Sign Design Tips and Tricks
Designing your own custom sign requires some knowledge about what your intended goal is going to be. Most Corrugated signs are made as lightweight signs that can be folded and carried with ease. People use corrugated signs for things like sporting events, political rallies and all other special events where a handheld sign can be used. We also use corrugated plastic for the creation of our yard signs.
Most people will use an aluminum sign for a more professional and longer lasting sign. These signs are usually installed in places like garages, man caves, theater rooms. Sometimes customers will use our aluminum signs for outdoor purposes for things like parking spots, business listings and driving directions.
When designing your own custom signs, regardless of the kind of material, you will want to take into consideration the optimal viewing distance. How far away will your audience be when viewing your sign? How long will they have to read your sign? What else is going on around your sign that might prevent someone from seeing your sign.
Knowing the average distance distance most people will be from your sign will help determine just how big your sign will need to be. Make the sign too small and people may not be able to read your message. Make the sign too big and you'll be paying more for your sign than is necessary. Knowing the distance people will be when viewing your sign will also help determine just how big the text needs to be, in order to be legible. We have done a few case studies about text height, font selection and legibility. You can read more about these best practices through our Viewing Distance Tutorial. The amount of content used in your design (content is text, images and other design elements) can also make it difficult to read. The best method is to keep it simple; less is more. You can read more about setting up your design through our Graphic Design Basics section under our Learning Center.
Knowing how long your sign will be seen will also play a factor in your design. If users only have a few seconds to see the sign then perhaps you my need to reduce the message to something more basic. Have you ever seen a billboard, while driving down the highway, that contained more information than you could absorb while taking your eyes off the road? This is a similar situation. For best results keep the design simple and the message clear. If the information is not vital then consider removing it. For example, many customers feel like they need their phone number, website address, pictures of their product or service, business logo and more. What you may actually find, is that customers may only need your website address and not your phone number.
It is also valuable to know where you will install your sign. If you're looking to order a Custom Yard Sign consider the background for your sign. What else is going on around your sign that might drown out your message? For example if you intend to order a green yard sign for lawn care, your sign might become lost or harder to recognize when placed in a nice green yard. Consider instead a sign that contrasts with its surroundings and draw the attention of the people you want to see your sign.