03 May Property Sign Design Considerations Part 1 – Exterior Signs
Property signs serve many purposes for businesses. From helping customers and clients know where to park, to finding their way around once inside a building. Well-designed property signage serves triple-duty as a guide, as part of your customer service, and as an integral part of your marketing efforts.
Sandbox Signs + Graphics creates attractive signs that perform these tasks well. One of the first steps in creating effective signage is understanding the intent of the sign and where it will be placed. You, as an expert in your business, play an integral role in property sign planning.
Property Parking Lot Sign Considerations
If your property needs parking lot signage, there are many options available. A few questions to ask yourself are:
1) Is the parking lot indoors or outdoors?
The choice of signage materials depends on whether your parking is indoors or outdoors. Outdoor signage has to withstand weather like rain and snow and must use materials that are resistant moisture and exposure to sunlight.
2) What is the purpose of the sign?
There are many types of signs for parkades or parking lots. The property signs you choose will depend on the sign’s intent. If the signage denotes parking lot rules or guides patrons to payment machines, the sign must be immediately noticeable, clearly written, and created so that some terms (such as times and hourly parking rates) can be changed without changing the entire sign.
If the parkade or parking lot sign marks the entrance of the lot and displays the names of businesses that the parkade serves, it must be designed to accommodate. These types of signs may incorporate the address of the building and may have slide-in panels for business names/branding that can easily be changed when businesses moves in or out of the building or development.
Exterior Property Sign Planning Considerations
Building signs can be designed using a variety of materials from mounted metal and plastic, vinyl scrim banners, to 3D lettering. There are several things to consider when planning exterior property signs:
- If this is the main property sign (the building sign) is it exposed to weather? Does the sign require lighting? Must it be visible from the street or from a distance? For buildings with courtyards, it might be better to place the building sign away from the building on the perimeter of the courtyard near its entrance or steps.
- Does the sign need to be seen at night? If so, sign design and materials chosen must accommodate lighting either within the signage itself or external to the sign.
- Are there restrictions on the kind of exterior signage your business may use? In an effort to create a uniform appeal to their property’s exterior, your property management company may impose certain guidelines, including the materials and size. For example, it may be against the property’s signage rules to affix 3D sign to the building’s facade.
Read part 2 “Wayfinding and Directory Signs”.
Have Questions About Exterior Property Signs?
If you have questions about exterior property signs, contact Sandbox Signs + Graphics. We’ll provide a free consultation and estimate and guide you the appropriate exterior sign for your property.