RELEVANCE

Building Your Brand with Signage – 

Why Business Signs are so Important

UPDATED ON JUNE 2, 2022 BY VIJAYARAJ MUKUNDAN 

There are many ways to market your business. One of the strategies that many business owners find effective is exterior and interior signage.

Effective signage is important because it allows you to draw attention to your company and further develop your brand. In comparison to other forms of marketing, signage is cost-efficient because it can give you constant exposure, no matter the time of day, and because it can be used on a long-term basis.

Even with so many effective digital marketing strategies, don’t overlook the power of a good sign campaign. Signage can direct new customers towards your business that might not have otherwise been able to find you.

However, just having signage isn’t enough. You need attractive signs that will catch people’s eyes. You need a good design paired with essential information about your business. And to create these signs, there are some tips you’ll want to take into consideration.

Thinking through purpose

The first thing you want to think about is what you need the sign for. Maybe you need directional signage that can help people get to your store. Or maybe you want to announce an upcoming event or a sale. Or perhaps you’re looking for a way to persuade people to visit your business.

Once you know your purpose, you can start thinking through logistics, such as how large the signs need to be. You’ll also want to consider what materials they need to be made from.

Including must-know info

Once you have a purpose in mind, think about what information people need to take away from the sign. It’s not just about what your business does, but how your business is different from competitive brands.

So, put your business’s name and some sort of message on that sign. But that message is where you need to get creative. What makes your pet store different from the one down the street? Maybe you sell some sort of animal that they don’t? Convey that difference on your signs!

Location, location, location

Having a catchy sign isn’t enough! You have to think about where you’re going to put that sign. You need to find a place that will be highly visible. But you also need to make sure that you’re following local laws.

The location of your sign will impact the size it needs to be and what it looks like. For example, if you’re developing a billboard, you need to come up with a large design that can be quickly read when someone is speeding down the highway.

Creating consistent branding

Consistent branding matters. You want to make sure any signage you develop is consistent with your overall brand. This could include a logo, font choice, tagline, or some other sort of similar visual element.

When you use consistent branding, people will begin to immediately recognize your brand, no matter if they’re looking at your social media or if they’re looking at one of your signs. While your marketing materials don’t need to look identical, there should be some sort of common element(s) that tie everything together.

Get creative with design

The more creative you can be with your sign, the better! Find a way to make your signage memorable, such as some sort of pun that is relevant to your store.

In addition to getting creative with words and graphics, get creative with the type of signage you use. For example, maybe your town won’t permit large signs – instead, you could consider using magnets or car decals as an alternative. You need to find a way to stick out from other businesses in your town!

Professionals can help

Finally, don’t feel like you need to do this alone. There are professionals out there that are experienced in developing the right signage for a business. They can talk you through your business needs and help you develop a timeline.

Companies such as Signarama, which is an NYC sign company, offer a variety of services, from designing signs to maintaining signs. Before settling on one particular company, make sure to read available reviews. Some companies also offer free consulting, which can help you determine if they’re the right company for you.

In summary

Digital marketing is important, but so is building your brand through signage! But simply sticking a sign with your logo on it into the ground isn’t enough. Careful planning and consideration of your company goals can help you develop clever signage! There are also professionals out there that can help you through the entire process. For Info Visit This Page:https://www.relevance.com/building-your-brand-with-signage-why-business-signs-are-so-important/

5 Ways Signs Help Promote 

and Market Your Business   

By John Boitnott

Promoting and marketing your business can be a costly and challenging endeavor. You want to make sure that you reach your target audience in the most effective way possible. Signs can be an extremely effective marketing tool if used correctly. One way to do this is through the use of signs. These five ways signs help promote and market your business can get you started.

Communicates to Customers

The most obvious way that signs help promote and market your business is by communicating with customers. Companies can do this in some ways, such as providing information about your business, special offers, or product availability.

In today’s digital world, people bombard customers with seemingly endless information. Having a sign that stands out and is easy to read can help make sure that your message is seen and understood. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, signs can also help guide customers to your door.

Some different signs work well, such as A-frames, banners, and window decals. Stainless steel signs are also a popular option for creating a more sophisticated look for businesses.

