Signage: It Can Make or Break Your New Business

As a business owner you have a million decisions to make, especially when opening a new location or getting a first time business off the ground.  As you wade through government red tape for permits and legal protections, contractor decisions for the set-up of your facility, and marketing choices to best get the word out, you may not be giving your sign a whole lot of thought….but you really should.  Undervaluing the power of the first impression that your sign will make could be catastrophic to your business.

While traveling recently, we came across a great example of the damage that can be done by not using good signage.  A new business had just moved in to the area and set-up a fantastic facility for kids to jump on trampolines and run through ninja courses.  They did everything right with the facility.  The inside was clean, had bright colors, was well laid out, and had many friendly employees ready to engage kids in an afternoon of fun.  They did everything right with the marketing.  They hit social media hard, promoted on local radio stations, and offered deals to get people in to check it out.  It looked like this company was set-up for success with parents throughout the area talking about taking their kids there.  Unfortunately things went downhill when parents pulled in to the parking lot.

As many of these types of places are, this one was located in a large warehouse style building at the end of a strip mall.  This means an enormous surface area on the front of the building in which to put a sign.  This business chose however to print out a small banner to hang over the door.  It wasn’t properly secured and was thus flapping in the breeze, making it difficult to even read what it said.  Sadly many people pulled into the parking lot and either couldn’t find the place, or saw the sad little banner and decided to move on.  The impression it gave to parents was that this place was a fly-by-night company which did not instill the confidence parents want before taking their children inside.  These potential customers never had the chance to see the amazing facility inside or the eager-to-please staff members.

To avoid shooting your new business in the foot before you even get it off the ground, make sure your signage sends the appropriate message to your new customers.  They’ve got to feel comfortable that your business is legitimate.  If you do an amazing job inside, but your customers never walk through the front door, you’ve lost before you’ve even started.  Infinity Signs NW can make sure you don’t end up in this situation.  Our design team will help you come up with just the right signage to market your business to the community, our manufacturing team will create something beautiful, and our installers will make sure the work is properly completed. So before your big launch contact Infinity Signs NW and make sure you hit the ground running.

Interior Signs: Acrylic vs Photopolymer

The majority of interior signage is made from either acrylic or photopolymer, and while sign makers will certainly know the difference, the average consumer may not.  When your business is looking to create new interior, ADA compliant, directional signage you’ll want to consider the pros and cons of both options.  Either material can be used to create signs that are informative, and meet all government requirements for ADA compliance, but there are definitely differences between the two.

Acrylic – in many facilities acrylic is the material of choice simply because it’s generally the most economical option.  When using acrylic a raised text is applied to the face of the sign and a raster fit method of braille insertion is used to create a compliant, affordable, and visually appealing final product.  On acrylic material it’s no problem to add graphics through digital printing or applying vinyl.  These signs can also have 1/32” thick plastic text bonded to them in order to meet ADA requirements.  All of this can be done at the appropriate surface gloss level to avoid too much glare.

Photopolymer – this is the material of choice for buildings that need signs with a higher degree of durability.  These signs are virtually indestructible and vandalism proof.  In places that are often unprotected, or out of view of the general public, such as educational facilities or other public buildings, using photopolymer makes the most sense.  With photopolymer signs the raised text and braille are actually printed as part of the sign itself, rather than bonded on after the fact.  This makes it impossible for them to be defaced or removed. These signs can also have graphics added to them through digital printing or vinyl application.  In order to achieve this higher level of durability the signs are made from a slightly more expensive material than the acrylic, this can be compensated for by reducing the frequency of replacement in certain environments. Photopolymer will still meet the requirements for raised lettering heights, surface gloss and non-glare in order to stay ADA compliant.

If you’re not sure which option makes the most sense for your business, get a quote on both from Infinity Signs NW and talk with your sign designer for additional suggestions.  In either situation the look of bright new signs throughout your building can send a message to visitors that your company is headed in a fresh, new direction.

New Year, New Look

As we begin 2019, is it time for your business to get a new look?  Do you need to mix it up to grab customer’s attention again?  The best way is to reevaluate your signage.  After a while people drive by the same signs over and over and completely miss what they even say.  Haven’t you ever had that experience?  You drive through an area you’ve driven through a thousand times before and all of the sudden realize there’s a store there that you never knew existed.  Many times it turns out that the store has been there for 20 years.

What can you do to make sure your business isn’t in that situation?  Change up the look of your signage periodically.  Having something fresh and different will stand out to customers and cause them to take a second look.  Getting a new look can mean an entirely new exterior sign, the addition of an electronic sign, a new banner or special event sign, or simply a facelift of the existing signage.

Infinity Signs NW can help with all of these services.  Our installation team can take a look at your existing signage and make recommendations on everything from giving it a good cleaning to servicing and repairing anything that’s been damaged. The design team is also available to work with you if you’re looking to go in a new direction entirely.  You’ll need to consider whether you want to keep some of your existing sign features such as font, color, or use of images or scrap everything and completely start over.  This is where working with a design artist can be extremely helpful.  Let us work up some images for you to give you an idea of what it would look like to make big changes verses smaller ones and then you decide which best reflects your business.

The quick turn around on manufacturing from Infinity Signs NW means you’ll be getting the benefits of your new signage right away.  You’ll be sure to get everything you can out of this New Year.  The installation staff will have your new signs up promoting your company before you know it.  Make 2019 the year your company stands out from the crowd with a new look in the community.  This could be just what you need to bring in new customers and grow your business this year.