Business signage is one of the strongest marketing tools a brand has. As the first point of contact for prospects, commercial and business signs in Dallas, TX, are critical to making lasting impressions.
Using Complicated Fonts
The font you choose directly affects the sign’s readability. Many businesses use decorative and/or overly stylized fonts that look good but are difficult to read from far away. If passersby cannot quickly and easily understand your message, the sign has lost its value. Always think about the text size for your sign to ensure proper visibility based on the distance it can be seen.
Ignoring Contrast and Color Balance
Some businesses will use colors that blend into one another, for example, light gray on white and red on black, rendering the letters unreadable. Select colors that contrast nicely, like dark letters on a light background. Ensure colors also convey something about the branding while staying visually arresting.
Overloading with Information
A business sign is not a brochure. Too often, business signs will have too much text, contact information, or advertising information. Readers often have only a few seconds to view a sign, so one can see why clarity and simplicity are vital. Focus on your business name, tagline, and perhaps a website and/or phone number.
Poor Placement of the Sign
A typical error is placing signs where they are completely hidden by trees, poles, or buildings. Signs that are too high, too low, or at awkward angles can also limit the sign’s effectiveness, as they reduce visibility. Pay attention to the sight line of pedestrians and drivers. Your sign needs to be at their eye level. Your sign should also be visible and noticeable from a distance.
Neglecting Brand Consistency
Using colors, fonts, and logos that do not fit the overall branding creates confusion. For example, let’s say your brand uses green and blue, but the sign is decorated in red and yellow; this could confuse customers and prohibit them from recognizing it as your sign. Having consistent branding can build recognition and trust over time.
Choosing the Wrong Materials
If you use materials that don’t withstand the weather, your signs will become faded, cracked, and damaged, and could create a poor perception of your business. Your company may seem to lack professionalism if your sign looks flimsy. You should also consider the elements where the sign will be displayed: indoors, outdoors, or in high exposure to sunlight.
Ignoring Readability from a Distance
Signs should be legible both up close and from a distance. A lot of businesses develop signs that look wonderful in a design file but fail in the real world. Tiny font, thin lines, or just being overly complicated on paper may seem significant, but are in fact never visible from a distance. The rule of thumb is that 1″ of letter height should be viewable at ~10′.
Skipping Professional Help
DIY design tools are fine, but professionals know what they are doing, and it makes a difference. When designing signs, many people will do it in-house to save money, only to have it look amateurish and unprofessional. Professionals know about color psychology, typography, and space, and align them to maximize the effectiveness of your sign.
Failing to Include a Call to Action
Signs should do more than display your brand; they should also create engagement. A common mistake is simply leaving off a call to action (CTA) from the sign. It doesn’t matter if the CTA is “visit us today!” or “call now!” or “order online”; it gives the prospective customer a level of direction. Without a CTA, it immediately becomes a passive spectator looking at the sign, even if they admire the design.
Not Updating Outdated Signs
If a sign has faded colors, bulbs out, or an old design, it will make a prospective customer think twice, and they may perceive that you are not reliable, or they will simply go to the next place. If you simply update the sign to current branding, modern elements, and feel/relevant color combinations, and provide clear information, a prospective customer will take notice and think you are active and a professional business.