How often do you change up your business signs? If you have custom business signs, you may not want to change them. If you have basic signs that aren’t that unique, it may be because you aren’t sure how to customize them or what to do to create fun signage that also gets the point across. Some business owners wonder if there’s any point in ever changing their business signs. After all, if the signs are still doing their jobs, is there any reason to spend money on new ones?
Sometimes there is. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why you may want to change up your business signs. If you decide you do need to swap them out for some new or temporary ones, TNT Signs can help you with the design, printing, and even installation.
Your Signs Are Showing Their Age
One reason why you may want to update your signs is because they’re looking tired. Over time, inks can fade and bright backgrounds can begin to look dingy. Even if you regularly clean your signs, the branding or style of the signs may begin to look dated. If you’ve used the signs for over ten years, they may not even reflect your business’s current branding or color scheme. These signs may have become practically invisible to customers because they’ve seen them so many times. The signs have blended into the background, which isn’t something you ever want.
While these signs may still be in good condition, they’re visually worn out and need to be replaced. You may want to update what they say, change up the branding and color schemes, or add some graphics. In some cases, the old signs may no longer be needed, while in others, you may need to create some new signs in addition to refreshing old ones. When you’re done, the new signs will stand out and better reflect your company.
Any sign that is visibly damaged, of course, should be taken down and replaced as soon as possible. Damaged signs can give the impression that you don’t care about how you present your brand to customers, and they may assume that lack of care extends to your customer service and products. Signs that are faded and can’t be easily read, are torn or otherwise damaged or have spots or other damage on them should be taken down.
Your Signs Are No Longer Correct
Similarly, if your signs no longer have the correct information, they need to be replaced right away. You don’t want to confuse your customers with directions or information that’s not correct. It doesn’t reflect well on your business, and it can annoy customers to the point that they leave in frustration.
This also extends to branding. If you’ve rebranded, you don’t want your signs to confuse potential customers with their old information. When you do a rebrand, you want to remove and replace anything that has your old name, logo, color scheme, or other information.
If you have signs that you know will need to change often, you might ask about signs that can be customized on a regular basis. These signs often have slots for letters to be added or removed, allowing you to change up what they say. These signs may cost more than basic signs, but if you’re replacing those signs regularly, the long-term investment may be worth it.
The Holidays Are Coming
Here’s a different reason to change up your business signs: the holidays are coming. Many businesses, especially those that sell products, will see a significant boost in sales in November and December as customers shop for gifts. Swapping out your standard signs for some custom-themed ones can help create a holiday atmosphere that will help subtly remind your customers that they should start shopping.
These signs don’t have to be aimed at one specific holiday. Some generic winter scenes with snowmen and lights may be enough. It’s up to you how far you go with decorations. If you often put up a holiday tree and string lights around the store, you may want to design some over-the-top holiday signs. On the other hand, if you don’t do quite as much, you might want to go with snowflakes or other signs that could be used for longer periods of time.
What signs should you swap out with holiday ones? It’s up to you and your budget, of course. If you have signs hanging above each aisle or section of your store, you don’t have to change all of them. However, you could create one holiday-themed sign that you hang for the section where you have decorations, gift wrap, and other holiday items. This will help draw customers to it. You could also create a new sign with extended holiday shopping hours, a few signs at the checkout highlighting fun holiday products, and more. It all depends on your business and what you want to draw attention to.
The Seasons Are Changing
Similarly, you can also swap out your signs when the seasons change. For example, after the winter months, you can put up signs with graphics related to the spring and summer. Putting up signs with bright flowers and other graphics for the spring can help set the mood. You can then swap those out for beach-themed signs during the warm summer months.
Again, how you design these signs depends on your business. If you’re offering a service, you may not want to lean too far into the graphics, but you could still put some cute spring flowers along the bottom of the sign as a border. These signs can be used year after year if you want, and since they’re not up for more than three or four months, they won’t get that same tired look that year-round signs may get. They can be taken down, cleaned if needed, and packed away until they’re needed again. They help to keep your store looking fresh since they’re rotated in and out with other signs.
You don’t necessarily need signs for every season or every holiday, of course. It all depends on what your business is and when your busiest time of the year is. If you’re a store that handles swimming pool supplies or yard equipment, you may want to really make the store shine during the spring and summer since those are when many customers will be shopping with you.
You’ve Changed Up the Layout
Have you moved products around or rearranged where people’s offices are? Maybe you’ve had to renovate your office and now the patient waiting room is on the other side of the building. Whatever the reason, if you’ve made some major changes to the layout of your space, you need to update your signs so that your customers can find what they need. In some cases, this might mean updating a couple of signs, while in others, you may need to change just about every sign you have. Either way, you always want people to know where to go in your place of business, so be sure to update these signs quickly.
Do You Always Need to Drastically Change Your Signs?
While there may be times when you want to start from scratch and design a brand-new custom sign or banner, you don’t always need to do that. Sometimes, you can even reorder the exact same sign. Replacement signs typically need to fit in with the other signs you’re still using, so you don’t want to change the design too much. Replace any directions or text that’s outdated, of course, but leave the overall look the same.
However, if you’re replacing all of your custom signs, feel free to get a little creative. Now’s the time to swap out colors, add your logo, or make any other changes you’ve realized you need to make to your signs. You’re only going to redesign all of your signs once every few years, if that. Some businesses use the same signs for a decade or more, and there’s nothing wrong with that if they still look good and reflect your company’s look.
This does mean that you will want to put a good amount of thought into the design. You may even want to come up with a few different designs and get input from others before you put in the print order. You don’t have to dramatically change how the signs look, either. In fact, most sign layouts are the same. You don’t want to use a design that makes it hard to find the information you’re trying to highlight. Don’t toss every element on your sign just because you want something fresh. Keep what’s working.
Let TNT Signs Be Your Partner in Custom Signs and Other Materials
Whether you need to create a full run of signs for the first time, want to revamp your overall look, or need to create a series of seasonal signs, we’re here to help. TNT Signs offers a wide range of design and printing services. In addition to creating custom signs, we can also assist you with banners, stickers, vinyl vehicle wraps, and more. Reach out to TNT Signs today to learn more.
