Signage Design – The Guide With Design Ideas

Signages have always been a part of our daily lives. For example, when you get out of the street, you’ll bump into tons of signage that may indicate directions, speed limit, store signs, and others. Even the most common areas you can think of, like your school or workplace, are overloaded with signage. Even the most famous Nike swoosh can be considered signage.

Having a solid marketing and business plan can be insignificant without the help of creative and eye-catching signage. Signage is integral to any business as it allows you to market or advertise your business and company.

Although many factors make a business grow, it is not surprising that business owners and professional designers put extra effort into developing a company’s sign design.

Apart from its importance in advertising and marketing, signage design can build the company’s brand identity, show its vision, and convey its message. Thus, creating a concept that will stand out in the world with cutthroat competition is essential.

79% of consumers believe that signage design reflects the quality of a business that offers products or services.

As a matter of fact, for 76% of polled consumers, attractive signage designs can steer consumer purchasing behaviors, as they are more likely to visit a store with excellently crafted signage.

So while it is essential that your company practices exemplary business methods and your finance practices are smooth-sailing, professional designers suggest that signage should never be neglected.

Read along as we walk you through the ins and outs of signage, signage design, and 2023 trends!

What is Signage?

Signage generally pertains to any graphic design or display representing the company’s brand identity intended to provide information to its target audience.

Your signage can be seen in everything you can think of – walls, windows, sidewalks, floors, and others.

Signages each have a different purpose. If done right, your signage can not only be an advertisement but also indirectly communicate to your potential customers and increase your brand awareness. And, if you’re lucky, it can even result in a sale. Check out some amazing birthday card ideas.

Types of Signage

Aside from being informative and having a creative design, you have to know the different types of signages and their purpose to incorporate the correct elements and details. Here are the different types of signages and how they can benefit your business.

Window signages

Signage designs on windows have a wide range of applications. With this kind of signage, the lettering and graphic design are printed on vinyl or perforated vinyl film. However, the problem with signage designs put on windows is that limited space can also limit the design that you’re trying to project.

Window signages are useful in showing a passerby the right direction to your business and making customers familiar with your branding. Usually, window signages usually contain the brand logo design or whatever your business has to offer.

Pylon signages

Pylon signages are placed on a top pole or a broad post. These signages may contain the business name and other information such as taglines, graphics, art, or any information that shows off the product and services.

Pylon signages are handy in terms of letting your customers know your location and contact information. With these signage designs, you can also clearly depict what you offer, making it easy for your customers to visit your business.

Vehicle sign design

As the name suggests, vehicle signage is a signage design placed on vehicles. These signages usually contain contact information such as your website and phone number, your logo, and graphics.

Mobile advertising is probably one of the most cost-efficient ways to effectively advertise to a wide array of audiences, allowing you to inform and let your potential customers know about your product and services.

Wayfinding signage

Wayfinding signage is primarily used in helping customers walk through indoor and outdoor areas. Its purpose is to show people directions, especially in large buildings, to prevent them from getting lost.

Therefore, wayfinding design should include legible typography and printing. Creative directors also use a number of sign systems, graphic elements, images, and creative printing. It is also essential for designers to have symbols that are universal and inclusive to diverse communities.

Sidewalk signage design

Sidewalk signages, also known as A-frame signs, are just some of the most portable signages you can get. What is good about sidewalk signage designs is that they are highly customizable from materials and sidewalk design resources.

The best part of the sidewalk signage stand is that you can put it anywhere that you feel like it, whether you want it inside or outside your store. Most sidewalk signage designs promote special announcements, offers, and discounts your business may offer. Find some attractive and cool wallpapers and make your device more fun.

Digital signage

Displaying a sign design through a digital platform is something usual since the rise of the technological age. However, in the era of social media, digital signage has become one of the most convenient ways of showing creative ideas and art.

Digital signage has become an integral part of marketing campaigns as much as print ads. Digitalization has also brought other types of signage to become more adaptive.

