What Makes an Ideal Location for Sign Placement
One of the most essential qualities a store needs if it’s to attract a strong customer base is visibility. If nobody knows where your store is or what it sells, you’re not going to receive much attention. Making your store immediately noticeable is also important even for people who have already decided they want the product or service you're offering -- without adequate signage, how can you project the confidence necessary to earn their business? As such, the location you choose for sign placement is of utmost importance and warrants a fair amount of careful thought.
While signs may seem easy to use, they are very difficult to master. You cannot simply slap a sign anywhere and expect it to work for you. Misplacing a sign can radically reduce its effectiveness, while even relatively boring signs can be enhanced through strategic placing.
So what sorts of factors should you consider in the placement of your signage?
Considering the Consumer
The easiest way to answer that question is to try and place yourself in the shoes of the people on the street, and the easiest way to do that is to try and think about how your customers see your storefront. It may help if you walk the street yourself. During your wanderings, where do your eyes naturally drift to as you approach your store? What areas get the best exposure from all angles of the street? How easy is it to affix a sign to those areas?
Such questions are highly useful in getting an idea of where your signs should be placed, and how to get the best results out of potential customers with their use. In general, there are several things that you should be looking for when considering a place to affix a sign.
• It should be easily observed
• It should be central to your store building, or directly above an entrance
• It shouldn’t obstruct the pathway or any other access routes
• The area should be able to support the sign
• It shouldn’t obscure any other shops or signage in the area
An In-Depth Look At Sign Placement
The reasons for the first point are self-explanatory. Your signs should in a location where, ideally, everyone currently on the street should be able to observe it. This may not always be possible, but work with what you have. Areas you should be looking at are locations with good visibility – that is, places that are not obstructed by plants, fixtures, or other parts of the building – as well with a good bold background that can help it create contrast. Try to shape your sign around the material of the building too. If you have a dark wall, contrast it with a brightly-coloured sign.
It is also recommend that the sign also be located towards the centre of the shop, or else directly over the main entrance. Both of these locations are among the first places people will look to naturally for a sign, so careful placement of one there is a good idea. There are others you may want to consider placing a sign, however. For example, if your shop is one of many along a street, it may be an idea to place a sign along the road specifically to attract vehicle traffic. This can either be done by an overhanging sign that juts out over the sidewalk, or else (if your store is the end building) by a sign affixed to the wall seen by oncoming traffic.
Finally, your sign should be supported by the wall it’s attached to. Find a strong position on which you can anchor it down, avoiding areas that may be weak or brittle. It should also have plenty of space around the margins of the sign as well, at least a foot or two from the sign’s edge. This gives plenty of wall space to form a border for the sign, allowing it to stand out better. As a matter of courtesy, make sure your sign placement doesn’t obscure other stores and their signs either. Stand out, but don’t steal the thunder of other businesses. Harmonious neighbours can be a valuable asset to any given store.
It’s an Art and a Science
You may need to experiment a bit before you finally find your ideal sign location. Fiddle around with a blank sign until you can get it into a position that looks natural and attractive to you. Don’t be afraid to adjust pre-existing sign locations either if you get the impression that it’s not doing as well as it could be. Try moving to a new section of wall, or testing out a new sign design, and see how customer footfall is affected. Businesses like Quality Sign Designer provide cost-effective solutions for custom signage -- you can upload your designs directly on their website.
Author Bio:
Christian Mills is a freelance writer who contributes on a variety of subjects affecting the business world as well popular culture and popular media.
While signs may seem easy to use, they are very difficult to master. You cannot simply slap a sign anywhere and expect it to work for you. Misplacing a sign can radically reduce its effectiveness, while even relatively boring signs can be enhanced through strategic placing.
So what sorts of factors should you consider in the placement of your signage?
Considering the Consumer
The easiest way to answer that question is to try and place yourself in the shoes of the people on the street, and the easiest way to do that is to try and think about how your customers see your storefront. It may help if you walk the street yourself. During your wanderings, where do your eyes naturally drift to as you approach your store? What areas get the best exposure from all angles of the street? How easy is it to affix a sign to those areas?
Such questions are highly useful in getting an idea of where your signs should be placed, and how to get the best results out of potential customers with their use. In general, there are several things that you should be looking for when considering a place to affix a sign.
• It should be easily observed
• It should be central to your store building, or directly above an entrance
• It shouldn’t obstruct the pathway or any other access routes
• The area should be able to support the sign
• It shouldn’t obscure any other shops or signage in the area
An In-Depth Look At Sign Placement
The reasons for the first point are self-explanatory. Your signs should in a location where, ideally, everyone currently on the street should be able to observe it. This may not always be possible, but work with what you have. Areas you should be looking at are locations with good visibility – that is, places that are not obstructed by plants, fixtures, or other parts of the building – as well with a good bold background that can help it create contrast. Try to shape your sign around the material of the building too. If you have a dark wall, contrast it with a brightly-coloured sign.
It is also recommend that the sign also be located towards the centre of the shop, or else directly over the main entrance. Both of these locations are among the first places people will look to naturally for a sign, so careful placement of one there is a good idea. There are others you may want to consider placing a sign, however. For example, if your shop is one of many along a street, it may be an idea to place a sign along the road specifically to attract vehicle traffic. This can either be done by an overhanging sign that juts out over the sidewalk, or else (if your store is the end building) by a sign affixed to the wall seen by oncoming traffic.
Finally, your sign should be supported by the wall it’s attached to. Find a strong position on which you can anchor it down, avoiding areas that may be weak or brittle. It should also have plenty of space around the margins of the sign as well, at least a foot or two from the sign’s edge. This gives plenty of wall space to form a border for the sign, allowing it to stand out better. As a matter of courtesy, make sure your sign placement doesn’t obscure other stores and their signs either. Stand out, but don’t steal the thunder of other businesses. Harmonious neighbours can be a valuable asset to any given store.
It’s an Art and a Science
You may need to experiment a bit before you finally find your ideal sign location. Fiddle around with a blank sign until you can get it into a position that looks natural and attractive to you. Don’t be afraid to adjust pre-existing sign locations either if you get the impression that it’s not doing as well as it could be. Try moving to a new section of wall, or testing out a new sign design, and see how customer footfall is affected. Businesses like Quality Sign Designer provide cost-effective solutions for custom signage -- you can upload your designs directly on their website.
Author Bio:
Christian Mills is a freelance writer who contributes on a variety of subjects affecting the business world as well popular culture and popular media.
