Indoor signs
2/19/2019
Outdoor signage and the blues
Hewlett Packard, Boeing, Twitter, GE, American Express. Can you see all of their logos in your mind? What do they have in common? Aside from being really big companies, all of their logos are blue.
A lot of companies use blue in their logo because the color is known to evoke feelings of trust, reliability, clarity, and security. If you go back and read the list of names at the beginning of this blog, I think you’ll agree that those are definitely the feelings that they want their clients to feel. Many small businesses want to evoke the same feelings.
But, if your logo is blue (or certain shades of green, black or purple), when it comes time to put it on a lit sign your building, make sure you know what you’re doing! Even when those colors are LIT at night, they can be very hard to see.
There was a great restaurant that was located on a busy corner in our city. Their sign lit blue at night and it was impossible to see. Even though the business was right there in front of them, people couldn’t see it. That business owner spent thousands of dollars on signage so that people could find him – but they couldn’t see that signage! There is a reason why you see white, red and yellow on signage.
There are solutions that true signage professionals will try to implement to make sure that you can stay true to your brand colors yet still be visible.
In the example below (which is a mighty fine craft brewery), you can see that there are two building surfaces with two different colors. The black letters are mounted on a light stone and the white letters are on a darker precast material. Now, think about what happens when these signs are lit at night? The white will light white, but the black? Well, the black letters are actually covered in a perforated vinyl. By day, they appear white, but at night, the light will shine through the perforated holes and the sign letters will appear white. If your logo is blue (black, purple or green) and your building is a lighter color, “perf” is your answer. If the building color is a darker shade and the darker color won’t be visible at night, consider using white as your dominant color.
If those options don’t suite the brand or your tastes, there are still other solutions. Some folks will add a lighter colored background to the sign so that the letters stand out. Others will make sure that the graphics on the letters have a lighter colored outline that will help the letter color POP at night. In the image below, Paradise Car wash uses a white outline around the blue letters, in conjunction with white trim and white cans/returns (that’s sign speak for the sides of the sign letters).
Next time you’re driving at night, take a look at sign colors to see what sticks out and what doesn’t. And if you’re in need of exterior signage and want a professional solution that will give your brand maximum visibility, please give us a call at 651-444-8111 or check out our website at www.image360woodbury.com.