For example, wayfinding signage designs have also become digitalized in recent years as touchscreen monitors and social media platforms have become influential in wayfinding architecture.

Importance of signage

Signages are deeply important. Let’s just say that your signage can be your non-verbal salesperson toward your target audience. Whether your purpose revolves around raising brand awareness or wayfinding, your signs play a vital role in communicating with your clients.

Here are a few reasons why you may consider amping up your signage design.

Communication

You don’t always want to shove information down your clients’ throats. Instead, think of your signage as a way in which you can communicate to your clients without letting them experience information overload.

So if your signage contains just the right amount of information and is attention-grabbing, you can be sure your brand can get etched in your customers’ minds.

Recognition

Often, signs are designed to help your customers identify your brand or convey a statement. For example, it has become a no-brainer for many shoppers to know where restrooms are when there are wayfinding signs within a space.

In terms of brand recognition, an experienced designer would use the same font and background colors for signage that represents a brand’s logo. Coca-cola for example, its target audience immediately recognizes the brand just by the shade of red used for the background. This makes teasers an effective tool for launching and marketing strategies.

Wayfinding

With wayfinding signs, you can give your clients an idea of where they can find your store. It makes it easier for them to identify your location. Remember, clients, are more fond of visiting stores which they can easily find.

But if you have gained a number of loyal customers and you do your wayfinding signs right, they would definitely find ways to visit you no matter where you are located. So, let them know how and where they can find you!

Brand identity and recognition

Your sign design should be able to encapsulate your overall company vision. Make sure your designs are coherent, as your brand identity goes beyond your logo and eye-catching colors.

You may have thought of hiring an experienced designer or hosting a design contest to increase brand recognition and identity.

So, remember to convey the message and your company ideals to solidify what you want to become as a business.

Aesthetics

Finally, some signage designs do not entirely need to have a definite purpose. Some signage designs are mainly used for aesthetics. Check out ideas related to aesthetic app icons.

Sometimes, designers use a signage design to improve the overall environment of a store. For example, it may be in the form of a mural on a blank space with no primary advertising objectives.

Tips for Designing your Signage according to Professional Designers

Many businesses understand the importance of signage design.

Customers have to find what they’re looking for, and your signage design should be able to project just that – to let them find out what they are looking for.

This is the most common concern at the heart of experiential graphic design. With several competitive businesses in the market, it can be challenging to figure out what it takes to stand out in a crowded sea of competition.

Here are some tips for designing your signage according to the pros!

Consider your colors in your branding graphics

Colors play a vital role in your graphics; you go big or go home.

When choosing the colors, you must consider your brand vision and its contrast and visibility. In your design process, consider having graphics and colors that are bright and full. Create contrast while avoiding pastel and bright colors.

It is also wise to consider a single element in your images and graphics and focus on it. For example, you would like your sign design to stand out, and a simple focal point would be useful to catch the attention that you need.

Think of your letter height

Your signage design should be able to project the right message, so you would want to make it legible. Thus, letter height matters.

A surefire way to make your clients feel your presence is to create a signage design that stands out and can be easily read at a glance.

The use of a suitable typeface is also vital in creating your sign design. Different font styles have other effects when it comes to their installation. For instance, using fonts in bold can also help aid in the visibility of your sign design as long as you apply proper spacing.

Recognize your signage location

Think about where your signage will be located. Will it be placed in the busy streets or in a shopping mall heaving with people? How ample is the space available? How will you reach your target audience? Designers put a lot of thought into the placement of their signage.

If so, you may want to consider concepts containing eye-catching elements that will show your business’s personality against competitors’ signage design.

Depending on your location, you can combine different design elements, such as using high-quality images, lighting, and art concepts that project your branding and vision.

Customize your graphic design

People are quickly captivated by fantastic visual imagery. Therefore, having great graphics can be an easy way to make your signage design stand out.

Designers always include the company logo while choosing a background that compliments the brand message and the overall design.

Be sure to use high-quality images for any graphic, as blurry or pixelated images can present your design as cheap and sloppy.

