While your exterior architectural sign should be a reflection of your business, there are certain legal requirements that outdoor signage must comply with:

Zoning Regulations for Exterior Architectural Signage

If your business is located in an historic district or building, zoning regulations may restrict certain sign types. For example, an area may require that all businesses use only gold lettering on the building face. Even if all of your businesses' other locations have backlit signs, you must comply with zoning regulations in your area. Our goal is to ensure that your signs meet local regulations, while remaining as consistent as possible with your brand.

Trademarks and Copyrights

Trademark and copyright laws protect the design of your exterior architectural signage. The same protections extend to your competitors and it's important to be aware of them so that you don't inadvertently violate these laws.

Your trademark is essential to your organization's competiveness. A competitor could not design a sign with a very similar appearance intended to fool customers into thinking they are the same company. Nor can stores use other company's trademarks to imply they are a member of a franchise or otherwise partnered with a business.

Copyright laws protect the content of your visual displays, and this protection covers not only the text but also the graphics and logos. Other organizations cannot use material copyrighted by your company or vice versa. Deliberate infringements on someone else's copyrights may incur steep fines.

Public Safety Regulations

The other type of laws protects public safety by regulating the structure of an outdoor sign. For example, laws restrict a sign's material to ensure it is structurally sound or lay out requirements for signs with electrical components so that there is no danger of short circuits or other problems.

Before we develop an outdoor sign, we obtain all of the necessary information to ensure that your signs are designed meet or exceed all material, structural and electrical standards you might encounter. We work with expeditors and handle sight surveys. If the architect has not done so already, we even obtain the necessary paperwork and permits to ensure that your signage is in compliance.

Some of our clients view display signage as a minor detail, something to be added almost as an afterthought. In point of fact, a number of studies have demonstrated that visibility and design of signs have a direct correlation on an establishment's customer traffic and profits.

Signs Attract New Customers

Business owners sometimes don't appreciate just how often customers enter stores on whims. They try to attract customers through expensive advertising campaigns when in many cases good display signage will be more effective.

The Small Business Administration did a study on the effects of display signage on restaurant patronage. They discovered that over one-third of new customers in a typical fast food restaurant entered the establishment because they saw the sign. No other factor affected new customer traffic so strongly. Sit down restaurants saw as much as one quarter of their traffic generated from signs.

To be effective, these visual displays must be designed to stand out from the visual clutter around them so they grab customer attention right away. WL Concepts helps you create a design that will generate a positive, inviting feeling and encourage customers to step inside.

Signs Direct Shopper Decisions

Stores have many reasons for wanting to push certain merchandise on customers. They might be trying to unload discontinued items or want to sell products with higher markups. Whatever the reason, display signage directs customers' attention toward these key items. Successful retail stores boost profits by influencing shoppers without the customers realizing it.

Impulse buys are a significant source of revenue for most retail outlets, which is why racks are set up at store entrances, in the aisles, and at checkout stands. These small purchases don't seem like much to the customer, but can add up to significant income for the store. However these displays have become so common customers stop seeing them. Strategic use of display signage grabs shoppers' attention and encourages impulse buys.

Signs Reinforce Branding

Marketers know that strong, positive imagery is an integral part of a successful branding strategy. Carefully designed display signage not only draws the attention of passers-by, potentially turning them into customers, but creates a powerful association in people's minds.

The importance of architectural signage is so great that we have seen entire stores built to draw attention to the sign. Of all visual displays, it is the one to reach the largest audience. When the sign is the focal point of the store, there is a direct effect on profitability.

We try to educate our customers on the value of display signage. The displays seem so simple but in reality they are powerful promotional tools. A sign that is hard to see or one that presents a negative image can hurt a business. When signage is considered as part of your marketing and promotion strategy, you are positioned to reach the most customers in the best way.  

A strong visual style is an important part of promotion. It reaches customers on a direct, non-verbal level. The most powerful symbols become cultural icons that define the products they represent. 

Find Your Style 

Some companies invest millions to develop a powerful visual identity, such as consulting marketing firms by using focus groups and indulging in other promotional voodoo. And yet often the best symbols are simply a natural evolution of a brand identity. It's easy to over think the problem. A huge research budget doesn't guarantee a successful image. 

Logos are powerful tools in creation of an image. These symbols can easily be incorporated into every aspect of the business look such as visual displays or business cards. However a business identity can be as simple as a specific color palette. WL Concepts knows a lot about how colors and shapes influence people and can assist with the development and design of display signage that clearly and boldly defines the organization. 

Express Your New Look 

Once you have a visual identity in mind, it is time to incorporate that vision into the look of your company. Start with the display signage we design for you. When we use the same scheme on architectural signage as your interior graphics, it creates a strong identity both inside and out. 

Take design elements from our display signage and use them in other aspects of your business look. Use the logo on your business letterhead. Integrate the color scheme into the paint and carpet colors. Have your website use the same font as the sign. Even a single design element linking these different objects together creates a unified image in a customer's mind. 

Keep The Old Or Add Something New? 

Even if you have an existing look, it might be time to update your display signage. If you keep everything looking the same, your business may seem out of date. Customers may unconsciously feel your organization has become stagnant. Younger customers in particular may be more attracted to companies with updated, trendy images. 

On the other hand, staying with a "classic" look might be a good option as well. If you make major changes to display signage, you weaken your brand identity. The connections in customers' minds aren't as strong and they find it easier to shop around. Companies often adopt major ad campaigns after a change in hopes of re-establishing brand identity under the new look. 

There is no easy answer to the question of whether it is a smart idea to update your company's image. However what is important is to have a look in the first place. Without a strong visual identity it's simply too easy for potential customers to think of your competitors instead of you. If you don't have a strong image yet, the design experts at WL Concepts can help you create one.