In pursuit of effective, powerful marketing, many companies turn to customized advertising signs; one of the most versatile options available.
As every business knows, effective marketing is a core part of running a successful business. After establishing a business model, developing a product, and making a financial plan, marketing is the essential step that allows a business to find clients to work with and expand its reach.
In the world of marketing, advertising signs can take a myriad of forms, from large, backlit storefront signs, to utilitarian curbside signs, to smaller portable signs. This blog post will expand on the options and flexibility offered by smaller, customizable signs.
Click the links below to be taken to each corresponding section. Each sign type will be described, along with its limitations and applications, followed by a brief section offering some useful links and ideas concerning the dos and don’ts of advertising sign design:
If you want to take action and commission a custom sign for your business, AGC Signs has experience designing quality signs to suit every need.
Contact AGC for a free quote today.
Explore the Flexibility of Custom Advertising Signs
BANNERS
Banner signs are cheap, portable, and flexible
DESCRIPTION: Banner signs are portable, thin sheets with graphics printed on the front. They often retract into a case and can unroll again when needed. Most signs come with feet and support to keep them secure and open.
LIMITATIONS: Banner signs are ideal for interior use. It’s possible to get flags or much more rugged banners to fly curbside, for example, but portable banners aren’t tough enough to handle wild weather conditions.
Additionally, banners advertising signs are smaller, so they are most useful in spaces where people can easily walk up and read what is printed on them.
APPLICATION: Because of their portability, banner signs are excellent tools for advertising your company or brand at events, such as conferences, company retreats, or open houses and fairs. They can roll up easily, and are lightweight and small enough that many of them can be transported together, allowing for multi-banner displays, or simply a variety of banners to cover a variety of subjects.
Banner signs are also comparatively quite affordable to something like a pylon sign or a storefront sign, meaning smaller businesses with less financial flexibility may want to consider banner signs as the main marketing option.
Finally, banner signs are endlessly customizable. Since they are essentially sheets with graphics printed on them, they can display whatever graphics you like.
WINDOW SIGNS
Window signs don’t take up any floor space
DESCRIPTION: “Window signs” refers to board signs that are small enough to be displayed out a window or adhesive graphics that are mounted to the glass surface itself.
Board signs can be moved easily, but adhesive signs are typically permanent. They can be almost any size, to match the size of the window they’re on.
LIMITATIONS: The most obvious limitation with this style of advertising sign is how it blocks visibility through the window. Window signs can be designed to be translucent, or only cover part of the window, but regardless they will inhibit visibility to some degree. Due to this, consider what you want the inside of the room containing the window to look like in addition to the outside.
Further, window signs are limited in their reach. If the only public-facing part of your company building is the windows, then they may be a great choice, but otherwise, they are only useful if the window they’re on is in a place where people are sure to see it.
APPLICATION: Aside from portability, window signs share many of the benefits of banner signs. They’re cheap, lightweight, and are simple to install or remove.
If your business is on an upper floor of a building, but you want to let people on the ground know details of your company, window signs are your best bet.
Additionally, any organization with large front-facing windows, or even a large amount of front-facing windows, can use window advertising signs to display promotions, communicate helpful information, or simply add some flavour to the façade, such as in the picture above.
VEHICLE SIGNS
Vehicle signs will take your brand all over the city
DESCRIPTION: Vehicle signs are graphical advertisements applied to the exterior of a vehicle. These advertising signs are most common on vans, such as those used by independent contractors, but can be applied to any vehicle.
Vehicle signs may sound familiar because they resemble car wrapping.
For more details on van signage, check out this AGC article.
LIMITATIONS: A vehicle sign is great for showing off your branding to a large number of viewers, but because people will mostly see your vehicle only in passing, the advertising on the vehicle needs to communicate the most important details in the clearest way possible. Be careful not to make your vehicle signs look too busy or cluttered, as a busy graphic can interfere with readability.
APPLICATION: Vehicle signs are the best way to get the most amount of people to see advertising for your company. However, you must make sure that the advertising is clear and helpful.
To be effective, vehicle signs should communicate the following information:
Company name/logo
Services provided
Contact info, such as a phone number or website.
Services like food trucks always use vehicle signage, as well as many subcontractors or businesses that provide mobile services, such as house painters, technicians, or any service that needs to drive to the customer’s location.
CONSTRUCTION HOARDINGS
Construction hoardings are big and bold
DESCRIPTION: Construction hoardings are the large banner-style signs that are displayed around the fencing that surrounds construction sites. These are usually barricaded to prevent trespassing and contain the construction activity. However, they also serve the additional purpose of advertising.
Sometimes the hoardings will be related to the construction work and will explain what is being built, but other times they offer space that any business can rent and use.
LIMITATIONS: Out of all the different custom advertising signs, construction hoardings are the least reliable. Because businesses can’t control their location, construction hoardings should be treated more as occasional opportunities and not as consistent marketing features.
Be aware that your municipality may require you to buy certain permits to hang construction hoardings. For example, you can read about the signage bylaw for the City of Toronto here.
APPLICATION: Construction hoardings offer space for huge ads, like the picture above. Very few other types of signs can reach this scale.
If there is a construction site in a central location, like downtown in a busy city, it may be worth enquiring to see if you can rent space for your business to hang a large banner or poster.
DESIGN TIPS
Don’t forget to consider the graphic design for your advertising signs
Here are a few quick links and tips to consider when brainstorming different designs and graphics to commission for your advertising signs:
Make sure your signage communicates what it needs to - don’t have an overwhelming amount of colours or text
Different signs suit different needs - adjust the signs you buy to fit the budget and customer base of your business
Get a professional graphic designer.
Some sign companies will help you with the graphic design, but otherwise, you should find a designer to help your advertisements look professional.
Follow standard elements design to make your sign stand out and get noticed
Powerful logos are part of why these companies have such a powerful brand presence
Research the psychology of effective signage
If none of the signs mentioned here feel right for you, click here for some of the other options there are for advertising signs
AGC Signs makes sturdy, high-quality, signs of all types, and has a glowing reputation.
If you’re looking for a full-service advertising sign shop that offers everything from design to installation to maintenance, contact AGC for a free quote today.
“Very good experience with Rhonda and AGC, went through a few revisions and was delivered and installed pretty quick from when we finalized everything. Will be back for all my future sign needs.”
“I recently started a hot sauce business and need labels for my bottles. Not only did AGC Signs provide me with phenomenal labels with SUPER QUICK SERVICE, they also easily adapted my design on request. And when I say super quick I mean like faster then the speed of light. Great job to everyone involved with my items. Stellar service very professional and fast and friendly. I will most definitely be going to them for all my printing needs.”
