When you walk through a mall, have you noticed how some stores catch your attention while you walk by others barely even aware there is a shop there much less what they sell? Your architectural signage is a big part of which category your business will fit into. When working with WL Concepts experienced architectural signage design team on your exterior display signage, logo signage, and/or store signage you can be assured that your signage will draw customer attention and drive them into your store.

What Is A Sign's Purpose?

Many owners think the purpose of a sign is to identify their place of business. However studies show that over half of retail business comes from impulse buys and many of those are driven by good signs.

Let's say you own an ice cream shop. You build up a steady clientele and, when people want ice cream, they come to your place. These people are already customers so your architectural signage is not for them. Instead, consider the guy driving by on his way to get his muffler replaced. It's a hot day. He see's your sign and thinks, "Hey, ice cream would be great right now," and detours into the parking lot. Your sign just made a new sale.

The other important role architectural signage serves is as a first impression. Before customers see your store's interior graphics and POP displays, they see your sign. They form an image of your business without seeing your merchandise, sampling your service or talking to your staff. You want to create the right first impression.

Architectural Signage Design - Less Is More

Many store signs try to say too much. Your sign is not there to tell people your hours, list your many services, or tell people you habla español. Your window graphics can do that. The sign is meant be a "Psst, look over here" rather than a long sales pitch. The design should be simple with only a few words of text. An effective graphic says more than words can. For the ice cream shop above, the name of the store and a picture of an ice cream cone would be an effective way to entice people.

Your sign is competing with many visual inputs -- and the more complex it is, the more likely people will look at it without really comprehending it. A clean design backed by a strong graphic will pique people's interest and make them want to find out more about your business.

Colors are important. Foreground and background colors should contrast sharply so the text jumps out. The palette should fit your business image, be appropriate to the theme of the shopping center, and match the look of the neighborhood. A look that's right for one store might be all wrong for a store in the mall across the street.

Once you have an idea how your architectural signage should look, work with an experienced sign designer such as WL Concepts to finalize it. You know the look you want to achieve and the design team you choose can assist with their expertise and knowledge of colors, fonts and graphics. By working together you create a powerful message that will increase traffic to your business.