The Do’s And Don’ts Of Restaurant Sign Design
If updating your restaurant signs was on your list of New Year’s Resolutions, today’s post is for you. Read on to learn a few handy Do’s and Don’ts for restaurant sign design in 2021, or call 972-428-3200 for a free restaurant sign consultation in Carrollton, TX.
Do Supersize Your Exterior Restaurant Sign Font
While bigger isn’t always better, it’s imperative that your restaurant sign design factor in the viewing distance and speed of your intended audience.
If you’re advertising to pedestrians walking right past your sign, you might be able to get away with smaller restaurant sign fonts, but even then, you’re making things harder than they need to be. If you’re advertising predominantly to passing drivers, the International Sign Association recommends designing restaurant signs with letters at least 1” tall for every 25’ of distance.
If you feel like you need to reduce your font size to make room for your message, there’s a good chance you’re trying to say too much. Remember: restaurant signs are there to make impressions and stand out from Carrollton’s crowded signscape, not to list your menu or company history in exhaustive detail. Leave those duties to other parts of your sign system, and keep the “marquee” message short but supersized!
Don’t Use Fancy Fonts For Restaurant Signboard Without Proper Planning
Fancy fonts might be an integral part of your brand image, which means they deserve a place on your restaurant sign. But if you intend to use fancy fonts, you need to understand that they make your restaurant signs harder to read, and then plan accordingly.
To increase legibility and visibility on restaurant signs with admittedly overwrought fonts, try any of the following:
- Add external lighting to illuminate your message
- Crank up the contrast between font and substrate
- Leave more white space in your restaurant sign
- Supersize your letters
- Keep fonts consistent between all branding materials to shorten your audience’s “learning curve”
For more tips on how to use on-brand fancy fonts without compromising readability, get in touch with our Carrollton design team.
Do Advertise Locally Sourced Food With Interior Restaurant Signs
The demand for local food has been steadily on the rise, particularly with eco-friendly and health-conscious consumers, but it’s now spiking to record highs as the pandemic disrupts global food systems. In light of these trends, advertising local offerings can give your restaurant a serious competitive edge.
If your restaurant sources food locally, your customers need to know, and restaurant signs have been proven effective to this end.
For example, researchers at the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services found statistically significant increases in diners’ “servicescape perception, pleasure, perceived product quality, and revisit intention” when restaurant signs were used to advertise locally sourced, farm-fresh products (Campbell et al., 2014, p. 812). The most effective signboard design included pictures of the local farms.
At SignCraft and Graphics, we can bring any custom design to life, so you can show off any locally sourced ingredients to great effect.
Free Quote On Custom Restaurant Signs In Carrollton, TX
Call 972-428-3200 or visit the SignCraft and Graphics website to book a free consultation and get a same-day quote on any custom restaurant signs.
References
Campbell, J. M., & DiPietro, R. B. (2014). Sign of the times: Testing consumer response to local food signage within a casual dining restaurant. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 21(5), 812-823.