Complete Guide to Storefront Signs
Storefront signage is an integral part of your business presence and marketing. It tells your customers who you are, promotes your brand message, and can even be used to advertise sales and special events. Choosing the right outdoor storefront signs can feel overwhelming as you begin to explore all of the front business signs that are available. Knowing where to start will help you to make the right investment for your business.
To simplify the process, we will discuss the most popular types of outdoor storefront signs that you can use to grow your brand.
Commercial Awnings
Awnings are among our most versatile front business signs. They can promote your brand while also providing practical advantages like shade and protection from wind and rain. If you place inventory out the front of your store, a large commercial awning would be a valuable investment.
There are countless customization options for our awning fascia signs. Colour, graphics, lettering, and the style of the awning (including retractable and non-retractable) can all be customized to suit your unique needs.
We create awnings in solid colour vinyl as well as modern Sunbrella woven fabric that offers a contemporary look with excellent UV stability and water resistance.
Push Through Front Business Signs
If you have space where you can have an illuminated sign, then push through front business signs are a great way to capture the attention of potential customers. Push through signs are front business signs in which the lettering or graphics have back or side illumination.
These differ from channel letters because the lettering (or logos or graphics) is an integral part of front business signs. They are cut from thin acrylic and are “pushed through” the sign, and they stick out only slightly. The light, which is inside the aluminum backer panel, shines through the sign and gives the lettering a 3D effect.
The result is an impressive sign that stands out to the general public. Our push through signs are some of our most popular front business signs in a diverse range of industries from hospitality to professional services.
If you need front business signs that create a dramatic impact but with a more subtle profile than channel letters, our push through front business signs will be ideal.
Hanging Blade Shop Front Signs
For shop front signs that are traditional, elegant, and effective, you can consider hanging blade shop front signs. These signs can be mounted on posts, from an overhang, or to a custom backing on your storefront designed by About Signs Limited.
Hanging blade shop front signs are ideal for businesses that want to convey prestige and traditional values. Boutique stores, professional services such as accounting and legal services, and real estate firms are just some examples of the types of businesses that make use of hanging blade shop front signs.
You can fully customize shape, colours, lettering, images, and the materials used. We even design illuminated hanging blade shop front signs, including modern lightbox signs.
To start designing shop front signs, talk to our team today.
Illuminated Sign Boxes Fascia Signs
Our illuminated sign box fascia signs are popular for storefronts, offering an excellent combination of value and attractive branding for any business. Our sign box fascia signs are made primarily from acrylic and feature a light source inside. This light source can illuminate the lettering, graphics, or as much or as little of the sign as you need.
Some of our sign box fascia signs are lit from the outside using a gooseneck light or other permanent lighting solution. You can customize your lighting depending on your business needs and the location of the sign.
Unlit sign boxes can be used for your fascia signs if you have ample lighting available or if you don’t need visibility in the evenings. These fascia signs can feature multiple faces to promote your company name, address, brands, graphics, and any of your marketing assets.
For the best sign box fascia signs in Southwestern Ontario, contact the experts at About Signs Limited.
Illuminated vs. Non-Illuminated Storefront Signs
One of the first and most important decisions you will make is whether to choose illuminated or non-illuminated outdoor storefront signs.
There are cost savings with non-illuminated outdoor storefront signs, but you’ll lose some impact, especially during the evenings. Illuminated storefront signs are typically more attractive in all lighting conditions, and our storefront signs are smart investments thanks to efficient and cost-effective LED lighting.
Illuminated store signs include attractive options like lightboxes with push-thru letters, and illuminated channel letters or halo-lit store signs. As with many of the decisions you’ll make in business, there’s no outright best option here. You should consider your budget, your business opening hours, and even the location of your business before choosing illuminated or non-illuminated storefront signs.
If you want to make an impact beyond non-illuminated storefront signs, you can consider one of our many illuminated options. About Signs Limited fully customizes fascia signs for your brand and budget.
For non-illuminated signs, the two most popular options are 3D letters and standard face signs.
- 3D letters can be placed directly on a wall or custom sign backing. They are deep and stand out from the surface, and are available in colours and materials to suit your brand and stand out from the rest of the fascia. 3D letters are often made from acrylic, polycarbonate, aluminum, brass, bronze, and PVC.
