If you’re running a successful business, opening a second location can be an exciting event. It isn’t always easy to tell, however, when you’re truly ready to make that momentous move. In this video from MSNBC’s Your Business, you’ll meet a dynamic entrepreneurial couple who own a juice bar and vegan bistro called Kale Café. After finding success with their first restaurant in Daytona Beach, FL, they decided to open a second location in nearby Ormond Beach. If you’re planning to expand your business in Phoenix, you can take heart from their example—and learn the same lessons they learned in this video. As you’re setting up shop in your new store, contact us to buy a first-rate custom-made sign , vehicle graphics, and other business signage so you can attract new customers.

If you drive through Phoenix, you’ll notice numerous examples of signage wherever you look—neon signs, restaurant signs, and even vehicle graphics. Can you guess where you might find the most signs in a single building? A hospital is a plausible answer to that question since hospitals and other healthcare facilities need to put up numerous signs in order to direct their patients to the right destinations. These are some of the aspects of a successful hospital signage system:

New and Well-Maintained Signage

First and foremost, the signs in a healthcare facility need to be clean and well-maintained. If the signs are showing their age, they will reflect poorly on the hospital and may be harder to read. Smart and up-to-date signs, meanwhile, will project an image of competence and professionalism.

Illuminated Outdoor Signs

Hospitals and other healthcare centers have to be accessible to patients and visitors around the clock, which means that all outdoor signs need to be visible even in low-light conditions. Making these exterior illuminated signs is an effective way to ensure that they are always readable. The signs directing drivers to the hospital should be especially bright and noticeable.

Easy-to-Remember Names

When hospital corridors have numbers or generic names, it means that it’s going to be more difficult for patients, visitors, and even staff to remember them. Giving these corridors memorable titles—for example, naming them after local streets or well-known landmarks—is a good way to ensure that everybody will be able to keep them straight.

Identifying Graphics

Signs can include more than text, of course—in fact, it can make them much more useful. Adding photos, diagrams, maps, and other graphics to signs can help provide information to hospital visitors, making them less likely to get lost if they are unfamiliar with the building. Scrolling digital signs are even more helpful since they allow the hospital to provide visitors with continual updates throughout the day. Contact us to learn more about signs in Phoenix DMA.

A custom-made exterior sign can be the perfect addition to your Phoenix business’ storefront. When you’re having your outdoor sign designed, however, it’s easy to overlook one of the single most important factors: the font you use for the text. The font may seem like a minor issue, but it really isn’t—using the wrong font can confuse your customers or even make your sign difficult to read. Here are some of the main options that are available to you for your sign’s font:

Script and Cursive

While cursive is no longer widely taught in schools, it still has its place in design. Rendering your business’ name and motto in the script can give your sign the touch of sophistication and class you’re looking for. It’s important to make sure, however, that the size of the text is large enough—and the letters bright enough—to be read easily.

Serif

Serif fonts have distinctive lines jutting out of the ends of their letters. You’ve probably seen serif fonts used numerous times—Times New Roman is one of the most popular examples. Serif fonts have an elegant, traditional look that may be suited for your sign if you want to project a serious, professional image.

Sans Serif

As you might guess from the name, sans serif fonts do not have the tiny lines used in serif fonts. Because of their simplicity, sans serif fonts are extremely popular in today’s advertising graphics. If your sign’s text is short and straightforward, a sans serif font is likely the best choice for you.

Decorative

Decorative fonts, as the name suggests, have unusual, unpredictable letter designs that are meant to grab the viewer’s attention. While decorative fonts do run the risk of being difficult to read, a well-designed and imaginative decorative font can help to make your business stand out from the crowd.

Online marketing reigns supreme these days. However, branded business signs will always be essential for all brick and mortar companies. From mom and pop corner shops to major franchise locations, every company near Phoenix needs high-quality business signs that bring customers to its doors. For the best results, work with a sign design expert, and he or she will stop you from making common mistakes.

Poor Contrast

One of the most common sign design mistakes is poor contrast between the lettering and background. There’s a reason why many successful businesses have signs that feature black letters on a white background—the contrast is excellent, and the lettering is easy to read. Some examples of color schemes you should avoid include black lettering on a brown background, red lettering on a pink background, and blue lettering on a black background. Make it as easy as possible for your customers to read your sign.

Obscure Font

Entrepreneurs are always on the lookout for unique characteristics that set their companies apart from the rest. This is a smart branding idea, but not if it affects the readability of your exterior signage. Avoid choosing a font style that is dramatically different from other signs, such as fancy calligraphy script or whimsical Comic Sans font.

Imbalanced Size

Your sign and its lettering need to be large enough to be easily read by passing motorists and pedestrians. However, they shouldn’t be so large that they take up the entire width and height of the sign itself. Design experts recommend leaving enough “white space” around the letters so that they look balanced.

Intricate Logo

Logo design isn’t easy. Some entrepreneurs spend months designing the perfect logo for their business. And in some cases, they have to go through the process all over again when it’s time to order their exterior signage. Before you settle on a logo design, envision how the logo will look on a sign. An ideal logo is one that is clear and makes sense regardless of whether it’s on a large billboard or a promotional pen. Contact us to learn more about signs in Phoenix DMA.

On any given day, your hotel may host guests from the next town, a neighboring state, or the other side of the world. Every guest, no matter how far he or she has traveled, desires comfort and convenience. The little details can make all the difference—from complimentary newspapers to extended hours room service. And of course, signage that enhances the guest experience. Hotels in Phoenix that use custom-made signs can inform and entertain guests simultaneously to support a hassle-free stay.