Take some time doing the design process

The design process should entail a lot of planning within your team, and the development of your signage design should project cohesive ideas and elements to put your brand identity together.

Your signage design should be inclusive in a way that it can captivate not only your target audience but other passersby.

Think about what type of signage design will be. Then, think of your primary purpose so you can include the environment where your signage will be placed, the architectural landscape, the lighting conditions, and the sign systems.

Sign design ideas for 2023

Your signage design is pivotal to how your business can reach out to clients. However, with design trends quickly evolving, keeping your signage design afloat and ahead of a competitive industry can be challenging.

Sure, your logo design and current concepts can be one with the trend today, but what happens after a few years? So, if you’re a creative director, you want to be sure that your design can stand the test of time, or at least know what tweaks to create and when to make them!

Here are some of the design trends that you need to keep on your tabs this 2023.

Minimalism

Minimalism has long existed in the world of design. However, although black font on a white background and vice versa has worked for many companies, minimalism in 2023 took a different turn.

When it came back to trends, monochromatic colors are used and designers focused on an uncluttered, neat, and simple design. In doing so, consumers are more likely to focus on the product while showing simplicity and finesse.

Social awareness

As an experienced designer, hopping onto the different trends does not solely focus on designs alone. In 2023, many clients will go beyond the design and see the message behind the brand itself. From packaging to ingredients, recent findings have shown that 88% of consumers are more likely to support and stay loyal to brands that deliver social and environmental awareness.

As a matter of fact, according to Forbes, 92% of consumers trust brands that are conscious of social and environmental issues. Moreover, many brands have taken the initiative to apply green marketing through sustainable energies, such as changing outdated illuminated signs to more eco-friendly LED lighting systems.

Nostalgia

At the height of the pandemic, a lot of consumers had more time to binge-watch old or retro series. And, who does not love the pangs of nostalgia creeping in?

As a result, many cafes and brands have incorporated vintage and retro designs not only in their signage design but also in their architecture.

The use of serif fonts has also been used to embrace the vintage vibe. So if you’re still on the lookout for trends this 2023, do not be afraid to throw in some retro flowers in the background!

Geometric shapes and symmetry

The use of geometric shapes and symmetry doesn’t seem to be out of trend this year. For many projects and designs, geometric shapes and symmetry still appear to be refreshing for many audiences.

Designers may come up with a singular idea that looks good with just about any shape and works well with your logo, images, and fonts. You may just want to consider using muted colors and chunky fonts for legibility.

Gradients

Gradients, also known as color transition, have returned to the 2023 trends. Designers have found it to be very versatile which can be bold and subtle. The modern touch lies with the right use of colors, mixing and blending ideas, and contrast of colors that make your design unique and attention-catching for the audience.

A lot of designers got surprised as gradients charged back to the design scene in 2018. Even the social media platform giant, Instagram, used gradient colors for its logo. This allowed a lot of bigger brands to hop to the trend which can make gradients stay on trend for the future.

Digital display

Digitalization paved the way for many companies to adopt technology in creating signs. Many companies integrated their signs into social media and digital platforms, making designers rethink their strategies to create suitable projects that can communicate the brand message through digitalized means.

And as we go through the new normal, digital displays are more focused on engineering technologies with smarter AI that can attract more customers through attention-grabbing imagery and interactive features. So, might as well expect this trend to gain more traction in the future. Download your free banner templates at All Time Design.

Step up your design game

This 2023 is the perfect year that can help you step up your design game.

New trends will continue to thrive in the coming months and you would want to make sure that your business isn’t left behind.

We can expect that the year the world of design will continue to embrace diverse design project trends.

But we’re aware that it’s not always easy to join in the trend, especially if you don’t know where to start.

Good thing, All Time Design is just around the corner!

All Time Design is the perfect platform for people with little to no skills in graphic design.

With a great number of templates to choose from, you can have your website, product packaging, and projects look unbelievably wonderful!

Should you want more, the platform features a team of great designers you can hire to make your idea come to life.

Let’s talk and create designs today! Visit All Time Design today.