5 Mistakes to avoid when purchasing Signs.

5 Mistakes to avoid when purchasing Signs.

Are you trying to come up with a design for your company’s new signs? Creating a successful sign isn’t something that you should leave to chance! It is important to start with a good logo or brand design as getting the sign wrong can not be costly but may also loose you business. If clients or customers don’t like your sign they probably will choose to go elsewhere. We are all told not to judge a book by its cover however we make purchase decisions based on feeling and expectations. The signs tell us so much more than a name. You can really get a feel for the ethos of the business and what to expect through the doors. Even the most successful entrepreneurs struggle to create attractive and effective signage especially when the third dimension of budget also comes into play. Most signs that don’t cut the grade have common mistakes. What are the mistakes I believe your thinking!

Phone Giant or is it?

Here are five common mistakes you’ll want to avoid:

& a few tips!

1. Not Planning. Before starting to create designs and choosing materials it’s important to plan. Think about the signs location, who will view it, where will they view it from, how long will they be able to view it for, what is the message you want to convey, colours, textures, how the sun light will effect visibility, is lighting required? How long will the sign be required for? Will it be updated? These are just a few considerations you should be looking at during pre design planning of your business signs.

English text 10 points / Welsh text reads – “I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated.”

2. Bad design. The design makes the sign! With advances in affordably priced design software companies are trying to reduce cost by designing their signs themselves. The only problem with this theory is the software doesn’t spell check, offer grammar advice, tell you the font size is not readable on a 10ft sign and colours will often be misrepresented. This often leads to a poor quality ineffective end product. It is worth paying a designer to create your design however choose a designer that designs signs everyday a, web designer or brochure designer will not have the knowledge to get the most out of your signs design.

Viewing Distance Guide

3. Incorrect spelling, telephone number and typos. As mentioned before design software does not spell check, it and the designer rely on correct information being supplied from the business. You will receive design concepts showing all the information of your sign to be signed off prior to production. It is important you triple check this as the information will not be checked by the production teams and the error will be on the order placers shoulders.

Check the content… Check the content again…

Errors happen but when signing off artwork, check 3 times or more and be certain!

4. Ordering the wrong size sign, incorrect fonts or colours.It is vitally important to have accurate measurements for your signs, and artwork that fits the dimensions required. Choosing fonts is also a downfall what looks good on a phone screen doesn’t mean it will be easily readable on a sign. Rule of thumb is 4” high bold letters can be read from 100ft. Colours are also a sticking point as they show differently on different screens and then print different on different printers. If you don’t have searches to match ask the Sign makers to supply some print samples with their final laminate coat to select the right colour.

I think this sign painter needs to go back to Sohool!

5. Wrong materials. The choice of material for your signs is also a failing point. Talk to your supplier about the materials and tell them what you need the material to do, they will advise on the right material for your job. Often signs that have been purchased to meet a certain budget both expensive or cheap are usually on a material not the most suitable for the application. In the cheaper end a thinner material that may buldge in the sun due to expansion and in the expensive rose gold for example only has a short exterior life span. In short ask an expert and weigh up the pros and cons.

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At Signserve we can help you avoid these issues! Really I hear you say, tell me more.

We offer a Free site survey to accurately measure for the new sign(s). We take a brief of your requirements to form your concept plan. We offer Free design with every sign to ensure only the best design to make your sign. Offer free visuals so you can check for errors and amend whilst giving you a choice of materials and the knowledge to pick the one most suitable for your project. So in short you avoid the 5 most common business sign mistakes!

What ever type of sign your planning for we can help call our team of experts on 01543 624200 or talk to us on live chat, we are waiting to hear your ideas. From idea to installation Signserve.