What is a Call-to-Action? What is its purpose in signage.
Simply put, some signs stand out so much more than others. The trick is that there isn't a trick to it. If one were to remove the advertising performed as well as the associations customers acquire when watching them, there would still be a sustainable difference in signage. If the world was wiped clean of the taglines, one-liners, sweepstakes & brand equity and we stripped away signage proximity to customer & proximity to retail flow so all the storefront signage locations were equal in the eyes of customers, some signs will still have the upper-hand.
What would separate the signage would be the ability to communicate their message as swiftly and succinctly as possible. The ability to sneak out that extra fraction of a millisecond of customer retention comes down to one hyphenated phrase: Call-to-Action.
A Call-to-Action is the message conveyed in a piece of marketing materials. It's designed to give a reader simple yet enticing instructions in order for to get the readers to perform a desired action. It's a term splattered about the internet for it is a staple used in digital marketing's lead-generation design. In signage, the term has a slightly broad yet similar focus.
…the little message you would give the customer to do said one thing would be the Call-to-Action.
You've seen them. They're often a phone number or, "walk-ins welcome," or a couple words describing a sales special. The good ones are short and sweet, sometimes they almost sing when you read them. The best ones make no bones about what they would like the reader to do.
But reading it is one thing. Getting the message noticed is another.
Another problem brands can have with their signage is that their Call-to-Action gets lost in the splattering of colors and smattering of information. For example, have you ever seen a billboard with so much text on it that it feels like you need a bookmark to keep your place so you can finish reading it when you drive by it next? A signage Call-to-Action should be, without question, the exact opposite of this sensation.
To get a Call-to-Action to stick out, a technique called contrast is utilized.
Color contrast is using elemental opposites (light colors vs. dark colors, complimentary colors vs. contrasting colors) in order to get an object to stand apart from its surroundings. When applied correctly, contrast allows the Call-to-Action to be the element that sticks out on a piece of signage. It will be the first place the viewers' eyeballs will head. This technique allows the message to be conveyed.
Contrast also aids in signage design flow. Once the Call-to-Action is displayed prominently on the sign and the designer knows where the eyeballs are heading to first, they can design accordingly.
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Let us know. By contrast we will help get you a Call-to-Action message that stands apart.