Ensure Your Outdoor Sign Gets Noticed

Imagine driving past a shopping area that didn’t have any signs indicating what stores it contained. Signage is critically important to all businesses, but especially those that depend on attracting customers to them to shop and buy.

Before you start thinking about your outdoor signage, it’s important to become familiar with your city’s sign regulations, and any permits that may be required. Some municipalities are rather lax with their signage rules, while others can be quite strict, and you may also need to adhere to sign criteria outlined by your shopping center or business park. It’s always best to know your limitations before you inadvertently violate them — and we can help you ensure you don’t overstep.

Many factors affect the placement and effectiveness of outdoor signs, including the following:

• Design/Branding. Your signage should follow the branding scheme of your other marketing collateral. You must make thoughtful choices with respect to colors, logo size and font, all of which are important to good design.

• Size. This will often be dictated by municipal guidelines. As your sign vendor, we can also weigh in on your options, basing recommendations on what’s legal and as well as your intent.

• Mounting. Safety is always paramount when it comes to sign mounting, but it will also affect design and placement. This is not a DIY project; we have significant experience with installations — and are licensed and insured to handle them.

• Height. Be aware that you want your sign to be viewable from as many angles as possible, and you may need multiple signs to attract customers from different vantage points, i.e., motorists from an elevated roadway as opposed to street-level car and pedestrian traffic.

• Environmental Issues. Signs that “live” outdoors must be constructed with maximum durability in mind, to withstand elements like sunshine, rain and wind. We can suggest appropriate materials based on your budget and needs.

If this seems overwhelming to you, don’t worry. At Signarama—Kearny Mesa, we regularly deal with these issues and will be glad to serve you as a trusted resource.