If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, “Proper advertising is the most important thing every business must have”. Cause, let’s face it, without advertisement (and the work it brings in) you won’t need tools… or even skills for that matter. So, the purpose of this article is to take an example of public advertising that needs attention or that can be remarkably improved and after careful evaluation, (with no input from the owner, I should note) listing what I see wrong with it and addressing those issues with a Photoshop mock-up. Depending upon the exact example, I may follow up by contacting the owner, informing them of the story and my findings, and offer them a discount to implement those (or other) changes. What’s the worse that could happen? (I may live to regret those last words!)
The idea behind this ongoing project is to let you, the reader know what is going on in the mind of the sign guy. This is to help you, the sign owner, understand how some folks may view your advertisement and their reactions to it. By understanding what message you want to convey and how to best represent that message, you can better connect with your customer and increase your value to them. Easy to see how this all translates to a better purchasing experience for you customer and a healthier bottom line for you. Win-win. As I have also said so very often, “Signs don’t cost… They pay!”. So, without further delay, let’s get on with our first example.
Above is a snapshot of a sign near my home…I pass by it nearly every day. The rust streaks coming down from the top and the phone numbers hanging down from the bottom are screaming for maintenance. Not so evident from this pic is the fact that the wood-fiber substrate is deteriorating as the sign is reaching the end of it’s life. The sign seems sized just a tad small for the support, though it is a nice, solid post that matches the fence well. It would be much easier to scan by the passer-by if it were larger and there is ample room , both physically and aesthetically. That increase would also allow a bit more negative space to the existing design. The phone number hanging off the bottom is an unfortunate second thought in that it is one of the most important pieces of info on the sign.
The pronunciation of ‘Conrecode’s’ probably thrown off more than a few people and tends to compete with “KENNEL” for center spotlight. You want to be clear about that with the viewer… and you have just split seconds to answer their question, ” What kind of business is it?”. In the case of this road sign where the two-lane highway and the 45 mile-per-hour speed limit aren’t working in your favor… Be brief & Get to the point! Therefore, play down the proper name and accentuate the type of business.Okay, with all this in mind, what can be done to address these issues?
Firstly, there’s no way around the rotting substrate problem so, we’ll be working with a new piece of MDO, a couple coats of primer/sealer, Elastomeric caulk on the exposed edges and a finish coat. This should ensure over a decade of service. I do like the simplicity of the black and white but I’m thinking a change of color is more likely to grab those regular passers-by’s attention. Also, the graphics of the cat & dog symbolize the business type better than anything else on the sign. It makes a simple, direct statement. Playing up those 2 graphics is sure to get the message across. The font selection is the next thing on my mind… That word ‘Conrecode’s’ could easily trip a lot of folks up… let’s make it as easy as possible to be sure of the letters they’re seeing. They’ll still have to work out the pronunciation in their heads either way! A easily readable font is absolutely necessary. The keyword ‘KENNEL’ is very important to get across so I’ve reversed it and used a font that mimics that chain link fence as well as giving it a ‘fenced in’ area of its own!
Increasing the overall size of the sign as well as overall layout has allowed room to enlarged the phone number and pet heads without crowding the negative space. Keeping with the basic overall layout has kept the design costs down while the changes have freshened the look and feel. Potential clients who likely missed the old sign will now see a business represented where; The owners care this much for their image… they certainly care about my pet! What ya think?
