Choosing the right signage is a bit like choosing the right outfit for a first date—it’s your business's first chance to make a lasting impression. But with so many options, how do you know which one actually drives foot traffic?
In this guide, we’ll break down six essential types of shop signage, why they matter for your brand, and our pro tips for designing signs that get noticed.
Looking for help to determine the type of shop signage you need? We've been in the custom sign industry in Ontario for over 10 years and we'd love to share our expertise with you. Contact us to learn more!
Key Takeaways: Building a Smarter shop Signage Strategy
Visibility is King: Use Pylon or Monument signs if your building is set back from the road to ensure drivers can find you easily.
Maximize Every Surface: From Vehicle Graphics that act as mobile billboards to Awnings that provide shade and extra seating space, every inch of your property is a marketing opportunity.
Consistency Builds Trust: Coordinating your Interior Signs with your exterior branding creates a professional, cohesive customer experience.
The "Rule of Simple": Avoid clutter. Effective signs use white space and high-contrast colors to remain legible at a glance.
Size Matters: Follow the Legibility Index—ensure your lettering is large enough to be read from the specific distance your customers are traveling.
Quality Equals Credibility: High-quality materials aren't just an investment in durability; they signal to customers that your business is professional and established.
1. Storefront shop Signage
Storefront signage is often the very first interaction a customer has with your brand. It needs to do two things instantly:
State your name
Clarify your service
If your business name is unique or abstract, incorporating a logo or industry-specific imagery ensures passersby don't have to guess what you do.
2. Pylons or Monuments
If your building is set back from the road or obscured by trees, ground-level signage is essential.
Pylon Signs: Towering at 12 feet or higher, these are designed to catch the eye of high-speed traffic from a distance.
Monument Signs: Standing at eye level (typically under 5 feet), these provide a sophisticated, permanent feel that welcomes customers as they turn into your lot.
Pylon and monument signs play an important role in pointing people to the location of your business. They are especially important if your facility is set back or hidden from the road.
Choose a design the complements your storefront signage to help to build brand recognition.
3. Vehicle Graphics
Turn your commute into a marketing campaign. Whether it’s a minimalist door decal or a high-impact full wrap, vehicle graphics offer one of the lowest costs-per-impression in advertising. It’s a 24/7 mobile billboard that builds local awareness every time you hit the road.
Vehicle graphics can range from simply having your business name and contact information on the side of your vehicle, to an extremely eye-catching graphic that takes up a large portion of the body complete with contact information and slogans.
4. Awnings
Custom awnings do more than just display your logo—they transform your architecture and enhance your 'curb appeal' by creating a premium feel.
By adding dimension to a flat facade, they make your shop look more inviting.
For restaurants and cafes, awnings provide a functional benefit by creating "weather-proof" outdoor seating, protecting your guests from sun, rain, and snow while increasing your usable square footage.
5. Interior Signs
Once a customer walks through the door, interior shop signage takes over.
From sleek reception logos and wayfinding directories to large-scale wall murals, these signs reinforce your brand's personality. Coordinated interior and exterior signage creates a seamless, professional environment that builds customer trust.
Examples include:
wayfinding signs and directories
social distancing signs
Installing interior signs that coordinate with your exterior signage is another great way to build brand recognition.
6. Banners
Banners are the ultimate tool for temporary promotions. Perfect for grand openings, seasonal sales, or trade shows, they can be mounted to your facade or used as freestanding displays. Because they are cost-effective and easy to swap out, they are the best way to keep your messaging fresh and urgent.
Banners can be hung across or down the facade of your building, across a road or parking lot or inside your building. They can be horizontal or vertically aligned and they can also be freestanding with their own stand.
7. Tips for Making Your Shop Signage Effective
Keep Your Shop Signage Simple
Don't be tempted to go overboard with your shop signage; you want to keep it simple. Don't overcrowd your space with too much text that takes too long to read or too many images that will confuse the viewer.
You need to have enough "white space" around your design elements to give the design an overall appealing look. If your sign is too wordy, then people will avoid reading it.
Make Your Shop Signage Easy to See and Read
The whole idea behind putting up shop signage is so that people will be able to read it. Make sure that the design that you choose is very easy to read. If you want it read from large distances, then you need to make it big enough to be seen.
The USSC Foundation has developed a Standard Legibility Index that will help you determine how big your letters need to be for the distance that you want them be be read from.
The legibility index will show you how far away your sign can be read for every 1 inch of your capital letter font.
For example, if your sign has a legibility index of 26, then it means that it should be legible from 26 feet away with one inch capital letters. If your capital letters are 10 inches, then your sign should be legible from 260 feet away.
Make Your Design Eye-Catching
Adding attractive images or logos can make your shop signage more appealing and they can also help to tell passersby what your business is about and help to promote your brand.
If you want your shop signage to stand out and catch the attention of potential customers, choose colours that will evoke the right kind of emotions or feelings.
For example red and yellows are good choices for fast food restaurants as they tend to excite and make people feel hungry while blue is a good colour for a bank or other financial institution as it evokes a feeling of tradition and trust.
Choose High Quality Materials
Using better quality materials will make your shop signage look more professional and will help you portray a higher class image for your business.
In addition, business signs can be a rather significant investment so it is a good idea to choose a company that will make your sign from high quality materials that will last.
Get custom shop signage from AGC Signs
If you need custom shop signage in Ontario, contact AGC Signs.
Unsure which sign is right for your location? Our team provides site surveys and expert design consultations to ensure you get the maximum return on your investment.
AGC Signs is your local signage expert. From design to installation, we handle it all.
With over 10 years of experience and a commitment to quality, we'll create the perfect sign for your business.
"I have used AGC Signs for our last 3 projects. I have found them very professional and cost competitive. They have also been very informative in helping with the design and production of our business sign and vinyl window graphics. I will not think twice in using them on our next project."
- Greg Halsall
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