The way your company represents itself through physical signage plays an overwhelming role in how well it will be received and embraced by local customers and the community. Great signage stands out in a target customer’s mind and is highly visible, legible, and attention grabbing. Poor signage sends the wrong message, is forgettable, or isn’t easily understood in the first place.
So, when you are designing signage for your Oakland area company, where do you start?
1. Color
Before you can design your sign, you need to define your brand. What are your company colors and why have you picked them? Whenever possible, aim for high-contrast, highly memorable combinations that will stick around in the customer’s mind. Consider Apple’s white and black or Windows’ 4 color scheme (more recently a 2 color, white and blue design), for instance. Both communicate a different message, and both are iconic, clean, and memorable.
2. Font
Different fonts stand out in different ways, and choosing a bad font will absolutely diminish your sign’s effectiveness. While choosing a unique font can showcase your company’s unique offer and creativity, it is crucial that you ensure good visibility through contrast and large easy-to-read text. Avoid scrolling fonts that can be difficult to interpret at any distance.
3. Design
Now combine the two along with your company logo. Not all combinations will work and you may need to revise several times with the help of a professional designer in order to get the result you want. Focus on contrast and keep in mind that your goal is to create a final product that is clean, professional, and which can be viewed clearly from multiple angles.
4. Size
The size of different elements in your sign will depend upon the complexity of the message, the distance of the viewer, and the final position on your property which the sign will occupy. For a powerful and bold statement, bigger features and a bigger sign is better. For a more complex message, inviting the customer to stop and read for a moment, a smaller sign can be just as effective. However, avoid placing small text, small designs, or too much information on a big sign as the final composition will feel mismatched.
5. Lighting
If your sign doesn’t have lighting it will limit the sign’s overall impact. Lighting options draw attention and dramatically extend the hours during which your sign is visible, increasing your brand awareness. If the sign doesn’t have a backlight (the most common option), you may want to consider adding spotlights around the sign instead.
6. Placement
Make every effort to position your sign where it will be most visible to passing pedestrians and drivers. If necessary, place the sign at the nearest major roadway with a directional indicator and have a second sign at your facility itself. If possible, you may want to consider trying out different locations for the sign before committing to a final installation. Or, if the correct location is obvious, design the sign specifically to suit that position.
Of course, the best way to guarantee that your sign showcases your Oakland area business correctly is with the help of the experts here at Sequoia Signs & Graphics, Inc. Give us a call today at (925) 300-1066 to learn more about our sign design and manufacturing processes and make an appointment to bring your signs to life today!
