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Four Sign Design Flaws You Need to Know About
Every business should have a great sign with a great design. Not many do, however. Sign design is often overlooked when businesses renovate or advertise to customers. However, your sign’s appearance is the first impression you will make to potential and current customers, and is therefore necessary to get right. Here are four sign design flaws that may limit your revenue potential, and how you can fix them. Fancy Calligraphy Your storefront sign design states a lot about your business to customers. The content, context, and the way it is styled can provide much information to prospective clients and customers. For instance, paint color, texture, materials, and even font can display how you run and operate your business. The most overlooked aspect in sign design is calligraphy. If, for instance, you own and operate a fine dining restaurant, you may want to reflect your upscale establishment with fancy calligraphy like cursive with a Cantoni font. While the font looks fancy, pedestrians walking or driving by your restaurant may have a difficult time reading your sign, and your revenue will be negatively affected as a result. To ease customers’ efforts when understanding your sign, choose fonts that are legible yet appropriate to your business. Trademark Infringement Trademark infringement is a real, yet often forgotten issue when it comes to sign design. Sometimes, entrepreneurs and business owners believe any passing similarity in their sign design to another company is merely coincidental, not infringement. Trademark infringement can result in your doors closing before your business’s first anniversary, so be careful when designing your sign. If you own an all-female mechanic garage and name it “Ms. Lube,” this is trademark infringement against the well-known business, “Mr. Lube,” and you will be sued for it. While this is a real case study in trademark infringement, you should be creative yet cautious when determining your sign design to avoid such issues. Choose your content carefully, ask a few friends for advice, and then get a lawyer’s opinion if you are still not sure, or re-do your signage to avoid such issues. Location, Location, Location Not every business can be located on main streets. You may not have the budget or clientele to justify such an expense. You may be in a smaller neighborhood that suits you just fine, like operating a sporting goods store in a school district. Your location depends on the positive and negative aspects of generating sales versus increasing expenditures to do so. Your signage, however, is as vital to your business’s success as your location. The placement, not only of your sign, but the design contents as well, matter when customers are deciding whether or not to shop at your store. Put your sign is a viewable area where customers and pedestrians can read it, and make your sign design efficient to help them. Spread the contents out carefully and review them to ensure it is informative, and well-placed for their convenience. Irrelevant to Your Business Your sign design should be relevant to your business. Do not place irrelevant content on your sign and clutter it up or you will confuse customers. In addition, look at industry trends to see what is popular right now. You can always change your sign design if your predictions are wrong, but you cannot take...
read moreFour Things Your Store Sign Tells Customers
Just like how people judge books by their covers, customers judge your business by their first impression of it: your storefront sign. Here are four different messages your signage sends customers and why they matter. An Old Sign Can Mean Poor Financial Planning Business owners usually renovate at least one section of their store every few years. Even if they maintain their store well, things naturally wear and tear, or fall into disrepair. Customers do not mind if your store is defective is some cosmetic way, like some peeling paint, or scuff marks on the flooring. However, they notice when too many areas are not properly maintained. Store signs are an affordable way to renovate your store while saving up for the bigger expenses like new flooring. Your sign should, at the minimum, be re-painted or finished every few years to remain bright and welcoming to your customers. If you let your store signs look tarnished and weathered, it reflects badly on your business. Customers may assume that if you cannot cover the cost of re-painting even one storefront store, you must be having operational financial planning issues that prevent you from doing so. A New Sign Means Some Form of Change Alternatively to hosting an old, weary storefront sign, replacing them with new ones every few years is a great way to renew a customer’s interest in your business. New signs show you care about your business, our goods and services and, most importantly, about your customers. Even if you have not changed or renovated anything in the store’s interior, a new sign will make your business seem brighter and healthier, which customers like to see in their favorite businesses. Re-paint or replace your store sign every few years to take advantage of this optimistic consumption outlook from your customers. A Unique Sign Means Creativity and Innovation Even though entrepreneurs are generally individualistic and innovative, many still conform to certain business practices and ideologies. Even their stylistic choices may be industry-standard. This is why most bars and pubs have neon signs of their business name or of beer names, why different grocery stores stock similar items in similar areas, or why different gyms with different training philosophies share the same training programs. Buck the trend and be unique. Your customers will thank you for breaking the mold. Start by having a unique storefront sign. Having a unique sign, however, means more than simply appearing innovative. If you can think differently and host a different sign than that of your competitors, you are more likely to offer innovative and creative products and services to customers. When faced with a common industry-wide problem, customers seek out innovation. Be the business they think of first. However, as creative or innovative as you and your business are, your storefront sign should still be relevant to your business. An Informative Sign Means More Customers Will Remember You Even in big cities like Toronto, many businesses put surprisingly little contact information on their storefront signs. Besides the name of the business and a phone number, many do not put information relevant to consumers like a website or email where they can be contacted. Although practically everyone has a cellular phone, there are many times consumers cannot use them and need to remember information. If...
