SBS XII: Signage: Your Biggest Business Card

Cocktail parties, trade association meetings and airplanes all have the potential of being excellent networking opportunities. A penchant for conversation and a friendly smile can go a long way, especially when your business card leaves new contacts with a positive impression of your company. But while you can only hand out these "miniature signs" to as many people as you meet, a well-thought-out signage effort reaches masses of potential customers all day, seven days a week.

Whether a storefront sign or a highway billboard, signage can be an important marketing tool because it is often the first thing a customer sees. In fact, not only will a good sign increase company visibility, but it can help establish market credibility and reaffirm customer loyalty. While the right sign will increase your company's exposure and create sales opportunities, the wrong sign can lessen your store's attractiveness or even drive customers away.

Because hiring an outside designer is costly, businesses often choose to design their own signs. Keep the following suggestions in mind when doing so.

Identifying Your Image

Since a customer's first impression of your company may well be based on your sign, it is crucial to decide what kind of image you want to project. "The first step is to create a 'core story' about your business. What does it do? Where does your firm excel? What image do you want to convey to consumers?" says Adrienne Weiss, CEO and president of Adrienne Weiss Corporation, a branding think tank that specializes in store graphics. "Your core story should be intellectual: something that makes sense and is thought provoking. It should also be emotional, that is, something consumers can react to." Once you have identified this image, manifest it through every possible communications element in your business.

Establishing Your Budget

A budget range can help you design your sign and discuss alternatives with a sign maker. Signs range from as little as $100 to thousands of dollars for self-programmable, scrolling electronic signs.

Style and Layout

When planning your design, remember one overriding principle: keep it simple and clear. The most effective signs are easy to understand and recognize. "Look at the signs and logos for companies like Nike, Shell or Pepsi," notes Southern California design consultant Rosa Yeong. "They are simple and basic, and when you see them, you recognize them right away."

Message

According to the Traffic Audit Bureau, highway signs can be seen for six seconds at most by a driver or passenger traveling at 55 miles per hour. By comparison, the average glance at a building or storefront sign lasts only two or three seconds. What do these statistics mean? Keep your message short and simple. Potential customers will not read a long or complicated message. Select only a few themes and use no more than seven words. A humorous or thought-provoking message will often attract attention. Finally, make sure your message is printed in a legible typeface.

Color

Colors should also be used to reinforce your company image. "A sign is part of the identity you establish," says Tony Camilletti, vice president of Visual Communications for Jon Greenberg & Associates. "If your corporate colors are green and blue, make sure that they stand out in a sign-for example, by juxtaposing these colors over a light background."

In addition, the right use of color can help attract viewer attention. Computer technology makes it possible to create hundreds of colors by mixing percentages of different hues. According to Yeong, bright colors are excellent if your purpose is to attract attention. Contrasting colors (e.g., black and white, dark blue and orange, yellow and purple) will increase the range of visibility. Be creative in your choice. If you use colors that everyone uses, your sign will be boring. In the words of Camilletti, "Be unique, but effective."

Colors also create a certain mood. According to Yeong, darker colors evoke a more serious mood while lighter colors reflect a happy and lighthearted one. "Vibrant colors (red, fuchsia, yellow) are attention grabbing and will stop a viewer's eyes, while milder colors like silver, white, blue or green will convey a calmer or peaceful image."

Sign Material

Different materials provide different advantages and disadvantages. For example, neon signs attract attention because of their vibrant color, warm glow and crisp look. But be warned, they pose a fire hazard if installed improperly.

Other options include metals, wood, plastic, foam and fiberglass-which is appropriate for harsh weather conditions. According to Sandra Bishop, owner of Sign Solutions in Newport Beach, California, metal signs such as stainless steel, aluminum and bronze afford approximately 30 years of durability, depending on the maintenance-which can be intensive. A metal sign, for instance, may require resurfacing every one to two years as a result of corrosion. On the other hand, materials such as foam, MDO, sintra and medex require less maintenance, but last only three to five years.

In choosing the most appropriate material, also consider the image you are trying to convey. "The materials used in a sign should relate to the message the sign is projecting," advises Bruce Yelaska, owner of Bruce Yelaska Design. For example, an industrial theme can best be reinforced by using scrap metal type materials. Affirms Louis Nonno, partner at Babcock, Schmid, Louis and Partners, "A sign's material can be used to effectively enhance your company's overall image."

