The high street is going through a tough time and businesses are having to work hard in order to keep customers coming into their shops. Sometimes the simplest of ideas can be easily overlooked, such as the humble pavement sign.
A pavement sign is a small but powerful investment that can dramatically increase foot traffic to your coffee shop or retail store. These much-underestimated signs, often also referred to as A-boards or sandwich boards, are perfect for capturing the attention of passersby who might otherwise walk right on by. At Medash Signs, we’ve worked with many cafes, restaurants and retail locations to create coffee shop signage and supplementary pavement signs that are both eye-catching and effective. In this blog post we are going to show you how to make the most of your pavement sign with design tips and placement strategies.
Effective Design Ideas for Pavement Signs
The key to a successful pavement sign lies in its simplicity. You have to remember that it is going to be viewed in mere seconds and has to be good enough to disrupt the passerby’s current travels. Here are a few pointers on how to do that:
Clear and Bold Text
Simplicity is key. Your pavement sign should communicate its message quickly and clearly. Use bold fonts that are easy to read from a distance. Focus on the main point—whether it’s “Today’s Special,” “Happy Hour,” or “Freshly Baked Pastries”—and keep additional text minimal to avoid overwhelming the viewer.
Use of Colour Contrast
To make sure your sign stands out, use high-contrast colours like black text on a white background or white text on a dark-coloured board. Bright accents, such as neon or pastel colours, can highlight key information without making the design too busy. Just be sure to maintain legibility and avoid colours that blend into the background of the street or shop exterior.
Incorporate Illustrations or Icons
Adding fun, light-hearted illustrations can make your pavement sign more memorable. Consider small coffee cup icons, arrows, or even sketches of your café’s best-selling items. A quick drawing of a croissant, for example, paired with “Fresh from the Oven” can catch attention and spark cravings. Equally, make sure that your designs work cohesively with other signage that you use, pairing well with window signs and matching the interior signage and design to create a flowing, identifiable brand.
Chalkboard Aesthetic
For a personal touch, chalkboard pavement signs remain highly effective. They allow for frequent updates and add a sense of authenticity to your message. With a chalkboard sign, you can easily switch up your daily specials or post fun, seasonal messages like “Pumpkin Spice Lattes Are Back!” This style works well for both rustic and modern cafes.
Interactive and Playful Messages
Clever, witty, or humorous messages are excellent for stopping people in their tracks. Think of playful phrases like “No Coffee, No Workee” or “Life Happens, Coffee Helps.” These types of signs are also highly shareable on social media, helping to increase your café’s visibility online.
Best Placement Strategies for Pavement Signs
Once you’ve created a well-designed pavement sign, the next step is to ensure it is positioned where it can have the greatest impact. Here are some placement ideas to maximise effectiveness:
Areas With High Foot Fall.
Place your pavement sign in high-traffic areas near your café, especially if your premises sit in a hard to spot location. Make sure it’s located where pedestrians naturally walk, but avoid blocking the sidewalk. A great spot is near the entrance, with enough space so people can stop to read without disrupting the flow of foot traffic.
At Road Crossings Busy Corners
If your coffee shop is located near a busy intersection or a crosswalk, position your pavement sign so that it’s clearly visible to people waiting for the light to change or crossing the street. The more people that walk by, the more chances they’ll notice your special offers or quirky messaging.
Placed Where The Eye Naturally Falls
So your sign may not be able to be positioned at eye level for pedestrians, but you can think carefully about where the eye naturally falls and try to position it there. If the sign is too low or high, it might be overlooked, especially if there’s a lot of visual clutter around. Angle it slightly toward the flow of traffic so people approaching from different directions can easily spot it.
Right at the Entrance
Positioning a pavement sign directly outside the entrance to your café is a simple but effective approach. This works especially well for promoting last-minute, impulse buys like fresh pastries or limited-time drinks. A well-placed sign just before someone enters your shop can reinforce their decision to pop in.
Seasonal or Rotating Spots
If your café is in a location where different spots get more traffic at different times of the day or year, consider moving your pavement sign to capitalise on those patterns. For example, place it near bus stops during the morning rush, or closer to nearby shops when retail foot traffic is highest.
Here’s an example of how a coffee shop could use pavement boards in cahoots with other signs in order to increase the custom to their bust town centre location:
- Firstly, they created a custom chalkboard A-frame with a rotating set of witty phrases and hand-drawn images of their seasonal drinks. By regularly updating their message, they created anticipation among regular passersby, who started looking forward to the new sign each day. As a result, their foot traffic increased, and many customers mentioned the sign as the reason they stopped by.
- Once this had been established, they then moved their pavement sign near a busy high street intersection, advertising an “Afternoon Coffee & Cake Deal” for people on lunch breaks. By positioning the sign in the path of commuters and shoppers, they were able to pull in a significant number of new customers who otherwise wouldn’t have noticed the café.
A well-designed, strategically placed pavement sign can be a game-changer for your coffee or retail shop, drawing in new customers and boosting sales. With the right design and placement, your pavement sign will quickly become one of your most effective marketing tools.
Whether you want to promote daily specials, advertise happy hours, or share a fun, witty message, Medash Signs are here to help you create a standout sign that suits your brand. Contact us today to get started.