Design Clinic: Fascia sign for a machine shop

How often do we see signage around town that falls short and doesn’t quite fit the bill? Unlike other less visible trades our work is front and center on all accounts! Yet as you have heard before, first impressions are just that. Good, bad or indifferent, they represent a business immediately, 110%.

When you and I drive around town we see the many colorful messages along the way. Some are readable and some are not, and some fall in between. They make an impression in our subconscious. If we’re realistic with ourselves, we realize that we don’t remember the ads that are unreadable or poorly done.

Just like any other product, a sign needs to work properly and have lasting value. I believe there are and always were quality sign makers who thoroughly understand their responsibilities. But lately, more homespun examples of compromised signage seem to have reared up.