Surroundings

Designing an effective sign is not an end in itself. "A sign must draw attention, yet relate to what is around it," says Yelaska, "taking environmental constraints into account." "Remember that the main purpose of a sign is to be noticed," adds Nonno. "You don't want your sign to blend in, but rather to stand out in its surroundings."

Location

A big part of a sign's effectiveness is its ability to be seen by many people. When choosing a location for your sign, look for places with heavy traffic (major thoroughfares and intersections) and excellent frontage. "You should consider the sight line for the sign," says Peter Cannon, owner of Fastsigns of Santa Monica. "A good question to ask yourself is 'from how far and which direction will readers see the sign?'"

A good sign is not only simple and easy to understand, but also communicates. A sign with an excellent graphic or a catchy slogan is useless if it doesn't convey what your business does. Be creative and thoughtful in the design and installation of your sign. Like your business card, it can play an often undervalued but important role in attracting new customers-a key component to bottom-line success.

Electronic Signs May Be the Solution

Electronic signs (indoors or outdoors) are guaranteed to catch people's attention. Not only are they easy to manage, but they also allow for customized messages. The following guidelines will familiarize you with the nuts and bolts of this signage alternative.

Visibility: For every 1-inch increase in character height, visibility usually increases about 50 feet.

Character Height: As a rule of thumb, the following guidelines should be observed: 24 inches for long-distance highways, 81/2 inches or 12 inches for surface streets, 4 inches for warehouse settings and 2 inches for indoor office settings.

Size of Sign: Board sizes are categorized by pixels (e.g., a 10 x 80 board is 10 pixels high and 80 pixels wide). A typical character spans 7 pixels vertically and 5 pixels horizontally. A board stretching 120 pixels will fit 20 characters including spaces (120 pixels / 6 pixels per character, space included).

Color: Choose a color appropriate to the mood you wish to convey. Single-color signs are sufficient for informational signs. Additional colors add interest and contrast to your sign. Options include 3-color, 9-color, 256-color, 262,000-color, and 4,000,000-(full) color signs.

Programming: Hand-held remote programming is sufficient for indoor or infrequently changed (once a week) signs. Computer-controlled programming is more suitable for signs at more remote distances or signs that go through frequent message changes.

Graphics and Text: For the sake of accuracy, signs with graphics (e.g., logos or animation) should be at least 24 pixels tall. Text-only signs can easily be displayed on 10 pixel tall boards.

Complying with Signage Regulations

Did you know that a sign designated to be displayed outdoors is subject to a variety of local, state and even federal regulations? Failure to comply with these regulations may result in the removal of the sign at your expense and possibly a fine. The following categories cover some of these rules and regulations, all of which are very specific in nature.

Permit: Almost every sign, whether a storefront, building or freeway sign, requires a permit. Local permits may be obtained through your City Department of Planning or Building. Freeway or highway sign permits are available at your State Highway Administration.

Placement: All signs must be placed within an area zoned commercial or industrial. There are also certain areas within a city where signs are prohibited.

Size: The area of a sign may be limited to a set maximum measurement (e.g., not exceeding 24 square feet) or a certain proportion to its surroundings (e.g., less than 1/3 of the window area for a window sign).

Height: In most cases, a wall or projecting sign may not be placed at an elevation that is higher than the structure to which it is attached. An absolute height limit may also apply to freestanding signs in certain cities or zones.

Quantity: Sometimes, the city may restrict the number of signs your business can have. For example, the city of Pasadena allows a maximum of two storefront signs per company.

Projection: Depending on the location and the nature of your sign, there can be a limit on how far your sign may project. For example, zone NC-3 in the city of San Francisco does not restrict the projection of wall signs but limits all freestanding signs to less than 6'6" or 75 percent of the horizontal distance from the street property line to the curb.

Safety: For any sign, there are certain safety regulations with which you must comply. Contact OSHA at (202) 219-8148 to see which regulations apply to you.

Different regulations will apply to one type of sign, but not another. Window, identifying, wall, projecting, freestanding, awning or general advertising signs all have their own set of rules. Regulations also vary according to the zone in which your sign will be placed. To determine which specific regulations apply, contact your City's Department of Planning or Zoning. If your sign is on state property (such as freeways or highways), contact your state's Department of Highways. Numbers for these agencies can be found in phone directories at your local library. For questions regarding signs adjacent to interstate highways, contact the Federal Highway Administration at (202) 366-0660.

Excerpted with permission from Small Business Success, Volume XII, produced by Pacific Bell Directory in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration.