catch the eye of potential customers walking by, especially if your business is located on a strip with other similar businesses.
Check Day and Night Visibility
- Front-Lit Letters
- Halo-Lit Letters
- Illuminated Cabinet Signs
Approvals and Costs Determine the Final Plan
Secure Building and Signage Approvals
Depending on where your business is located, you may need approval from your landlord, strip/shopping center management, design review board, city signage permitting department, or some combination of the above before having your sign produced and installed. This approval process can dictate everything from the size, illumination, and colors of your sign to where it can be installed and when it can be installed. Don’t forget to factor this step into your signage timeline!
When possible, have your signage vendor provide you with a scale proof of your sign on your building so you can make sure everything looks how you expect it to before approving it for production. It’s much easier to tell if something is too small/large, off-center, clashing with existing elements on the building, etc. when you can see it pictured on your actual building!
Compare Installation and Maintenance Costs
When comparing signage quotes, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples. Some quotes may include sign design, production, permitting, electrical work, installation hardware, installation, tear-down of existing signage, etc., while others may not. If a Fresno sign company leaves those items outside the project scope, the business remains responsible for coordinating them. It’s important to understand what’s included in the quote you’re reviewing so you can make an educated decision.
While you may be tempted to go with the cheapest option, keep in mind that the cheapest sign up front may cost you more down the road if it requires constant maintenance/upkeep, isn’t in line with your landlord/strip/shopping center requirements, or needs to be replaced because it’s illegible. Consider what matters most to you – such as sign visibility and longevity – then use those priorities to set your signage budget, adding bells and whistles or cutting less important elements as needed.
Before you approve your sign for production, double check that you’re happy with the final sign size, colors, materials, illumination (if applicable), installation method, permitting requirements (if applicable), installation timeline, and more so there aren’t any unpleasant surprises down the road.
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