9.16.2015

What is the best lighting for all Outdoor Signs?

Here’s a question we get quite a few times a year:

“What are the best lighting materials for outdoor signs?”

The best answer isn’t so cut and dry. We could say “LED” for its longevity, diversity, ability to reduce carbon footprint and requirement to help one achieve LEED certification, but then such an answer doesn’t account for the most important factor: your needs.

It really isn’t so much, “the best lighting materials for outdoor signs,” so much as “the best lighting materials for your outdoor sign(s).” The difference between the two phrases truly is all the difference. To better consider the differences, consider the following:

Your Industry

The type(s) of industry your sign represents will help give an indication as to the best direction to go. For example, if you are in the woodworking or classic custom furniture industry, a wood-based sign might best provide the proper distinction.

By contrast, if you are an entertainment center / facility, then having multiple interactive signs typically best conveys the number of frequent, changing messages you’ll need to convey.

Your Reach

From where and how the people will see your site is also important. You could build the biggest, most interactive sign mankind’s ever seen but if you are located where the sightlines are restricted, you might not get a proper ROI with respect to viewership.

Your Climate

Where in the world the sign is going up is also important. Placing fancy, lightbulb-heavy signs in places of extreme weather - especially wind, precipitation and cold - are going to require much more upkeep time than areas where the weather is more moderate.

In short: the more moderate the climate, the flashier the signage can be used with minimal maintenance.

Your Resources

If you have a shoestring budget, it could very easily be a smart Idea to build the sign presence as you can afford it. Consider, if you will, a starter home approach to your signage. We can design a multi-step approach to your signage while will allow you to build it as you grow or replace a simple sign with one more complex as your business grows at its location.

The other thing to consider is if you plan on renting a location with the intent to buy at a location down the road, then going with signage that can be easily installed and uninstalled would save precious dollars during the move.

In addition to upkeep, updating an animated sign needs to be considered. What would the process be to update it? Who will update it? How often will it be updated? If you don’t have the bandwidth to keep messaging current, then it might not be in your best interest, at the time, the more practical approach to take.

Your Competition

Some need to keep up with the Joneses. Others want to be the Joneses to whom everyone has to keep up with. What your competition is doing is oftentimes the most important factor to consider in deciding on signage and signage materials. If your competition is active, then you might need to be equally as active in order to be competitive. If they’re relatively inactive, it might be in your interest to be the one who is active with their signage.

Once you know your needs, then you’ll know your materials

Like any other element in business, research and forethought are as important to your outdoor signage as any other business material. Determine your needs. Once you do, your signage needs will spell themselves out. From there, the signage materials will become self-evident.