The Most Expensive Sign is a Poorly Designed One
Many business owners will gladly spend $3,000 on the physical manufacturing of an illuminated sign or a large format printed wall mural, but will hesitate to spend $300 on the graphics and creative design that goes onto it.
If the typography is illegible from the road, the colors clash with the building, or the message is cluttered, the physical quality of the sign is irrelevant.
Designing for the Physical World
Designing for signage and large format printing is different from designing for a website or a social media post. Graphics and creative work for signs is about reading distance, contrast and materials.
For example, a delicate, thin-weight font might look elegant on an Instagram post, but when converted into 3D illuminated letters, the strokes may be too narrow to house the LED modules. Similarly, a dark blue logo on a dark gray building will become invisible at night, and needs something like a white halo-lit backer for contrast.
The ROI of Professional Creative
A driver passing your business at 40 miles per hour has roughly three seconds to read your sign. Good design cuts everything else and keeps bold contrast, very legible type and one clear message.
Large format printing also needs good files. A wall mural or a full vehicle wrap needs very large, high-resolution files, and a pixelated image printed at that size makes a brand look cheap.
Pay for the design before you pay for the metal and plastic.
