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Lobby Signs

March 17, 2025 by ShieldCo Art

Your office lobby serves as the first point of contact, shaping how clients, guests, and employees perceive your brand. Designing a space that reflects your brand identity ensures a strong and lasting first impression. Incorporating custom office signs is a great way to ensure your lobby embodies your company’s values and aesthetics uniquely, professionally, and invitingly. To help you get started, we’ve compiled some insider recommendations for curating the perfect office lobby sign to leave a lasting impression.

The Lobby Reflects Your Brand Identity

When visiting your business, the lobby is the first place your customers visit. Guests rely on a well-designed lobby to let them know they have arrived in the right location and clarify where to go next or what to do. To make the most of this space, your lobby should function as a reflection of your company’s personality and values. 

Smiles at Fairfax Corner individual letters custom backlit lobby sign

Incorporate Custom Office Signs for a Lasting Impression

Using custom office signs for thoughtful branding helps present a polished and cohesive image in your lobby. With just a few simple aesthetic choices, a business can carefully curate its impression, from sleek and modern to rustic and homey.

Any business can purchase a sign that says “OPEN” or “Welcome,” but having a branded reception area makes a more impactful and lasting impression. It shows that your business has invested in quality rather than sticking to the basics, which helps visitors feel confident that they, too, will receive personalized attention. Custom signs represent attention to detail and professionalism.

For businesses with a very specific aesthetic, office lobby signage is highly versatile. Multi-dimensional metal signage, logo-centric signs, and illuminated lettering are just a few options. Consider how the color, shape, material, placement, and content of a sign will speak for your company.

Choose Colors, Fonts, and Materials to Match Your Brand

Signage and décor elements should complement the attributes of the business’ logo; choose the color scheme, font, and general shape carefully. A brand’s logo is the primary associating factor between your business and the consumer. Some companies choose angular, abstract logos for a sharp, modern feel, while others use bright colors or even real shapes (think of the pet company Petco’s logo made up of a dog and cat).

Additionally, materials such as various types of metal, wood, and glass can bring durability and sophistication to a sign’s design. A customer who sees a high-quality metal sign in good condition is more likely to be convinced that the brand is willing to invest high-quality service in them, too.

Consider Layout and Functionality When Adding Signage

Location, location, location. Where you put a sign in your business matters just as much as what it looks like. Integrating signage seamlessly into the lobby’s layout can enhance traffic flow and usability. Ideally, it should be placed where that is easy to see but blends with the existing architecture. Alternatively, make a statement by using a multi-layered or three-dimensional sign to give customers a lasting impression

Many businesses choose to put signage above their check-in desk so customers know where to go right away. Placing signage with wayfinding, accessibility, or key brand messaging in mind enhances both practicality and aesthetics. 

Use Storytelling to Build an Emotional Connection

Signs can be more than a single word or image. Consider adding branding elements that tell the company’s story, such as a timeline graphic or mission statement signage. Custom office signs with these elements can showcase core values or slogans in a unique and creative way. The benefits of this strategy are twofold: the lobby aesthetic improves, and customers are informed of the business’ identity in a subtle rather than an overbearing way.

Lighting and Custom Signs: How to Set the Mood

Signs don’t have to be hung and done. Consider upgrading the area with lighting, which can elevate the visibility and impact of custom office signs. Backlighting, spotlighting, or ambient lighting can help set the tone for a welcoming space; just remember to consider not only the shadows being cast but also customer comfort (e.g., are back lights shining into customers’ eyes?) and tone (warm orange lights can promote comfort, while crisp white lights can boost alertness). Your business could even use colored lights to play thematically into the company’s identity and personality!

Rees Broome custom metal lobby sign

Collaborate with Experts to Bring Your Vision to Life

Office signage can be one of the most impactful installations you can make for both aesthetic and branding reasons. Because creating a memorable sign takes time and consideration, it is wise to work with signage and design professionals to create custom displays tailored to your vision. Collaboration with the best signage companies will facilitate high-quality, branding-forward results.

