Monday 29 June 2015

Designing a Sign: 5 Effective Attention Getters You Should Know

You have great products or services to offer. You spend considerable money on signage to promote your business. You expect your signs to bring in customers.  But for some reason you are not getting the footfalls you expected. That means your signs are not getting the attention they should. Consider starting all over again. When you do so, keep these critical attention-getting factors in mind.

 
Conceptualizing

Spend time conceptualizing your sign. Go around your locality (and beyond if possible) looking at billboards, marketing ads, movies posters and business signs. Remember the design and presentation features that appeal to you and are relevant for your business market. Spend time looking at the signs your competitors use. What can you learn from them in terms of design, presentation, size and location? What modifications will make these ideas more relevant to your business? Even if you can’t draw, try sketching out ideas on paper. It helps to clarify your thoughts and to decide on what you can use and what you cannot.

Grabbing Eyeballs

A sign must not just communicate information. It must present it in a manner that it stays in the mind of the reader. Some people may come to you on the spur of the moment, but others may plan to visit later. If your sign is not memorable enough, they will forget and never get around to coming to you. Creating visual interest is the key to grabbing eyeballs and mind space.

Find the Right Size

Keep the size of the sign and the design in mind. Cram too much information in a small sign and reading it becomes a tedious effort that people will not be interested inmaking. A great design and color scheme stuffed into a small space loses its appeal. It becomes an unwanted distraction. Limit the content of the sign to only what is essential. Use colors and designs to support, not to detract from the message. Remember, ‘big’ is not always best: a small sign that stands out from all the big ones around will catch the eye simply because it is different.

Choosing Colors

Visual impact is greatly influenced by color. A bright colorful sign will attract attention. However, that does not mean your sign should look like a rainbow on steroids. Colors are most effective when they are used in unexpected ways. A picture of a black sky with a white sun will attract more attention than one with the usual blue sky and yellow sun. Remember that minimal color use and monochrome can also be very effective.

Finding the Right Typeface

Use a typeface that is relevant to your business. A “Ye Olde” look will not work if you are selling computers. And play with type sizes to highlight important words with stronger/larger typefaces.

Your signs shoud get the attention worth the investment you make. A professional signage company will have the experience and expertise to make effective signs that will bring in customers and add to your bottom line.