read more3 Reasons to Install an Outdoor Sign and Increase Sales
It may appear as though social media is the new battlefield for business marketing but nothing beats the old tried-and-true methods of physical advertising. What better way to grab consumers’ attention than outdoor signs, proudly and prominently displaying your business in a medium that few other competitors are using nowadays? Here are three reasons to install an outdoor sign for your business today, and take advantage of a prime, yet forgotten, advertising opportunity. Give Commuters Something to Look At Everyone hates commuting. You are stuck in your car on an endless highway, sometimes for hours on end, listening to the same Top 40 hits over and over again, and that is if the signal of your favorite station is within range. Since you know the pain of commuting, why not give commuters a sleek, attractive billboard to look at and increase potential sales? You will have virtually no competition from other businesses as billboards are spaced out far apart from each other, and commuters will give you their full, undivided attention because it is not placed somewhere else. The key is in the advertising campaign. If your outdoor signs are not humorous or witty, or does not engage the commuter, it will be quickly forgotten. For example, since commuters are stuck in traffic anyways, if you operate a coffee company for instance, why not advertise a reduced price for commuters who tweet a picture of the billboard and show it to you upon purchase? This active participation manifests in increased sales potential due to consumers having a vested interest in your products or services. Outdoor signs allow you to be creative and show the public the best your company has to offer. A Way to Promote Yourself Using Modern Technology Technology is advancing in incredible leaps. Something new is invented every day and, unless you have a vested interest in reading about it, the tech world can pass you by. As such, not every small or medium-sized business owner can remain updated on the latest technological fads because, put simply, they are running a business, not writing technology reviews (unless that is their business). However, one such technology may mean the difference between maintaining a business and increasing sales: QR codes. QR codes are a great way to advertise and promote yourself online and outside simultaneously. By affixing a QR code to your outdoor signs, you can allow consumers who use smartphones to be quickly updated on the newest happenings of your company, whether this is future promotions, current deals, or discounts available through the QR code. QR codes also allow you to focus on a population local to your business because a potential customer has to physically take a picture of your sign and then tweet it. In addition, although many people use new QR codes and it may seem like a waste to only include one QR code on your sign, this is not necessary. You can simply reuse the same one, updating it regularly to offer new goods and services to your local community. A Great Way to Make Your Store Run More Efficiently Small and medium-sized business owners may not have much room for customers beyond a limited number at any one time. Furthermore, just because a potential customer walks into your store does not...