Providing Useful Information

One of the ways you can improve the guest experience in your hotel is by reading negative online reviews of other hotels, and using them to bolster your hotel’s services. You’ll likely find that guests often complain about the long wait time at the desk, or about having difficulty finding someone to answer a question. Use signage to help guests help themselves. Use wayfinding signs to point guests in the right direction. Add more detailed signs inside the elevators with information such as the check-in/check-out times, available discounts and perks, and pool and fitness club hours.

Offering Fun Facts About the Area

There’s something special about every town. Do a little research to find some of the most intriguing facts about your area, and have them added to a building sign. For instance, your guests may be interested to know that your town was responsible for inventing the potato chip, or that it’s the hometown of a famous astronaut. If possible, identify a fun fact about your own hotel, such as the fact that a former President stayed there. These signs are intended to entertain your guests while they wait, so place them by the elevator banks and front desk.

Highlighting Conference Events and Attractions

Large conferences can push a hotel staff to its limits. Make wayfinding as easy as possible for the attendees with custom-printed signs that point people in the direction of major attractions, speakers, or booths. In smaller font beneath each main item, indicate the times at which that attraction is available.

Introducing Dining Options

Hotels are like miniature communities with everything a guest could need. But quite often, travelers prefer to leave the hotel in search of local dining options. You can use signage to attract more guests to the hotel’s restaurant or café. Use enticing names for the signature dishes, and emphasize any dishes that are closely associated with your particular town or region.

All companies run things a little differently, but most office managers would likely agree that first impressions matter for businesses . When your clients and prospective job candidates step into your building, they should see a well-organized office with custom-made signs that reflect the professionalism of the employees. Interior building signs near Chandler can help your clients easily figure out where they need to go or who can assist them. For instance, libraries should have easily understood signage that directs patrons to the circulation and reference desks, and to the various categories of books.

If your office building has multiple stories, then one of the most important building signs it should have is a directory sign that indicates which departments are on each floor. Wayfinding signage should be posted in prominent locations near each elevator bank and stairwell. Your office can also benefit from interior signage that directs individuals to the women’s, men’s, and gender-neutral bathrooms.

Launching a new company is a lot of hard work. Even if you’re tempted to rush through the process, you should take the time to get your business started on the right foot. Your name, for example, will reflect your company’s brand for years to come. So before you start sending in orders for branded business signs near Phoenix, make sure you pick the right name.

This video offers some helpful hints about the dos and don’ts of choosing a business name. Think about how the name would look on stationary, as part of a logo, or on your custom-made signs. Consider the type of customers you want to appeal to, and the message you want to convey about your business. Avoid choosing a name that’s too long, has strings of numbers or initials, or is based on an inside joke that your customers won’t understand.

It’s not uncommon for new business owners to underestimate how many factors can contribute to effective sign design, such as letter heights and viewing distances. If you’re planning to order custom signage near Phoenix or Chandler , then there are a few things that you should know about these 2 business sign characteristics.

First, letter height should be proportional to the surrounding space. For example, if your signage will be installed in a space that is 24 inches in height, then ordering letters that are 23 inches tall is not a good idea, as this will leave too little negative space between the letters and the background. The same concept goes for choosing a text size for a sign design. After letter heights, you should also consider viewing distances. For instance, if you’re planning to order a storefront sign for a small patio area, then you should select a letter size that will be easy for your customers to read within the confined patio space. Conversely, if the sign is to be seen from the road or across a large parking lot, then be sure to choose letters and a sign of sufficient size for the viewing distance.

Contrast is among the most critical components for creating eye-catching and effective signage. If you’re planning to order custom illuminated business signs in Chandler or Phoenix, then continue reading for advice on creating intuitive sign designs with the help of better color contrast.

Color Contrast

Many business owners begin the sign design process by focusing on their brand’s color scheme. This is an excellent starting point because ordering storefront signs that don’t reflect your business’ branding is a poor investment and a bad marketing strategy. However, you should not begin the sign design process planning to use only your brand’s colors. In many cases, doing so will leave you with a sign that has poor contrast and legibility. Instead, plan to incorporate contrasting shades of white, black, or grey into the sign’s design, along with your business’ colors.

White Space

Color contrast can describe the difference between various hues, and you should familiarize yourself with primary, secondary, and complementary colors before beginning the sign design process. However, even if your brand’s colors do not have a significant amount of contrast between one another, you can still create excellent color contrast in your sign if you incorporate the right amount of black or white. More specifically, white space, which describes any area without design or text, plays an important role in creating signage that is intuitive and high-contrast. For this reason, you should avoid cluttering the sign with too much text or design and leave enough white space to make the sign easy for people to read and understand.

Illuminated Signage

Many business owners mistakenly assume that illuminating a sign will be enough for it to catch the eyes of customers and make the sign legible. Unless your business is only open at night, then it’s important for your exterior illuminated business signs to function effectively in the daytime, as well. Also, even illuminated signs need sufficient color contrast for them to be attention-grabbing and easy to read. For these reasons, you should create an illuminated sign design that will be intuitive both day and night and with or without illumination.

You already realize that good signage can be crucial for any business, but knowing where to get your signs may be less obvious. If you’re planning to order custom-made business signs in Chandler or Phoenix, then keep reading to learn about the advantages of working with a full-service sign company .

If you’re like many business owners, then you’re too busy to shop around looking for one company to design your signs, a second one to manufacture them, and a third one to install them. For this reason, it often makes sense to enlist the services of a full-service sign company. Going this route helps ensure that your business signs will be created and installed in a timely fashion. Also, working with a dedicated sign company may also result in better product quality and more professional services. If you need business signs, then consider working with a full-service sign company to help save time and ensure your satisfaction.