ShieldCo Art

Custom Metal Signs & Business Logos

Custom Signs

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Wayfinding signs have become the norm in retail spaces. They combine a variety of visual, tactile and audible elements to attract shoppers to particular areas of a store. As the name suggests, wayfinding signs help customers find the way to what they need. The aisle signs in a supermarket are typical examples of wayfinding signs, but their use isn’t limited to supermarkets and retail spaces. Any office space that needs to provide some type of direction to customers, or highlight a particular area in the space, needs wayfinding signs. Custom metal signage can be used to create wayfinding signs that truly stand out. Well-built and strategically placed wayfinding signs only serve their desired purpose, however, if the best practices outlined in this article are followed.

Do Your Research

Successful stores continuously assess the performance of the signs they use. They also try various approaches to attract customers. One strategy that can be used to determine the effectiveness of your wayfinding signs is to measure the increase in employee productivity. Employees should be spending less time directing customers and more time assisting customers in other ways (or doing other meaningful activities). This ultimately leads to an increased ROI. If you notice no significant change, something is wrong with your signs. Therefore, research is necessary to the profitability of the wayfinding signs you’ve created.  

Utilize Buyer Psychology

Your aim is to persuade buyers to make purchases by directing them to the right places.  Buyers sometimes unconsciously purchase items they never intended to purchase simply based on strategic planning of the store’s layout, display placement and use of signs. Feeding their subconscious with the right messages will compel them to spend more.

Pay Attention to Store Layout

Product displays should always be carefully planned so that they attract attention. Appropriate signage and placement play a major role in this. Think about the last time you walked into a store and saw a nicely dressed display promoting a new product or special promotion. Didn’t the way the display was set up arouse your curiosity? For a few minutes you probably even forgot what you entered the store to do because you were side-tracked by the intrigue of the display. Keep that image in your mind and attempt to replicate it in your own store.

Signs and displays can also have a powerful impact if they’re arranged in a hierarchy.  A hierarchical arrangement visually breaks the store into components that make it easier for customers to navigate.  Easier navigation adds a great boost to the customer experience.

Signs can also help you implement a store-in-store strategy. Think about the last time you walked into Macy’s and saw an entire section dedicated to popular brands such as Lark and Co. The store-in-store strategy allows brands to take over an entire section of a store with their own branding, fixtures and displays. This strategy is ideal for brands that sell well in your store.

Wayfinding signs also help with the consistency of branding in a store’s layout. The signs used in –store should mimic the image portrayed on websites, marketing materials and outdoor signs. Consistency improves a brand’s image in the eyes of consumers.

Legibility is Vital

Creative store planners can expertly place signs in corners without obscuring the intended message. It’s important to utilize as much of your store’s space as possible. The corner approach does this while maintaining the sign’s legibility.

As with outdoor signs, wayfinding signs should use a legible font, an appropriate scale, and the right contrast to their background. Stay away from the cursive scripts. They are gorgeous, but standard fonts such as Helvetica and Serif Fonts are best for signs because of their legibility.

Use High Quality Materials

Quality should be one of the first words that customers associate with your brand. It’s easy to pay little attention to the quality of your signs and focus completely on improving quality elsewhere. However, the best approach is to incorporate high quality signs in your brand’s overall standard of quality.

Consider Modularity

Modularity in this context refers to the ability to match store signs to the same material standards as fixtures. Digital signage is applicable here since these types of signs can be incorporated into entertainment fixtures such as televisions and laptops.

Dimensionality Adds Interest

Dimensionality merges elements of exterior signs with wayfinding signs. These elements include: channel letters, projecting signs and awnings. The idea is to give that area of the store an urban or eclectic vibe.

Illumination Never Gets Stale

There is something about a well-lit sign that just makes it more attractive. LED technology has made it highly possible to create the right glow on interior signs. One of the most recent interior sign lighting trends has been the use of cove and soffit lighting.

Retail Disciplines and Wayfinding Signs

Signs alone do not create effective wayfinding in retail environments. Successful store navigation requires bringing together architecture and display to create a complete environment that both directs and informs.

Incorporate Wayfinding Signs in Visual Merchandising

Macro level visual merchandising signs typically identify important sections of a store. They are fixed and not easy to change. Checkout visual merchandising signs, on the other hand, are flexible and can be changed to suit the environment. Effective management of macro level and checkout signs is often used as an indication of wayfinding sign excellence. Top companies expertly allow both types of signs to work seamlessly together.

 Several factors affect a customer’s overall in-store experience. Effective use of wayfinding signs is one such factor. Some entrepreneurs may view wayfinding signs as frivolous investments, but play a crucial role in helping customers enjoy the in-store experience. ShieldCo can create custom metal indoor wayfinding signs that add a consistent and high quality feel to your store or office.

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Vinyl printing provides a creative way to spruce the interior décor of your office.  It is one of the most affordable business signage solutions. Traditionally, white adhesive vinyl would be used as the substrate for the printed designs. Developments in the field, however, have resulted in the use of a wider variety of substrates including glass and other large graphic surfaces.

