The principal purpose of any sign is to grab attention. To do this, you must make a survey of the site prior to erecting your sign. A good site chosen at the beginning will provide you a long lasting low cost method to reach out your brand to a number of people. It is all about the location. The site survey result must be in sync with the marketing team and sales representative’s plans.
Illuminated sign installed on horizontal girts
The survey should incorporate the following:
Placement
The intended custom sign must face the incoming traffic. It can either directly face the intended target or the latter can swivel his head to read the sign. This can turn out to be important. To give an example, any sign that is directly in front of the intended audience and towards the right side is much more legible. However, it does not mean that the left side is not useful. Many custom signs are designed as such that they can be read across a traffic area.
Window graphics
The rules of good placement are also fully applicable for indoor signage as well. Signs should be placed where their visibility will be as wide as possible so as to maximize the potential impact of the sign. Indoor signs also benefit from being placed at eye level as it naturally draws attention from passers by
Interior wayfinding sign
However, it is much harder to anticipate behaviour when it comes to pedestrian traffic since determining where their gaze will be as well as their direction of travel is much harder.
The distance and angle of the sign to the viewer should be considered, along with its height from ground. Signs which are located further away from the high traffic area are much harder to read as they are not in direct line of vision. The viewers could also face difficulties reading those boards that are not angled well, too close to ground or floor, or too high from it.
Exposure
The worst situation when it comes to any sign is that the intended viewer is only able to read the sign only while passing it- and not from afar. There should be a “read length” to take in the message. It follows that signs located at intersections permit a lengthier read length as people or cars temporarily stop for chatting or stop signs. In case of outdoor custom signs, you should also take into account the speed limit of that particular stretch of the road. Drivers should read and comprehend the message both at 50 kph and 100 kph. It is logical, that a driver’s read length will be increased by slower speed and make the message much easier to decipher.
Signs placed indoors or intended for pedestrians can usually be a bit more verbose and convey more information since pedestrians are generally moving slower. These signs can also use smaller or stylized fonts with greater efficacy as pedestrians are in a better position to take more time reading a message, though this is still inadvisable when placing signage in confined, high traffic indoor spaces, such as a subway station. By contrast the subway trains themselves are suitable for longer form content as audiences are ‘captive’ during their commutes and are much more receptive to reading advertising or signage during these times.
Traffic volume is also important in this context. Heavily traveled paths mean the message will reach a greater number of people. Sign companies understand this- and you should make this implication an important factor in the site survey. This will ensure size and color of the sign. Lighting of the message will be influenced as well.
Readability & Visability
There is nothing worse than walking or driving past a partially obscured sign. The site for the sign must be surveyed for trees, buildings, light poles and wires if outside. Indoor hazards are corners, light fittings and structural fittings such as staircases, escalators, pillars etc. Do keep in mind that outdoors a few obstructions can be seasonal. Winter time may see unobstructed signs but the same could be obstructed by foliage during the summer. There is also another factor to consider: many signs can be illuminated. Without lighting, exterior signs can be useless at night. Do keep in mind that there may be local laws pertaining to how late into the night can these signs be illuminated.
Contour cut vinyl graphics
Environment
In high traffic areas, there is more than an even chance that there will be a large number of signs. They tend to clutter the immediate environment and compete for attention of the audience, becoming bigger. You should place your custom sign in a manner where they are most suitable to the area, for example, bright signage at night can be a nuisance to residents and disturb local wildlife
You should also avoid advertising in areas or next to controversial businesses that would result in readers potentially making negative brand association with your business
