The use of Humor in Signage

The American humorist Mary Hirsch once said, “Humor is a rubber sword. It helps you make a point without drawing blood”. In an increasingly stressed world, humor brings fresh perspectives, makes interesting observations, breaks long-established stereotypes, and helps lighten the mood in a social gathering. The huge popularity of stand-up comedians, comedy talk shows, and TV channels dedicated to comedy, is ample proof that people are seeking more and more humor in their daily lives.

Using humor in signage

Signage is one of the most important, yet a highly undervalued aspect of marketing and advertising. Though signage requires neither much real estate nor expenditure, advertisers have often downplayed its role in advertising. Another reason is the increased use of online advertising, and the proliferation of businesses that can bring to your front door everything from a pizza to a car.

Yet, signage is very significant as it is the first and foremost aspect of a business that you notice, even if you don’t step in to transact any business. Aesthetically designed signage can in fact attract people from afar, a point of advantage well exploited by rooftop and rotary neon signboards.

Humor can add an extra zing to signage, as it creates an instant connect with the audience. A touch of humor creates differentiation and improves brand recall: a funny logo, or a funny tagline below the company name, is bound to be recognized and talked about by consumers repeatedly.

Industries best suited for humor in signage

However, not all businesses are equally suited for using humor in signage. The inherent nature of some businesses makes them too complex, too intricate, or too serious to use humor in their signage. Accordingly, some businesses are more suited than others are.

Retail: In the deluge of brands, and unimaginative advertising of the vast majority of retail businesses, the few standout companies exploit humor as the cutting edge marketing tool.

Travel, Tourism and Hospitality: This segment can afford the comfort of a generous budget, and so can experiment with humor, as it targets huge revenue from international tourists.

Marketing & Advertising: Marketing and Advertising Agencies help improve the image of several businesses; they can use humor imaginatively to improve their own business.

Transportation & Logistics: Given the tense nature of the activity of this business, the use of humorous signage, can make things easier for everyone involved.

Clothes, Footwear and Personal Accessories: In the luxury segment of this sector, consumers show a taste for the finest things of life, and so can appreciate humor better.

Food, Confectionery and Beverages: Here again, in the face of tough competition, innovative entrepreneurs can make significant headway with the tool of humor in their ad campaigns including signage.

Construction, Architecture & Decor: This is also high budget sector, where humor is well appreciated.

Service businesses in general: A service company can project a sophisticated image of its services;  it can succeed in marching ahead of the pack by using humor in its promotional activities including signage.

Humor in signage is a great marketing strategy, no doubt; however, beware! It can be a double-edged sword: get it wrong, or belabor it, you are very likely to dismay your prospective and existing customers. It’s important, therefore, to engage a professional signage agency who have the expertise and experience for creating funny, effective and engaging signage for your business.

Wall Graphics: Get it Right

Wall graphics are a great way to showcase your organizational identity, culture, and values. It makes for a great first impression on visitors, clients, customers and employees every time they enter your office.

No wonder, interior decorators, construction companies and brand marketing agencies integrate graphical elements into homes and offices, in order to give the enclosure a unique identity. Inside a home, wall graphics can be used to present the residents’ taste and outlook to life.

Wall graphics win attention

Homes and offices have abundant wall and column surfaces, often left unused. This is a precious thing that can be utilized to convey necessary information, engage people in a lively manner, and promote business or homeowners’ passion in subtle ways.

Wall graphics aim at the focused attention of prospects, clients, employees and vendors, to enable ‘top of the mind recall’. However, to ensure that wall graphics are very effective, they must be designed to serve a clear purpose, and to blend nicely with the external architecture as well as the interiors.

Types of wall graphics

Wide ranging multiple elements:

Wall graphics range from miniature wall borders and cutouts to more complex wall decor that covers entire walls. They may contain elements of logo, photographs, text, motifs and sculptural elements in various shapes and sizes.

Non-PVC options

Smart technology has created a range of non-PVC wall graphic made from a finely woven fabric, and a tape that sticks at the back. It does not wear and tear, peel, or stretch, and can be used repeatedly, or moved around.

Decals

Decals are adhesive stickers, which you can peel off the template, and apply onto the wall easily. Popular versions of wall decal have motifs, animals or elements of nature in the design.

