It’s a surprisingly common scenario: good businesses run by smart people have bad — or sometimes outright awful — signs. Here are some of the ways that this sad signage saga unfolds:
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Lack of Brand and Marketplace Alignment
How many times have homeowners fallen in love with a piece of futuristic modular furniture in a showroom, only to discover that once they bring it home it doesn’t fit with their existing décor? Well, the same kind pitfall snares many businesses that design an interesting, unique and impressive sign that looks great on a screen or in a picture, but upon installation clearly doesn’t fit with their brand or align with their marketplace.
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TMI
TMI (“too much information”) is an extremely common business signage problem. It’s important for signs to communicate meaningful information. But there is a line between cohesion and confusion, and many signs cross it — and by a wide margin, too.
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Not Enough Information
On the other end of the spectrum are signs that don’t have enough information. Yes, it may be fine for enterprises like Starbucks or Apple to simply showcase their logo and tell a rich brand story. But for the 99.99% of other businesses, ensuring that their signage conveys essential information (which may include a URL, phone number, tagline, QR code, etc.) is mandatory — not optional.
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Lack of Visibility
A staggering number of businesses invest significantly in signage that, tragically, cannot be seen due to visibility issues (e.g. other buildings in the way, lighting conditions, etc.). This is money down the drain and a win for the competition.
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Great Sign, Wrong Usage
Many businesses have high-quality signs, but they put them in the wrong place — which turns an asset into a liability. For example, they use removable custom banners in their lobby or storefront, instead of permanent and professional wall signs.
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“Our Best Years are Behind Us”
Worn, faded and/or defective signs are not a problem for another day: they need to be replaced with something better right away, or else they can damage a brand and send customers to the competition. A study at the University of Cincinnati found that in 60 percent of cases, businesses that upgraded their signage increased sales, number of transactions and profits, with an average jump of 10 percent.
- Outdated Information
This is a no-brainer but needs to be mentioned because, alas, it’s a problem that many businesses have: their signs are no longer accurate. For example, the phone number or website URL has changed, or their name may have changed due to a merger or partnership. It goes without saying (but we’ll say it anyway just to be on the safe side) that correcting this information should a top priority.
The Bottom Line
Just like elite supermodels can have their picture snapped during a (gasp!) bad hair day, successful businesses often find themselves bogged down and held back by bad signs.
Fortunately, solving existing signage problems and avoiding future pitfalls is not a matter of luck (or avoiding paparazzi). It’s a result of partnering with a reputable and experienced sign company that fully understands the do’s of business signage — and just as importantly, they understand the don’ts!
