Being currently unemployed, someone asked me the other day if I was considering hanging out my own shingle. I hadn't heard this phrase for some time and considered how, hundreds of years ago, professionals would hang leftover slate roof tiles, painted with their business name, beside their front doors to let passersby know that they had gone into business for themselves.
Compared to some local examples of business signage in our city, I would say that a hand-painted tile shingle would make a large improvement over what currently exists. I'm shocked at what passes for a sign in Prince George: corrugated or thin plastic signs tacked onto the front facades of buildings, faded vinyl torn in the wind, broken signs with interior light bulbs poking through like Lite-Brite pegs.
I wonder how some signage passes city bylaws when they look so temporary in nature. If first impressions are truly important, a professional well-constructed, dare I say, attractive exterior sign is a critical introduction to a business. Information shared on a great website called www.sign.org indicates that signage is the least expensive but most effective form of advertising. They go so far as to credit signage as being responsible for half of your customers.
In this case you do get what you pay for and it is not uncommon for a standard sign to run you $3000-$10,000 depending on the size. I would argue that this is an investment that should be budgeted in any business plan involving a storefront and is well worth the cost for an existing business signage upgrade.
Exterior sign design is a combination of art and science. While I leave it to graphic design and signage professionals to customize a sign to a client's purpose and environment, there are several basic rules that can be followed. Ask yourself if the sign in front of your store meets the following criteria in order to be effective.
Is it lit? Even when a business is closed, a brightly lit sign in a dark sky or in poor weather is a valuable calling card keeping your business top of mind for potential customers. Is it large? Research shows that a sign mounted parallel to the road (on the front of a building) must be 70% larger than a sign mounted perpendicular to building (across the sidewalk).
Is it clear? Unless your business, like Google or Nike, has earned global recognition your sign should clearly indicate the kinds of products or services you provide. "Smith and Sons Chimney Cleaning" or "Nature's Way Organic Cleaning Products" used as sign text will drive more customers to your door than simply using "Smith and Sons" or "Nature's Way".
And finally, is it readable while in motion? If you are driving the speed limit down the street in front of your store (try from both directions), can you read your sign easily? Considering the speed of cars passing, the number of lanes, the placement of your sign, and the style of font being used, a general rule is that for a speed limit of 50 km/hour a sign should be visible from 150 feet away. At 60km/hour you would multiply by 2 and make your sign visible from 300 feet away. Make sure to test this in a moving vehicle as Prince George has less pedestrian foot traffic on its streets and more people driving to businesses due to weather conditions.
We're hearing a lot about improving the aesthetics of Prince George, especially in preparation for the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Let's start with store facades and signage in order to make a big impact! Until next week, stay in the black and keep coming back.
