How To Reduce Signage Fatigue

We’ve talked about the ongoing value of signage in this blog before. We’ve also presented compelling evidence that signage provides an ongoing reminder of the existence of a business and the products and services sold. But how do you combat “signage fatigue?”

That is the tendency of a consumer to “tune out” a sign that they drive past each day.

Once a consumer has seen and read a sign once, how do you persuade that consumer to look

at the sign again? And again? A clever design may help. But even an innovative design

can experience signage fatigue when a consumer has been repeatedly exposed to it.

The answer lies in an advertising and copywriting principle. That principle is NEWS. People tend to read something new. Particularly if the new information has value to them.

So how can you incorporate news and new information into a sign? Make at least part of the sign changeable and updateable. Give part of the sign the capability to present useful new information presented in a user friendly and quickly accessible manner. That can help to generate repeated and ongoing sign exposures.

Here is a one approach that can help. Place a message center area on part of your client’s sign. A professional message center can definitely help with the signage fatigue issue.  A message center can have information as simple as the time of day, or have a much more elaborate set of information like news and headlines. Another message center benefit is the capability to demonstrate a company’s community involvement.

For example, if a local high school team has an important upcoming game, the message center can state the company’s support for the team. The brightness of today’s LED technology can also make any sign stand out more than a sign without a message center. Message centers can be integrated into many sign types.

For example, this monument sign design includes a message center area with easily legible and useful information:  

Hybrid signs (including  designs with channel letters) can also have message center elements. This monument sign has both channel letter signage and a small message area.

 

So consider making part of your client’s sign easily changeable, and integrate a message area into your client’s sign.

It can make the difference between signage fatigue and repeat viewings.