Some people gravitate toward timeless design, while others prefer to embrace the trends. Does one make a better choice when it comes to sign design for your business? The right choice really depends on your industry, your audience, and how you want to use your signage as marketing.
Both timeless and trendy design can achieve great results for different businesses. Do you offer a classic product or traditional service — or does your brand have a creative or unique personality? The best sign design will reflect your branding efforts.
When to Choose Timeless Sign Design
Here’s a good rule of thumb: choose timeless design to signify that your company is established, reliable, or traditional — not because you expect your new sign design to actually last forever.
The benefits of timeless sign design include:
- Match the expectations that consumers have for your type of business. For example, an Italian restaurant may want a traditional, old-world look.
- Convey a sense of history and permanence. A brand new businesses can potentially use timeless signage to immediately appear established.
- Build brand loyalty over time as your signage does not have to change frequently with the trends.
If the benefits of timeless design match up well with your business and marketing goals, you probably will do well to choose a classic sign design.
When to Choose Trendy Sign Design
Trendy sign design works well if your business wants to appear cutting-edge, fashionable, and perfectly in tune with modern consumer tastes. Great design can follow the trends — and even outlast the trend itself. You might need to redesign your signs years later rather than decades later, but don’t you want fresh and attractive signage all the time anyway?
Benefits of trendy sign:
- Grab attention with something a little unexpected. For example, an Asian fusion restaurant would probably want something more modern and trendy than a traditional restaurant.
- Signify to consumers that your company is forward-thinking with fresh and new products or services.
- Target your real audience by playing into the design trends that appeal to their demographics. This can mean different things for different age groups.
Does your business want to convey something new and different, rather than tried and true? Embrace the trends and make them your own with trendy sign design.
Be Unique, Be Authentic… And Be Clear!
On a final note, remember that great sign design should have a visual impact while clearly conveying your name and message. Don’t let artistry prevent your sign from being easy to see and read from a distance (nor too abstract to be meaningful).
Your primary signage should avoid very flowery fonts, small fonts, and color schemes that make it difficult to make out the brand. Images and themes should clearly demonstrate something about your company and offerings. Pick a theme and design that match your brand and make sure the final sign design emphasizes clarity.
Still pondering your sign design? Ask yourself: would you describe your company itself as timeless or trendy? Stick with one or the other for your new custom signage.