4. AVOID TMI AND TMM
We wrote before that your sign needs to be read in seconds as all those eye pass by.
That’s “too much information” and “too many messages.” We are barraged by thousands of messages daily. Not only have we become good at absorbing lots of data, we are good at tuning out obnoxious messages. Often a good, crisp presentation is best. You don’t need to inform your clientele of everything you can do, you just want to capture their interest to the point that they come in. Maximum should be three to five words. Leave 30 – 40% of your sign area blank. In fact, designers say that your white space is as important as your copy.
Nice sign, but difficult to read all the copy across a large parking lot.
We mentioned in our last blog that one needs to avoid sign clutter. Next is avoiding clutter within your sign. Another facet of this is people often want to make their business name large at the expense of what they offer. This is especially important when your DBA is brand new. We are often proud of the name we came up with and want to gain brand recognition. But people care less about a name than “Pharmacy” or “Pizza” or “Salon.” It’s great to project your look and feel with your commercial sign, being an electric sign or unlighted sign, but you need a reason for a person to come in.
TIP #4 Distill your message to where you make your point with as few words as possible. If you can’t fit your message on a bumper sticker, you have too many words.
5. COMMERCIAL– CUSTOM SIGNS SIGNS AND THEIR SETTING
A well-placed and attractive sign communicates to your ideal clientele the true flavor of your business. Well designed indoor signage reinforces your image. Sure you want to stand out from the crowd, but be sure to temper the information above by maintaining harmony with your setting. You don’t want to look like a pair of brown shoes in a tuxedo store! Consider the other signs near your business. Some of the beach communities prefer sand-blasted wood signs. Some areas featuring lots of restaurants will be predominated by lighted dimensional signs. Often you can stand out by having a simple but elegant sign, a great design or materials no one else is using.
TIP #5 Select a design that reflects the key strength of your company that your customers most value. Use an outside designer or good sign company to help you achieve this.
