It’s Time to Audit Your Company’s Signage

3/16/2020

As the Lake County Illinois area enters another phase of safe reopening, have you taken a hard look at the messages you’re sending customers and visitors? Are the makeshift signs you cobbled together in early 2020 still in compliance with local guidelines, and do they project your brand identity and business solutions in a positive light?

Put yourself in the shoes of a passerby and see if your outdoor and indoor displays are both easy to read and an extension of your company’s identity. Whether you change your messages often to promote your goods or services, or need long-lasting solutions to identify your location, keeping your signage in good condition will help make sure your messages stand out in a crowded marketplace!

Auditing your signage is the best way to identify your immediate needs. Reviews should be conducted with a designer or experienced sign provider that can help you identify what repair, improvement or replacement is needed. Better yet, they may help you see what you’re missing signage-wise, altogether!

Here are five key questions to ask as you begin your signage audit:

1. Do your signs reflect your branding?

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As one of your most important communication tools, your signs need to convey information AND reflect your brand. Consistent type fonts, colors and styles applied to your signage will help customers recognize your company and the products or services you offer. 

2. Does your signage meet all local requirements including Braille?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) also addresses specifications for many signs throughout your facility. Penalties for non-compliance can be costly, so you’ll want to be sure your audit encompasses these key requirements.

Check out our infographic – The Beginner’s Guide to ADA Signage – to learn more.

3. Are your signs visible?

Attracting attention and communicating with those passing by your location is important. Are overgrown trees and bushes obscuring the view? How about competing signs? You may need to re-examine the placement of your outdoor displays. Be mindful of indoor signs, too. That big, bright and impressive new floor display may be blocking a sign that reminds visitors of social distancing or mask requirements!

To start improving visibility in your space, check out our Signage Visibility Guide here.

4. Do your signs need repairs?

Be sure to check your signs for overall quality. A hastily printed and taped sign that provides entry requirements to a facility will need to be upgraded to something more long lasting. Outdoor signage that’s faded or damaged may discourage customers from entering your business.

Learn more about signage repair in our article, Updating Your Signs: Repair, Retrofit or Replace?

5. Are you missing opportunities?

Outdoor signs, for example, need not be limited to the side of your building. Use roadside space, light poles, windows, doors and more to convey your messages! Indoors, consider enhancing bare spaces with custom branding wall graphics and non-skid, vinyl floor graphics. And don’t overlook vehicle graphics. Even when parked outside after hours, a branded car, truck or trailer will continue to call attention to your business!

BONUS: Check out our Interactive Signage Map to spark new ideas for updating your interior and exterior space.

Ready to begin? Look to Image360 Gurnee for help assessing and meeting or exceeding your needs!

We are your all-in-one source for graphics that enhance, signage that works and displays that inform. We work with you closely from imagination through installation to attain the high quality you seek, while adhering to your timeframe and budget. Call us at 847-249-7445 to discover the many ways we can help.

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