read more4 Reasons Why Neon Signs Are Great for Business
Neon signs are not just iconic; they are a great way to advertise your business to potential customers at any hour of the day. You can use them to advertise your business, even if operating hours are over, they grab consumers’ attention and maintain it easier than conventional signage, their designs can be uniquely crafted to match your business interests, and they are incredibly affordable as an advertising medium in the long-term. You Can Now Advertise at Night Although not all small and medium-sized businesses operate during the night and early morning, potential customers are out and about. It would be a shame if you were to miss out on future sales because such customers were not aware of your business’s goods and services during your daytime hours of operation. Luckily, with a neon sign you can advertise even if your doors are not open yet. Consumers will be glad to have discovered your business in their locale, and you will surely be delighted when they stop by during operating hours for more information and mention it was due to your innovative advertising strategies. Neon Signs Grab Consumers' Attention Even in the daytime, a neon sign can grab consumers’ attention from the street in a way conventional signage cannot. Neon signs are bright and are highly visible in weather that normal signs are inefficient in, like rain, clouds, or fog, all of which would reduce the visibility of a non-neon sign. The difference is well-known and will allow you to one-up your competition. Installing a neon sign therefore allows you to reach more potential customers than a regular sign due to the higher visibility it has from the street. Beat your competition and get one today. You will not regret it. Their Design Is as Unique as Their Business Neon signs can be designed in many unique ways and formations. The final product is highly modifiable and can be molded to fit your business needs and wishes, which are only limited by your imagination. A neon sign can be your logo, your slogan, your business name, or all four. The choice is truly yours to make. You can choose from a variety of colors and shapes, and you can install your neon sign in the most pleasing place for you and your customers. You can hang it above your business’s exterior door, or in front of your storefront window, or even on a fixed standing sign like so many big box stores do. In addition, if you become unsatisfied with the placement of your sign, you can change it whenever you like. The possibilities are endless. An Affordable Way to Advertise Long-Term Neon signs are an efficient and affordable means to advertise your business long-term. While non-neon signage tends to follow trends and fads in terms of design and appearance, neon signage is an iconic part of business advertising. It will continue to remain trendy because it is separate from the established trends. This is why neon signage from the 1980s, like those found in sports bars and restaurants, are still classy today. It, like your business, will never go out of style. Electricity is affordable. Running a neon sign will not break your business operations or advertising budget due to the low amounts of energy you need to...
read more4 Reasons Your Business Needs a Store Sign
Your store sign is your primary advertising vehicle to customers on the street, not just what your business does, but also the value you invest in your business. They need to understand that your business is better than the competition and that you value their shopping experience above all else. Here are four benefits of owning a store sign for your small or medium-sized business. Customers Need to Know About You Not every business nowadays is online. Most are not and, while customers are used to searching for products and deals online before they shop, there is something about physically purchasing items that is irreplaceable. If your store does not have a sign, you need to have one designed and installed as soon as possible so customers can know, just from looking from the sidewalk, what your business specializes in. In addition, your store sign needs to clearly advertise what your business specializes in. If you own and operate a hardware store, your sign should have familiar objects on it like a hammer or nails if you have not written the word “Hardware” on it. Having a bland, ambiguous design that is not tailored to your business is confusing and will decrease potential sales. A Store Sign Shows Your Investment in Your Business Walk along any street with storefronts and you will notice that a few businesses do not advertise their shop with a large, attention-grabbing sign. As such, unless you know of the business, you will have to walk up to the entrance to see what it offers. This is not a good marketing strategy, as it makes customers believe you care so little about your business you will not even put up a sign. Your store sign does not have to be large and seen for miles like the Walmart sign or McDonald’s Golden Arches, it just needs to grab attention from the street. If you do not have a storefront sign, potential customers will pass by, oblivious to your existence. The purpose of a sign not only shows people your location, it also shows you care about your own business prospects. A Great Advertising Platform Having a store sign is a great way to advertise the newest and best deals and sales you have to offer. Such signs are an efficient way to advertise because customers will know before they enter your shop that they want to buy. Potential customers in their cars speeding by, or on the street, no longer have to waste their time or yours debating over whether they should shop at your business. This sales tactic will, most importantly, allow you to use your time more efficiently to run your business rather than talk with a problematic consumer who cannot make up their mind and tries to haggle your profit margins away. While engaging with customers can be the best part of the job for some small and medium-sized business owners, your time is precious and must be used as efficiently as possible. After all, you have a business to run and a store sign will allow you to do that. Store Signs Help You Stand out from the Competition As a business ourselves, we want all small and medium-sized business owners to succeed and realize their dreams. However, we also acknowledge...