Enhances Brand Identity

In addition to communicating with customers, signs can also help to enhance your brand identity. This identity is crucial because it can help you build name recognition and create a positive association with your business.

Having a well-designed sign that uses your company’s colors and logo can help to increase brand awareness. This awareness is especially true if your sign is in a high-traffic area. Whether you’re starting a gym or a restaurant, creating a brand identity can help your business stand out from the crowd.

Increases Brand Awareness

Another benefit of using signs to promote your business is that they can help to increase brand awareness. This promotion helps lead to more customers and sales.

One way to increase brand awareness is to use eye-catching and unique signs. These particular signs will help make sure that people remember your business when they see your sign.

Helps Reach the Right Audience

You can also use signs to target specific demographics. For example, if you are a restaurant specializing in healthy food, you could use signs to promote this to health-conscious people.

This niching down is a great way to ensure that you reach your target audience and that your marketing efforts are more effective.

Promote Sales and New Items

Finally, signs work well to promote sales and new items. This method is an effective way to increase foot traffic and boost sales.

You can use them for advertising a sale or promoting a new product. This promotion is a useful way to get people in the door and increase your chances of making a sale.

Signs are a solid way to promote and market your business. They are an effective way to communicate with customers, increase brand awareness, and encourage sales.

Businesses of all sizes can benefit from using signs to market their business. So, if you are looking for a way to increase brand awareness and reach more customers, feel free to try this marketing tactic. For More Info go to:https://jboitnott.com/5-ways-signs-help-promote-and-market-your-business/

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

What Is Graphic Design? 

A Beginner's Guide to 

This Creative Career  By Brianna Flavin

When you think of graphic designers, what do you picture? Creative-looking, fashionable people with a tablet in one hand and a pen in the other? A lone professional using design software in a dark room? An artist?

And what does graphic design really mean? Eye-grabbing graphics on websites? While that can certainly fit under the scope of what a graphic designer might create, a career in graphic design could involve so many different things. Posters, infographics, book covers, product labels, logos, business cards, signs, website layouts, mobile apps, software interfaces—the list goes on.

“Every day, we take many of the subtly artistic things around us for granted,” says Jacob Smith, founder of illustration studio ProductViz. “But hidden in every magazine, exit sign and textbook lies a set of design ideas that influence our perceptions.”

Graphic designers work to communicate ideas in a visual format, guiding perception and informing their audience. Most graphic designers work on behalf of a client or company, creating designs to satisfy specific objectives. Graphic designers are also often considered artists.

Graphic design is a huge industry. And if you’re at all interested in becoming a professional graphic designer, there are so many options to explore!

First, what is graphic design?

Graphic design is “the art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with visual and textual content,” according to the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA®). In simple terms, graphic designers make visuals to communicate certain messages. These visuals can be as simple as a business logo, or as complex as page layouts on a website.

“Graphic design helps the producer connect with the consumer,” says graphic designer, Alexandros Clufetos. “It conveys the message of the project, event, campaign or product.”

Companies use the visual concepts of graphic design to promote and sell products through advertising, to convey complicated information in an easy-to-understand format (think of infographics), to develop a brand identity, and so much more.

While most companies are hiring graphic designers for commercial purposes, many designers also use their work for artistic expression.

What are the elements of graphic design?

A graphic designer creates work utilizing certain visual elements. Graphic designers can use these elements in conjunction or opposition with each other to create striking and impactful visuals.

These graphic design elements include:

• Color
• Form
• Line
• Shape
• Size
• Space
• Texture

Graphic designers also adhere to the principles of design, which are essentially a set of guidelines that help a design achieve appealing composition.

These visual concepts include:

• Balance
• Contrast
• Emphasis
• Movement
• Proportion
• Rhythm

A good graphic designer must first understand these principles, then use them (or discard them) with intention in each project.

What does a graphic designer do?

Graphic design offers opportunities and options for individuals of almost any interest. If you pursue a career in graphic design, you could work on multiple types of projects—or specialize in just one area you love.

Here’s a glimpse of the kind of tasks a graphic designer might work on.

Website design

Create engaging and intuitive web pages for users. This includes overall layout, color scheme and navigation.

