Signage is not just about simple designs or wayguides because a simple sign can do a whole lot more such as increasing the revenues as well as drawing attention to your iinventory which maybe you’re hoping to offload. Simply put, each sign that you create is an opportunity to communicate with potential customers about your products and your company.
Every business should consider using a defined style guide for their brand story when creating both permanent and temporary signage design to keep everything consistent and on brand.
So, how do you master the art of signage design to tell your brand’s story and boost your sales in the process? Let’s examine the types of signage designs commonly used in retail stores, and further highlight their potential benefits.
Signage Designs
Signages can either be promotional, informational, or even entertaining. These different kinds of signs do different things. Here we will outline the types of signage you should be focusing on as a retail store:
#1. Outdoor Signage: Best for creating awareness of your store, and getting people interested enough to come inside.
#2. Informational Signage: Provide the customers with much needed information (i.e. directions to the restroom), but also make the overall experience smooth.
#3. Persuasive Signage: These are signs that drive the customers to make a purchase.
#4. Mats: Great in helping orient the customers within the store, and drive traffic to specific areas of interest.
A good signage drives customers into the store while gives passersby a glimpse of your products and your brand, while a great signage even increases sales. On the other hand, a well-designed sign has a clear message, an appealing look, and is placed in just the right location.
Also, effective signage can even save you significant amount of money by acting as your salesperson, directing customers to what they’re looking for and answering questions they may have. This in turn frees up more time for the team members you do have on the floor to do other tasks and help customers in other ways — saving your business time, effort, and money. Successful signs provide others benefits, including creating a path for customers to follow through your store that drives them towards inventory that you’re looking to offload.
So now, let’s take a look at what you can do to create the best signs that will help boost sales for your retail business. Here’s how to optimize signage design for your storefront
The Size
Every sign has an ideal size. Outdoor signage should be large enough that passersby notice it on foot or in their cars, billboards need to be big enough to see quickly from afar, tabletop signage should be small enough to fit on countertops but big enough for the average person to read. So, what’s the magic recipe for designing the message on these signs?
The Benefits
What’s the goal of this particular type of signage? Compared to informational or entertaining signs, those that attempt to drive a sale have the hardest job. There are certain kinds of signs that catch people’s attention, including clearance sales and massive discounts. But if the goal is to drive sales for a specific product, then you’ll want to focus on the features and benefits of that item.
It’s tempting to tell customers about the features and expect them to understand the benefits of the product, but it’s better to speak to the benefits of the product directly. Letting people know that this product solves a problem for them, makes their life easier, or fills a need for them or someone they love is the best way to pique their interest.
Obviously it’s all in the phrasing of your message — and it doesn’t hurt to include a clear call to action that explains how your potential customers should move forward to enjoy the benefits of your product.
Keeping It Short and Simple
As for the message and images that you select, the simpler the better. In the world of retail, the industry standard is that most signs should not contain more than 15 words. If you need more than 15 words to convey your message, then try to edit it and get it under that mark. Anything longer and you risk losing the attention of your audience or overcomplicating your message.
If you have something like a complicated promotion that you just can’t explain on a sign, then boil the message down to one CTA to get customers interested enough to come inside and ask salespeople for more information.
Once you’ve decided on your message, identify the graphics/images (if any) that are needed on the sign. Again, be short and to the point — lose any images that aren’t absolutely necessary or don’t add intrigue to the sign.
Finally, select a font that is readable and ensure that there’s a sharp contrast between the font and background. You’ve done the work to write great copy and you want to make sure that it’s legible. Pick a font that isn’t ornate, has consistent spacing, and doesn’t distract from the message. When it comes fonts, Design Shack explains further: “Other typography considerations include the use of bold or italics. Bold lettering can help aid in readability from a distance. Just make sure letters are properly kerned so that there is no confusion from a distance. Italics are troublesome and can be difficult on the eye; avoid them on signs.”
Being Eye-Catchy
People are bombarded with signs everywhere they go. When they see the same thing all the time, they start to tune it out. Keep your signage interesting and unique to stand out from the crowd. Witty signs that make people laugh are a great way to break through the noise and be eye-catching.
There’s a design trend recently to move towards neutrals. The truth is that there’s a popular emotion response to every color. Companies have been using the psychology of color to help design their brand logos and signs. So, have you already thought what you want your brand to represent and what you want people to feel when they look at your signs? Do you want people to be excited about a new product? Or feel like they can trust your business and products? Ask yourself these questions during the design stage and align your signs with the emotional response you’re trying to elicit.