Besides poor placement, the biggest mistake we see with storefront signage has to do with readability. Muted colors, tiny print, confusing fonts, and complicated design can all lead to a sign that’s hard for customers to read. Remember, if people can’t read your sign while they are driving and concentrating on other things, then your sign won’t work in your favor.
Turning Your Logo into a Sign
A Storefront sign should match all of your other branding materials. The more consistent you are with your branding materials, from printed materials, business cards, social media, and signage, the more likely you are to gain recognition. However, not all of your branding will translate to a big storefront or street sign.
Logo Scaleability
Before you blow up your logo and put it on a big sign to advertise your store, or even on the storefront sign, make sure the logo translates to a larger format. Sometimes, a delicate and intricate logo may look great on a smaller scale – business cards, menus, flyers – but not as great when enlarged. If this is the case, it may not be in your best interest to add the logo to the sign. You want the logo to be recognizable and legible, and if that doesn’t work for a sign, you’re better off creating a one that has other elements for brand recognition.
Fonts
The font that you use for your logo and store name should be repeated on your storefront sign. The consistent font will increase recognition and start to become synonymous with your store. Make sure that when you scale up your font that you make it legible. The fine print may be useful on a smaller scale, but on a big sign, it needs to be readable from afar and from various angles. It’s recommended that you make the type and lettering bolder, while still keeping the essence of the font the same.
Colors
The color of your sign should also be consistent, but you might think about brightening up the color to make it stand out a bit more. Some colors like blues and greens can sometimes wash out when you are looking at the sign from afar. You don’t want the blues and greens to blend in too much with surrounding sky and nature. Think about adding a contrasting border to make the colors pop.