Embedded and sublimated digital graphics facilitate the adherence of ink to a substrate through the use of heat and electrostatic methods.  Sublimation is touted for its ability to quickly and easily produce the final products. However, it is a very limited printing method because the substrate must wither be polyester coated or be made of polyester fabric. However, both vinyl printing and embedded/sublimation digital graphic printing are used for indoor and outdoor signage.

This article seeks to answer the question: should you use vinyl or embedded/sublimated printing for your indoor signs? The discussion begins with an explanation of the benefits of vinyl printing. The benefits of embedded/sublimated printing are also discussed. By the end of the article, you should be able to effectively compare both methods to determine the one that best suits your needs.

Benefits of Vinyl Printing

Highly Durable

A heat applicator can be used to affix highly durable vinyl materials to your substrate of choice. These materials can typically withstand severe weather conditions and other forms of harsh treatment.  This durability means that you can even use creative designs on your store’s floor. Pretty neat isn’t it?

Welcome Complex Designs

Express your creativity freely. Digital printing has made it easier for transferring complex designs to vinyl substrates. If it can be designed on a computer, it can also be transferred to vinyl.

Cover a Larger Surface Area

Vinyl can be purchased in virtually any dimensions.  Therefore, you can create signs that cover as much or as little of your interior wall space as you desire.

Experience Greater Flexibility

Vinyl material is very flexible.  Consequently, it can be manipulated into a variety of shapes and sizes. This flexibility also makes vinyl signs easily adaptable for a variety of locations.

Make a Statement

High quality graphics and images can be featured. The beauty of the graphics and images will stand out against the glossy finish of the vinyl.

Great for Day to Night Transitioning

The opacity of vinyl printing creates an intriguing effect that is further amplified with the use of LED lights. The material can also make certain features of the design become more pronounced in various lighting conditions.

Benefits of Embedded/Sublimated Digital Graphics

Dye sublimation is particularly useful for outdoor fabric substrates such as awnings and banners. High pressure laminate, which is a type of embedded digital graphic, is particularly useful for park and transit signs because of its durability.  Embedded/sublimated graphics can also help you make a statement through the use of bold colors and the ability to maximize on space.

Vinyl printing and embedded/sublimated digital graphics printing are good sign printing options. The option you choose depends on your unique needs and style preferences.

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There are so many factors to consider when creating a custom metal business sign. Metal sign manufacturers pay keen attention to the type of printing technology they use to ensure that you get the best product. A variety of printing technology is available for custom metal business signs. Flatbed printing is one such technology and it allows sign masters to print directly on the metal or substrate of choice. It utilizes two main ink applications: solvent inks and UV inks. Metal sign manufacturers that create signs using flatbed printing tend to prefer UV inks. The benefits and recent advancements with UV curable inks are outlined in this article. 

The Benefits

  • Environmentally friendly. UV curable inks are free of toxins because they don’t use solvents.
  • Curing is fast and efficient. More modern graphic presses can also use UV curable inks to print multiple colors consecutively without moving the substrate.
  • No drying of the UV ink on the printing screen. Therefore, there will be no ink clogging the printer’s mesh if printing stops. Sign manufacturers are able to create as many printouts as they need without having to clean the mesh.
  • A variety of color opacities to choose form. The transparency the ink provides allows an extremely clean printout.

Advances in UV Inkjet Printing

  • Although UV curable inks are durable, they aren’t flexible.  HP created a new ink set called the HP HDR250 Scitex to deal with this issue.  This specialized ink works with the HP Scitex “Smart Coat Technology” to produce another layer of ink from the set’s cyan ink supply. The light cyan ink contains a more durable polymer than the other inks in the ink set. It is printed as a set of closely spaced spots that never meet. This spotted printing allows the sign’s substrate to be folded or flexed without the ink cracking and provides a protective layer for the sign.
  • UV curable inks have to be specially made for each substrate. This becomes pretty expensive. The HP Scitex 15500 Corrugated Press addresses this issue through the use of an affordable ink set for corrugated boards. This makes printing on any substrate using the same ink possible.
  • Agfa has discovered a way to improve image quality with UV Inkjet printing without using more ink. They have dubbed this technology “Thin Ink”. A thinner layer of ink is dispersed which enables faster, more even curing.
  • Toyo Ink has developed two series of low-energy UV-curable offset inks: Flash Dry LPC Ex and Flash Dry LED Ex for LED UV curing systems. Both inks provide a product comparable to oil-based inks without compromising on printing efficiency.  These ink sets also provide a wider variety of colors, greater transparency, and a gloss finish.

 UV curable inks have developed a solid footing in the business signage industry. Shield Co uses UV Curable Inks to produce high quality finishes on our custom metal business signs.  WE always ensure that we use the best sign printing technology to create custom signs for your indoor and outdoor business needs.

