All You Need To Know About Interior Signage

In today's competitive business environments, enterprises must take innumerable steps to ensure their continued relevance in competitive markets prevails. Getting consumers' attention entails making sure that your brand is visible enough to catch consumers’ eyes. Signage has proven to be an essential tool for businesses that want to expand from startups to enterprises and it is an excellent tool for established corporations that need to withstand competitive forces. So, what is signage?

Every day, whether indoors or outdoors, we are bombarded with signs. Some of these signs are visible in showrooms, offices, hospitals, and other settings. All these are examples of signage systems. In a nutshell, signage is a visual representation of graphics, designs, and catchy lines of text used to communicate and convey information to potential viewers. When designed creatively and strategically, these signs will increase the visibility of your brand and business.

What else you need to know about signage

The architectural environment in the twenty-first century is becoming increasingly complex, and people require more visual cues such as maps, directions, and symbols to guide them through space. This has brought about the idea of wayfinding signage. Interior wayfinding signage refers to strategic placement and consistency of creative and attractive signs that will enable your customers to get relevant information and get directed as they step into your business premise. Interior signage is placed inside a building, be it an office, a mall, showroom, retail shop, startup, or even a sole proprietor shop.

There exist various types of interior signage, including:

1. Floor graphics - They are also commonly referred to as floor decals or floor stickers. They are thin adhesive vinyl with a full-color printed design facing upwards. Their thickness varies, but their breadth does not exceed a few millimeters. These floor decals provide directions and serve as effective advertising alternatives to wall signage or illuminated signs. The essential function of floor graphics is that they improve wayfinding, highlight promotional items in the retail environment, and even alert employees or visitors to a potentially hazardous environment. Some of the famous places that may need floor graphics are:
   • • Convention centers
   • • Stadiums
   • • Factories
   • • Grocery stores
   • • Warehouses
   • • Restaurants
   • • Offices
   • • Supermarkets
2. Engraved Signs - the purpose of the engraved signs is to give your office a professional look, and they are ideal for desks and doorways. Examples of engraved signs are:
   • • Engraved corridor signs
   • • Control panel plates
   • • Memorial plaques
   • • Custom plaques and awards
   • • Office door signs
   • • Custom engraved glow signs
   • • Engraved nameplates
   • • Engraved slider signs
3. Vinyl lettering & window graphics Signs - Vinyl lettering is a unique adhesive vinyl cut directly from a piece of colored material-vinyl lettering helps in transforming ordinary office and retail spaces into sophisticated, customer enticing locations. Window graphics will help give your window a premium look when the custom die-cut vinyl lettering window lettering is created. Vinyl lettering can be used to advertise short-term sales or promotions.
4. POP (point of purchase) signs - POP signs can help you announce a sale, store opening, or promotion. Two types of POP signage are traditional POP signage and modern POP signage. Traditional does not mean outdated, as others would think. Traditional signage is used in new and creative ways to put a fresh twist on the display that has been seen in retail stores for many years. Modern POP signage has incorporated digital signs, and at most times, presentation is included. Some established companies use wall displays to add reality to their promotions.

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Best practices when designing interior directional signage

When it comes to interior directional signage designs, it is always important to get involved early with signage consultants to evaluate your needs. This will help them in crafting a plan that will communicate your visual brand. Furthermore, allow them to know the appropriate materials that will result in a cohesive design. When you include directional signage earlier in your timeline, you will be compliant with essential best practices. The best approaches are:

1. Strategizing for efficient wayfinding
   
   Interior directional signage design is more than just buying plaques for your walls. Outstanding signage programs are distinguished by superior wayfinding planning and implementation. You could have the most beautiful signs on the market, but you will notice navigation issues if your program is not strategically put together.
2. Simplifying and universalizing
   
   Simplifying your property's naming conventions will significantly improve readability and navigation. Most enterprises are finding it increasingly difficult to serve multicultural and multilingual audiences. As a result, the interior directional signage design makes everyone feel welcome and increases patient satisfaction when simplified and universalized.
3. Incorporating your visual branding
   
   Custom signs allow you to incorporate elements of your visual brand more freely. A custom design with your brand will significantly improve the aesthetic of your office or business, thereby communicating an innovative visual brand internally. With a branded interior directional sign, your company will stand out from the competition.
4. Connecting to the exterior and digital elements
   
   Interior directional signage is most effective when it works in tandem with the rest of your navigational tools. Your interior signage program will be most effective if it is strategically linked to your external signs. Using the same language across all navigational touch points resulted in a more effective wayfinding signage program.

The most critical thing that offices, hotels, and other commercial buildings should know is that all facilities should comply with the law regarding emergency planning signage. Building owners must have all the necessary signage for the safety of the building and to avoid a potential penalty for lack of compliance. The most crucial signage that must be included in facilities as per the law are:

• • Exit signage - many different types of buildings should have illuminated exit signs. There are also standards by law that govern how the size, weight, and fonts of the exit signs should be. Most buildings will also be required to have directional signs included.
• • Elevator emergency instruction signs - as part of emergency plans, most buildings are required to have signs posted in all their elevators with instructions of what to do in the event of an emergency.
• • No smoking signs in the workplace - smoking zones designated areas will have their signage erected, while a "No Smoking Signage" should be posted in other places of employment.
• • Emergency procedures and information - some buildings are required by law to have emergency evacuation procedures for each floor as part of their evacuation plans. Same as with other signage, the minimum requirements for lettering size, fonts should be considered.

Below is a list of commonly used materials in signmaking.

• Acrylic
• Aluminium composite panel
• Corrugated plastic
• High-density polyethylene (HDPE)
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl)
• Polycarbonate
• Wood
• Stainless Steel
• Plexiglass

Below is a list of commonly used processes in sign making.

• CNC routing
• Laser cutting
• Plotter cutting
• Printmaking, Screen printing, or sign painting
• Channel lettering
• Laminating prints

Conclusion

Signage systems play an essential role in any business setup. They act as the first impression for customers, which will enable the business to create brand awareness as soon as the customers walk in. It would be best to make sure that the sign is visually appealing, and you may incorporate your logo and company colors.