Create A Sign Tips

Create Your Sign with a Large and Legible Font

The most important thing to consider when creating a sign is the distance from which it will be read. You want to make sure the text on your sign is both large and easy to read. Stay away from the script fonts as they tend to be more difficult to read from a distance. As long as people don't have to go out of their way to do so, most will read your sign.

Create Your Sign with 1 or 2 Font Styles

Use one or two font styles on your sign. We recommend using sans-serif fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana. These fonts are very easy to read. If you choose to use two font styles, use the second one only on your most important text. This will increase its readability and improve the impact of your sign.

Create Your Sign with High Contrasting Colors

High contrasting colors enhance the effectiveness of your sign. A good guideline to follow is to select a light color for your background and a dark color for your text. The light colors are blue-green, green, yellow, and orange. The dark colors are blue, violet, purple, and red. Also, Aries Arditi of Lighthouse International, the leading non-profit organization dedicated to preserving vision, states that "if you lighten the light colors and darken the dark colors in your design, you will increase its visual accessibility." However, it isn't absolutely necessary that you follow these recommendations. When choosing colors, it's also important that they remain consistent with your brand. In the end, you just want to make sure your signage is clear and easy to read.

Use a Strong Call to Action

A call to action tells your customer what to do after reading your sign. It should be both compelling and suggestive. Persuasive calls to action begin with an imperative verb and highlight a customer benefit. The purpose of highlighting a customer benefit is to connect your offering with your readers and to sell without selling. People like being guided what to do but enjoy making their own decisions.

Create Your Sign Top-Down

The structure of your sign should be a headline followed by your call to action. Also, please don't place your most important text at the very bottom of your sign. Since your customers have a limited time to read your offering, it's important to place your most important text at the top of the sign. We know this point seems like common sense, but too often do we see companies mess it up.

Use Short Words

Your signage should consist of short words. According to the American Psychological Association, "short words and short sentences are easier to comprehend than long ones." Short words are words that have one or two syllables. As well as being short, you also want to choose words that your readers will be familiar with.

Use Short Ad Copy

When creating ad copy, remember to keep it short and simple. Short ad copy gets your message across fast and gives your reader more time to consider your offer. We can't stress enough how important it is to make sure your sign is easy to read.

Include Your Company Logo

Include your company logo on your sign to help build and strengthen your brand identity. The presence of your company logo also reaffirms that you stand behind your offering. Including your company logo is synonymous with an artist's signature on his artwork.

Keep Images to the Point

If you plan on using images, please keep them simple and to the point. They should complement your sign's message. You also want to make sure you use high quality images. Low quality images give off a poor image (pun intended).

Use Directional Signage

Although dependent on the purpose of your sign, directional signage can be useful. Arrows help organize and guide the flow of your traffic. Simply put, they point your customers in the right direction and get you that much closer to closing the sale.

When Creating Your Sign, Ask: Would I Notice the Signage?

The main question to ask yourself once you've finished creating your sign is: "Would I notice the signage?" If your signage catches your attention, there's a good chance that it's also going to catch your customers' attention. When it comes down to it, your signage provides your customers with their first impression of your company, so you need to make sure it's an accurate reflection.

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