• Home
  • About Us
  • Services
    • Planning Services >
      • Strategic Planning Sessions
      • Workshop Facilitation
      • Brand Positioning Advice
      • Strategic Marketing Plans
      • Re-Branding
    • Implementation Services >
      • Websites
      • Capability Statements
      • Tender Preparation
      • Graphic Design
      • Signage
      • Presentation Preparation
      • Mentoring
      • Staff Training
      • Visual Identities
      • Advertising
      • Brand Re-Positioning
      • Commercial Photography
      • Video Production
      • Printing
      • Marketing Management
  • Working With Us
  • Case Studies
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Tel 07 3267 0936
MARKETING AGENCY BRISBANE | GREY AND GREY - BRAND POSITIONING + STRATEGIC MARKETING
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Services
    • Planning Services >
      • Strategic Planning Sessions
      • Workshop Facilitation
      • Brand Positioning Advice
      • Strategic Marketing Plans
      • Re-Branding
    • Implementation Services >
      • Websites
      • Capability Statements
      • Tender Preparation
      • Graphic Design
      • Signage
      • Presentation Preparation
      • Mentoring
      • Staff Training
      • Visual Identities
      • Advertising
      • Brand Re-Positioning
      • Commercial Photography
      • Video Production
      • Printing
      • Marketing Management
  • Working With Us
  • Case Studies
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Tel 07 3267 0936
Tel 07 3267 0936

Signage - how do you know what you're getting?

20/4/2017

illuminated hotel signage production grey and grey brisbane townsville
Signwriters are an unruly, unlicensed bunch - I should know, I married one of them! In Australia, signwriting is not a licensed trade. Yes, there is a four year trade apprenticeship and yes there are formal signwriting qualifications. However to own a sign shop, you don’t need any of this. In fact, I checked out a signage franchise a few years ago and they stipulated that they only wanted unqualified franchisees! With this in mind, it doesn’t surprise me that navigating the field of signwriting as a business owner can be a bit tricky.
​Reputable signwriters often are registered under the building code and comply with building standards, however as you can imagine, building is such a broad field and being compliant with the code doesn’t necessarily mean quality workmanship.

Now that it sounds like I’ve rubbished a whole industry, I think I should clear a few things up. There are wonderfully creative, high quality signwriters out there who have built their careers on balancing creativity, construction and function. A sign can provide direction to the public, bring new customers to your door or say something about your business, without having to speak. The quality and impact of the sign can set the tone of your brand. Signs can be iconic. A great sign can separate you from your competitors, or make you look just like them! As a business owner, how do you navigate the field of signwriting?

Here are some things to consider:
​
1. Quality.
Does your sign need to be high quality and long lasting or does it only need to last for 6 weeks. Be clear when chatting to the signwriter. This will make a huge difference in price.

2. Context.
Consider the area around your sign, not just the area it will be mounted. Take photos of the area close up and from a distance – to give your signwriter a clear indication of context.

3. Audience.
Consider the audience of the sign. Will they be viewing the sign up close, or far away? If far away, how far? A massive sign looks like a postage stamp from 300metres down the road. Large lettering up close can feel intimidating. Size comes into play of course, but so does the viewing distance.

4. Action.
What do you want people to do once they see your sign? A directional sign needs to be treated differently from a sale sign. Again, when chatting to your signwriter, let them know what you want people to do once they see it.

5. Tone.
What feel do you want your sign to have? Regardless of any text on the sign, the way it is made will set a tone. Do you want this to be impressive, sexy, cheap, official, funky? A good signwriter will talk you through manufacturing options that will align to your desired tone. Even the world’s most talented graphic artist cannot make corflute look upmarket (corflute is a cheap promotional grade material perfect for short term signage).

6. Budget.
Be upfront with your signwriter about your budget. You want to choose a reputable signwriter who can help you get the most bang for your buck.

7. Consistency.
Consistency. Consistency. Have I made myself clear? You don’t want your signage giving inconsistent messaging and your brand competing with itself! Having a consistent approach from store to store, office to office, vehicle to vehicle will give your brand much more value. Consider investing in a signage project package. This is a document that outlines signage specifications including technical detail for you to include in tender packs or to ask around for quotes. This ensures you are getting apples for apples quotes and saves you from comparing apples to oranges!