If you’ve ever been on a website that doesn't make sense, buries the information you need, or looks so chaotic you can barely navigate—you’ll understand why careers in web design are so important!

User experience (UX) design

Make a website or application easy and satisfying to use. These designers emphasize value, usability, adoptability and desirability. This type of work can be both highly-technical (programming each pathway through a site) and creative (considering every part of how users interact with your platform).

User interface (UI) design

UI designers work toward the same overall goal as UX designers—making something easy for users to interact with. The interface aspect involves the visual design and layout of an application. For that reason, UI design can be a great career option for graphic designers.

Motion graphics design

Motion graphic designers and animators bring visual elements to life through special effects, video, TV shows, video games, movies and more.

Video and animated elements are becoming more and more common in advertising, and motion graphics designers have a specialized skill set for those mediums.

Print media design

Think of billboards, pamphlets, textbooks, restaurant menus, signage, print ads—print media is everywhere. And someone had to design it!

Visual communication in print can run the gamut from a gorgeous catalog that encourages readers to understand the plants they might purchase to a series of signs that guide travelers through a confusing airport terminal.

You might think of user interfaces as primarily digital—but they are physical too.

Marketing materials of all kinds

Graphic designers create visually appealing advertisements in almost every industry out there. Graphic designers working in healthcare might work on a commercial advertising the opening of a new clinic. A graphic designer working in manufacturing might create a brochure that explains their equipment to businesses considering a purchase.

Is the graphic design industry stable?

With technological advancements introducing new types of graphic design, there has also been an emergence of new graphic design jobs. At the same time, the rise of AI (artificial intelligence) may leave you wondering if the career is in trouble.

Employment of graphic designers is projected to grow by 3 percent from 2022 to 2032, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).1 This growth rate is about as fast as the average for all occupations. The BLS projects about 22,800 openings for graphic designers each year, on average, over the decade.1

The largest employers of graphic designers are companies offering specialized design services, and advertising, public relations and related services, according to the BLS.1

Graphic design skills are not as easily replaceable as people think. Powerful visual media that drives action needs to communicate with an audience—not merely look nice. Many graphic designers are excited about the advent of graphic design AI, foreseeing ways it can automate the less-interesting aspects of their jobs.

What tools do graphic designers use?

A graphic designer relies on many different tools. One of the most basic (and least expensive) tools designers use is a sketchbook. If you love studio art, you can certainly integrate those skills into your work as a graphic designer.

That said, most graphic design skills involve computer software.

A graphic designer needs to be able to use design software like Adobe Photoshop®, Adobe Illustrator® and Adobe InDesign®. Since the best graphic design software is computer-based, they also need to be comfortable using a computer (as opposed to a phone or tablet) to design.

But design elements are only part of the picture. A professional graphic designer does more than simply make designs. They have to manage their time, communicate with managers and clients, adjust to feedback and group collaboration and keep track of different projects.

Freelance graphic designers need to attract clients, budget, invoice and file taxes as well as building a professional portfolio that showcases the type of work they love.

As you can see, you need more than a good eye for color to work as a graphic designer. Technical skills, design principles and learning to use new kinds of software are all critical abilities for a graphic designer.

But you don't need to figure all of that out by yourself. Learning these skills are an essential part of a good graphic design program.

Create your future in graphic design

As you can see, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all definition of graphic design.

There are countless ways a graphic designer can solve business problems or evoke inspiration. The industry is wide enough to give you plenty of options in how you want to work.

It might surprise you to learn that some graphic designers don’t especially love art. Or that problem-solving is one of the most important soft skills for graphic designers. This field is easy to misunderstand, and many people have perceptions about graphic design that aren't based in reality.

But make no mistake—a career as a graphic designer can be wildly perfect for the right kind of person. Maybe that's you. Check out “Should I Be a Graphic Designer? 6 Questions to Help You Find Your Answer.”

