ARTYSMITH2: SIGN LANGUAGE

Monday, 10 March 2014

SIGN LANGUAGE

sign Language noun a system of communication using visual gestures and signs, as used by deaf people

When you look down the high street it’s not often that you see something that really stands out. There’s so much going on that it’s hard for our brains to quickly decipher what we’re actually seeing, everything becomes a bit of a blur.

When it comes to shop signs they’re all a bit of a muchness and standing out from the crowd can be a tough call. If your business is fortunate enough to be located in a building of architectural interest, or even next to one, that’s a plus point but, if you’re situated in a fairly nondescript building or location than you will have to work much harder to get noticed.

Looking down the high street you can count on one hand the number of signs that grab your attention, if any! I find this surprising when you consider most businesses spend lots of time and effort getting their sign right, after all it can be quite an expensive outlay. After deciding on the right name (and that’s a whole new blog post) lots of consideration is given to the sign, choosing the right font, the size, colour, painted or printed, two or three dimensional, illuminated or not?

I think this process could be so much easier and yield better results. Imagine first trying to come up with an object or group of objects that visually communicates to your customers what your business is about, without any words. There’s a good chance you’ll come up with something that’s really original and eye catching and with a bit more thought you could convert this into a three dimensional sign. Who knows you might not need words at all! What you will have however is a focus point, an object of communication that makes you stand out from the crowd. Your business could be the only one that people notice when they look down your high street because you've got the most original and eye catching sign in town!

I’ve always advocated that when it comes to communicating your business it’s better to be different. Here are a few sign examples…