Use these templates to build panelized layouts

Panelized sign layouts have a history that goes back to post-war Chicago. These split panel signs generally use vibrant colors and interesting shapes to create signs with extra appeal and lots of punch. After studying many examples of such layouts that appeared in SignCraft over the years, I have put together 13 pages of templates that can help anyone create layouts that take advantage of this very effective approach to sign design.

In the examples, you can see how the templates were extracted from the original design, then used to create new sign layouts. Most of the original signs in this collection were done by SignCraft columnist Bob Behounek, a master at panels, colors and lettering design. Several other great sign artists are represented as well.

You can use the templates to either drop in your text, or as starting points for your own creativity. With your sign copy in hand, scan the templates and plug in the copy, first mentally then on paper or the computer. Feel free to modify the panels to suit your text. In this layout approach, each panel holds one block of information or message. Choose a few of the templates that might work best for your design project, enlarge them, then add your text. You will find that you can usually place them into more than one template successfully.