AIGA® is a registered trademark of American Institute of Graphic Arts CORPORATION NEW YORK 19th Floor 222 Broadway New York NEW YORK 10038

Adobe InDesign® is a registered trademark of is a registered trademark of ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED CORPORATION CALIFORNIA 345 Park Avenue Legal Department San Jose CALIFORNIA 95110

Adobe Illustrator® is a registered trademark of ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED CORPORATION CALIFORNIA 345 Park Avenue Legal Department San Jose CALIFORNIA 95110

Adobe Photoshop® is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated CORPORATION CALIFORNIA P.O. Box 7900 1585 Charleston Road Mountain View CALIFORNIA 940397900

1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [accessed 10/9/2023]. www.bls.gov/ooh Information represents national, averaged data for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries, and employment conditions in your area may vary.

For More Info Visit:https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/design/blog/what-is-graphic-design/

 

Everything You Need to Know 

About Print Design By Ashley Brooks

You think you know the basics of what graphic designers do. They use design principles and special software to design logos, websites and other digital content like infographics. That’s all there is to it, right?

Not so fast. Digital graphic design work may get most of the spotlight, but that’s doesn’t mean print design is obsolete. There are many types of print design that are still a necessary part of the design field, and incoming graphic designers need to have sharp print design skills to be marketable in the workforce.

So what is print design and why does it still matter? We spoke with design experts to uncover the answers about this often-overlooked aspect of graphic design.

What is print design and why does it still matter?

Print designs appear on printed media like business cards, billboards or brochures rather than digital spaces like websites. Just like digital designs, the goal of print design is to use visual graphics to communicate a specific message to viewers.

At first glance it might seem like print design is a rarity. If you take a closer look, however, you’ll realize that you’re surrounded by print designs every day. People regularly encounter print designs as they move throughout their day, making this area of graphic design important to efforts like brand marketing and advertising campaigns.

“Tons of print collateral and mediums are still very relevant today,” says Dana S. Hewling, owner and creative director at B.ID LLC. “People should be reached in both the digital world and in the real world.”

Graphic design in any form is about communication. Think of print design as just another avenue for reaching your audience and sharing your message. “Until everyone can digitally project everything, print will still be needed,” Hewling says. “You should have an understanding of how to produce strong, captivating print pieces that help build stronger connections with your target.”

It’s important to remember that print design is also evolving alongside digital technology. Mark Krenn, founder of Coastal Creative, points out that experiential design and marketing “bridge the gap between online and offline worlds” through immersive print design. With the advent of new technology that merges print design with the digital space, it’s clear that print design isn’t going to become irrelevant anytime soon. Advertisers want comprehensive campaigns that reach potential customers at all points—and that means a blend of digital and print advertising is likely to remain a viable approach.

Types of print design

Print design is all around us, often in ways we take for granted. Traditional business marketing still relies on print media to spread awareness of their brand. Print design also takes center stage in industries like publishing, where a well-designed cover can make a huge difference in book sales.

These are some of the types of print design to be aware of:

• Business cards
• Branded packaging, labels and shopping bags
• Brochures
• Billboards
• Book covers and interiors
• Magazines and newspapers
• Signage
• Stationery
• Greeting cards and invitations
• Calendars
• Posters
• Menus
• Banners

Print design vs. digital design

Print design and digital design are similar in many ways. They share the common goal of communicating with a target audience, and the basic principles of design hold true for both print and digital mediums. However, creating print designs differs from digital designs in a few key ways.

“Print designers need to be experts at working within specific bounds and ensuring the final product is absolutely pixel perfect,” says Krenn. “This differs from digital design work because with digital design, any mistakes and errors have minimal correction costs and can be easily fixed.”

This brings up another point: Print design is costly in a way that digital design isn’t. “An error on a printed job? That can cost up to thousands of dollars in lost material cost and require a full redo. There are hard fixed costs with printing design that don’t come close in digital,” Krenn says.

Print designers also have the added challenge of working with narrow parameters. There’s a limit to the size of a banner or business card, or to the number of words that will fit on a magazine spread. Print designers need to be aware of these boundaries at all times.

The value of print design skills in the workforce

You can imagine that graphic designers need some special skills up their sleeves to keep up with the particular challenges of print design. Succeeding in this area of design includes knowing your way around a wider range of design software and understanding the basics of print design principles.

