Most of us regularly use effective signage for announcements and imparting safety information, or just giving our next Book Club meeting an interesting name. Signage is one of the most important types of promotion a business can utilize for maximum viewership, and for something that represents your business out in the world, it must be designed carefully. A bad design will make a bad impression, and can end up severely hurting your business. Here are a few things to consider when putting together a sign.
Visibility
Your target audience must be able to see the sign with ease. The size of the lettering should, on average, be an inch per 10 feet of distance from the viewer. Signs on streets for passersby can be smaller, but billboards need to be much bigger so people driving by can see them clearly from afar. You must also take into account different weathers, various demographics of the target audience (children, the elderly, etc), and night time viewing.
Attention grabbing
The design must be immediately noticeable. Use bold, bright colors with vivid contrasts that stand out in the landscape of the area or the wall it goes up against. The font type should also be bold and striking, and should be well spaced out so that it stands out on the background colors. Also, remember not to use too many colors as this would just create confusion and take attention away from the sign.
Legibility
Make sure to choose a font that is easily readable without much effort. In this fast paced world, your viewers do not have the time to stop and try to make out a random sign on the street. Drivers glance at signs for even shorter periods of time through their windscreens while battling rush hour traffic. If they cannot read it instantly, they will lose interest. Keep the font simple with no fancy bells and whistles. Sans Serif fonts works best for this purpose.
Location
Where you place your sign is also imperative. It should be an area frequented by the target audience, and should garner maximum viewership. Announcements on banners and billboards are best placed high up to make them more readily visible from afar.
Impactful and memorable
Use a design element that makes your sign stand out in front of all the other signs. A catchy tagline or a gripping image will help people remember your sign and the message it conveys hours after they see it. Smart use of design elements Your text, images, and colors should be used in such a way that they are not uncomfortable to the eye. There should be a good flow and the placement of elements should keep the eye moving throughout the sign. No element should look awkward or out of place, and information should be grouped and contained in certain areas to avoid clutter.
Simplicity
This is an extremely important factor, and affects a lot of the other factors, such as legibility and visibility. It is crucial to keep your design simple with only the necessary information present. Do not make your sign a sale pitch; leave this for when the customer enters your building. Clutter only serves to confuse and annoy the viewer and to lose interest quickly. Keeping these few points in mind, your resulting design will be very effective. However, if you still find this job is beyond you, Spot Light Business Branding offers design services for any nature of project you might have.