Embrace Artistic Elegance and Functional Design

Your office lobby is an opportunity to showcase your company’s identity and leave an impression that lasts. By incorporating custom office signs and design elements that align with your brand, you can create a space that is both professional and unforgettable. Interested in elevating your lobby with standout, artistic signage? Contact ShieldCo Art today to start designing a custom office sign that reflects your company’s true personality.

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Filed Under: Custom Signs, Lobby Signs

March 10, 2025 by Luke Markey

The modern conference room is more than a meeting space. Today, it’s a visual representation of the culture, professionalism, and values of your business. Adding custom office signs is one effective way to create an impressive conference room that ties branding into functionality. Combined with other thoughtful design elements, such as comfortable furniture, custom signs can create a conference room that commands attention.

brushed steel sign for meta with neon lighting finishes

Why Branding Matters in a Conference Room

When visitors enter your conference room, they immediately begin to form impressions. How clean is it? Is it set up to facilitate thoughtful discussion? A branded conference room creates a lasting impression on clients and employees by communicating that the business is confident in its identity, values, and practices. It is proud to put forth its branding, and elements such as custom office signs reinforce professionalism and attention to detail.

Additionally, visitors will quickly be greeted with your brand information. This helps to keep your business top-of-mind, leaving a lasting visual impression making recall quick and easy.

The Importance of Custom Office Signs in Conference Room Design

Many important facets make up a business, such as what they stand for and what niche they serve. Custom office signs help businesses display their logo, motto, or other brand elements effectively and impactfully without taking up too much space. Multi-layered logo signs, dimensional lettering above the conference table, or door signage for room names can all convey something about the company without becoming overbearing.

For instance, 3D signage is eye-catching, helping visitors break out of the mundane mindset that they might be joining a dull, boring meeting. Additionally, high-quality room name plates can help move guests in the right direction, avoiding unnecessary stress and creating a positive mood for the meeting.

Incorporating Versatile Technology for Modern Functionality

Of course, a great sign is not the only thing that makes a conference room ideal. Large-scale presentation screens, interactive whiteboards, and video conferencing setups boost productivity when carefully set up with quality equipment. You can also consider custom signage for tech hubs or device storage areas to integrate your identity with the functionality of the space.

Furnishings and Layout for Comfort and Utility

The visual elements of a room, such as signage, colors, and whiteboards, are all important, but people will not pay attention to the space (or their work) for long if they are struggling to get comfortable. Be sure to invest in ergonomic chairs, sleek conference tables, and seating arrangements that foster collaboration without leaving guests with a sore back afterward.

Think about furniture placement and prioritize comfortable, dynamic interactions by making simple choices such as:

  • Leaving enough space between a wall and the chairs allowing people to get in and out
  • Placing every chair along a comfortable side of the table, not at corners
  • Facing everyone in the right direction so no one has to spend the meeting turned sideways

Bringing Branding to Life With Your Design Choices

Branding can go beyond custom office signs by integrating wall art, branded furniture, and company-themed color schemes. For instance, consider the latent meaning in your company’s logo colors. Color psychology reveals how people react to certain colors, and if your logo is full of shades that enhance your customers’ impressions (e.g., blue for trustworthiness, green for comfort), incorporate these physically into the office.

Businesses can create a cohesive atmosphere through consistent visual representations of the brand’s personality. The green from your logo could also appear along the baseboards or on a branded seat cover. Make your office seem like everything inside it was selected with care to create a unified whole.

Lighting: Setting the Mood for Productivity and Style

Lighting plays a big role in how well people focus during meetings and even what emotions they feel throughout. Bright white lights can increase attention, but they can also leave people feeling wired and stressed. Conversely, warm lighting might help everyone relax and collaborate, but it can also leave them tired or less interested in the content of the meeting.

Natural lighting is a great option where possible, but even artificial lighting can create an inviting, professional space. While you are at it, think about using custom signs to enhance the lighting scheme of the conference room! Consider how you might enhance the appearance of your sign through LED lighting, adjustable light fixtures, and spotlights.

Jumpstart Communications multi layer interior lit

Using Artwork and Signage to Craft a Statement Wall

Consider incorporating a statement wall in the conference room using multi-dimensional or illuminated custom office signs. What about a sign showing off the elegant script of your brand’s values or mottos? Or perhaps add a sign that displays all the non-profits you have worked with to get conversation brewing if others have heard of those places or seen their charity in action.