For example, print designers must always be aware of the resolution of their design to ensure that it prints at the highest quality, advises Hewling. “You must be using the right tools and assets for the job at hand. Not everything is Photoshop® in the world of print,” Hewling says. She recommends mastering Adobe Illustrator® for large-format print pieces and Adobe InDesign® for text-heavy layouts like books or magazines.

These skills may be specific to print design, but they’re applicable to careers across the graphic design industry. “Working offline can help focus a designer and make them think more creatively, which can then be transitioned to digital,” Krenn says. “This will help the designer rapidly improve their skills and show a diversity of work in their portfolio.” 

For More Info Visit:https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/design/blog/print-design/

Could print design be a relevant part of your career?

If you’re considering a career in graphic design, you might find yourself with print design as an important part of your job. Wondering whether the graphic design field has any other surprises to offer? Discover these 8 Types of Graphic Design Jobs You May Not Know About.

 Commercial Print Design

Commercial print, just like print advertising, exists mainly for promotional purposes and is the driving force behind the print industry. As a result, businesses of every size and from every industry rely on commercial print design.

If your business needs anything from business cards to for-sale signs, it needs some print design. This category covers a relatively broad spectrum of products. The type of product you might need depends on the industry, the final goal you want to achieve, and the kind of message you want to convey.

For example, if we talk about real-estate business, you might need business cards for your company or your agents. For promoting particular property, you might need flyers, custom floor plans as well as for-sale signs. And for people stopping by your office, you might want to have brochures or catalogs ready.

Among the first examples of commercial print design were stamps and trademarks. As the printing technology developed, so did the commercial printing design. During the 19 century, many artists started making packaging designs and posters for businesses, thus beginning the age of commercial design.

Brochures and Catalogs

Every year millions of people all over the world are impatiently waiting for the new IKEA catalog. It is by far one of the most anticipated publications of this type. Some 180 million copies are distributed around the world every year. And there is an unconfirmed rumor that the catalog takes almost 70% of IKEA’s annual marketing budget.

IKEA is just one of many examples that confirm that print marketing still plays a vital role today. Catalogs and brochures are significant when it comes to high-value or high-risk purchases. Today's purpose is to reinforce a customer’s decision or help them decide in the final stage of buyers' journey.

A catalog offers information on all the products or services the company has to offer. It contains all the items arranged systematically, accompanied by photos and short descriptions of the products or services. Catalogs are still an indispensable part of promotional activities in the hospitality, wellness, and luxury goods industries. You will see catalogs included in the marketing mix of businesses that do not require immediate action from a buyer.

A brochure, on the other hand, is more marketing-focused. It usually highlights particular products or services that are part of the promotional campaign. A brochure can be one page folded in half, or threefold or can consist of few pages stapled together.

Flyers and Posters

As means for mass promotion of ideas, products, or events in public spaces, posters quickly became very popular. They started appearing between the 1840s and 1850s when the printers perfected color print. Visually striking, with bold colors, typography, and graphics, they’ve been designed to grab viewers' attention.

Many famous French artists from the end of 19 century, like Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre Bonnard, Georges de Feure, and Jules Chéret, also did poster designs. However, Chéret was the most prolific poster designer of the time. He specialized in advertisement posters and will be remembered as the first graphic artist who used sexuality for promotional purposes.

• Advertising posters that brands use for various promotional purposes. They are usually designed with the “wow-factor” in mind, and if well designed, they won’t get unnoticed.
• Political posters became an important channel for mass communication in the UK during the First World War. These posters were primarily used to boost national morale as well as for nationwide recruitment.
• Movie posters are relatively self-explanatory. They are designed with the sole purpose of promoting a movie and inspiring the interest of the audience to go and see it in cinemas.
• Event posters are used for promoting cultural and sports events or public meetings. The most notable in this category are concert posters which became popular collector items.
• Educational posters have become a great way to present complex scientific subjects in a visually pleasing way.

Flyers are usually distributed by handing them out in the street or door to door. They focus on one particular product, service, or event, such as sales or discounts. Their size, paper, and print quality can vary drastically. Research shows that 79% of the recipients either keep them, pass them on to a friend, or take a quick look over them and toss them away.

