What does that sign say?

For those wondering is it all worth it, relax because here are some interesting statistics coming out of a report I received from my colleagues over the pond. I am letting you in on this as we all know that what is true for the USA today can and will be true for the UK a few weeks later. Before anyone goes off on one, I am referring strictly to the sign industry not to the world in general or specific people and situations. Leave that for the pub please.

Some of this may be a bit too obvious though and can be a bit like one of those books that goes on to explain why Men Are from Mars etc. when we knew all along why things are what they are, we are just too lazy to say so (which is amazing as that is a definite male trait according to the aforementioned book).

So, what makes a sign difficult to read?

83 percent complained of letters being too small (budget most probably could not afford a decent sized sign).

71 percent cited poor placement (it would have cost more to get a cherry picker to get the height than the set of five-rung step ladders I carry on my van).

64 percent said not sufficiently lit at night (tough one this as the environmentalists will be happy—less light pollution, less power usage etc.).

60 percent said that colour does not stand out from background (i.e. ninja signs).

48 percent complain of letters in a fancy typeface (or font depending which newspaper you read) make it hard to understand. I can concur with this one as nowadays most typefaces in the media are sans serif. Try reading your Facebook post in Old English or Brush Script. It would be like living in a William Hogarth drawing having to drink copious amounts of gin just so one’s eyes can adjust to read the writing. Actually, I might ask the editor to print the next soapbox in Vladimir Script just to see who is paying attention.

Letters spaced too closely together, signs that are too similar to others nearby, and distracting visuals all scored in the 30 to 39 percent band.

Sign of the times

So, if this is all blindingly obvious, why are the people that read (or trying to read) these signs making such comments. Surely we sign-makers know what we are doing and are avoiding such palpable schoolboy errors?

Let us take a step back and look at this from a consumer’s perspective.



 
Number one. Sign quality directly impacts on a company’s ability to draw in customers. Indeed, 54 percent of shoppers over a four-year period say they have driven by and failed to find a business because the sign was too small or unclear. Worryingly, both older and younger age groups report this as a problem.


A third of shoppers over the same period say they have been drawn to unfamiliar stores based on the quality of the signs, with 18 to 24-year-olds being more prone to this behaviour. Two in five shoppers say they make a quality assumption about a business based on whether that company has clear and attractive signs i.e. good signage that is legible and well maintained brings in the customers. Again, the 18 to 24-year-olds are prone to making such inferences.


Number two. Indoor and outdoor signs are key ways shoppers learn about new products and are, in many cases, more effective in conveying information.

Television is the most useful source but indoor signs tie with magazines for second place. Outdoor signs are ranked third above radio, internet, and newspaper ads. Outdoor signs are reported as more useful to those who consider themselves highly environmentally-conscious.

Number three. Business owners should be allowed wide latitude to use signs to promote their commercial interests, and restrictions placed on the size and placement of signs can lead to loss of business, which reduces tax revenues in the community.

The majority of survey respondents agreed that when ‘reasonable limits’ are in dispute in commercial sign regulation, regulators should err on the side of liberty rather than restriction. In addition, the public has a wide band of tolerance for commercial signs given that they convey useful information.

Excessive restrictions of signs in commercial areas can be inconvenient for shoppers seeking out a store or other business.

Finally, restrictions placed on sign size and placement can lead to signs that are too small and hard to read.

So, to the blindingly obvious conclusions. Signs must be easily legible to be effective. Most consumers prefer variety over uniformity of signs. Smaller signs are not necessarily perceived as more attractive than larger signs.

I leave you with a key finding that is uplifting in a small way. It is that a large majority of consumers believe that vintage signs are worth preserving. Nostalgia rules. Even if they were in a script typeface, too small, non-illuminated, coloured gaudily, and placed in amongst every other sign fixed to the same wall making them hard to see.

Not getting it right is not a new phenomenon. Perhaps a little more thought and who knows?


Public Notice:

• 71 percent say poor placement makes signs difficult to read
• 48 percent say fancy typeface makes signs hard to read
• Sign quality directly impacts on the ability to draw in customers
• Vintage signs have come back around in fashion

The British Sign and Graphics Association (BSGA) history dates back more than 70 years when a group of leading sign-makers formed the Master Sign Makers Association (MSMA) with the aim of promoting the sign industry and defending its interests.

For more information on the issues discussed in this article visit www.bsga.co.uk or tel: 0845 338 3016



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