The new year can be a great time to explore fresh signage opportunities for your business.
The start of a new year is always a good time to take stock of your situation and look for possible avenues of improvement and upgrade.
As 2022 is just getting under way, it may be worth taking a moment to take a close look at your existing signage and see if it could do with a refresh. Could now be the right time to give your business a fresh look for the coming year?
In this post, we’re going to delve into the topic of updating your signs. What do you need to know? Where should you start? Read on to find out…
When should you update your business signs?
There are many reasons why you might feel as though it’s time for a change. Some common motivators for getting new signage may include:
- The current sign is outdated – it’s hard to look cutting-edge and interesting if your existing design went out of fashion years ago.
- The design is poor – bad colour choices and cluttered, unreadable text are common reasons to want to get a new sign done.
- The existing sign isn’t bold enough – after all, you want your branding to stand out and get noticed. If you don’t stick out from the crowd, customers just aren’t going to pay attention.
- Disrepair – if the old sign is dirty or falling apart it might just be time to get rid of it.
- Not on-brand – if your signage doesn’t align with the rest of your branding elements as seen in other places (for example, if it uses different fonts and colours to your normal choices), it’s a very good idea to get it redone in favour of something more consistent.
- Too similar to competitors – if your current aesthetic is too much like your business rivals, this can cause branding problems. At best, it means your company fails to make a distinct impression; at worst, you can even seem like a copycat.
If any of these issues sound familiar, then you may well be in need of a signage makeover.
Do you need to update your branding, too?
Ideally, your signage should be congruent with your wider brand aesthetic. In other words, your signage should have a unified look (in terms of colours and fonts and so on) with your website, your printed brochures, your social media accounts, and so on.
Therefore, when considering a signage change it may be worth thinking about whether it is just your signs you want to upgrade, or whether it may be time to overhaul your whole brand.
This is important, because you’ll need to know whether your new signage should match the branding elements you’ve already established or whether it’s going to be a total revamp.
What can you change?
On any signage project there are numerous choices that must be made with regard to design elements, lettering, and so on.
Some of the things you might consider include:
- Typography – what would be an appropriate font to capture the spirit and character of your business? For best results, this font should be clear, legible, and uncluttered for maximum readability.
- Colours – the hue(s) you pick to represent your company can suggest different things to passers-by (in fact, we wrote a post about that a while ago).
- Logo – do you have an iconographic logo? Do you think you need one? Should it be present on your signage? These are all important branding questions to ask.
- Slogan – not every sign needs a slogan, but should you include one in your design?
- Illumination – does your new sign need to glow?
Ideally, your new design should be bold, clear, congruent with your brand identity, and distinctive.
You may find it helps to look around at other examples of signage seen on businesses in different niches to yours. This is a good way to get inspired and to pick up some interesting design ideas, which you may be able to adapt to suit your particular needs.
Additional types of signage
Of course, you don’t have to just change the main sign over the door. Depending on your business and the premises, you may have a need for many other different types of signs to go along with the new look.
For example, interior signs such as wayfinding graphics, printed wall and window decals and signs marking important areas such as payment points, reception desks and customer toilets may all benefit from updated signage.
There are also different types of exterior signs you might decide to install, such as projecting signs mounted on the wall of your building, or free-standing signs that can be installed some distance away (such as in a car park).
How do you get new signage made?
When you have a clear idea of what you want for your new look, it’s time to call in the professionals.
A good sign company will be able to work with you to help turn your vision into reality, taking into account your budget and the available time frame. It’s a good idea to ask around and find a trusted, reliable signage provider with a lot of experience.
Here at Medash Signs, we’ve been designing, manufacturing and installing signage for all sorts of brands and businesses for over four decades. At our 10,000 square foot factory in Ashford we can fabricate a wide variety of signage types to fulfil many types of projects, and we also offer an ongoing program of care for all of our signs after installation. After all, you’ll want to know that your signage will continue to look great for a long time to come.
Ultimately, the new year represents a golden opportunity to give your business signage a facelift and present a fresh look for the coming year – and showcase a bold new design that your visitors and customers are sure to love.
To find out how we can help you with your signage redesign for 2022, please don’t hesitate to call us on 01233 625383 or send us a message via the website.