Signage Education/ Building Sign Options

Most businesses, in some fashion or form, have an exterior sign to mark their location. These signs in some office buildings or office parks are often nothing more than a small panel on a tenant sign or directory. But in some cases, a company is able to place their name or some other message on the exterior wall of their office. Maybe you own your building or your tenant agreement allows for some exterior signage (many landlords will have very specific guidelines as to what you can and cannot install for your exterior sign), what kind of sign should you create?

The first consideration for an exterior office sign is whether or not you want or are permitted to install an illuminated sign. In many retail centers and commercial properties, an internally illuminated sign is permitted. In most cases, you will want to mount a Channel Letter Sign for your company. Channel Letter Signs are individually fabricated metal letters with neon or LED inside to provide the illumination. Although, white is usually the easiest to see at night, you may also use other colors to draw attention to your business. Discuss these options with our sign company consultant (David Glover) who will help you choose the best styles and techniques.

Another lighting option is using “reverse illumination” and this can be achieved using channel letters or other materials. The lighting is mounted to glow out the back of the letter providing an attractive “halo” effect to the sign. Again, check your landlord specifications to determine what kind of lighting you may be able to consider for your sign. Often, these kinds of signs are first mounted to a raceway behind the letters that houses all of the electrical elements of the sign, and then the raceway is what gets mounted to your exterior wall. This allows for easier access if ever a repair was needed, and also it needs fewer holes into the fascia of your exterior wall.

Non-illuminated building signs can come in a myriad of styles and materials. Custom cut metal, acrylic, PVC, sign foam. In each of these cases, your sign can be cut to very specific detail, your logo, custom font, colors etc. We recommend cutting these materials with some kind of dimensional depth. Flat letters on a wall do not have the same “pop” that some dimensional depth can provide. Depending on size you can go as thick as 1″, but sometimes a simple ½” thickness is adequate.

Sign foam is a cost effective way to create a building sign and can be painted to your specific colors. The use of a laminated face can offer you a way to get a metallic look without having to buy metal letters. The laminate faces can also come in colored/painted acrylic. The same goes for the cut PVC. Laminate can improve the overall look and give you an enhanced letter or logo.

In any of these variations, the work requires attention to detail and good planning and a good sign company like Naturalite Neon can help you design the best sign for your business.