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August 30, 2010

Another Way to Signage Referrals

Example of channel letter sign contrast

What is a fast way to decrease your customer’s sign effectiveness?

The answer is to make your sign difficult to notice and/or read. The 10 dollar word used by the signage textbooks is “conspicuity.” Conspicuity is defined as “a sign’s ability to stand out from its visual surroundings and have a high probability of being noticed.”1

The principal factors that affect a sign’s conspicuity are:

  • Placement within visual field (location)
  • Brightness
  • Complexity of visual environment
  • Status of peripheral vision (visual field)
  • Whether the sign contains borders
  • The fonts used
  • Recognizability of forms and shapes
  • Flashing lights/moving elements
  • Uniqueness of the sign’s features2

Let’s focus briefly on the recognizability of forms and shapes, and the sign letters in particular. How can you make sure the letters are recognizable?

The answer is CONTRAST. This one feature alone can make or break a sign’s effectiveness.

Make sure you study the substrate color on your site survey, and that your primary sign color has a strong contrast to it. Making the primary color the same (or similar) to the façade is asking for trouble.

Sounds simple, right? But I’ve seen many signs that blend right in to the building façade, like the one below. This lack of contrast will not result in a happy customer, as the sign will not be as effective. Take a look at this channel letter sign:

Contrast

On the other hand, check out this channel letter set. Do you think most people who pass this location notice and read this sign? I do.

JP Plaza

So grow your signage business by designing and installing signs with good contrast, which helps with overall conspicuity. It will pay off for you in the form of future signage referrals (and more business from your current customers.)

1. Charles R. Taylor, Thomas A. Claus and Susan L. Claus, On-Premise Signs as Storefront Marketing Devices and Systems, (Sherwood, Oregon: US Small Business Administration and the Signage Foundation, 2005). 8-2.

2. Charles R. Taylor, Thomas A. Claus and Susan L. Claus, On-Premise Signs as Storefront Marketing Devices and Systems, (Sherwood, Oregon: U.S. Small Business Administration and the Signage Foundation, 2005). 8-3.

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