Interested in custom business signs and want to read more? Here are some other posts about metal business signage:

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A unique, attractive, and creative sign is surely the first impression of your business on the targeted customers. Well–designed custom business signs showcases an impressive style, professionalism, and overall presence of your business. Basically, it will convey to people who you are, what you do, and where you are located. In simpler words, it reflects your business image to others.

Well, there are a number of trends in signage, that are ruling the market, but one of the most popular ones is lighted and non lighted signs. Both of these are considered as popular choices for those looking for something creative and distinct for their business.

Nowadays, customers are highly attuned to marketing messages, and can quickly pick up on visual cues such as exterior signage. You can make your business or enterprise easier to find with an outdoor light box sign. Hence, these are the perfect branding and advertising solutions. Agreed?  

But before we go on to use these, let’s have a look at the difference between the uses of lighted and non lighted signs-

Lighted Signs

Catches Customers’ Attention

It is a fact that eyes get attracted towards light and vibrant things, which is why lighted signs are able to grab more attention than the non-lighted ones. Simple! If you have signage with the right graphic element and light, it will look spectacular even in the daytime when lights are on. So, it is always a good idea to go for lighted outdoor signage as it looks amazing throughout the day, be it bright or dark outside.

Better Visibility!

Bright lighted signage placed at a good spot can help your customers find you even from a distance. This works really great when you have first-time clients visiting your business, and you don’t want them to have a hard time in finding your place. Visible signage equals more customers.

Non Lighted Signs

Now let’s have a look how non lighted signs are also a good idea. Here are some reasons:

Costs Less

If you are looking for attractive outdoor signage that can be installed at a really low price, non lighted ones are a great choice to go for. Because of the material and technology required for these, installing them is an affordable option in comparison to the others. 

Requires Less of Professional Maintenance

Over time, any sign will start to wear out; however, non-lighted signboards last for longer time period than the lighted ones. Moreover, these don’t even require professional maintenance to last for a longer time span – pretty easy to maintain.   

Good for Indoors as Well

If you think only lighted signage is a good idea, you need to give it a thought again. Non lighted signage works brilliantly for indoor and can be used for various purposes. It can be used as safety signs, like fire exists, directional signs, office signs etc. Also, it can bear the logo of your company, be a promo announcer, and some of it can be exclusively designed to add extra features.

In short, both lighted and non lighted custom business signage are an interesting and the simplest way to advertise or promote a business. But, you need to understand that both of them have distinct features and roles to play. So, you must know what you are looking for in order to buy the best product. 

Interested in custom business signs and want to read more? Here are some other posts about metal business signage:

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If you are expecting the article to begin with a clear, curt answer to the question, it is NO! Any sort of custom business sign must not cost you a leg and an arm unless you are falling for some unrealistic promises. Well, there is a lot that your signage can do for you, but it doesn’t mean that you must spend on it recklessly. In fact, investing on implementing marketing strategies does require some considerable capital that must be kept aside for it (including business signs), and these do pay back in full measure, but only in due time. However, this certainly does not require you spending off limits, because you must do everything remaining in the viable limits of your budget.

How Much does Signage Cost Anyway?

There are a lot of different types to signage, and it totally depends on what kind you with to choose – the permanent exterior signage, the temporaryoutdoor/indoor banners, the small sized portable one. You can start from as low as $20 and go as high as $5000 or even more. So, here is a basic round up of how it goes.

Durable Signs

Roof-top business boards, store fronts, and other kinds of durable/permanent ones usually start ranging between $300 and $600 depending on the size, placement, lighting, colors, and craftsmanship involved. That is pretty basic. If you are looking for attractive, quality outdoor signage, odds are that you will have to shell out a few 100 more for a minimum basic board. You can get decent work done starting from $1000, and yes, there may be no upper limit for it, but you need to see your budget and the marketing requirements of your business. And, the choices here are many; you could go for aluminum signage, alumalite, MDO, acrylic, and so much more. And, it is primarily the material, the cost will vary with.

Temporary Signs

For promotion at events, what one may prefer is something that is low on cost, less bulky, but still attractive. Businesses do not prefer using metal signage for this purpose. Plastic banners, flex, magnetic vehicle signs, window splashes, and the like, are much less durable (usually custom made for just one-time use). These are pretty economical, and can start from even $20. Even the most elaborate and big ones are not likely to cost you anything above $400-$500.

So, Is it Just the Sign Board You are Paying for?

Nay! Nope! Niet!

When we talk of signage, no matter if outdoor or office signs, we do count in a lot many factors.

  • The raw material that goes in is of course, accounted for.
  • The labor that goes into the making of any sort of signage will be included.
  • The quote that any signage company gives you will also usually install it.
  • The charge will also include the company taking care of the regulations as laid by the law for the display of sign boards.

To be honest, it is quite a deal, but you must look for a custom business signage company that does cater to all that, and is reliable. That way, it really won’t drill a hole in your pocket.