The purpose of signage is to promote your company's name, brand, image and logo. In order to promote your business, your sign must noticed, legible and memorable. When designing a sign, there are a number of factors to consider that will impact the effectiveness of your sign. A reputable sign company will offer consultation to ensure your sign will get you noticed. Visual Appeal and Design A sign that is visually appealing will grab the attention of a prospective customer. A unique sign will be more memorable and may even become a landmark you can use to describe your location. The use of a simpler, sans serif font is more legible than a fancy, script or serif font. As a general rule, make it as simple as you can without sacrificing overall design and appeal. Distance and Size The message on your sign should be easily legible from a distance it is most likely to be viewed. In general terms, the greater the distance, the larger the lettering should be for your sign to be legible. As a general rule for maximum impact and legibility, lettering should be 1 inch in height for every 10 feet of viewing distance. Using this rule as a guide, the lettering on your sign will still be legible between 2 and 3 times the distance in the rule - remember that the rule targets maximum impact. For example, 3 inch high letters are best viewed from 30 feet, but are still legible at up to 100 feet. Visibility Your sign should be installed in a location that is visible without obstruction from any source. Ideally, building signs should be installed as close to the street as possible. When considering sign location, minimize the viewing angle if possible. A sign viewed straight on is more legible than a sign viewed at an angle. As an extreme example, consider a sign installed parallel to a road.  It's most legible when drivers are closest to the sign, but the sign would be at a 90 degree right angle to the driver. Hopefully, drivers aren't looking out the passenger window trying to read your sign. Besides being unsafe, they wouldn't have long to read your sign. Color and Contrast Increasing contrast in your sign increases legibility. The most important consideration to improve contrast is color selection. Consult with your sign company for the color combinations that yield the greatest contrast. Lighting also affects contrast. Try to avoid having your sign installed where it may be in shadow during peak business hours. Movement Just as viewing distance affects legibility of a sign, movement also affects legibility. For any given distance, a letter size that's suitable when stationary will need to be increased if your customers are in a car. Ideally your sign should be legible for 5 seconds for maximum impact.  As speed increases, the time your sign is visible decreases. As such, letter size may need to be increased for your sign to be readable in traffic. Content Keep the message and content as simple as possible. The actual content will depend on the anticipated viewer audience. A general rule is to reserve detail until you're closer to a sale. By way of example, a sign outside your business should be very simple, just enough to entice them to enter your establishment. Signs inside can provide additional detail to further entice your customer. Once inside, your customer is closer to your signs, so additional content can be smaller and yet still be legible. The customer has already shown interest by entering your business, so it's reasonable to expect a greater attention span than someone just passing by outside. A reputable sign company can assist you in designing a sign that maximizes effectiveness, taking into account your location and requirements. For more information, contact: Spectrum Signs 23382 Madero Suite L Mission Viejo, CA 92691 (949) 297-3800 Spectrum Signs