Cut the panel to shape and upgrade your flat sign designs
By Russ Mills
Posted on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2021

An interesting panel shape can really help set a sign apart from the crowd. It’s often used on cool 3D signs, but it is just as effective on a flat sign. Pair it with a dark background and a special effect on the lettering, and it really upgrades the look. You might want to add a graphic and a border, too.
Not every customer can afford a 3D sign with gold leaf lettering, but most still would like a unique look. It’s possible to upsell many customers to a high quality sign that is a better value for them if you can show them examples and explain how it is a far better value than a cheaper generic-looking sign. Russ Mills [
Russ Mills Signs, Pineville, Kentucky] has been using this approach successfully for years.
“This is a rural area,” Russ says, “and few customers have the budget for a 3-D HDU sign. I do one or two of those per year, but most of my other work is flat signs. I want my signs to attract attention and draw new business for my customers, and I don’t want to do boring work. At the same time, I have to work within people’s budget.”