Designing The Best Exterior Sign For Your Retail Store

The exterior sign for your retail store is one of your most valuable marketing tools. You want to put time, thought and money into making your signage the best it can be.

Customers coming to your store for the first time are looking for a sign. Potential shoppers often find a place of business by driving by and seeing the signage. Those describing your store to others will tell them to look for the sign. As you can clearly see, your exterior sign is crucial to your business.

Keep It Simple

Your exterior sign should be simple and effective. You need your sign to communicate what the store is without causing confusion. A sign that has too many words or is too busy may defeat its purpose. People driving by don't have time to read a busy sign. Some people merely ignore signs that are too complicated.

Your store name with your logo may be all your sign needs. If your logo is difficult to read, maybe your designer can find a way to simplify it for you. If your logo isn't going to work, but there is another simple image that can be used, go for it. An image is eye-catching and helpful for those who don't have time to read the words on your sign. If you prefer just the store name, that's fine, or you can even put a few words describing what you sell. For example: "Jane's Jewels – Women's Consignment Shop".

Try to have one element that is memorable. Catchy names like "Jane's Jewels" or a picture of something that will stay with people are effective. You want people to say, "It's that store with the picture of the horse jumping over the H." Something that is unique to you!

Colors and Font

You will want to be creative while still maintaining the idea that simple is best.

The colors you choose should complement each other while allowing the words to pop. When choosing colors, you will also want to take the location of the sign into consideration. If the sign is going to be up against a white building, you probably won't want the sign to have a white background. If the sign is freestanding with lots of foliage behind it, you will want to consider a color that will stand out against the foliage.

Fonts can be a lot of fun. There are so many from which to choose, but while a fancy font may look nice, it may not be suitable for a sign. You want the words on your sign to be clear and readable at a glance.

Know Your Restrictions

Cities, counties, and shopping malls have restrictions on signs. Your sign company will probably be familiar with city and county ordinances, but it's never a bad idea to check on them yourself. Learn if there are size and placement restrictions and be sure to stay within the guidelines.

Have fun designing your sign and remember that it's often the first impression people get of your store. Contact a company like Sign Services Inc to get started.