Your storefront might be in a great location, but that doesn't mean people will notice it. Small lettering, poor placement, or a sign that blends into the building can make your business easy to overlook.
Custom signs can improve storefront visibility by making your business easier to spot, recognize, and locate. The right combination of size, color, lighting, and placement helps people identify your store whether they're walking past, driving by, or looking for your entrance.
But choosing the biggest or brightest sign isn't always the answer. Your signage should work with your building, reflect your brand, and remain readable from the places where customers are most likely to see it.
Here's how to make that happen.
Make Your Business Name Visible From the Street
Think about someone driving past your business for the first time. They have only a few moments to identify your store before passing it.
If your sign has small lettering, too much information, or colors that blend into the building, they may struggle to recognize your business.
Your business name should be the most prominent part of your storefront signage. Choose lettering that remains clear from the distance where customers typically approach.
For example, large 3D letter signs can give your business name a defined appearance against the building. Depending on their design, dimensional letters can also create shadows that help the lettering stand apart from the mounting surface.
Before deciding on a sign size, photograph your storefront from across the street or parking lot. Place a scaled design onto the photograph and check whether your business name is easy to read.
If the lettering looks too small or difficult to recognize, reconsider its size, spacing, or placement before ordering.
Improve Storefront Visibility for Pedestrians
Storefront visibility isn't only about attracting attention from across the street. You also need to consider people walking along the sidewalk.
A sign installed flat against your building may be clearly visible from the front but difficult to notice from the side.
This is particularly important for businesses located on pedestrian-focused shopping streets or between neighboring storefronts.
Consider a projecting blade sign
A blade sign extends outward from the building. Its position allows pedestrians approaching from either direction to identify a business before reaching its entrance.
Imagine a coffee shop on a narrow shopping street. It has a main storefront sign above the entrance, but people walking along the sidewalk cannot see the lettering until they're directly in front of the shop.
Adding a projecting sign could make the business easier to identify from farther down the street.
For businesses facing this challenge, metal blade signs offer an additional option for storefront identification.
Before choosing a projecting sign, check the available mounting space, pedestrian clearance requirements, and applicable local restrictions.
Use Lighting to Improve Visibility After Dark
A sign that looks clear during the day can become difficult to identify in the evening.
This is especially important for restaurants, salons, convenience stores, and other businesses that welcome customers after sunset.
If evening visibility matters to your location, consider illumination during the initial design process rather than treating it as an afterthought.
Front-lit and backlit signs
Front-lit signs illuminate the faces of the letters, helping customers recognize the business name in low-light conditions.
Backlit signs create a halo of light behind the lettering. This can give your storefront a more subtle, architectural appearance.
Both approaches have different visual characteristics, and their effectiveness depends on the building's color, surrounding lighting, and viewing distance.
For businesses comparing these options, front-lit and backlit signs offer different ways to incorporate illumination into dimensional storefront lettering.
For instance, white front-lit letters may be suitable for a restaurant with a dark exterior. A business looking for a softer lighting effect might prefer backlit letters against a contrasting wall.
Lightbox signs
A lightbox is another option for businesses that need illuminated signage.
Rather than illuminating individual dimensional letters, a lightbox uses internal lighting behind a sign face. It can accommodate business names, logos, and certain graphic designs within a defined shape.
A restaurant with limited space above its entrance, for example, might consider a compact illuminated lightbox instead of a long arrangement of individual letters.
Explore custom LED lightbox signs when comparing illuminated sign styles for your storefront.
More brightness isn't always better. Excessive brightness, glare, and uneven illumination can make even a bright sign difficult to read.
Review the proposed lighting under the actual conditions around your building, and check any applicable restrictions on illuminated signage.
Match Your Sign to Your Storefront and Business Type
Not every business benefits from the same sign design.
A boutique on a pedestrian street has different visibility needs from a grocery store facing a large parking lot. A restaurant that operates late into the evening may also have different lighting requirements from a store that closes before sunset.
Start by identifying where your customers are most likely to see your business for the first time.
For example, a retail store located in a shopping plaza may benefit from prominent lettering and strong contrast to distinguish it from neighboring businesses.
A restaurant might prioritize illuminated signage because customers frequently visit after dark.
A corner shop with entrances facing different streets may need signage that can be identified from multiple directions.
Retail business owners can explore additional custom retail signage options when choosing signs that suit their storefront layout and brand.
Whatever style you choose, keep your business name and logo prominent. Opening hours, contact details, and promotional messages can usually be displayed separately near the entrance or on window graphics.
Check Your Sign Placement Before Installation
Even an attractive custom sign can be difficult to notice if it's installed in the wrong location.
Trees, awnings, architectural features, and neighboring signs can all obstruct the view of your storefront.
Before finalizing placement, examine your building from the locations where customers are most likely to approach.
Common Storefront Sign Mistakes to Avoid
Sometimes, improving your storefront doesn't require a completely different sign style. It requires correcting a few basic design problems.
Choosing lettering that's too small
A sign may look excellent in a design file but become difficult to read from across the street. Check your proposed lettering at the distance where customers will actually see it.
Ignoring your building's color
Your logo might use attractive colors that offer little contrast against your facade. Always review the design against a real photograph of your storefront.
Adding too much information
Avoid overcrowding your main sign with phone numbers, opening hours, long slogans, and lists of services. Keep your business name prominent and move secondary information to supporting signs where appropriate.
Forgetting about evening visibility
If your business operates after dark, consider how the sign will appear under your existing exterior lighting. You may need additional illumination or a different sign design.
Overlooking viewing angles
A sign may be visible from directly in front of your building but hidden from customers approaching along the sidewalk. Check the proposed placement from multiple directions before finalizing your design.
Make Your Storefront Easier to Recognize
A custom storefront sign should do more than match your brand colors. It should help customers identify your business from the road, recognize it from the sidewalk, and locate the entrance.
Start with the way people approach your building. Then choose your sign's size, lettering, materials, lighting, and placement around those real viewing conditions.
A thoughtfully designed sign can make your storefront easier to recognize without overcrowding your building or relying on excessive illumination.
Make Your Storefront Stand Out With Custom Signs!
A well-designed storefront sign helps customers notice your business and recognize your brand. Choosing the right size, colors, lighting, and placement can make your storefront easier to find.
Whether you need dimensional letters or illuminated signage, the right custom storefront signs can help your business stand out.
At Volt Signs, we create custom signage tailored to your business. Ready to improve your storefront? Get a custom quote today!