Wednesday 30 July 2014

Ways to Improve your Grocery Store Signs

Grocery stores offer an extensive range of products for their customers. Therefore, to make navigation easy, signs are placed at different corners of the store. While some signs list the items found in a specific aisle, others inform customers about promotional items or locally grown goods. Making sure that your signage is helpful and appropriate helps your grocery store attract more customers and provide an enjoyable shopping experience.

Talk to Customers

The best feedback you can get is through your customers. Ask them what they’ll like for sign sizes, colors, designs, lettering, and locations. Make a note of the most common style and color preferences. Apart from this, request your customers to suggest sign location. Find out if they prefer floor signs or hanging signs.

Remember, your signs should be written in attention grabbing, bold color and text. Keep the information brief and easily readable, and include prices and product names. Also, the color you choose must stand out and at the same time should not overwhelm the customer.

Choose the Right Material

Find out which material will best suit your needs. Every store has a different personality, so the sign material you choose should vary according to the environment you want to create. Normally, grocery store signs look good in plastic or wood. However, the size should vary. Smaller stores should stick to smaller signs, to avoid overwhelming customers. Large stores, on the other hand, need prominent signs due to the higher square footage involved.

Keep it Uniform

Make sure you decide on a unifying theme for your signs. Do not use different materials for different departments.

Use Outdoor Signs

Put up signs at your store front to attract more customers. These signs can promote particular items, sales or other specialties that make the store different. One of the best forms of outdoor signs is chalkboards. You can easily draw imagery or list your best products on these traditional but creative mediums.

Include Shelf Signs

Shelf signs display numbers, item descriptions, and prices. They are fixed to the edge of each shelf and make shopping extremely easy for customers. Many grocery stores also add barcodes to these signs for inventory purposes.

Signs Over Food Items

It is a good idea to put up signs over food items on display. This helps customers differentiate between items that are fresh and local from the ones that have been transported from far flung areas.

Contact a Sign Making Company

Sign makers do not just manufacture your signs but also help you design your signage from scratch. Due to their experience and expertise, they can help you decide which material and style will best suit the personality of your store.
From handmade signs to state-of-the-art materials, grocery store displays have come a long way. By doing some research and getting a sign maker on board, you can certainly come up with winning strategies that will help you attract repeat customers and increase business.

Tuesday 15 July 2014

Easy Tips to Design a Company Logo

A logo is not just words and images, a well-made logo tells people about your company-- what you do, who you are, and what you value the most. Because, there is so much a logo can do, it's important to take out time to make one. Here are some tips to create a design that will brand you in the marketplace successfully.
  1. Figure Out What the Main Function of your Logo should be

  2. A logo is the representation of your brand. So, what do you want your logo to do for you?
    1. Create trust in your company. Trust is a major part of any business relationship. Your clients should be able to trust you. A good logo should convey your integrity and honesty and should help you build credibility.
    2. Memorability. People like to shop with their eyes; brand logos are a lot easier to remember than products, services and names.
    3. Enhance admiration. If your customers already hold a good impression about you, you can certainly build on that by developing a logo that is admired for its cleverness, looks, or effective simplicity.
    4. Understand your Brand and Customers

    A logo should essentially be an introduction to your brand and must reach a particular audience. Hence, when creating one, you should keep your customers and brand ideology in mind. Make a list of what you consider your company represents. Research well and try to come up with something that will resonate to your potential customers and make them come to you.
  3. Choose a Color Wisely

  4. When choosing a color for your brand logo, you have to think of the personality of your brand. Bold and bright colors may seem attention grabbing, but can also look brash. Muted tones on the other hand exude sophistication, but can be overlooked.
    1. Red: bold, energetic
    2. Yellow: inventive, sunny, optimistic
    3. Orange: friendly, creative,
    4. Green: organic, growth
    5. Purple: wise, spiritual, evocative
    6. Blue: tranquil, professional and trustworthy
    7. Black: powerful and credible
    8. Pink: flirty and fun
    9. White: pure and clean
    10. Brown: historical, rural, and steady
    11. Keep it Flexible and Easy

    It is important to keep a balance between quirky and simple. You want your brand logo to be appealing, but you don’t want the viewer to sit and stare, analyzing the meaning of the design.
  5. Do not Expect Instant Success

  6. Logos take time to gain popularity. They won’t become iconic instantly, even if the design and combination is perfect. Ultimately, the success of your logo will depend on the popularity of your product and the market that you cover.
  7. Use Online Tools and Resources

  8. The internet offers a sea of information for those who require inspiration, assistance or collaboration when designing the company’s logo.
  9. Hire a Sign Maker or a Designer

  10. You may want to create a logo on your own; but, a professional will certainly do a better job. They have the right skills and equipment to help you come up with the right design. You can instruct them with what you want, your ideas and requirements. They will keep those in mind during the designing phase.   
    Crafting a brand's visual identity is more than placing a name in a circle. A logo is a company's first impression, one that can influence a prospect’s brand perception, overall attitude and ultimately purchase decisions toward a product.