- Non-illuminated fascia signs are large flat signs that can be affixed to any wall or suitable support structure at the front of your business. These signs can be customized to reflect your business messaging. Printed graphics can be incorporated into these signs, and you could even choose a customizable poster sign box that can be changed as needed to reflect ongoing promotions and specials. Non-illuminated storefront signs are ideal for busy commercial areas where there is ample lighting to keep your signage visible.
Channel Letter Store Signs
Channel letter store signs are a great choice when you want to give your storefront a distinctive look. This three-dimensional text is usually three to six inches deep and can be illuminated with LED lighting. A wide variety of fonts and graphics may be created through channel letter store signs and the letters may be attached to a backing or directly to the building itself.
When it comes to channel lettering, there are several different subcategories to choose from, including:
- Halo Lit Channel Letter Store Signs – these are channel letters in which light emits out of the edges of the lettering but not through the front, giving the sign a “halo effect.” This can give your sign a very elegant appearance.
- Front-Lit Channel Letter Store signs – these are channel letters where the light comes through the front. These letters typically have metal sides and a translucent vinyl front that allows light to pass through. Front-lit channel lettering is more popular than halo lit lettering because it allows for brighter colours to be seen when the sign is lit. These store signs may also be easier to read when it is dark out.
- Front and Backlit Channel Letter Store Signs – some channel letters are lit both from the front and from the back. To create the desired effect these letters use two different colours of vinyl on the inner and outer parts to create a contrast. The result can be quite stunning.
- Unlit Channel Letter Store Signs – lighting is not a requirement for channel letters, and you can also have storefront signage that uses unlit channel letters. These signs can also be quite striking; however, they will, of course, be less visible at night.
Window Signage Store Signs
Our window store signs include stickers, vinyl letters and posters, and 3D letters that can be displayed to promote your business name and brand. Your fascia windows offer plenty of real estate for store signs.
Affordable decals and vinyl shop front signs can transform bland and boring windows into powerful marketing spaces.
Some of our most popular window shop front signs include:
- 2D and 3D Letter Decals – These easy to apply decals are extremely eye-catching and appear to jump right off the glass. 3D lettering is typically used for permanent signage displaying something like the name of the company whereas 2D lettering might be used for something more temporary such as advertising a sale or promotion.
- Graphic Decals – Using your storefront windows to display graphics is another way of making use of your available real estate to convey your brand. Some businesses choose to keep this to a minimum so that passersby can still view items that are inside the store while other businesses use bigger and bolder images to communicate with their customers.
- Full Pane Window Stickers – For an even bolder look, you may choose to go with full pane window stickers. These cover the entire window, which will prevent people from seeing into the store, however, they can be a good choice for many types of businesses as they allow for more space to display your message on outdoor storefront signs.
Outdoor Banners
Outdoor banners can be used to promote upcoming events, or, you can use them year-round as supplementary advertising for your business. Banners are ideal for outdoor storefront signs where you frequently rotate product information, seasonal sales, and other forms of brand messaging.
Banner flags can be installed on permanent storefront fixtures, fences, walls, or even freestanding portable sign poles.
Common options for these outdoor storefront signs include:
- Attached outdoor banner
- Hanging outdoor banner
- Pin-up outdoor banner
- Outdoor wrap banner
- Handheld banners
- Post outdoor banners
- Pole outdoor banners
- Fence outdoor banners
- Outdoor flag banners
Major Considerations for New Outdoor Storefront Signs
Once you decide on the type of outdoor storefront signs that are most appropriate for your storefront, the sign itself will have to be designed. At About Signs, we have experts that can help you with this; however, it is a good idea to have an understanding of some sign design basics.
Ready for more help in selecting and designing outdoor storefront signs for your business? You can contact About Signs Limited today.
We create the best signs in Toronto, the GTA, Hamilton, Mississauga, Oakville, and throughout Southwestern Ontario.
Factors that you’ll want to consider are:
- Brand consistency – A good brand will use colours, fonts, and graphics that are consistent. When you consider major brands such as Tim Hortons or McDonald’s, they always use consistent elements in their signage. Staying consistent will help your brand to become more recognizable by your customers.
- Content – Having the right content on your outdoor storefront signs is also key. Of course, you should have your business name in large, easy to read font, but you may also want to include a graphic or tagline.
- Size – You want to make sure that no matter what type of outdoor storefront signs you choose, that it will be large enough for your customers to read. You must also keep in mind, however, that the larger your sign is, the more it will cost. You must also take into account any zoning or rental restrictions that will limit the size and types of outdoor storefront signs that you are allowed to have on your building.