Southern California Sign Blog

Congratulations! You have outgrown your modest accommodations in your basement, garage, or spare bedroom and are ready to launch your enterprise in its own office or storefront. Before you can open your doors to the public, though, you need to figure out what new business signs in Los Angeles, CA you will need. We have had plenty of entrepreneurs work with us to prepare their new companies and get a buzz going ahead of their grand opening. Here are some of the signage solutions you should consider.

Coming Soon and Grand Opening Banners

As soon as you finish that celebratory flute of champagne after signing your lease agreement, you should be thinking about banners to announce your new location. “Coming Soon” banners featuring your company’s logo are an excellent choice. Once you have a concrete “go live” date, let your potential customers know with “Grand Opening” banners.

Exterior Building Signs

These markers are meant to grab the attention of pedestrians and drivers. They are a combination of wayfinding tool and branding trickery. Your exterior markers should be consistent with the logo and font used for your other marketing materials, such as business cards and letterhead.

Does your new endeavor not have a logo yet? No problem! Our talented graphic designers can help you with this. We can get you started with typeface and design alternatives that evoke your business’s attitude, product selection, and niche. For building sign materials, pick from channel lettering, lightbox cabinets, or foam or acrylic dimensional letters.

Indoor Signage

Set the tone for the interaction between your representatives and clients with lobby signs. Do you want the look of your reception area to be avant-garde, formal, quirky, or sophisticated? Your reception area sign will greatly influence the design elements that make up your lobby. Popular materials include foam, acrylic logo panels, and metal laminate lettering.

If you are welcoming customers into your office or storefront, you must have wayfinding markers to help your guests find their way around your facility. For instance, you will want to point the way to meeting rooms, fire exits, and restrooms. In addition, most public buildings are required by law to have ADA signs for Los Angeles, CA. Fortunately, we can perform a site survey and help you figure out what ADA signs you need to be in compliance.

Marketing Solutions

Marketing signs are ideal for getting people to come in and check out what you have to offer and for increasing interest in your enterprise. Though they are not strictly necessary, they can have a huge impact on your bottom line, once you already have your exterior and interior markers in place. These signs include flags, A-frame sidewalk signs, banners, and posters.

Does all of this seem a little confusing? You are not alone. Fortunately, the friendly experts at The Sign Studio are just a phone call away. We have the heart of a teacher and will make sure you understand your options.

If you are ready to learn more, contact us today for a free no-strings-attached consultation.

The very first impression that prospective clients who are unfamiliar with your enterprise get as they travel down the road comes from your exterior signage. This can literally be the difference between death and success for your company. Leading up to that moment, they do not know what your business can do for them. How you choose to design your exterior signs for Glendale, CA will either cause these consumers to gloss over your organization without a second thought or reel them in to learn more.

For many specialized businesses, shoppers may not need your products or services right now, but if you have a memorable sign, they will think of you when they do need your specific specialty. This will help them call on you or look you up online when they need your help. Do we have you convinced? If so, read on to learn some exterior signage tips for Glendale, CA.

Keep an Eye on Your Colors

To ensure that specific parts of your signage stick out easily, such as your business’s name, high contrast colors should be included into the design. A bright yellow on top of a deep purple works just as well as black letters on a white background. Though colors are helpful for getting noticed, you do not necessarily need an entire rainbow. Just a good juxtaposition. We recommend a contrast of at least 70 percent.

Go Big or Go Home

Please stay here. You do not actually have to go home, but we do suggest you go big with your signage. When you are driving down the street, you are unlikely to read signs with tiny typefaces. To make it simple for people of all abilities to decipher your markers use larger fonts and letters. We can make specific recommendations for your enterprise when we perform a site survey.

Build Brand Awareness

You want your target demographics to be able to recognize your business with just a glance at your exterior signage. This means keeping the color scheme, font, and logo shape consistent across your marketing materials, including business cards, your website, television ads, and anything else that represents your organization. You will confuse shoppers if you make your sign vastly different from, say, your website. People will not know if they have found the right place.

Say More with Less

Your exterior sign does not need to feature your entire mission statement. Even including a short slogan or motto could distract from the vital information you want potential clients to see: your name. Instead, let your graphics do the talking for you and allow your name to take center stage.

