22 Jul 5 Indispensable Vancouver Bar Signs and Banners
If you own a Vancouver bar, choosing the right bar signs and wall murals can create a distinctive atmosphere, boost brand visibility and marketing reach, and provide “silent customer service”. A bar without signs is “just another bar”, while a bar with thoughtfully designed and executed signage stands out from the crowd.
The next time you take a walk through downtown, look at bars, pubs and nightspots and you’ll notice that the establishments that stand out make strong visual statements with their signage. Vancouver bar owners have learned that it’s not enough to open their doors for business and hope for clientele. Being seen and “being different” are important aspects of marketing that shouldn’t be ignored. Well thought out Vancouver bar signs achieve both.
5 Bar Signs Every Vancouver Bar Should Should Consider
Wall Murals
Wall murals for your Vancouver bar? Yes! Although they may be the last thing you think of when considering bar signs, that’s because murals are often misunderstood. When you say “wall mural” people think of the hand-painted wall murals of yesteryear, but you don’t need to hire an artist to paint a wall mural. These days, most wall murals are large-scale prints that are adhered to the wall with a self-adhesive backing and can be easily removed. Murals can be created from photos and graphic designs. The mural can be a large photo or design, or a combination of photos, graphic design elements and fonts.
Wall murals can lend a distinctive style to your bar. They can be scenic, thematic, funny, even a little “rock ‘n roll” (or “a little bit country” if that’s your thing).
Opening Signs
A few years back, we were walking down a downtown street, and, as we Vancouver sign makers do, we were looking at storefront signage (an occupational obsession). We walked by a bar, barely noticing their “Grand Opening Week” sign. If we had not been purposely looking at signage, we would have missed it. Instead of using large hanging banners or oversized window signs, the bar had a single sandwich board with “Grand Opening Week” scrawled in chalk and barely legible vinyl lettering adhered to a dimly lit street facing window. This bar missed a huge marketing opportunity! They had large panoramic windows and an entire side of a brick building to use – both ideal blank canvases for large-scale “Grand Opening” signs.
“Grand Opening”, “Coming Soon” or “Now Open” signage must be seen! The larger, the better. If a potential patron has to be just a few feet away to read the sign, the sign is not doing its job. While you might attract a few customers who walk past your bar, what about the people walking on the street across from your bar? What about motorists? Our guess is that this Vancouver bar’s signage didn’t make the opening nearly as “grand” as it could have been.
Event Signs
Like “Grand Opening” signs, all exterior bar event signage should be as large as possible. If you’re trying to attract patrons to the event, use large exterior signs to get the attention of motorists and pedestrians, and interior signs to get the attention of current patrons.
Menu Boards
Menu boards are often a type of sign. A chalkboard is usually not enough in a dark bar, pub or nightclub. Menu boards can be backlit and use removable/changeable letters.
Wayfinding Signs, Notices and Other Signs
How much time is wasted by bar staff repeatedly answering questions like “Where’s the restroom?”, “Where’s the parking lot?”, “Where’s the lounge?”, “Do you take Diner’s Club International” cards? If one staff member spends a total of 2 minutes every shift answering these questions, giving directions or explanations, that amounts to 10 minutes wasted in a 5-day week, which is 520 minutes (8.6 hours) per year. Multiply that by 10 staff members and your employees have answered 86 hours of questions that could easily be answered by well-placed wayfinding and informational signs!
Need Bar Signs in Vancouver?
If you’re Vancouver bar needs signs, we can provide you with a free signage estimate. Whether you’re looking for branded building or entrance signage, wall murals, event signage or menu boards, we can provide insight and ideas to help you get it right.