Outdoor business signs - 7 unforgettable examples and 5 tips to take away

Outdoor signs are a powerful and cost-effective way to promote your business every hour of the day and night.

They can help direct people who are looking for you. Or they can introduce you to thousands of potential customers who don't know you... yet. 

Outdoor business signs come in many flavours:

• wall signs
• sidewalk signs
• event signs
• real estate signs
• construction signs
• post signs
• window decals
• magnetic signs
• advertising banners
• laminated posters
• the list goes on

Five qualities that every outdoor sign should possess

While all outdoor business signs have unique duties, there are certain things that go into making all of them work well.

The right location

Whether it's directional sign, and event banner or an ad, you need your sign where the right people are going to notice it.  That may mean a busy thoroughfare or right outside your office. But it definitely means unobscured from view.

Clear in its purpose

Are you telling the world about a sale, an announcement, launch, event, or simply that they've arrived?  Make sure you know what you want your signage to do and it's clear to others.

Easy to grasp on the run

Whether people are walking, running, riding or driving by, they're on the move and have other things on their mind. So not only does your message have to be clear, it needs to be crystal obvious in a fraction of a second.

Small things can make a difference here. For example, adding borders to images increases readability by 26%. While keeping fonts simple and in just one or two styles helps avoid confusion and making things hard to read.

Visually appealing

Looks count for a lot when it comes to outdoor business signage. That first glance is a first impression left on a potential customer. So, make sure you have your sign professionally designed and correctly sized for your project.

The right colours

While it's likely that your signage will incorporate your business brand colours, you need to consider the forum. Perhaps you'll have to tone down your corporate colours so your sign message is easer to read. Or use white space and have a small area with your colours.

7 outdoor business signs to get your juices flowing

To give you some creative inspiration, below are a variety of outside business sign examples going above and beyond the call of duty.

Of course, some of these signs won't be relevant to your needs. And others will be beyond your budget possibilities.

However, the concepts behind the signs are something that any business can make their own. Even on a small scale.

Bold and bright colours that catch the eye from any distance. And highly relevant to the message.

Using multiple outdoor signs to convey the message is a novel and eye-catching way of capturing attention.

Could you add physical props around your sign to get the point across? Perhaps at an event?

A little appropriate, lighthearted humour can go a long way.

Sometimes, a dreamy image and well-chosen words in the right place, at the right time, is all your sign needs.

Other times, an image that challenges the senses and gets the audience asking themselves, "What's going on here?" is the best medicine.

Effective advertising speaks to the target audience in language and images that capture their attention and build their curiosity.

So, use these tips and examples to create outdoor business signs that have your customers craving to find out more. 

And if you need some professional help, contact your local Snap Centre design and print experts today.