Is your small business sign a priority or an afterthought?

Nowadays, digital media is everywhere, with businesses intensely focused on driving traffic and increasing profits through social media campaigns and internet advertising.

While all that is important for small businesses, it’s equally important to focus on designing business signs that present your product and services in the right light when customers arrive at your doors. 

Just because you own a small business doesn’t mean you can’t make a huge splash with your signage. Even if the internet or traditional advertising causes people to check you out, an old or poorly designed sign can give them second thoughts. 

For customers who happen by and have never heard of you, your sign may be the very first impression they get of the service or product you provide. You only get a few seconds to convince them, so it’s best to feature thoughtful, professionally created small business signage.

Here’s what you need to know about designing small business signs.

How To Make Your Small Business Sign Larger Than Life

Design

It’s essential that the overall design of your sign looks professional and, most of all, appropriate for your business. At one glance, it needs to tell people everything they need about what kind of products or services they can expect from you. 

Color

The color scheme of your sign should be consistent with your brand, whether your sign simply features your business’s name or includes graphics or a logo. Too much color can make your sign look busy and hard to read, but carefully chosen colors can add just the right touch.

Materials 

If you invest in a sign, be sure to opt for materials that can withstand the location in which it will be installed. While interior signage can last for years, exterior signage has to withstand all that the outdoors has to offer. This includes UV damage caused by the sun beating down on it, wind, rain, wintertime temperatures, ice, and snow. Aluminum signs hold up well and resist rust, while polycarbonate and acrylic are excellent choices in plastic small business signage. For a wood look, go with HDU, a more rugged option to outlast natural wood. 

Contrast

When designing minor business signs, you’ll need to consider more than the look of your sign itself but also what will be around it. If it will be installed on the side of a wall or building, ensure your sign won’t blend in with the surrounding brick, stone, or other materials. If your small business signage is mounted up high, consider what other signs and objects (such as trees) will be nearby and make sure they stand out.

Size

Size is another significant consideration regarding your overall sign and its writing. While your idea for an elegant, petite sign for your doggie spa may look wonderful up close, if it’s too tiny, it will be nothing but an unreadable blur for people driving by.

Installation

Even the best-laid plans for designing minor business signs can become a nightmare if you don’t have them installed professionally. While DIY sign installation may seem like a good idea at first, you’ll spend more to have the sign repaired or remade if it all comes tumbling down.

Placement

There’s no worse feeling than getting your brand new small business signage installed, stepping way back … and finding that it’s not correctly visible. Whether you’re hoping to catch the attention of passing pedestrians or need to call out to motorists whizzing by, placement matters.

Lighting

Is your business open at night? If so, your signage must be adequately illuminated. Even if you close at 5 pm, having lighted signage is excellent advertising to let people know that you’re there and that they can reach you during your regular business hours.

Local Regulations

OK; perhaps there is one feeling worse than installing your sign and discovering that it’s all but invisible to passersby — and that’s installing your sign and receiving a notice from your local government that it’s in violation of a city ordinance and must come down. Knowing all zoning laws and local regulations is essential before finalizing any design for your small business signage.

Work with Professionals

The final aspect of designing minor business signs to keep in mind is to do it right from the start by working with professionals like the team at Brady Signs. From the visual layout and size to proper placement and installation, we’ll ensure you start on the right foot to make the best first impression.

Brady Signs is a third-generation family business that’s been a premier provider of business signage solutions throughout the North Central Ohio region and beyond for over 50 years. Want to learn how we can convert your brand into a statement using our eye-catching signage for business? We’re here to talk.