Essentials of wall graphics

Wall graphics poorly designed are a waste of money and of no purpose. Here are some essentials of wall graphic design: 

• Tell your story: Tell your organizational story effectively to convert viewers to your services/products.
• Project your vision and values: The wall graphics should project the vision and values of your business.
• Personalize: Reproduce photos of great events and turn them into murals.
• Try bold positioning: Experiment with bold positioning of wall graphics in unexpected and secluded places.
• Use decals instead of artwork: The latest trend is to put wall decals into frames to make them look like paintings. A series of framed decals can give the look of a museum gallery.
• Separate wall graphics from art pieces: Never put wall graphics alongside your art pieces; the former can steal the spotlight from the latter.
• Avoid over use: Avoid the temptation to use too many wall graphics. That would turn people off and take the edge off your brand name.

Considering the fact that wall graphics reflect your brand identity or unique personal image, they must be designed with care; this is what specialist-painting agencies excel at. They make use of custom tools and materials in order to create skillfully the designs and execute them efficiently on desired surfaces. You would do well to entrust your requirements to experts with considerable experience.

Latest Trends in Signage

Display advertizing has become more complex over time. Static display or signage steps up the game these days, as print marketers explore the full bandwidth of an online-integrated advertizing strategy.

Compared to online or print advertizing, where a whole lot of information can easily distract prospects, signage stays focused and has the power to make greater impact. This is why signage is indispensable from both utility and branding perspectives.

It remains the most effective medium of branding, as it uses messages that are intelligent, icons that are self-explanatory, and images that can entice. Listed below are a few rapid strides in signage trends and concepts, witnessed during the last two decades.

Interactive signage

Digital Signage has changed the face of display techniques and the current business perception of prospective clients and regular customers in general. Increasingly, business owners tend to use a mix of physical and digital signage, in order to derive maximum returns.

The older signage is used in the interiors, basements, car parks, foyers and all those locations that a customer is likely to frequent. Digital signage shines prominently in the exteriors of establishments to help customers identify the location, advertize its unique brand value to, and create a lasting impression on them.

Interactive digital signage (IDS) empowers greatly advertisers and marketers. One can create amazing multi-touch projects that are simultaneously displayable on multiple screens, across multiple locations. IDS systems are more user-friendly:  they provide a tech-savvy generation with familiar features like ‘touch’, ‘pinch’ or ‘zoom’ that are common to most designing software.

Interactive digital signage is ideal for high-impact marketing initiatives, events, businesses or even locations. For example, UK’s largest indoor digital signage screen is irresistibly arresting at Waterloo Station; it is massive as it measures nearly 40 meters, sweeping the entire length of the Waterloo Station Concourse.

Customizable displays

Customizable displays reflect the increasing need to port displays quickly across locations, or speed up the installation for events. They range from miniature bespoke stickers to a more comprehensive package that includes design, specification, manufacture, installation and maintenance. The latest software capable of heavy-duty processing is at the heart of their design.

Indoor/outdoor banners

Banners, one of the most efficient, cost-effective and popular instruments of advertising have also evolved over time. Poly, nylon, and flex face banners, in addition to the more prevalent and versatile vinyl banners find an increasing use today; they are trendy in a range of businesses including retail, hospitality, construction, and food & beverages.

These banners are available in a wide range of sizes and colors to suit your needs. Some of them such as vinyl banners are environment-friendly and ideal for businesses that have a strong Corporate Social Responsibility agenda.

Signage is one of the most time-honored and cost-effective alternatives to costly print advertizing. Experienced signage consultants and graphic designers can visit you for a free consultation and offer expert professional advice on options that are ideal for your business needs. Well-made signage goes indeed a long way in maximizing the ROI on your marketing spend.

Trade Show Display Basics for your Benefit

As it is true of almost all aspects of life, technology is changing fast the way people create and present trade show displays nowadays. While this is a factor you cannot ignore, the basic function of the display remains unchanged – to attract customer attention and disseminate information about your company and your products/services. For those reasons, the basics of a trade show display remain unchanged, and you need to factor them into all your marketing planning.

Choose the right graphics

Ornate, artistic, and highly colored graphics with a large amount of artwork may look very attractive. However, you should be aware that you are not exhibiting your products/services in an art gallery.