Do you want help incorporating all of these tips into a winning sign that will attract new clients? The Sign Studio can help! We will listen to your vision and perform a site survey during a free initial consultation. Based on this, we will come up with recommendations that fit your goals and budget. Are you ready to get started? Contact us today!

To catch the eyes of prospective customers and showcase what your business has to offer, you will need outstanding discount trade show banners for Los Angeles as you market at conventions and other events in this season. The quality of your exhibit will determine how well your enterprise does at a trade show. Thankfully, The Sign Studio is here to help you look your best!

The Exhibitors’ Handbook is the source for all of our trade show offerings. That being the case, we have a wide selection of products that work well for trade shows, conventions, and anywhere else you need to get attention. For today’s blog post, we will take a closer look at affordable Spring Back and Telescopic banners.

Spring Back Banners

Economical Spring Back banner stands combine functionality, reliability, and basic design features. With these banners, there is a 90 day hardware warranty, and it comes with a basic carrying bag for easy portability.

The Spring Back banner stands can accommodate graphics up to 78 inches high and 35 inches wide. They are simple for one person to set up on their own. Once you choose from the many cost effective banner stands we offer, we will design a banner that highlights your brand, product, or services and that is ideal for your purposes, whether you attend trade shows on a weekly basis or just need something for a one-time event.

Telescopic Banners

Standard Telescopic banner stands have customary features that offer durability, ease of use, and reliability. Most of these stands have one-year hardware warranties and come with a canvas carrying bag to make transportation simple. The name “Telescopic” is a reference to the telescopic pole incorporated into the design that allows you to adjust the height or width of the stand. There are three main types of Telescopic banner stands:

• Uno – These stands accommodate graphics between 64.5” and 88.5” tall. The powder coated black base is weighted. And, the Uno has a new graphic rail that accepts both push fit fabric graphics and standard vinyl graphics. The Uno comes in widths of 31.5”, 35.5”, and 48”.
• Trio – The Trio is 31.5 inches wide and can be adjusted to be 28.75” to 84” tall. It has a tri-pod banner stand and works great for single and double sided graphics. These are available with three pockets that can be used for dispensing literature.
• Pegasus – The Pegasus line has adjustable heights and widths and comes in silver and black. The Pegasus Supreme will help you really make an impression with its adjustable width of 63.5” to 117.5” and height of 82.75” to 120.5”. You can link multiple units for an even larger display.

All of the above options are great solutions for businesses that are working with a tight budget yet still want to make a huge impact at their next trade show or convention. If you are interested in economic trade show banners for Los Angeles, contact us today for a free, no strong attached consultation and quote.

The all too brief rain season is over, and we can now count on great window shopping weather for the next few months. As consumers make their way around the revitalized downtown shopping district or the Burbank Town Center, how are you going to make your business stand out? One way is with sidewalk signs for Burbank, CA. Read on to learn why your storefront cannot live without them!

Sidewalk Signs Are an Affordable Advertising Medium

Sidewalk signs are very inexpensive when compared to other types of marketing, and your return on investment is outstanding. You just need to make certain your message comes across loud and clear with your A-frame sign. You will be able to use this versatile marker throughout the year.

Sidewalk Signs Turn Heads

Have you ever run into a one of a kind sign display in the middle of the sidewalk while distractedly wandering down the street? If you have, you likely had to stop and read it. Also, typically when this happens, the consumer then enters the store. Even if you did not enter, you probably thought about going into the restaurant, store, or other enterprise. Essentially, sidewalk signs are able to draw awareness and attention to your company and increase your profits and foot traffic.

A-Frame Signs Are Portable and Convenient

Sidewalk signs are incredibly easy to transport. It is as easy as putting your A-frame sign outside in the morning when you open up for business and bringing it back in as you close. Since they are simple to transport, many businesses opt for the classic A-frame. However, there are several other types of sidewalk signs available to suit your enterprise’s needs.

