First and foremost, a quality business sign accomplishes one thing– it represents your brand! After getting the obvious out of the way, a solidly designed business sign easily distinguishes your company from competitors through the careful use of colors closely associated with your business. Additionally, a well-designed sign has an easy-to-read font that’s viewable from a distance and high-definition graphics that enhance its aesthetics.
One of the most commonly asked questions posed by business owners everywhere is whether they should design their own business signs. The answer to this question isn’t entirely clear-cut. There are certain advantages to opting for a self-designed sign, but there are also an equal number of disadvantages that may dissuade many businesses from doing so. In short, it comes down to evaluating your business needs and your own skills before committing to a sign design.
Consider Your Own Qualifications
When it comes to achieving a balanced design for a sign, it’s crucial to consider any and all qualifications that you may have. After all, you would never seek to design a website if you have zero graphic designing skills and virtually no coding knowledge. What sets a good business sign apart from a great one is its ability to instantly capture the essence of your company. Is this something you feel that you have the expertise and patience to do?
Though there are plenty of self-help articles and videos on how to create business signage, nothing makes up for a lack of sheer experience. An amateur design is one that can negatively impact your company and result in a loss of net profit.
What Can A Professionally Designed Business Sign Do For You?
Cutting corners is never recommended in any area of establishing your business, but with signage, investing in a quality design created by professionals does yield a number of benefits:
1. It Becomes Your Brand
More often than not, signs are the first perception that people have of your business. It sets the tone for your branding and it creates an atmosphere for your business. The right sign is one that evokes positive emotions and action while remaining in the average consumer’s thoughts long after they’ve gone home. A solid sign design that’s cohesive with your brand’s identity helps cement the name and mission of your company into everyone’s mind.
2. Enhanced Creativity
Your imagination is truly the only limit when it comes to designing business signage. In this case, working directly with a professional design firm will allow you to soar and really get creative with your design. Unfortunately, opting to design the sign yourself may limit your reach as a company and your own lack of design knowledge can have a negative impact.
3. Great Passive Marketing
Unlike other forms of marketing where you constantly have to refresh and invest, business signage is a great passive marketing tool. A solid design is one that can constantly draw in consumers, even if you’re not actively marketing your company. Most importantly, you will only need to pay a professional designer once to create a sign that works!
4. Help People Spot Your Business
Signage not only works as a great passive marketing tool, but it also allows potential consumers to become aware of your store’s presence and location. Placing a well-designed sign in a strategic location with lots of foot traffic will make your company become a local landmark.
Are There Advantages To A Self-Designed Business Sign?
When your company has a very tight budget to work with, designing your own business sign can become a temporary solution to your problem. Until you have the ability to afford a professional designer, you can adequately create your own signage. It does save you money, which for startup ventures is a crucial point for success!
You also know your own company the best. Though sitting down and interviewing several designers will ensure that you work with someone who’s both empathetic to your needs and has great listening skills, sometimes, you know what’s best for your company!
The Final Conclusion
Designing your own business signage does have its place in certain applications. If you have some artistic design skills and a deep understanding of what consumers are attracted to in design, you can certainly go this route. It will free up funding for your company and it allows you to carefully create signage that resonates with what your brand truly stands for.
However, not very many business owners can or should design their own signs. More often than not, too much energy and time are wasted on designs that are lackluster and don’t yield any real benefits for the company. Moreover, a professional design pushes boundaries and limits that are often hindered by a company owner’s inability to achieve a balanced design.
