Why have signs?

A sign is a very effective way to communicate with people.

A universal sign that is understood in nearly every language is the stop sign.

This sign has the same shape and colour everywhere (maybe the wording a little different) but you know what it means as you travel the globe.

What sparked me to write about signs is I have been eying off a sign as I travel to Brisbane which says “everyone needs a truck driver”.

Now I am very interested in this sign – there is only one sign, it has been there for about six months and so I have started to ask people what this sign means to them. The answers are as varied as:
- truck drivers are needed to drive our goods around the country;
- truck drivers should be supported and not abused on the roads;
- one person asked “Is there a telephone number given so you can hire the truck driver?”

So the intention of a sign can be made misleading by the words that are used or not used.

Another issue can be the placement of the sign.

The difference between an ideal viewing spot and terrible one may only be a few feet.

So what you can you do to maximise the impact of your business signage:
1. Ask people what they think it means. And if it is not what you intended then don’t do it.

2. For maximum exposure, a sign should interrupt the existing natural sight lines in any given area. So you’ve got to stand in a spot and determine: Where am I looking?

3. On shop fronts consider angling the sign so passersby can see the sign (as they are not going to stand in front of your shop to read the signs before moving on!)

4. Don’t place a sign on the way to the bathroom as people usually are focused on getting to the bathroom. Consider facing the sign as people exit the bathroom.

Another pet favourite is - refresh your sign. In Queensland we have a great sun and it burns – your skin and your paint work.

So if you want to have a professional image regularly refresh the paint work on your sign as necessary.