Types of Sidewalk Signs

The Sign Studio is proud to be one of the top distributors of Plasticade signs in California. As such, we offer their full product line of sidewalk and A-frame signs for Burbank, CA. Here are some of their most requested items:

• Signicade – Our clients can’t get enough of these 24-inch wide by 45-inch tall boards. Signicades are ideal for fairs, restaurants, events, and salons. To protect the sign from the climate, there are regressed face areas.
• Simpo Sign – Simpo Signs are 23 inches wide by 34 inches high, and they offer a display area of 22” by 28”. These high-density polyethylene signs are durable and weigh about eight pounds. They are easy to maintain and stain resistant.
• Sidewalk Sign – There are no tools needed to change out the blanks or to put together this classic sidewalk sign. These signs are about 41 inches by 31 inches and weight just over ten pounds. They take inserts made of acrylic, vinyl, metal, or just about anything else.
• Quick Signs – Also made of high-density polyethylene, Quick Signs allow you to change your sign’s message within seconds.

These are just some of the sandwich board signs we offer. If you are ready to really get the attention of shoppers as they meander along the sidewalk, contact The Sign Studio today for a free consultation on sidewalk signs!

The Sign Studio is proud to offer the new Vista Expand signage lineup for Los Angeles. To create the best solution in the industry for jobs that require extra large signs, this new eco-friendly series features cutting edge designs and innovative technology. Ranging in size from about two to five feet wide and up to thirteen feet high, the Vista Expand Series is designed to provide big signs for both exterior and interior applications. Read on to learn about all of the different products.

Portrait Post & Panel Signs

For displaying several kinds of imagery and information both outdoors and in, the Portrait XL post and panel signs are a great idea. These markers are ideal for information you want the public to see, such as industrial zone directories, orientation maps in the mall, terminal information posts, real estate project specification stands, and more. With the Vista Expand series, you get attention grabbing, simple to install and update, and sophisticated post and panel signs.

Portrait Wall Frames

Portrait XL wall frames are an excellent way to get your message across anywhere on your property. They are perfect for exit routes, floor directories, advertising space, floor maps, branding imagery and logos, and other uses. We can easily install the wall frames by attaching the main unit to the wall. The insert sheet hides the screws. When you want to present updatable information, the sign frames accept several types of materials, including vinyl and digital printing.

Landscape Post & Panel Signs

Vista Expand’s post and panel landscape series is almost bigger than life. These impressive and elegantly designed signs can be used to showcase a business’s logo, brand elements, and name in a central location. They are also a smart choice for displaying commercial messages and posters that demand attention. We make updating and installing these signs hassle free despite how big they are.

Double Sided Pylons

If you are looking for an intelligent wayfinding solution, double sided pylons can’t be beat. The Vista Expand pylons are best for projects that require extra large markers. The versatile and clean design of these pylons consists of smart connections and profiles. Suggested applications for the double sided pylon are for highlighting images, instructions, wayfinding, advertising, brandings, and other information throughout your complex.

Landscape Wall Frames

Last but certainly not least are Landscape XL wall frames. These are commonly used for branding and wayfinding purposes, including decorative photos, company logos and names, advertising space, floor lists, emergency escape routes, and much more. Best of all, you can easily change out your message at any time!

The Sign Studio has been providing Vista sign products for Los Angeles for years. After a free consultation during which we can provide a site survey while listening to your vision and budget, we make recommendations based on your goals. We then start with the Vista Expand product that is right for your project and create custom inserts to suit your needs. Lastly, we complete installation at a time that causes minimal disruption to your enterprise.

Are you ready to take advantage of this state of the art signage option? If so, contact us today for a free consultation and quote!

Not everyone realizes that they can go to a commercial sign shop for all of their custom metal plaque needs. Yet, for several years now, The Sign Studio has been providing Gemini plaques for Burbank, CA. When companies come to us in need of signage that will last for decades to come, these are the plaques we recommend. In this entry, we will cover some of the more unique specialty options available with these markers.

What Makes Gemini Great?

For more than half a century, Gemini has been an established name in the signage industry. Also, they have been supplying metal plaques of superior quality for the award, recognition, and sign industries for the past twenty years. Gemini’s variety of options is sure to impress, whether you need a creative solution for architectural signs, an architectural or cast metal plaque to commemorate a notable individual, or an etched display panel to mark a historic occasion. Gemini uses the best materials for their products and guarantees them for life. Furthermore, we are an authorized Gemini dealer.