read more3 Reasons Why You Should Renovate Your Store-Front Signage
A storefront’s sign says a lot about a business. If the signage is well-maintained the business most likely takes care of their premises and the quality of their products. If the signage is well-maintained but out of style, the business is small and may not have the means to renovate but they do care about their business. The importance of your signage and the effect it has on your sales and overall customer experience are paramount to your business. Here are three reasons why you should renovate your signage. Your Sign Is Your First Impression to Customers It is unfortunate but customers do judge shops before they even enter them. You could be selling Fabergé eggs but if your storefront is messy and disorganized customers will not stop to look inside. This may be an extreme example but the lesson still stands to reason. If your storefront does not look its best, customers will not give you the chance to “wow” them and you will be artificially lowering the amount of sales you make per month. While each storefront’s sign is unique depending on the needs of the business and the needs of the owners and operators, having a sign that engages customers yet displays the business is vital. Take the signage we designed for Mamma’s Pizza, a gourmet Toronto and GTA-based pizza chain serving authentic Italian food since 1957. The signage has Mamma’s profile picture displayed in the center of the sign to showcase the importance of her legacy and recipes, as well as to differentiate between the comfort, service, and family feel of Mamma’s Pizza and the larger, corporate pizza chains. As well, the background colors, from left to right, are green, white, and red, the colors of the Italian flag. Although not all customers will immediately understand the significance of the placement of Mamma’s photograph and the colors from left to right, they will subconsciously know that eating at Mamma’s Pizza will be a unique, authentic, and personal dining experience. Without her sign to display all these beneficial differences, Mamma’s Pizza would have trouble retaining customers and would have to compete with the big players like worldwide chains Domino’s Pizza or Pizza Hut. Keep Ahead of the Trends, Not Behind Them Fashion trends do not just change for clothing or cars. They change for architecture and building design as well. Nothing is more apparent to a customer than signage. After all, it is what they look for and is one of the few distinguishing features between one company and another. One of the best examples displaying the importance of renovating your signage to keep updated with the trends is McDonald’s. In the 1970s, their signage displayed their name and the amount of burgers sold to date (19 billion!), embedded in a red inverted trapezoid with either one or two golden arches sticking out from the top. In the 1980s, McDonald’s added a mascot holding a sign that stated “Coast to Coast” and updated their number of burgers sold (99 billion). They simplified their logo in the 1990s to the Golden Arches logo and the name embedded in a red rectangle with rounded edges. This was a much simpler and softer design than the previous two, but each signage design served a purpose in the decade it...
read more5 Reasons to Choose Neon Signs for Your Business
Neon signs have existed since the 19th century. This old form of advertising hasn’t lost its touch and is still an effective way to promote your business. While the signage industry has evolved significantly in the last decade, neon signs have managed to carve out a niche and to provide a valuable advertising option for businesses that are looking to stand out amongst their competition. Here are five reasons why you should consider neon signs. 1. The Nostalgia Factor Never underestimate the power of nostalgia. People love wearing their rose colored glasses and there is no reason to stop them if it helps to promote your business. Neon signs provide an intense nostalgia factor amongst consumers. The idea of a classic neon sign often conjures images of an older time when things were simpler and businesses were more transparent. Perhaps we are exaggerating, but the point we are trying to make is that neon signs are an easy way to tap into the past and to take advantage of a sign that has a deep history and fascination rooted in the past. 2. Cost Effective Finding cheap ways to advertise your business is an essential thing for every company to hunt for. Neon signs are expensive to manufacture, but provide extensive long-term savings and a lot of advertisement value. There is a common myth that neon signs use a lot of electricity, but in reality, they use very little and they burn for a long time. On average, a neon sign will last for 80,000 hours or 10 years. When your neon burns out, it can easily be recharged. 3. Attract New Customers In terms of advertisement value, consumers love neon signs. When they see them in stores, it will instantly catch their attention and draw them towards your business. Some of the most effective signs in history were neon and there is a reason why so many tourists are fascinated by the bright lights of Las Vegas. Neon is simple in design, but highly effective in practice. 4. Neon Is Noticeable If you operate a business that is open late at night, neon signs will help you get noticed. Along the competitive streets of the city are numerous businesses fighting for recognition. If your competition employs dull and normal signs, you would benefit greatly by using neon signs to advertise your company. When it is dark outside, bright neon signs stand out and help your business advertise itself just by the virtue of how they are easily recognized when it is dark. Easily beat out your competition using neon. 5. Flexibility Is Part of the Package Another common myth is that neon signs are only capable of forming basic words or symbols. This isn’t true. In fact, neon signs are capable of being manufactured into almost any image or word. From simple open signs to the more complex Vegas Vic cowboy, neon is extremely flexible and capable of being sculpted into whatever you want it to be. On top of flexibility, neon comes in various colors. If you are looking to manufacture a neon sign for your business, Vital Signs is here to help. We specialize in neon and have been working with this medium for many years. We offer our services to clients in Toronto, Mississauga, all...
