our blog

When working with custom sign consultants to create bespoke signs in the UK, thoughtful preparation is key to getting the results you want. By taking time upfront to define objectives, conduct research, assess your physical space, and set a realistic and achievable budget, you'll provide your sign designer with everything they need to create signage that meets your goals.

Define Your Objectives

Before your first design meeting, clearly define what you want your signage to accomplish. Consider key questions like:

• What is the main purpose of the new signage - branding, conveying information, directing visitors? Identify the primary goal.

• Who is the target audience? Know your customer demographics and how they'll interact with the signs.

• What feeling or action should the signs evoke? Should viewers feel welcomed? Informed? Should they be compelled to make a purchase after seeing the sign?

• How do the signs fit into your overall brand identity and marketing strategy? Ensure alignment.

Having clear and mutually agreed objectives in place from the start allows your designer to craft signage tailored to your needs and those of your stakeholders. Don't leave the meeting unsure of what you want to achieve.

Conduct Thorough Research

Providing comprehensive background information assists your designer in quickly grasping your business, brand, and audience. Supply key items like:

• Brand guidelines and logo files - These demonstrate your current visual identity and branding.

• Previous marketing and promotional materials - Show how your brand is consistently portrayed.

• Details about your products, services, and value proposition - Help position your offerings.

• Customer personas and target demographics - Who you're trying to reach.

• Competitor analysis - How your signage can stand out.

• Imagery representing your desired look and feel - Provides visual inspiration.

• Any specific design preferences - Fonts, colours, or graphical elements you prefer.

Come prepared with this research to enable a productive and focused meeting.

Thoroughly Assess Your Physical Space

To create signs tailored to your environment, your designer needs an in-depth understanding of the installation location. Discuss:

• Exact dimensions and layout of the space. Small details like wall lengths, ceiling height, and how level your floors are matter greatly to how your signage appears in practice as opposed to on the computer screen.

• Placement of entrances, exits, and pedestrian flow patterns. Plan your signage strategy to maximise visibility and impact, while sustaining a steady flow of foot traffic around your premises.

• Lighting conditions throughout the day. This impacts legibility and visibility and reduces your need for unnecessary artificial lighting.

• Any architectural elements or obstructions, such as displays, stud walls, tills, escalators, and so on.

• Available and appropriate mounting surfaces. Walls, windows, floors, ceilings, and freestanding pillars/poles may hold signs.

• Sightlines and visibility needs. Signs must grab attention from the required distances without causing a safety hazard or obscuring important information.

Providing your designer with photos or a computerised render of the space helps them visualise placement options during conception, which can be optimised using CAD software.

Set A Realistic Budget

Be transparent about budget constraints from your first meeting. Quality signage has associated costs, so obtain quotes for different materials and fabrication methods, prioritising ‘must-have’ elements versus nice-to-have add-ons. Setting realistic expectations helps focus the design process. It's better to scale down and simplify rather than be surprised by costs later on. A good signage design consultant will be happy to discuss ways to maximise value within your budget for the best ROI.

Design Signage That Aligns With Your Vision With Help From Image Techniques

With clear objectives, comprehensive research, spatial awareness, and an agreed budget, you'll get exactly what you want from your custom signs.

Download our guide, How To Pick The Best Signs For Your Business, for more tips on working with sign designers for the best results, or get in touch today for any advice from one of our expert team.