The benefits of an effective corporate sign design include a higher perceived value for your products, increased brand equity, and overall better sales.
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hether on a banner, stuck to a wall, or mounted in front of a store or building, your corporate signage is a marketing tool that can make an indelible first impression on your customers. The following five tips will help you make certain that your signage gets real results.
1. Decide on Your Audience and Message
If your business targets a general audience—anyone who drives by your office or restaurant for instance— you may want to limit your message to no more than your company name and logo. This minimalist approach keeps you from excluding a potential customer by being overly specific. Psychologically, it also implies that your audience should already know who you are, which helps build authority.
For well-defined or niche audiences, you’ll want to create a more specific message. For example, a convenience store targeting fishermen on their way to a local lake could reach its audience with the words “Fresh Coffee, Live Bait”. When you have a very specific, limited audience, you have to make sure to capture their attention and let them know exactly what you offer.
2. Size It Right
The size of your corporate signage should be determined by its location and how it will be seen. If you want drivers going 40 mph to see your retail or commercial signage, the lettering will need to be significantly larger than if your intended audience is full of pedestrians. Your corporate sign design partner can go over your industry guidelines and help you make the right decision.
3. Keep it Short, Keep it Personal
Marketers agree – our attention spans are shrinking. You only have three seconds to capture your audience’s attention with your signage before they move on. Along with keeping your message short (six or seven words, max), try to make it personal. If the audience is male, last-minute holiday shoppers, a sign that says, “The gift she really wants is here!” speaks directly to their needs.
Making it personal also applies to commercial audiences. A tradeshow poster targeting factory managers that says, “Cut your factory’s power bill in half!” is far more effective than just “Energy Management Services.”
4. Make Corporate Signage Your Brand Ambassador
If you want to develop a base of loyal customers, your signage has to promote your brand. Select fonts that are easy to read, colors that enhance contrast, and locations that offer a clear and unobstructed view. Where it adds impact, add background photography—so long as it doesn’t compromise readability.
Choose fonts and colors that are consistent with your company’s corporate identity as well as your customers’ tastes and sensibilities. Red and pink work well for a Valentine’s Day promotion, but might not fit as the primary colors for a law firm’s corporate signage.
Quality is the other part of brand ambassadorship. Permanent, outdoor signage should be created from high-end materials (metals, custom plastics) that can stand up to the elements. Illumination is another consideration – one of the best ways to make indoor and outdoor signage stand out is well-designed lighting. Even temporary signage should be printed at photographic levels of quality. Remember, people associate high quality with security, luxury, and higher levels of trust.
5. Follow the Rules
If you’re at a trade show, make sure your signage meets show rules. For outdoor signage in retail or commercial locations, check that there are no local zoning regulations or lease terms that might limit the sign size, location, or illumination. You don’t want to invest time and money into a project that you’ll be forced to remove!
For corporate signage that delivers, contact Arkansas Graphics, Inc. at 501-222-3463 to speak with one of the specialists in our corporate sign design team.
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