If you’re creating a sign for your business, you want the message and design of the sign to be so powerful that your customers simply cannot ignore it. To make an eye-catching sign, you need to have your finger on the pulse of your customer base, and the expertise to take that knowledge and create the perfect sign for their unique needs.
L+L Printers has been printing signs for local businesses for over 60 years, and during that time we have mastered the art of creating a sign that is sure to stand out amongst the competition. Below, we share a few tips to do so.
Any successful advertising or marketing campaign needs a strong call to action, and a sign is no exception. You can have an incredibly eye-catching design, but if you have no call to action, your customer has no next step to take. A call to action explains to the customer what you want them to do next, whether that is making a purchase, walking into your store, or contacting your business. Your call to action should be clear, easy to find, and feature interesting and engaging copy.
One of the best ways to catch the attention of a passerby is with contrasting colors. A monotone sign doesn’t stand out and is easy to ignore, so color contrast is key. However, too much contrast can be overwhelming, so make sure you perfectly walk the line between subtle and over the top contrast.
Your sign should not feature five different fonts and ten different colors. One of the first steps of designing a sign is determining the theme, establishing the principle font and color scheme. The last thing you want is a jumble of seemingly unconnected images and words. You want your graphics and text to work together to present a unified front.
When planning out the design of your sign, think about where you will be placing it. Will people be very close to the sign, or do you want it to be readable from far away? The ideal distance customers will be from the sign should determine the size of the font. For example, a storefront banner should have much larger text than a simple sign inside of your business.
When printing a sign, your first instinct may be to cram as much information as possible into the sign. You want to get a strong bang for your buck, and some think the best way to do so is to have every nook and cranny of their sign overloaded with text and graphics. While we understand the intention, this is a very ineffective strategy.
Any strong sign needs to make good use of negative space, featuring empty spaces around graphics, elements, and copy. Leaving some room to breathe makes specific parts of your sign stand out, drawing eyeballs towards a predetermined focus point. If your sign is too busy, customers may quickly lose interest and move on.
An important thing to keep in mind is to remain true to your branding, keeping fonts and colors consistent to your company and campaign. After just one quick glance at your sign, it should be obvious which company the sign is advertising for. Make sure your sign has strong branding, with a logo, icon, or business name (or all of three!) clearly marked in a prominent location.
If you want to create a sign that is impossible to ignore, L+L Printers can help. We specialize in creating and printing custom signs and banners for local businesses, helping them draw in customers and increase sales. For more information or a quote on the cost of printing a custom sign, contact L+L Printers by calling (858) 859-9044 for our San Diego office or (760) 477-0321 for our Carlsbad office.