8. Third parties.
When you build a new commercial building or fit out a new shop or office, you will often work with an architect, a shop fitter, an interior designer or all three or more! The trick here is to ensure everyone is working together. Communication is key. Don’t assume the architect knows how to design good signage. Don’t assume the interior designer knows anything about signage either! Quality professionals can only ever deliver as good as the brief. So brief them clearly about their roles in the project, but also about who is driving what. I’ve seen good money wasted fixing up inconsistencies between an architect and an interior designer, both of whom didn’t listen to the signwriter. I’ve also seen fantastic results (and heaps of money saved) when the design team worked together. If you are working with third parties, don’t wait for something to go wrong. Get them all in the room together and sort out each other’s roles.

9. Finance.
It has become more and more popular for business owners to tie the finance of their car signage in with the finance of the car. Not that you have to, but it’s great to understand your options. However, I see more and more business owners financing (third party or internal finance) their capital expenditure for new premises and not allowing any signage budget. The building is complete, carpet laid, glass installed, IT equipment installed, capex budget spent, then they call the signwriter! To me this is just backwards. I have seen $5million projects outlay less than $5K in signage simply because they left it too late and had to fund it from cashflow. Deciding on how to finance your signage up front doesn’t mean you have to spend more (or less), it just means you get to make informed decisions, and not be left with an “all I can afford this month” approach rather than an impressive result.

10. Insurance.
Make sure you get adequate insurance for your signage! I have seen business owners realise their car signage wasn’t covered only when they go to make a claim. Don’t make the same mistake. Speak to your insurance broker and get a few comparative quotes.

11. Ask questions.
Whether you choose to invest in a signage project package, send it to tender, or simply ask around for a reputable signwriter, it always pays to ask questions. By gathering information every step of the way, you can be sure that the sign you think you are getting, the sign you pay for and the sign you actually get are in fact the same thing.

Comments are closed.

    Archives.

    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    October 2014

    Tags.

    All
    Advice
    Announcements
    Book Review
    Branding
    Brand Positioning
    Business
    Business Structure
    Case Study
    Celebration
    Client
    Coaching
    Content Marketing
    Customer
    Development
    Digital
    Events
    Free Gifts
    Funding
    Government
    Grants
    Graphic Design
    Guest Speaker
    Hiring
    Humour
    Industry
    Innovation
    Leadership
    Management
    Marketing
    Marketing Plan
    Meet The Team
    Metrics
    Not For Profit Marketing
    Podcast
    Print
    Pro Bono
    Professional Development
    Sales
    Service
    Signage
    Small Business
    Social Media
    Speaker
    Strategic Marketing
    Strategic Planning
    Survey
    Tenders
    Thank You
    Video
    Vision
    Website
    Work In Progress

Picture
Say g'day 07 3267 0936
hello@greyandgrey.com.au
Brisbane Office
269 Earnshaw Road Northgate Qld 4013
PO Box 288 Kedron Qld 4031
Townsville Office
45 Ingham Road Townsville Qld 4810
​PO Box 6237 Townsville Qld 4810
©Grey and Grey. All rights reserved.
​ABN 45 650 927 772

We acknowledge the Turrbal, Chepara-Yugarapul, Wulgurukaba and Bindal people; ​the traditional custodians of country where we operate our business. ​​We pay our respects to their elders. ​​​​
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Services
    • Planning Services >
      • Strategic Planning Sessions
      • Workshop Facilitation
      • Brand Positioning Advice
      • Strategic Marketing Plans
      • Re-Branding
    • Implementation Services >
      • Websites
      • Capability Statements
      • Tender Preparation
      • Graphic Design
      • Signage
      • Presentation Preparation
      • Mentoring
      • Staff Training
      • Visual Identities
      • Advertising
      • Brand Re-Positioning
      • Commercial Photography
      • Video Production
      • Printing
      • Marketing Management
  • Working With Us
  • Case Studies
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Tel 07 3267 0936