How to Create a Design for Your Business Signage

A good, solid design that appeals to your ideal customer and that is consistent with your brand image is important in creating your business sign. You don’t have to be an expert graphic designer to create one, but carefully considering your options can help save you time and money.

Here are options for designing your small business signage:

1. Use What You Have

You don’t need to come up with an entirely new design for your business sign. If you already have a company logo or brand graphics, you can simply walk into a sign shop ready to go. If your logo needs a bit of updating, Tailor Brands makes it easy to create a beautiful logo for just a few dollars. To avoid delivering a generic-looking logo, Tailor Brands walks you through a series of questions so you’ll end up with a design that matches your aesthetic. 

2. Get Online Help

If you’re starting from scratch, you may opt to work with a professional graphic designer. www.expressprint.co.za is a freelance site that lets you run logo design competitions among a pool of high-quality designers. You end up with around 30 designs to choose from starting at just R600.

3. Use Your Local Sign Shop’s Design Services

Your local sign shop will likely have an in-house graphic designer that can help with your artwork. Be sure to ask for samples of designs made in-house and make sure they meet your standards. Keep in mind that you will be charged with additional fees like initial setup and consulting, which can be hundreds of dollars.

According to James at Best Signs, “Come in with a clear image of what you want. It’s even better for the sign shop if you come in with the image you want to use in or for your design. Time is always money and the more time you save any shop the money it saves you.”

Design and Branding Tips For Your Storefront Sign

By now, you should have a good idea of the type of sign you want and where to get it. It’s time to think about design and branding. The purpose of your sign is for customers to quickly identify your establishment and differentiate from nearby shops. Here are a few suggestions to do it:

Brand Consistency

The colors, font, and style of your storefront sign should be consistent with your branding. Take the infamous Golden Arches of McDonald’s as an example. The shape, color, and style of the McDonald’s sign is the same anywhere in the world. This will improve brand recall, so customers will have an easier time finding your location next time. This also helps if you have one or more locations.

Content

In addition to brand consistent imagery, make sure your sign has your business name in a large, easy-to-read font. You can also add a company or marketing tagline to tell the customers what your company is about at a glance. For example, McDonald’s tagline “Over 99 Billion Served” suggests a lot of people trust them, while Papa John’s Pizza’s “Better Ingredients. Better Pizza” differentiates them from typical fast food.

Sign Sizes

It is important for your small business sign to be large and visible for customers to see, but the sign size will depend on the following factors:

1. Cost: the cost of your business sign will largely depend on the size of your storefront sign since more materials and time will be needed to create it.

2. Location: where you will put your sign will also determine it’s size and heft. For example, a large metal sign hanging on your storefront wall may obstruct pathways around your establishment and can be a hazard to shoppers.

3. Zoning Laws: your locale will have its own sets of zoning laws, which can limit the sign size for your small business. We will discuss zoning laws and how to determine them for your area below.

Visibility is key when creating your business signage so determine the logistics, and build the biggest sign you can to make sure it’s visible to customers.

A Few More Things to Consider for your Business Signage

Know Your Local Zoning Regulations

Most localities have requirements governing signs on display, and it is important to meet these requirements before creating your business sign. Your local zoning commission can help you identify which rules apply to your business. You will find requirements related to:

• Width
• Height
• Color
• Font Size
• Materials
• Message Display – some communities restrict message content

Understanding zoning restrictions in advance will help you save time and money up front and also help you avoid potential fines and expensive re-work.

To find out about your zoning laws or where your commission is located, check with your local Chamber of Commerce or do a couple of Google searches. You can Google: Your Zip Code + Signage Zoning Regulations or You City + Signage Zoning Regulations. Here’s an example of local city sign code.

Avoid These Common Mistakes

Here is a list of common mistakes our experts say try to avoid making when picking store signs:

Making mistakes is part of growing your business, but avoiding these common mistakes when picking business signs will reduce the learning curve and save you cash along the way.

Bottom Line on Storefront Signs

A storefront sign is a critical part of any business with a physical location. It helps guide your customers to your establishment and sets the tone for business from the outside. It is one of the first things customers see when they visit your store, so make sure you take time to find the right type of sign, research shops, and set the appropriate budget. Remember to use these ideas to help create a business sign that wows customers into your location every time!