What is important is that the message and information that the display tries to convey should be easy for the curated audience to read, understand and remember. The bottom line is that the clarity of the message and its desired effect should be primary, and artwork and graphics secondary.

Use a memorable headline

Most visitors to a trade show head for a few specific booths, and spend the rest of their time wandering around. These are exactly the people whose attention you need to target. Their attention span unfortunately is just a few seconds, and then they move on. That is all the time you have to make an effective impression, arouse their curiosity and to bring them into your stall.

It’s imperative, therefore, that your display headline must do the trick for you: it should be in an easy-to-read font, short, clear, direct and interesting enough to make them pause and then come in.

Keep the description focused

The trade show display should be succinctly informative to the visitors, not overly technical and all-inclusive. Let it highlight in bullets the Unique Selling Points of your products/services. If there is too much matter, the visitors will lose interest and walk away. If they are interested, they will ask the staff at the booth for more information.

Show up prominently your company name

The trade show is all about promoting your company. You need to make sure that the name is prominently and captivatingly displayed, so that it is etched in the memory of the visitors. If there is a company logo, strike a balance between the text and the graphic – the logo means nothing unless you have a distinctive name related to it.

Display clearly your website and social media addresses

Visitors cannot gather from one visit to a trade show booth as much information as they might require. In addition, there will usually be issues and questions they have after the visit. Placing your website and social media addresses prominently will help them later to access the information they want.

It is not easy to find the right mix of technology, creativity and display expertise to create ideal trade show displays. The best way to go about it is to seek the service of a professional signage company that specializes in this area.

They will be able to combine your industry and product knowledge with their signage and display specialist skills to design for you an excellent display; it will surely attract the kind of crowds you want and help you stand out at the trade show.

Creating Memorable Signs : Dos and Don’ts for you

Signage is the commonest cost-effective publicity medium available. The precise purposes of a business sign are to: create public awareness of the business entity and the products or services on offer; arouse interest in the form of footfalls and queries.

Many business owners try to ensure that their signs serve those purposes by looking around and following what others are ‘successfully’ doing. In most cases, business signs are sized nicely, balanced in the amount of information they convey, and perfect in the use of tasteful artwork and color coordination.

In other words, most of these signs are like a million others – all of them anything but memorable. That is what you do not want. That’s how your business sign should not be.

The universally known sign

One sign that is recognized all over the world and evokes immediately associations of the industry it represents is the HOLLYWOOD sign in Southern California. Forget the fact that it was originally put up by a real estate developer over 90 years ago, to promote a new property subdivision.

Today it means movies – not just in the place of its location, but all over the world. Let’s look at how it has turned out to be such a memorable sign.

It is dramatic

It is far too big, brash and loud. It is located in a strange place; it would have been perfect for a real estate subdivision, but not for the movie industry. It is 3-dimensional, where it does not need to be so. But it works beautifully.

It is unusual

The color scheme is odd: a white sign on a hillside of green and dark brown. The sign is not mounted on a pole or stand, but sits on the ground. It is not in proximity to high traffic areas and people have to look for it. But it works wonderfully.

It is not “correct”

The letters of the sign are not level: they rise and fall as the terrain undulates.  Would a normal sign have such sloppy lettering? It would not. But once again, the sign works enchantingly.

The HOLLYWOOD sign is an old one, of a period when signage was unknown to be what it is today – a sophisticated high tech science. It does not conform in any way to what are generally accepted as the fundamentals of good signage. It has major defects that advertising and PR experts would pronounce ‘fatal’.

But it has become a celebrated all-time icon. None of these “mistakes” were made on purpose – they just happened. At times, making such “mistakes” deliberately can work for you in creating memorable signage.

The HOLLYWOOD sign breaks all the rules that most people associate with business signs. But it works as no other, and has become an evergreen icon of the industry. In other words, playing too safe and being too conventional can make your signs forgettable.

Going to the other extreme can detract the onlookers from your message; the sign, not your business, would become a talking point. Finding the middle ground is not easy.

The best way to get your signage right is to work with a professional signage company. They have the experience and expertise to create signs that are memorable, maximize the publicity you get, and increase the footfalls as you expect.

