Color Usage

Believe it or not, colors used on lettering and images effects the consumers view on something. When creating a banner, sign, or anything involving advertisement you want to make sure that your color choices are safe, yet exciting. There are some cases in which good ole black and white is all you need but, sometimes it is good to get creative and stick out from the crowd. With all the signs out there, there are plenty of black and white letters, when you change it up your standing out and catching the eye of more viewers.

Although you want to stand out, you dont want to become tacky. This meaning that your colors are clashing taking away from what the letters say and what they actually look like. On a banner you should be able to express what you need to with 3 colors. The background, the main wording, and the advertising “bullets.” This gives the viewer a nice image and gets your point across.

Below is a color combination chart to give you an idea:

Engraved Signs

At Laser Sharp Sign Design we offer a wide variety of engraved signs such as plaques, awards, trophies, crystal, glass, medal, lapel pins, and more that can be customized any way you like. Engraved signs are not so much for advertisment, they are better used as awards or direction indicators.

     

Awards are always nice, in the business setting or casual setting. Employees should be recognized for good dedicated work with a plaque or trophy showing their effort. With the ability to customize the wording you can make it out to anyone for anything. Another good investment for engraved signs is for kids sports. These days everyones getting trophies win or loose, make sure that your winning team comes to Laser Sharp Sign Design so we can give you the biggest and sharpest looking trophies. These awards are nice gestures and good memorabilia so make sure you get them done nice so people are proud to look back on accomplishments.

Another good use for engraved signs are direction indicators. When walking into a large office building there is a front desk to point you where you need to go. Usually as soon as you walk away you forget or loose track of the directions. Thats why its nice to have engraved signs with arrows pointing to specific locations. These help your customers to find your location easier and takes away any unneeded tension by not knowing where they are. Engraved signs have a very unique and nice look to them, making them easy to look at and read. These signs are overlooked because they are small and not used often, but they do have an effect on the appeal of your business. If you walked into a company that had computer paper taped to the wall and a persons writing of where to go that would look very unprofessional. Its not all about the big things that give your company that special touch, make sure that you look good in and out. At Laser Sharp Sign Design we can get you on your way, just give us a phone call for an estimate today!

Floor Graphics

Floor graphics are like decals for the ground, they can be informative, directional or just for fun. They are easy to install and get the message across. Many factories use floor signs to give warning to employees and customers. You can also use them to display sales or giveaways that might be taking place. Floor signs are attractive and easy to spot, everyone is looking where they are walking (most of the time) which makes it easy for them to spot signs on the floor. It can also be good to make your floor graphic colorful so that it really grabs customers attention. Laser Sharp Sign Design gives you the ability to make any custom graphic making it easy for you to decide what you want to get your customers attracted. Floor Graphics can also be used to advertise items in your store. For instance grocery stores will have food items, such as cereal as a big decal on the floor. This puts your product out there and gets people to see what you have to offer. Its like advertising within your company, its easy and affective.

 

Floor graphics can also be used to add your own custom look to something. Sidewalks in front of stors have giant graphics of images that look like they are actually on the ground when their not, or holes that look like you would fall down into earth if you stepped there, but you wouldnt. These graphics can turn a space into a whole new world. These graphics help take creativity to a new level, getting you off the walls and cieling and onto the floor. You can make things look 3 demensional, or instead of having bland tile flooring turn your kitchen into a sandy beach. Anything your imagination can think of can be printed up and placed on your floor making your home or office your own paradise.

   

POP Signs

POP signs, known as point-of-purchase sign, are great to pull in customers and get impulsepurchases. One of the most common types of purchases is an impulse one, meaning you see an object and with no prior research of the object you buy it. This is a very effective form of advertising that many establishments use, one that you should consider using if you are not currently doing so.

A POP sign includes as much information about the product that it can, the customer should be able to get a good idea of what the products functions are and how to use it. The type of product that you would generally advertise using a POP sign should be smaller products that enhances other products you sell in your company. Come into Laser Sharp Sign Design so that we can get you started on a vibrant and informative POP sign that will get you more sales,simple but effective.

