How to design an attention-grabbing shop sign
Shop front signs have a lot of work to do. Like all building signs, they need to be bold, clean and in good condition to show your shop at its best.
Exterior signs need to be easily visible, and that puts space at a premium. Building signs can also benefit from being lit up, not only at night but also during the day in bad weather and early winter evenings.
Shop sign design is an artform in itself. At Signs Northwest we offer a full design service, but here are some top tips on how to design a shop sign with maximum impact.
Signs that suit you
Retail exterior signs come in a lot of different types. You might have a preferred type of shop sign upfront, or you might let your design dictate the best option.
Some of the most common types of shop front signs include:
• Built-up letters
• Flat cut signs
• Flex face signs
• Illuminated signs
• Sign trays
You can find more about each of these on our website, along with many more options for shop front signs listed under Exterior Signs on the main menu.
Eye-catching colours
Colour plays a big part in shop sign design and there are a few factors that could influence your colour choices:
• Your brand identity and colours you already use
• Your location (e.g. to match or contrast with your neighbours)
• Visibility at distance (i.e. high-contrast colours)
Illuminated signs are a good option for year-round visibility and if you want your building signs to be seen at night. Built-up letters can be lit from behind, giving an attractive halo effect.
Fabulous fonts
Shop front signs can use any type of font, from big bold display typefaces to elegant serif and script fonts – just make sure you choose something that’s easy to read.
If you’re not sure which font would be best suited to your shop sign, or which typefaces work best with each type of sign, just ask. We offer a full design process, taking your preferences into account throughout.
And if you have a favourite font and want to check if we can use it on a shop exterior sign for you, just get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.
All the essentials
Finally, make sure your shop sign design includes all the information you want passers-by to see, including pedestrians and also drivers if you’re on a road with passing traffic.
This can be a balancing act – you want your shop name to be as big as possible, but you might also want to save some space to display your address, contact details or website URL.
Read about this in more detail in our recent blog post 5 Things to Include on Shop Signs or take a look at our Instagram for some examples of our retail signage work.
Find out more
If you have any questions about any of the above, or you’d like to make an enquiry about a shop sign design and installation for your premises, please get in touch – we’re always happy to hear from new and existing customers!