1- Make a positive impression. Spend time and money to ensure you have a sign that makes a positive first impression in your marketplace.  Your sign should be conspicuous, reflective of your company's look and feel, and remain easy for your customers to recall. 2- Simple and direct is best. Your sign has less than two seconds to capture a consumer's attention.  Consider simple and direct messages, highly visible letters, easy-to-read type styles, illumination and contracting colors.  The most readable background colors are white and yellow.  The most readable letters are black, dark blue and red.  Use of a border can help your viewer absorb your information 26 percent faster, according to studies. 3- Say it with less. Distill your message down to where you make your point with as few words as possible. If you can't fit your messge on a bumper sticker, you have too many words. 4- Show your strength. Select a design that reflects the key strengths of your company- strengths your customers most value. Use an outside designer from a good sign company to help you achieve this. 5- Maintenance is key. While a great sign will attract customers, a poorly maintained one will drive them away.  Maker sure the materials to be used in your new sign will last as long as you need them to.  Inspect your signs regularly for cleanliness, aging and operablility.