Signage Education | Design Inspiration for Signage

One of the most critical considerations when planning signage for your business is design. Regardless of the sign type, your sign vendor can provide design services as part of a package solution. Graphic design services are billable just as any other professional service, so design services will affect the cost of your sign. In this week’s article, we present tips to help you select an effective design and minimize costs associated with design services.

When we are asked for a quote on signage, the customer’s request is often generic. As such, a quote request may prompt a discussion to determine specifics sufficient to provide an accurate quote. As often as not, design has not been given any consideration in advance of requesting a quote, so design services are typically quoted at an hourly rate. The actual design time needed can be minimized by having an idea of what you are looking for, the message to be presented and the appearance.

Font Recommendations

In choosing a font, legibility and appearance are considerations. In general terms, a simple sans-serif font is more legible than serif fonts and script fonts. Unless you are going for a specific appearance supported by other corporate collateral for consistency in image and brand, we recommend favoring legibility over style. Additional detail on font selection is available in the design area of our website under Font Selection.

Contrast

Your sign vendor can direct you to references and studies that compare legibility of various color combinations. Select a color combination that provides sufficient contrast and an attractive appearance. The result of an analysis is available on our website in the design area under Color Contrast.

Appearance

In general, design elements incorporated should be simple and effective. If your design is too busy, design elements that don’t support the message being presented detract from your message. For example, a background image of a circuit board may be a suitable element in a poster for a technology related company as it supports the message being presented. That same background might look out of place for other industries.

Sample Galleries

For your signage to be effective, your message must be read. An attractive appearance helps capture the attention of prospective customers. If you have no design experience in the sign industry, your sign vendor can consult and make recommendations on specific design elements. If you have no design experience, as your sign vendor for a gallery or portfolio of sign types similar to what you are looking for.

In addition to a gallery of complete designs, your sign vendor may be able to direct you to a number of resources to help inspire your design. These galleries may include background elements, clipart, borders, and fonts. Even if you’re not a creative designer, reviewing galleries of elements may help you visualize a design that is appealing.

Color Selection

Color plays a role in both contrast and appearance. If you have an idea of the look you’re going for but not necessarily creative, Adobe Kuler is a great resource that helps you create and visualize color schemes that can be incorporated in your design.

When it comes to designing effective signage, your sign vendor is an invaluable resource. Their experience in the industry and a vast library of resources can help get you started in the right direction.

About Spectrum Signs
Spectrum Signs is an independent, locally owned, full service sign manufacturing company located in south Orange County – Mission Viejo, California. We are affiliated with over 240 independent sign companies with access to resources nationwide. This affiliation provides significant discounts from sign suppliers, and allows us to offer competitive pricing without compromising in quality and service.

For more information, contact:

Spectrum Signs
23382 Madero Suite L
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(949) 297-3800