A well-placed art display or graphic panel can serve as another conversation starter to hammer home your branding, but not in an overbearing way. This way, people have something company-related to look at, and they no longer feel that they are sitting in a sterile, white room devoid of any character.

Level Up Your Meeting Room

Your conference room should inspire collaboration, express your brand’s values, and leave a lasting impression on everyone who visits. By integrating modern amenities and custom office signs, you can transform your workspace into both a functional and visually distinct asset. Trust ShieldCo Art to design custom office signage that’s tailored to your goals and reflects your business’s unique identity.

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Filed Under: Custom Signs, Lobby Signs, Office Signs

March 3, 2025 by Luke Markey

Business signs serve an essential role in any company’s aesthetic. However, beyond the visual appeal, carefully crafted signage has the ability to make a positive first impression on visitors and serve to inform them about the company’s values and attitudes. For instance, powder coated custom metal signs for businesses can help a business convey a sense of refinement and quality while simultaneously providing benefits such as low maintenance and durability.

If your business is in the market for a custom sign, you probably have plenty of options to choose from, and no clear picture of which one will serve you best. Here is what you need to know about powder coated business signs, their advantages, and the many ways they can be customized.

Hubbel Power multi layer powder coating

What Is Powder Coating?

Powder coating is a process that refines a metal sign to become a piece of art that is more durable, visually appealing, and long-lasting using powdered paint. Untreated metal signs may rust or lose their luster over time, but powder coated signage maintains its appeal and functionality for the long haul.

There are three basic stages of powder coating:

  1. Sandblasting, in which the metal is exposed to intense force from granules that shear away impurities including old paint and dirt. This process leaves a slightly textured surface that allows paint and other amendments to adhere better.
    Or, if you pour powder coating on clean aluminum, you can wipe the aluminum down with denatured alcohol. 
  2. Priming involves applying primer that infiltrates the sandblasted texture to form a protective layer against scratches and rust and enables the powder coating to better adhere. This is baked deep into the textured surface for full coverage.
  3. Coating, which bonds the metal to the powder paint using a chemical reaction and heat. This strong, resilient finish is both beautiful and durable in all types of weather.

Benefits Of Powder Coated Signs

Any business considering signage should know that powder coated signs offer benefits that other types might not. These advantages include:

Superior Durability

While normal metal can rust, oxidize, or degrade over time due to scratches and corrosion, powder coated signs stand up to these issues. A business with a fading or damaged sign may be sending the wrong message about themselves or their brand. Powder coating is a simple way to boost this first impression.

Enhanced Aesthetic Appeal

Powder coating creates a visually striking design. Standard metal signs boast vibrant colors on their own, and powder coating further enhances this appeal because the paint is baked directly into the metal using a molecular bond. This type of signage remains as visually striking as the day it was made.

Low Maintenance

Between the longevity of the colors and the long-lasting resistance to scratches and other deterioration, powder coated signs make maintenance easy. No repainting or repairs; just a quick dusting every now and then as needed.

Cost-Efficiency Over Time

Custom metal powder coated signs are a great investment for any business. Because they last so long and don’t require repainting or other in-depth maintenance, their long-term cost is low.

Some Custom Business Signs Powder Coating Is Ideal For

While almost any type of signage can be crafted using powder coating, some specific niches are notably improved using this method. A few examples include:

  • 3D Signs – A three-dimensional sign sticks out from the wall in order to create the 3D image. Powder coating is ideal for this type of sign because it offers protection to the entire installation, both back and front.
  • Logo Signs – Logos are just as unique as the business that makes them, and that can pose a problem when maintaining a sign. Powder coating keeps a logo sign consistent in quality for the best first impression, including its curves, corners, and other brand-specific features of the logo.
  • Outdoor or Blade Signs – Blade signs, which sit perpendicular to a wall on the outside of a business like a banner or flag. These are great candidates for powder coating as their positioning exposes them to the elements on both sides. Powder coating keeps them beautiful and able to withstand their consistent exposure to the weather and bright sunlight.
Matix NDI two layers powder coated custom sign

Get A Free Custom Business Sign Quote From ShieldCo Today

Business signs have the ability to elevate your company’s presence and create a more favorable impression that turns prospects into customers. Has your sign become faded, broken, outdated, or hard to read? If so, it could be sending the wrong message about your business.

