Your Custom Sign Will Stay On People's Minds With These Simple Tricks

By Author: Angel Rhett
Total Articles: 55
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You're driving along a busy commercial road and all you see is sign after sign and building after building. Even if you were to pay attention to each and every custom business sign on that stretch of road, you probably wouldn't even know what half of them stood for. Chances are, however, you're only noticing the custom signs you are looking for or a few exceptional ones that simply stand out in a crowd. What is the secret to getting your custom sign noticed when so many others are competing for attention?

There's not just one trick to creating an eye catching custom sign, there are actually several. And rather than invest in a custom sign that will fade into the background, you can take these suggestions and build a custom sign that will give you returns in business for years to come.
Color Contrast Gets Your Custom Sign Noticed

My dentist's office is in complex with several other medical businesses, and the buildings and signs all look exactly alike. I almost always drive by the correct office because her custom sign simply doesn't grab my attention. One obvious reason is that there is virtually no difference ...
... in the signage, other than the names on them. But the main problem is that the lettering on these custom signs is slate blue on a gray background, two colors that look nice together in a home but make a custom sign difficult to read.

The lack of color contrast on my dentist's custom sign prevents any lettering from popping out. Remember, I am driving in my car and looking for her sign from the road, not casually walking by and reading her sign up close. True, a dentist may not be trying to grab impulse business with a custom sign, but the sign still helps patients locate her. And my eyes are young and healthy - imagine how many times her older patients must drive by her office!

Make sure your custom sign uses a dark color on a light background, or even a light color on a dark background. This contrast in color makes your custom sign both visually appealing and easy to read, two elements in creating an above the crowd custom sign.
Typeface Contrast Also Appeals To The Eye In A Custom Sign

Visual contrast is not limited to color in custom signs. The human eye is designed to look for changes in the landscape, so altering your font, or typeface, in your custom sign can increase its appeal. For example, a custom sign that says Bailey Real Estate looks bland and uninteresting. Even in all capital letters, BAILEY REAL ESTATE just makes readers yawn. Now try -BAILEY real estate - See? Simply altering the letter size and bolding the company's purpose - real estate- while emphasizing the company's name in capital letters makes the sign more memorable, which should be one of the goals of your custom sign.

You could even use different typefaces for the company name and purpose, so long as you don't use too many different fonts that could clutter up your custom sign. But change can be a very good thing, so be open to changing up the lettering in your custom sign.

Box Your Custom Sign In - Literally!

This next tip is so incredibly simple yet effective that I almost feel guilty when I see custom signs that don't use it.

Adding a border around your custom sign increases the reading speed of you custom sign by 26%. This is particularly important if your custom sign is designed to attract people passing in traffic. What a border does is simply draw focus to the center of your custom sign, where the information is, and allows readers to both notice and retain your message. Again, contrast plays a big role in determining how well your border will work. Black on white is the most effective.
What Should Go Onto My Custom Sign?

Well, you need the obvious information - your name and what you do, possibly hours of operation and a phone number. But keep your information to a minimum. People only have a few seconds to take in your custom sign. Once you've decided what contrasting colors and typefaces to use on your custom sign, consider using one additional color. A 3M marketing study shows that two colors on a background increases reader retention by 78%. But beware of too many colors cluttering your sign!

Also incorporate a graphic on your custom sign, if possible. Graphics add interest to your custom sign, make it more memorable, and help establish your brand. Even more significant, including a color photograph on your custom sign is the best way to ensure readers remember your custom sign. Color photographs enhance reader retention by 300%, according to the same marketing study.

So With A Few Simple Tricks Of The Trade...

Your custom sign can be more visually captivating and memorable than all of the others in your business vicinity!
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