Illuminated Light Boxes

Illuminated light boxes are great pieces for any type of sign. The box itself actually buts out a light that makes your display come to life. Almost all stores use this type of signage on the front of their buildings. They are big and bright, and when the sun goes down they really start to glow. An example of a company using this type of sign is Publix. Every Publix has big green letters on the front, when it gets dark they just turn the lights on and the letters stay bright and easy to see. Because the boxes have lights in them they can be somewhat thick, but with new technology advancements the boxes are becoming skinnier and brighter.

Illuminated light boxes are also great for indoor decor, whether it is your business or your home. Because of the light up effect they make a piece of art come to life and really stand out. Light boxes are fairly cheap and easy to install. Give any room a new effect that will grab peoples attention. Stop into Laser Sharp Sign Design show room, we have plenty of examples for you to look at to get you on your way to your own customized illuminated light box.

       

Sign Placement

Sign placement is a critical step in buying and installing a sign. Obviously you want your sign in a location where you are going to get the most views but it also has to be visible to the right people at the right time. For instance if your company is on a busy road with a lot of traffic you need your sign somewhere that can be seen from both sides of the road and also give drivers the chance to see it and make a decision to stop if they want to do so. The best way to mount  a sign by the road is perpendicular, with a good amount of hieght to enable view from a greater distance.

Research shows that if a sign is mounted on the fron of a building instead of perpendicular to the road, it needs to be 70% larger in order for it to be read in time. Also note that the more letters and words your sign has the longer it will take to read. Driving is already a hassel for most people on the road, when those people are now trying to look for signs to get somewhere it becomes even more difficult. These tips are not only good to gain new business and help advertise but also to make it easy for your customers to find your location. If potential customers never see your sign then you wont be getting much business. Iv said it before and I will say it again, a business with no sign is a sign of no business.

The table below shows the amount of time a driver needs to read and stop for your sign at different speeds:

Minimum Required Legibility Distances in Varying Situations
Speed (MPH)	With lane change (in feet)	Without lane change (in feet)
25-30	410	155
35-40	550	185
45-50	680	220
55-60	720	265
>65	720	280

The ABC's of Signage

Attract new customers. Research shows that 80% of your customers either live or work within a 5 mile radius of your company, but according to the U.S. Census Bureau 18.6% move annually. This means that every year you are loosing customers that you must replace with new ones. If you are only interested in sustaining your business then just keep your customer base, but if you want to grow then you have to grow your customer base. The easiest and most economical way to do that is with signage.

Brand the Business. When your business becomes the first place people think about to go get a product, you have reached “top-of-mind awareness” which is built and reinforced through repitition. As I mentioned before 80% of your customers live with 5 miles of your business. Going from and to work, school, shopping, ect and average person passes by you 50-60 times per month. That is a lot of views per person, your sign should command their attention making it easy for them to see and find. Customers make a judgement about your business before they even walk in, thier first judgement comes from your signage. Make sure you have something that is attractive to your customers and also relays the message of what your business produces.

Create Impulse Sales. Everyone has walked into a store before and purchased something that they did not intend to get, know as impulse buying, this happens because of the signage for a product. Money is not the problem for many shoppers, its the time. People do not want to waste time comparing prices or doing research on what they need, most customers go to the first place they know has their item and makes a purchase. The only way for that customer to know that a company has what they need is by the signage that company uses to advertise their product. Best Buy discovered that 17% of their customers were people who did not intend to stop there but did so because they saw the sign.

Another example of a sign creating more business is a auto detail company in California. Belmount Auto Spa, was a profitable business but expected more. They had an old beat up sign that was hard to read from a distance. The lack of color made the lettering contrast with the background and the sign did not make it clear that the Belmount Auto Spa was a car wash. Without recognizing what is was many drivers never stopped. The owner decided to invest $15,000 into a pole-sign that was well designed. The first-read pictoral graphic immediatly identified Belmount Auto Spa as a car wash. The colors were vibrant and lively and there was a reader board to highlight specials such as details. Within the first year the new sign created a 15% increase in overall business which made an additional $135,000 to the businesses income, nearly 9 times the cost of the sign.