The talented team of artists at ShieldCo Art helps businesses create stunning, artistic signs that stand the test of time and make a favorable first impression. Contact ShieldCo to get started!

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Filed Under: Custom Signs, Lobby Signs, Metal Signs, Office Signs

January 27, 2025 by Luke Markey

Businesses considering how to boost their customer satisfaction and brand loyalty often look to parts of their business such as the quality of their products and the speed of service. While these are certainly worthwhile considerations, there is one thing that most companies completely overlook: their office reception area.

This seemingly innocuous space is one of the first your clients will see, and it can shape their entire impression of the business and its quality. Whether you use dramatic uplighting, custom indoor signs, thriving plants, or something else all shapes this perception, which can have a direct impact on your bottom line.

The good news is that even a few small changes can cause big changes in customer impression. Here’s what your office reception area says about your company.

welcoming reception area with a large sign that says Welcome on it

Company Culture

A company’s culture reflects the business’ values, practices, and approach to serving customers and employees. Prospective clients and visitors want to see that their presence is welcome and that the business has taken steps to foster a positive culture. If the reception area is a mess of confusing corridors or pathways full of obstructions and unclear signage, customers can quickly gather the perception that the business’ culture is disorganized.

As a result, people may make the connection that a disorderly reception space corresponds to a lack of organization throughout the business, including in products or services. Create a reception that is easy to navigate and understand, starting with custom signage to point the way or make it clear where people are supposed to go for specific services.

Goals and Successes

Customers expect to see a reception that is more than just bare walls and a desk with a check-in clerk. The decoration in this space is one area that businesses can leverage to show off their success stories and clue in customers on their future goals. For instance, display awards or signs of community service prominently in this space. Not only does this foster trust and a bond between customer and company, but it also lends legitimacy to the business.

Similarly, subtle branding can convey progress toward new goals. Feature imagery of existing or planned initiatives. Use adaptable lighting, signage, or even wall covering patterns that create a sense of momentum: lines that move horizontally or décor that draws the eye upward or to specific focal points.

Care and Quality

Customers want to know that a business cares about them. More than just the products or services, they expect to feel the company understands and aims to resolve the burden of their pain points. An office reception area that is full of overflowing garbage bins, stained seating, or dirty carpet can impact whether or not a visitor trusts your business.

If the business does not even take the effort to empty their trash, how can they be trusted to deliver on the product they’re selling or the services they’re offering? Spend time carefully curating the reception area by keeping it clean, organized, and bright. Crisp, beautiful custom signage or even backlit wall decorations can provide a sense of care, demonstrating they are willing to invest in a custom décor piece to help visitors feel at home.

Dedication and Innovation

People want to see that a business is making forward progress, not stagnating in old practices and outdated products. Consider how the office reception area might worsen (or improve) a company’s innovative spirit.

Small, subconscious changes such as décor that is displayed in a sweeping motion (e.g., a wall pattern that starts large near the customer and gets smaller as it moves down the hall) can convey a sense of forward progress or a vision for the future. Additionally, don’t hesitate to highlight all the areas where your company stands head and shoulders above the rest, either in dedication to customers or innovation in the industry.

Have you received commendations from professionals in your niche? Display their words directly on the wall. Planning something that will shake up the industry? Share details about it (or even early-stage prototypes) in the waiting area for customers to consider.

interior design of a beautiful elegance reception area with luxury white marble counter and wall

Level Up Your Reception Area with Custom Signage

The reception area is one of the most important spaces in the company’s entire footprint. It’s the first image customers see, and it can make or break how they feel about the business long before they ever purchase a product or try a service. While each business will need to approach revitalizing this area differently, custom indoor signs can be a great choice in a variety of reception areas.

From the company’s logo in bright, glowing colors to help customers find the check-in desk to a tasteful image or outline that tells customers what the business is all about without words, ShieldCo Art can help your company make a great first impression. Contact us to learn more!

