Ever walked past a business three times before realising it was there? That’s probably not the impression its owner was hoping to make.
Your outdoor signage is often one of the first things potential customers notice about your business. It can help people find you, understand what you offer and spot your latest promotion before they’ve even stepped through the door.
From A-frame signs outside a café to colourful flags at an event, the right signage can make your business easier to find and your brand harder to miss.
So, what makes outdoor signage effective, and which options are best suited to your business?
Before deciding on the type of sign, think about what you want it to achieve. Are you trying to attract passing customers, promote a special offer, direct visitors to an entrance or simply make your business more recognisable?
Once you’ve established the purpose, a few design principles can help you get the message across.
According to Roy Morgan, over 78% of Australians over the age of 14 see some form of outdoor advertising – including digital, billboards, posters – in an average week so you need to make sure your signs stand out and capture attention.
Keep your message simple
People often see outdoor signage while walking or driving past, so you may only have a few seconds to capture their attention. Focus on one clear message, use easy-to-read fonts and avoid cramming too much information into the design.
Make sure it’s visible
Consider where your sign will be positioned and how people will approach it. A sign that looks fantastic up close might be difficult to read from across the street. Size, viewing distance, placement and surrounding obstacles all matter.
Use colour and contrast effectively
Bold colours can attract attention, but readability is just as important. Choose colours that work with your brand and provide enough contrast between text and background.
Use suitable, high-quality artwork
Images and graphics need to be appropriate for the final printed size. Low-resolution images can become pixelated when enlarged, while logos and other vector artwork can generally be scaled without losing quality.
Keep your branding consistent
Your signage should look like it belongs to your business. Using consistent colours, logos and messaging across your outdoor signage, printed marketing material and digital campaigns helps customers recognise your brand.
There’s no shortage of options when it comes to outdoor signage. The best choice depends on your location, budget, message and how long you’ll need the sign.
Here are some popular options and where they work best.
A-frame signs, sometimes called sandwich boards, are a versatile option for businesses looking to attract passing foot traffic.
They’re particularly useful for cafés, restaurants, retailers and service businesses that want to highlight daily specials, new products or limited-time promotions.
Positioned outside a shopfront where permitted, an A-frame can help communicate an offer before customers reach your door.
For businesses that change their messaging regularly, options with replaceable printed panels can provide added flexibility.
Your shopfront windows offer valuable advertising space, especially in busy shopping areas.
Window decals can be used to promote special offers, display opening hours, introduce new products or reinforce your branding. They’re also useful for seasonal campaigns, giving businesses a way to refresh their appearance without changing permanent signage.
Depending on your requirements, options include clear, opaque, frosted and perforated window graphics.
Want your brand to stand a little taller?
Teardrop and feather flags are popular for outdoor events, exhibitions, markets, sporting activities and roadside promotions.
Their height and distinctive shapes make them useful for attracting attention in open spaces, while their portable design allows them to be moved between suitable locations.
Flags are available in different shapes and sizes, with bases and hardware selected to suit the intended installation.
Permanent shopfront signage plays an important role in helping customers identify and locate your business.
Awning and fascia signs are commonly used to display business names, logos and other essential branding on the exterior of a building.
Because they’re generally intended for longer-term use, it’s worth considering visibility, materials, installation requirements and how the signage complements the building.
Lightweight and versatile, corflute signs are a practical choice for temporary outdoor promotions and directional signage.
They’re commonly used for real estate open homes, building sites, events, roadside promotions and seasonal campaigns.
Corflute can be produced in a range of sizes and is easy to transport, making it particularly useful when signage needs to be installed or moved between locations.
Bollard signs can turn an existing fixture into a useful promotional or directional display.
They’re commonly used in areas such as car parks, service stations, retail forecourts and other locations where businesses need to communicate information to people approaching on foot or by vehicle.
Depending on the application, bollard signage can display promotional messages, identify entrances or reinforce brand visibility.
Vinyl banners are a flexible option for promoting events, sales, launches and other business activities.
They can be displayed in a variety of settings, including building exteriors, fences and event spaces, subject to suitable installation and fixing.
A well-designed banner can communicate a simple message at a large scale, making it useful for promotions that need to be noticed from a distance.
For outdoor locations where wind exposure is a consideration, mesh banners may be a more suitable option than solid vinyl.
The perforated material allows some airflow through the banner, making it useful for certain fence installations, construction sites and exposed outdoor displays.
However, mesh doesn’t eliminate wind loading. The final material, fixings and installation still need to be appropriate for the location.
Your business vehicles can also help build brand visibility while travelling between jobs or parked at customer locations.
Options range from simple vehicle magnets and cut vinyl lettering to partial or full vehicle wraps.
For trades, delivery services and businesses with vehicles regularly on the road, consistent vehicle branding can make your business easier to recognise.
Outdoor signs need to do more than look good on installation day.
Australian weather can be demanding, so it’s important to consider the environment where your signage will be displayed.
Sun and UV exposure
Signs displayed in direct sunlight may require different materials, inks or finishes from those used indoors.
Consider how much sun exposure the sign will receive and how long it needs to remain in place. Materials and finishes should be selected with the intended conditions in mind.
Wind and weather
Wind exposure is particularly important for banners, flags and freestanding signage.
Choose suitable hardware and installation methods for the location. For exposed sites, professional advice may be needed to determine the appropriate materials and fixing requirements.
Temporary versus permanent signage
A corflute sign promoting a weekend event has different requirements from a permanent shopfront sign.
Think about how frequently your message will change and how long the signage will be displayed. This helps determine the most appropriate product, material and investment.
Before installing outdoor signage, check any relevant council requirements, property restrictions or venue guidelines.
Footpath signs, building-mounted displays and roadside advertising may be subject to specific rules depending on the location.
Outdoor signage is useful all year, but seasonal promotions provide a good opportunity to review how you’re presenting your business.
For example:
New product or service launches: Use temporary signage to draw attention to something new without changing permanent branding.
For the best results, use consistent artwork and messaging across your signage and other marketing materials. Customers should be able to recognise the same campaign across your shopfront, printed promotions and online channels.
Good outdoor signage starts with understanding where it will be used, who needs to see it and what message you want to communicate.
Worldwide can help with signage design, printing and advice on suitable materials and formats, from temporary promotional signs to larger outdoor displays.
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