Packaging Design

If you are a fan of beauty brands, then you already know about Korean skincare products. They enjoy justified global cult status, and there are always a few of these products on every best product list. What sets them apart from most US and European brands, besides great ingredients, is their fantastic packaging design.

Ever since famous Parisian artists made their first package designs in the 19th century, this subcategory of graphic design evolved into a proper art form. Today package designs need to be more than beautiful. They need to offer an unboxing experience as well. Product packages need to tell the story of the product and the brand, but at the same time, they need to relate to the customer.

Today, the packaging is almost as important as the product inside of it. According to the WestRock study, 81% of people have tried something new because of packaging, and 63% have repurchased the product because the packaging was visually pleasing.

Business Cards and Stationery

There is an ongoing debate that business cards are entirely outdated and unnecessary in our hyper-connected world. Yet everyone still has and uses them.

The proponents of digital will tell you that you can generate a simple QR code on your phone and share your contact details. Of course, you can share virtual cards via Bluetooth. Still, nothing beats the first impression that a good business card design can leave.

As a material used for hand and print business communication, stationery helps amplify branding identity. The most commonly used stationery items in an office are letterheads, envelopes, notepads, binders, folders, stickers, and pens.

How Digitalization Affects Print Designers?

Graphic designers today need to have a much broader set of skills simply because the final design needs to be applicable for different use cases. For example, you might be working on a book cover design intended for print. Still, you need to make sure that the layout you are making can be adjusted easily for ebook and audiobook covers.

It’s not enough to know the rules of creating a good-looking book layout. Today an excellent graphic designer needs to learn coding and styling languages like HTML5 and CSS3. They are essential for correct formatting and styling of text in an ebook. A basic understanding of motion graphics is also necessary since posters can be displayed on digital screens and don’t have to be static anymore.

We have covered all the basic and advanced skills necessary for a designer to thrive in the ever-changing world of graphic design. One thing is positive, print design will continue to thrive in the upcoming decades parallel with the new digital formats. 

For More Info go to:https://www.manypixels.co/blog/print-design/print-design-today

Making Marketing Goals 

a Reality with Print

Marketing is the process of getting potential clients interested in your products or services.

The keyword phrase here is the process. Goals aren't just about scoring a touchdown; they encompass every move leading up to that defining movement. In marketing, that includes researching, promoting, and sharing your brand and its offerings. 

When (and Why!) Print Marketing is Important

Did you know . . . 

• Print ads require 21% less cognitive effort to process
• Print advertising drives higher levels of brand recall than digital (77% vs. 46%)
• 82% of consumers trust print ads the most when making a purchase decision

How does print drive consumer response? 

• The response rate for direct-mail marketing is 37% higher than the email rate.
• Nearly 80% of consumers act on direct printed mail advertisements compared to 45% on electronic advertisements.
• Print and direct mail marketing bring a 9% customer response rate compared to other digital marketing channels, which hover around 1% or less. 

Even more exciting, brands that combine print and digital ads make online campaigns 400% more effective!

Now is the Time to Craft a Print Marketing Plan

When it's time to plan your print marketing, start with the ideal outcome.

Define how many first-time customers you hope to gain or how many product units you want to sell. Quantify the goal, then work backward like this:

The Crooked Spoon Café noticed that about 20% of recipients visited a "BOGO" URL link created as an online landing page in response to a direct mail teaser. 10% of BOGO link visitors used this time-bound coupon in the restaurant. From this information, the café worked backward to craft a direct mail strategy. 

The Crooked Spoon wanted to draw 200 visitors for a fall harvest gala. If around 10% of URL visitors use online coupons, the café needs about 2,000 visitors for the landing page. If only 20% of direct mail recipients would hop online, the café should send mail teasers to 10,000 households.

How might this work for your business? Define your "win," then zoom out to plan where, when, and how you'll use specific print products (brochures, catalogs, direct mail postcards, trade show flyers, or presentation folders) to get there. Tie measurable outcomes to the amount of print pieces you'll prep, and make this print advertising as compelling and timely as possible.

Like a perfectly executed pass, print marketing can move the ball from mid-field to the endzone in a flash! Need help? Our team of experts is happy to share estimates, samples, or ideas. Contact us today for details. Call 516-561-1468