With businesses everywhere welcoming back customers and employees, now is an ideal time to consider an upgrade to your indoor layout with some interior signage options.
While you may already have an awesome looking sign to bring people in, you need your indoor space to convey what your outdoor signage has promised. Thankfully, there are many ways interior signage and window graphics can achieve this – and turn a walk-in into a sale.
Why you should consider interior signage
Research shows that if a customer doesn’t like their surroundings, 52% will not return. That’s a high number if your business relies on repeat custom. But what if you could turn a boring or stressful shop into a fun and relaxed one? Outside of the services you provide or sell, the look of your space is one of the aspects of your business that you have complete control over, and is worth the investment in the long term.
It is also worth considering how the workspace works for your employees. A motivational workspace can improve workers’ moods by up to 33%, making your employees happier and more productive.
Good signage and full use of the space inside your property can also help to create a stronger brand for your business. Think of matching colours for the opening times on the door, your menu, leaflets, or the toilet door sign; the inspirational quote decal on the wall, the large company logo behind your shelving. All of this contributes to a cohesive and professional image, without the need to buy expensive furniture to make your space interesting.
Planning your interior signage
Interior signage can help to create consistent visual branding while also communicating your company values. Think back to when you’ve visited an office or company building for the first time. Were the walls bare? How did that make you feel? White space can be good for a corporate setting, but it can also feel sterile; or worse, end up plastered with posters and leaflets that quickly become tatty and tired-looking.
The best way to decide how you should decorate your interiors is to walk out of the front door, and approach your business as a customer would. Your amazing fascia signage has got them through the front door – now what? Does your inside space reflect your company, or are your walls, windows, hallways and waiting rooms blank canvases, devoid of any personality?
Physically walk around, taking the route a new customer would. Does your reception need a sign to be identified? Could the waiting area do with a wide format printed graphic, or an illuminated sign with your company logo? Do you have a large blank wall behind your workspace or products? How would a back lit 3D lettering logo look there? We can do on-site visits to better understand your personal needs, and use our technical know-how to produce products that will have the biggest impact on your business.
Customers always need to feel relaxed, regardless of the industry. Take this example: in sales environments, customers that are relaxed have been shown to focus on abstract benefits of a product such as quality of life rather than concrete specifications, which may make them question whether a product is necessary at all.
Achieving this will mean different things for different businesses. A laid back, jovial feel would work in a clothes shop, but not in a bank, where relaxation is imparted by a sense of trust in the company. This is why dark woods and strong colours are usually used in financial settings, as they convey competence and trustworthiness.
Studies have shown that 29% of customers make their decisions based on information that is gathered by shop signs, so it is worth taking the time to think carefully about how they are designed.
It’s worth considering all of these points before embarking on any type of interior signage. If you’re starting a new business – or moving to new premises – coming up with a plan first will ensure that everything looks cohesive, no matter what the budget or scale of your branding may be.
Types of interior signage
Whether you are looking for indoor office signs, restaurant interior signage, or simply creative ideas for a new shop interior, there is so much out there that will help your customers and make your space look appealing and professional.
This can vary from purely practical to design-based signage, to simply making your space look nice and promoting brand awareness (think of all the shiny McDonald’s logos inside their seating areas). Here are a few of the signage options on offer:
Wayfinding signs
You know your way around your workplace, but does your customer? Signposts (wayfinding) or direction signs are something to consider if people have to ask where to go, or if there are multiple distinct areas in your space.
If you have spaces that are closed to the public, this could be an ideal opportunity to add in some of your branding! We’ve seen businesses inject humour into signs that reference pop culture, avoiding the stuffy didactic impression that these kinds of signs usually convey.
We can provide numerous formats for these kinds of signs – and as they are generally long term or permanent fixtures, you can budget for something that really looks good. From large format decals to an engraved sign, we have something for every style and budget.
Wall murals or wide format print
Nothing has quite as much impact as a wide format wall graphic – and they can be used both for decoration and to display your brand assets. Say you are based in a city with a beautiful cathedral: how about a full sized wall graphic of it?
Alternatively, you could use the same format to convey information about your location or business. A hospital corridor will look very different from an up and coming start up business. How about a wall full of cool statistics, or ‘wins’ your company has made? Using your brand colours and different fonts can be a fun way to get information across to a potential customer as they sit in the waiting room.
Interior business signs
Some spaces may require more substantial interior signage, such as a sign to signify where reception is, or a menu board. 3D letters or engraved plaques often look best for this, but a well designed wall graphic can work just as well. These signs are usually large and eye-catching, so you want it to convey your brand from the beginning. It is also worth considering whether you want it lit up to make it stand out more – particularly if it will be visible from the outside.
Brand logo
Maybe you are short on space or budget, but you still want to add something to your interior. A well made logo or wordmark can really help bring a room together, and make it look more professional. If you go for an illuminated sign with LED lights, it may also serve as something viewable from outside at night.
Safety signs
Perhaps the most important kind of interior signage to consider, safety signage must be easy to read, clearly displayed, and conform to set legal guidelines. We have been producing high quality safety signage for decades, and can help you find the best way to display it.
Shop window graphics & one way window graphics
One of the least utilised spaces in an office or store front can be the huge glass windows common to many commercial properties. Nowadays, you don’t have to compromise between advertising and natural daylight: thanks to Contravision films, you can create striking one way window graphics from the outside, and completely see-through windows from the inside.
Want something even more colourful? Consider using window decal graphics. These can be used inside the glass as well as outside, and can really brighten up a room while also still letting light in. We can produce these window graphics in any size or shape that you require. Some indoor spaces also have large pieces of glass to separate rooms or areas – something to consider when deciding on interior business signs.
Tips for interior signage for businesses
Make use of anything you can to promote brand consistency! It doesn’t necessarily have to have your logo on every sign, but a strong colour scheme and brand identity can help to make a place feel put together and professional.
For example, say you are a coffee shop that likes to be a bit tongue in cheek: your menu items may contain puns, your please wait here sign has a comical cartoon, your font choice may look a bit like a child’s handwriting. This sort of consistency is why it is always a good idea to have a brand plan in place, even if it is as simple as a chosen font and two colours.
We can help with all of these design choices, as we include design in our services. If you don’t already have established brand assets, we’ll happily make this a reality too.
Another thing to consider, depending on what type of business you are, is what the customer will take away with them. As well as brilliant service and comfortable surroundings, there are some companies that are using their spaces to create talking points for their customers.
Think about it this way: if there are seven hairdressers in a town, all with reasonably similar products on offer, but one has an amazing looking interior that people want to share on their social media, which hairdresser do you think may have more customers? For the cost of a wide format decal or 3D sign, you can have both great advertising and a more welcoming environment.
Solving problems with interior signage
Maybe your business doesn’t have an external front. In many cases you can still get creative, and use any available space to showcase your brand to the world. This doesn’t just have to be your name and logo; it can simply be using your brand colours and font on all other signs. Quotes or phrases that support a company’s ethos have been getting more and more popular in recent years.
Have a window but nowhere to put a sign? You could have a huge backlit logo/name on a back wall that is visible through the glass. We can draw on our 40+ years’ experience to help you solve any problems, and come up with the best bespoke solution for your own business interior signage needs.
Final Thoughts
The inside of your workspace is just as important as the exterior for gaining and keeping customers. Thankfully, there are many ways that interior signage can help make it a happy place to be, while also promoting your company brand and ideas.
Whatever way you choose to brand the interior of your workspace, we are here to bring your internal signage ideas to life. We can draw on our decades of experience to help you come up with and install whatever you need to help your business thrive – one sign at a time.