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Filed Under: Custom Signs, Lobby Signs, Office Signs

January 13, 2025 by Luke Markey

Office lobbies are often hubs of activity, from employees moving about with administrative work to visitors signing in or stopping by to ask questions. As one of the most public-facing spaces in any business, it is essential that the lobby highlights everything that makes the company unique.

This first impression can make or break a customer’s decision to engage with the business or recommend it to friends and custom indoor signs can be one way of piquing their interest. Signage is attention-grabbing because people understand out of habit that signs usually contain important information.

However, simply plastering your logo onto a sign and hanging it in the corner won’t necessarily get your brand identity across. Here are a few do’s and don’ts when it comes to designing an office lobby, from signage to layout and more.

elegant marble entryway reception

Do:

Embrace brand identity

Your brand is unique, or at least it should be if you want to stand out from the competition. Rather than feeling self-conscious about whether this identity fits in, embrace what makes your business unique! Use décor, such as custom indoor signage, to proudly demonstrate what differentiates your business, from cohesive designs that communicate your orderly and thoughtful business, to logos that keep your company top of mind.

Décor need not be visual, either. For instance, if your business focuses on providing a relaxing atmosphere (think a spa, hotel, or even a medical facility that wants to keep patients calm), embrace soft seating and rounded decorations and signage. Conversely, for businesses staying on the cutting edge (e.g., tech, finance), angular furniture and signage can convey identity without words or images.

Think about the layout

When a customer comes into the lobby, how difficult is it to find what they’re looking for? Designing an office lobby layout should be done with navigation in mind. Avoid putting large, obstructive decorations or seating arrangements between the door and the main destinations, hallways where visitors must go when called, the front reception desk, and so on.

Similarly, consider what visitors will be doing in their spare time, such as when waiting to be attended to. Is it easy for them to find a place to sit or wait? The layout of an office lobby can say a lot about what a business values, including visitor comfort. Cumbersome layouts can come across as cold and impersonal but may feel more welcoming with the right flow and signage for guidance.

HS hospital waiting room sign seen in a British hospital

Preserve space

For the sakes of both employees and visitors, avoid overdesigning the lobby. A space full of comfortable seating, coffee machines, and other amenities can still be overwhelming if it requires people to shimmy past each other because there is only a one-person width of space to move.

This is especially important for workers, who need room to go about their business without constantly being slowed by others in their way. Leave enough room around the entrance (or modify it) so that people coming and going are not using the same door.

Don’t:

Create distractions

Interesting installations can be well and good, but what effect do they have on the people in your lobby? Are workers struggling to concentrate because an aesthetically pleasing water feature is sputtering all day? Is there loud or repetitive music that can distract from workers’ attention?

This issue goes both ways: employees might struggle to get work done efficiently, and visitors might not pay attention to the things you want them to because they can’t focus. In some instances, less is more.

Forget first impressions

What is the first thing that visitors (and even employees!) see when they enter the lobby? A striking first impression can hit like a lightning bolt, cementing your position in a visitor’s memory. Consider eye-catching installations, such as backlit metal signs with your logo or an important design. These can not only associate your brand with a specific color or pattern but also help people find your business in the first place!

Ignore color psychology

Color psychology is the concept of how the colors people see impact their opinions or feelings. When creating signage and other office lobby designs, be sure not to neglect the role that color can play in what people think of the business.

Certain shades of blue might make both customers and employees feel sluggish and sleepy, while red can quickly become grating for workers who need to look at it all day.

a Chaotic Explosion of Vibrant Colors and Shapes Depicting the Energy and Complexity of ADHD

Show Off Your Company’s Creativity and Identity

Your company is one in a million, and it should have décor that captures that. Designing your lobby with care is a top priority for anyone who wants to see their employees succeed and their customers return. ShieldCo Signs helps businesses demonstrate their identity by proudly displaying custom signs that blend the efficacy of business advertising with the artistry of truly creative design. Contact ShieldCo Signs to explore your custom options!

Filed Under: Custom Signs, Lobby Signs, Office Signs

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