Double-Sided Plaques

The back side of a plaque is sometimes visible. For example, this is often the case when you hang a plaque from a ceiling instead of going with a standard wall mounting. In these circumstances, a more elegant appearance is achieved with double-sided plaques. These plaques have a standard face, but the back side is also finished and looks the same as the other side. For these, the maximum size available is 26 inches by 50 inches.

Plaque Rejuvenation

Your plaque may show signs of aging after years of exposure. Aluminum plaques will develop an oxide skin on the surface of all of the exposed aluminum and will lose their raw aluminum look. Bronze plaques will start to patina. Gemini’s rejuvenation program may be for you if you want to bring your existing plaque back to life with new brush satin raised copy and a fresh background coating. Since not all plaques can undergo this treatment, give us a call or send us a picture of your plaque to find out if this is right for you.

Large Return Plaques

One of the top specialty options for Gemini plaques Burbank, CA clients ask for is large return plaques. Gemini can manufacture plaques with a larger return for applications where extra depth is needed. Instead of having the standard quarter inch to five-sixteenth inch depth, the large return plaques have an edge depth of three-quarters of an inch to an inch.

We Are Your Plaque Experts

When you call The Sign Studio for custom metal plaques, we listen closely to exactly what you want. Then, based on your budget and vision, we create proofs of what your finished plaque will look like. Once you are satisfied with its appearance, we get to work.

When it comes to installing your plaque, we are the experts. There are a few mounting methods based on how you plan to use your sign. Plaques can be mounted with a tilt, hanging from above, closer to the ground, seamlessly attached to a wall, or at eye height.

Let The Sign Studio aid you in wading through the plaque options available to you. Contact us today for a free, no-strings-attached quote and consultation.

There is plenty of competition in Los Angeles’s vibrant business community. Every enterprise is trying to draw shoppers’ eyes and money. This makes getting noticed extra important. Part of this is avoiding sign mistakes businesses make in Los Angeles. Contact The Sign Studio to make certain you avoid the following.

Your Signs Do Not Match Your Other Marketing Materials

Many forward thinking businesses have this problem as they are trying to stay ahead of the trends but have neglected to evaluate their interior and exterior signs. This mistake is often times amplified when there is a change in management or leadership. The new boss correctly points out the dated design setup after evaluating the deep purple font and the gouge your eyes out yellow logo. Oddly enough, the new manager will tackle the branding problem with one element at a time, starting with the cheapest fix first.

To bring your company into 2015 and beyond, reworking your typeface and logo is a great start. However, this strategy needs to simultaneously incorporate your company’s Internet presence as well as exterior signs. Your cabinet lightbox or channel letter signs are on display for all who pass by. Let them immediately recognize your cutting edge nature rather than thinking you are stuck in the ‘80s.

There Are No Signs

It used to be hip to open up a shop and not have a sign above the door at all. These places usually had shabby doors that required a secret knock and approval from a doorman before you could enter. Yep, the 1920s were a crazy time. These days, if you want clients to find your offices or storefront, it is going to take signage. Your prospective clients will not know you even exist if you do not have the proper markers.

Your Markers Are Peeling, Fading, Rusting, or Cracking

You have likely come across these problems. In the old days, bigger and brighter signs were en vogue. Nowadays, they are big and worn out. The once-vibrant logo colors and font are now faded after years of weathering.

Chipped acrylics, rusting metal, and peeling paint are all symptoms of the natural failing of materials. Some part of the signage may have been cracked by the occasional heavy wind. Despite these downfalls, the sign is still there advertising.

You company is not communicating your message or brand as your marketing plan intends when you have weathered or outdated markers. An old sign gives the impression that your enterprise has not had the inclination or time to upgrade its look, has little interest in the image it projects, and that you are living in the past. Your clients may think that your products and services are as old and dilapidated as your signs.

Don’t let any of the above mistakes hurt your business’s chances at success. If any of the above circumstances sound familiar as you look at your signage (or your signs look like the images you see here), contact The Sign Studio today for a free consultation and quote on custom signs for Los Angeles.

Image credits: Karyn Chistner / David Stanley / Daniel Olnes

In order to have a successful marketing campaign, potential customers must know who to contact in order to initiate a transaction. With yard signs, also referred to as lawns signs or bootleg signs, businesses can generate unparalleled exposure at a relatively low cost. But, how can you use these markers to boost sales? Let us show you!