read more4 Statistics in Favor of Outdoor Signs
Outdoor signs are an important factor of the current advertising industry. Most outdoor signs come in the form of billboards. These signs provide businesses with a lot of freedom when it comes to advertising and there are several reasons why you should consider designing outdoor signs for your business. Statistically, these types of signs generate positive results. Before taking the plunge, you probably have several questions about why outdoor signs are so great. Do not worry, we have you covered, and we’ll let the statistics do the talking. Listed below are four important statistics that should easily convince you of the importance of outdoor signs and what they can offer your business in the competitive advertising industry. 1. Tell Consumers What They Want to Know Consumers often learn important information through signs that they interact with. While this information isn’t always relevant, more often than not it is. In fact, 58% of consumers learn about events they are interested in attending, the same number of people learned about a restaurant that they later visited, 56% discussed a funny advertisement, 33% were reminded about a TV program, and 26% wrote down important contact information. All of these statistics are extremely compelling and show why signage is still a valuable method of advertising for your business. 2. Engage Customers on Their Terms Strategically placed outdoor signs engage consumers on their terms. What does this mean? Statistically, 72% of consumers view outdoor signs on their way home from work, 68% make their purchase decisions while in the car, 38% decide to stop at stores on the way home, 24% felt motivated by outdoor signage, 32% claimed to visit the retailer with the outdoor sign later in the week, 50% reported that the advertisements provided useful information, and 24% confirmed that they visited a business with an outdoor ad immediately. This mouthful of statistics has one conclusion. Outdoor signs attract the attention of customers, telling them about your business, and generate sales. All of these outcomes are beneficial to your business and you should be working hard to create compelling signage. 3. Billboards Have the Highest Performance Of all outdoor signs, billboards provide the most exposure. Ranking below billboards were bus-stop ads, wall ads, posters, cylinder board, car ads, racquers, mega lights, and floor graphics. Billboards are located everywhere in major cities and along roadways. They can be used for any business and they are large enough that a company can create an effective advertisement that takes advantage of text and imagery. 4. High ROI Traditional media is expensive and continues to grow in cost. Outdoor signs are an affordable methods of advertising that provide a respectable return on investment. An outdoor billboard will cost you to manufacture and rent the space, but those costs are significantly less than running ads on the radio or television. In addition, outdoor signs provide higher ROIs in retail, travel, and telecom, all major industries in Canada that require extensive advertising across all platforms. On average, $1 spent will recoup $4.72 in telecom, $3.79 in retail, and $3.55 in travel. These are noteworthy ROIs and something that all businesses would be delighted to receive. If you are interested in manufacturing outdoor signs for your business, Vital Signs is ready to help you out. We have several years...
