There are so many great options for retail signage – how can you find out what’s right for your business?
For hundreds of years, the fascia sign has been an essential part of any retail business – for the simple reason that it is extremely effective at advertising your presence and drawing in customers.
However, if you’re a shop owner or manager looking to get your signage sorted, it is often difficult to know where to start. With modern signage technology allowing so many possibilities, you may feel overwhelmed when it comes to picking a design that’s right for your business.
Here at Medash Signs, we have accumulated decades of experience with helping shop owners choose perfect signs for their situation. In this post, we’re going to look at some of the options that are available for shop signage and why some of the choices may be suitable for you.
Types of shop signs
First of all, we’re going to look at some of the different kinds of signage you can get for retail branding and messaging.
Fascia signage
Your fascia is the main sign board above the front door. This can be a flat board with a design, or it can be augmented with other elements (built-up three-dimensional letters, illuminated LEDs, and so on).
Free standing signage
Signs are commonly attached to walls, but they don’t have to be; we also offer numerous types of free-standing signs. From movable street signage items like A-boards and pavement boards, to permanent fixtures such as car park monoliths, we can produce a variety of independently standing signs that can be installed wherever you like.
Projecting signs
Standard fascia boards are a classic element of shop signage, but they don’t provide much visibility for customers who approach your premises from the side. Enter the projecting sign – a sign mounted at right angles to your wall that will stick out and show your branding from new angles.
Window graphics
Don’t neglect your shop windows – these expanses of glass also represent great opportunities for adornment with printed vinyl signs and wraps. Whether you want to use them as permanent branding canvases, or simply let customers know about new offers and promotions with temporary artwork, we can help you get your windows looking how you want.
Wayfinding signs
Particularly for larger shops, wayfinding signage can be essential to help customers find their way around and locate the products they’re looking for (nobody likes wandering around a supermarket trying to find the right aisle). However, wayfinding signs can be advantageous even if you’re not running a megastore, as they can point customers in the direction of payment points, toilets, and so on.
LED signs
If your shop needs to be visible after dark, illumination is an absolute must. That’s where energy efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) come in to add a glow to your signage, creating a prestigious and striking brand effect in the process.
Should you update your existing shop signage?
Of course, not every shop owner will be looking to buy their first ever sign. In many cases, the business will already have legacy signage that was installed at some prior point – so the question becomes, how can you tell if you should replace it?
There are several factors that can affect whether or not it’s time to get your shop sign redone:
- Is the old design good? It sounds obvious, but if your existing signage is hard to read or has an unappealing look, it’s definitely worth getting professional help to give it a facelift.
- Is the signage in a poor state of repair? Even a great design will do you few favours if the sign is physically dilapidated – and this doesn’t give a great first impression.
- Is the design timely? A shop sign that may have seemed snappy and cutting edge a decade ago is likely to seem stuck in a timewarp today. Design trends change, and even a fantastic piece of graphic design will need to be revisited from time to time to ensure its continued relevance and suitability.
- Has your business evolved since the sign was last done? Times change, and many shrewd retail businesses find they need to adapt and pivot from time to time to stay abreast of opportunities. If your sign doesn’t reflect your current approach to business, it might be time to get it updated.
Of course, in many cases the business owner doesn’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater (so to speak) – they may wish to preserve a certain amount of continuity with the existing branding, but just give it a sensible upgrade.
How do you get a good shop sign?
So, if you’ve decided to pull the trigger and get a new sign for your business – what should you go for? What’s going to be effective?
To some extent, this obviously varies from business to business – a sign that would be wonderful for a boutique flower shop probably wouldn’t be appropriate for a preschool toy shop, for example.
There are a lot of things to consider, and our signage experts will be able to walk you through getting a great design for your needs.
We’ll need to consider your colour and typography options, whether there should be an image or iconographic element, and the sign’s intended location (it may not be a good idea to put a white sign on a white wall, for example, or a black sign in a dark place).
There are also choices to be made regarding materials and manufacture, and we will tailor this to match your needs – balancing the look you want to achieve with your available budget for the project.
Overall, your signage can be one of your shop’s most valuable branding assets. It can draw attention to your business and lay the foundation for an enjoyable and memorable customer experience.
If you’re looking for a company to help with your new shop signage project, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today.
