The main factor you want to remember when creating a sign is visibility. You want your sign to stand out among the clutter of all the other signs in the area. You want people to see your sign even when they don’t necessarily know they see it. There is so much sensory information that is processed by the human brain every waking second of every day. Most of this information is processed subconsciously. The trick to getting people to look at your sign is to make it stand out even to people who are distracted by driving, other signs, their kids in the backseat, and everything else that demands attention.
This doesn’t mean create the brightest, flashiest, ugliest, hugest sign imaginable. A large sign is only as effective as its composition. Your sign needs to convey your brand clearly and as simply as possible. Simplicity is king. People don’t remember everything about a bright, busy sign. They might only remember that they saw an ugly, bright, busy sign today and forget all about the brand it was supposed to convey tomorrow. Whatever you do, don’t take away from your brand. Remember that your brand is the most important aspect of your sign you want people to see. Gimmicks like scantily clad supermodels might catch the eye of some, but others see this and roll their eyes. Assuming you want your brand to appeal to as many people as possible across a wide spectrum, you want to keep the gimmicks out of your signage. Instead of the Victoria’s Secret models, maybe a smiling woman’s face is what you need. This image takes the implicit sexual connotations out of the sign and simply portrays a pleasing image to almost everyone.
The reason your brand exists is because it is an individual entity. A sign with your brand should show your brand’s individuality.