read moreThe Benefits of Effective Sign Design
Sign design is as its name suggests, the process of designing a sign, the research into a specific industry, and the overall completion of the project. Sign design is an essential part of the advertising process and effective sign creation provides a business with a wide variety of benefits that will help them grow their brand, generate additional sales, and lockdown impulse buyers. Vital Signs provides signage solutions to all of its clients and we work hard to help them understand the sign design process. The beginning of any business venture is rooted in a company’s brand. A brand is the identity that a company wants to assume in a retail setting. Building the brand will help customers recognize your business and will turn them into loyal, long-term buyers. All companies should market their products for the long-term, rather than short-term. Sign design is employed in such a way that it will incorporate your brand and help grow it by attracting new customers and maintaining your current ones. Strong brands like Coca Cola, Nike, and Apple have millions of devoted customers who buy the brands on recognition alone and many new customers will try them out based on the dominance of their names. Sign design is an early step that all companies must take if they want to grow their brands, and even the biggest brands in the world rely on signage to help them promote their businesses. Signage offers an easy avenue for building your brand. Company signs contain typical branding like logos, slogans, and trademarked images. By employing your branding elements, you will help your customers associate your brand with specific traits and they will remember you when shopping for your products. What about impulse sales? This is a massive market and one of the most profitable if you know how to tap into it. McDonald’s understands the importance of sign design when it comes to impulse buying. When a hungry consumer is driving down the highway and they spot a McDonald’s sign, they will quickly begin craving their food and will more than likely stop at the nearest McDonald’s, which is more than likely located at the next stop. Of course, this is not a coincidence and something that the company uses to their advantage. In the restaurant industry, hungry consumers are more likely to purchase food and impulse buyers are the most likely to spend their money when compared to more passive buyers. By catering to impulse buyers through your sign design, you will greatly increase your sales. Do not miss out on this market as it is one of the most important ones. Sign design is used to strike a balance and to properly market to your consumers. Overbearing sign design will scare away new customers. Designing signs that are appealing will help you grow your brand, attract new customers, and secure impulse buyers. What is overbearing sign design? Typically, this involves signs that are poorly optimized for the retail environment. This could include poor color choices, bad font color and size, text stuffing, and using a sign that is too small. All of these factors will diminish the value of your advertising efforts and hurt your brand awareness by antagonizing consumers in the marketplace, something that no company wants to do. Vital Signs...
read more5 Sign Statistics That Will Blow Your Mind
Statistics are the king in the world of retail and a great tool that allows you to measure the performance of your business. When it comes to signs, statistics are equally as important and there are several things you should know about how effective this form of advertising still is. Despite the evolution of digital media, traditional signs will help your business grow in ways that are extremely cost-effective. Vital Signs is with you every step of the way, ready to help you take your business to the next level through our many high quality signage options. You’re probably curious about signs and their overall effectiveness. How can such a dated medium still be relevant in our current society? The short answer? They are everywhere and they provide infinite exposure. The long answer? Read below! 1. Signs Create New Customers Signs are a great way to increase the exposure of your business. This fact is undeniable. However, you may be wondering how this exposure is measured. According to Brandon Gaille, a respected marketing expert, on premise signs bring in 50% more customers, while word of mouth brings in 33%, newspapers 9%, television 1%, and radio 1%. Missing out on this cheap advertising is detrimental to your business and something that you should avoid. 2. Signs Generate Additional Profit If you are looking to increase your profits, signs will help you accomplish this. Adding effective signs to your business has been linked to a minimum 8% growth in revenues. In the fast food industry, a large sign that helps a customer identify the brand can lead to an additional 15.6% growth in sales, while a similar sign in the retail industry will generate 7.7%. 3. Signage Entices Customers According to research, 85% of your customers live or work within a five mile radius of your business. Signage helps you capture their attention, and in the case of Best Buy, 17% of their walk-in customers enter the store because of their bright and vibrant yellow sign. Impulse buyers are one of the most important markets to target. These types of buyers are ready to spend money and a convincing store sign will entice them to enter your business and spend money. 4. Show Customers You Exist Competition is tough these days. Showing your customers that you exist is extremely important and something that will help you stand out from the pack. 35% of your customers discovered your store when they passed by it. They either saw your storefront sign or a sign along a roadway, either way, your signage puts in an invaluable amount of work and signage is a medium that you should take very seriously when designing your business. 5. Cheaper Per View Cost A typical sign will cost you $0.02 per 1000 views, while a newspaper costs $2.81 and a single television ad costs $9.82 for the same number of views. Maximizing your advertising budget is essential and signage helps you achieve this in the most cost-effective way possible. Signs have been around for most of the contemporary era. They will always be an important facet of the advertising industry and businesses are encouraged to take advantage of the benefits they provide. Vital Signs offers high quality signage solutions to businesses in Toronto, Markham, New Market, Thornhill, and...
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