The Role of Signs in Rebranding your Business

No retailers love a soft and slow market. Unfortunately, this is what happens rather frequently, especially when you struggle to attract eyeballs and retain footfalls. However, this can be a time, which you can use to your advantage. You can review your business critically and dispassionately to identify trouble spots. Have things become stale, boring and predictable? Could these be part of the problem? Could a little rebranding help improve the situation? If so, get started without delay.

Signs are reliable tools

What kind of rebranding can promote your business is something only you know: no one else knows your business and your market better than you do. Raising money can be difficult, when the market is dull or weak. The moment you make up your mind on the rebranding action plan, you need to keep expenses down, and make it as cost-effective as possible, without compromising on the outcome of the action.

The solution is simple – signs! Despite all the new marketing tools available today, like the internet and social media, the right sign in the right place in retail business, is still the most efficient strategy to attract customers and ensure a rise in profits.

Decide on a consistent and pleasing design and color scheme of the sign. This will become part of your revised brand. Find an effective logo or image that you can use everywhere to reinforce your new business image.

Create an equally effective message about the changes you want to spread. At times, you may need to spread more than one message. If so, decide on the proportions and mix of the messages with the budget available. Then get the final action plan and budget ready. Think not that you are risking money during difficult times; you are in fact investing for the near future to keep going ahead full steam.

Employ a professional signage company

When your homework is done, your next step should be to contact a professional sign making company. Work with them to fine-tune your business requirements and the budget in order to design the different types of signs you need. Your business acumen should go hand in hand in hand with their signage expertise. The outcome would be the best signs put up in the best locations proclaiming effectively your new message.

Signage is a far more complex and specialized field than most people realize. Depending on the design and the location, a simple sign could be as effective as an expensive high tech tool. Multiple smaller signs in different locations may be better than a single huge one in certain cases.

The best way to ensure that you make the right decisions and get the maximum return on your investment is to work with a reputed professional sign making company. They have rich experience and the right technology to provide you with the kind of service you need. Check their testimonials to boost your confidence in them.

Signage Types You Should Know (Part-2)

We looked at a few signage types and definitions in the previous post. We continue to look at a few more in this post.

• Mission signs: Also known as purpose signs, they give customers a clear statement of the ethics and beliefs of the business.
• Motivational signs: These are the same as incentive signs.
• Point-of-purchase signs: These signs attract interest to specific products, and prompt quick purchase decisions. They are usually found near checkout counters with the products exhibited nearby.
• Policy signs: These signs provide information on business policy such as exchanging products or returning those that are defective.
• Price only signs: A sign of this type displays nothing but a specific price – for example “$19.99”. No product information is given, and so such signs can be used for any goods of the same value.
• Product benefit signs: These are signs that provide information on the benefits a customer can expect, if the product or service is purchased.
• Promotional product signs:  These are small signs that look like price tags, placed on products. They contain usually the logo of the manufacturer or retailer, contact information and a tagline promoting the product.
• Proud papa signs: – Proud papa signs draw attention to those parts of a retail establishment the management is most proud of and wants to show off.
• Reminder signs: These signs do not directly sell, but remind customers of associated goods they may need. For example a reminder sign in or near the paint section of a hardware store could ask “Do You Need Brushes?”
• Story Sign: Story signs give background information of a product such as where it is from, or how it was created. These signs require very careful wording because the information given may be interesting to some but not to others; it must therefore be made clear that reading the sign is not essential. Additionally, it should be as brief as possible, or else the customer may lose interest in both the sign and the product.
• Testimonial sign: These signs repeat customer feedback on the excellent service received, or the high quality, or usefulness of products bought.
• Threshold sign: These signs are placed within a few feet of the entrance of the store. They provide the latest information that may be of interest, and direct customers to where they can find special offers and so on.
• Way finding Signs: These signs are used in large retail establishments to point to customers locations of products, for example “Toothpaste This Way.”
• Window Graphics: These signs are graphics, placed in display windows to attract the attention of those passing by and lure them into the store.

The various types of signs listed in this post are meant to help you understand better how they attempt to increase customer interest and boost sales. As marketing and selling need to be more sophisticated and customer friendly, consider how these signs can be exploited to expand your business.

A professional signage company will be able to provide you with reliable inputs on the latest trends in signage. They will be happy to work with you to create the kind of signs that will bring prospective customers into your store and push your sales up. If you want professional results, you need to use trending signs made for you by professionals.