What Are Yard Signs?

Yard signs are basically tiny billboards that are placed on walls or staked into the ground. They are meant to catch the attention of drivers and passersby. Yard signs are usually made from corrugated plastic boards, or coroplast, that are 18” by 24” or 12” by 18”. You message is printed directly onto the board.

Your Campaign Begins with a Budget and a Plan

The real estate market is perhaps best known for using yard signs for Burbank, CA, but just about any industry can benefit from these markers. Any good yard sign campaign must start with a plan and a budget. You are more likely to realize long-term success if you have a sound marketing system rather than placing signs willy nilly.

An important question to ask yourself is what is a realistic budget you can spend week after week? The potential return on investment can help you in determining how much you are willing to spend. This will help you justify the amount you are willing to spend on the campaign. With real estate, even just one deal can justify your money spent on lawn signs.

How to Receive Sales Leads

You must have a system in place to receive leads before you start your campaign. This will help you keep track of leads your yard signs are producing and allow you to respond quickly. There are several ways to track leads including a call center, Google Voice, and website “squeeze” pages, which redirects to your main site yet tell you where visitors learn of you. When you use a phone number or web address that is unique to your yard signs, you will be able to track how effective your markers are.

Create Your Signs

When you buy yards signs in Burbank, CA, The Sign Studio can help you with the creation process. You need to be sure to include your business’s name, contact information, logo, and your main service, product, or industry. Passersby will only have a limited amount of time to read your sign, so text needs to be kept to a minimum. Using an image to represent your products or services is preferable.

Keep Track of Your Yard Signs

Lawn signs sometimes go missing. Fortunately, they are inexpensive to replace. To ensure you are reaching your target demographic, create a map of where you have placed lawn signs. Every week or two, go for a drive to make sure the signs are still there. If they are missing, simply replace them. For this reason, we recommend buying in bulk. This will also save you money per unit.

Are you ready to take advantage of this marketing tool? If so, contact The Sign Studio today for a free consultation on yard signs.

No matter what industry you are in, the biggest asset your company has is your workers. This makes keeping your employees safe and happy of paramount importance. One way to do this is by outfitting your factory, warehouse, jobsite, or other building type with the appropriate worker safety signs. Los Angeles enterprises can turn to The Sign Studio for all of their safety sign needs. We supply markers for all sorts of applications.

Types of Workplace Safety Signs

From construction to industrial settings, there are plenty of “dirty jobs” in Los Angeles that tend to be a bit more dangerous than your typical office job. These are the businesses that contact us most for signs that keep their workers safe. Some of the most requested safety signs we offer are

Construction Signs – There are a broad range of safety signs that a construction site needs. You must have information posters that point out where first aid kits and eye wash stations are. It is also a smart move to post general equipment requirements, including hard hat, safety glasses, and steel-toed boots information. Workers also need to be aware of the high voltage areas.

Safety Scoreboards – Also known as “days without injury signs,” these markers give your workers a tangible safety goal to shoot for. They come in many styles, including easily changeable banners, electronic digital signs, and dry erase aluminum signs. These signs show that safety measures are working and bring a sense of pride to a workplace.

Hazardous Waste Labels – Glossy vinyl is used for all of the hazardous material labels we supply. To make them UV, scratch, and chemical resistant, they are covered with a clear layer of PVC. We can install these labels for you, or you can simply peel and stick them yourself with the permanent adhesive. Both economical multi-packs as well as individual labels are available.

Wet Floor Cones and Stands – You are leaving yourself open to worker’s comp claims if you do not identify potential slip and fall hazards in your facility. We provide stackable cones, folding floor signs, and more to identify recently mopped areas, spills, and other wet floor hazards.

What We Can Do for You

The Sign Studio is a full service sign shop. This means that we can handle every part of the project. If you are unsure of what site safety signs Los Angeles companies should have, we will happily survey your property and make recommendations based on our extensive experience. We can also work with your budget and vision for a perfect signage solution.

If you have a little bit of extra money to work with, we can create custom safety signs that feature the branding of your company. This will help you build brand recognition. Otherwise, if you are working with a tight budget, we keep many standard safety signs in stock.

If you are ready to protect your business’s most valuable asset, contact The Sign Studio today for a free consultation and quote on workplace safety signs.

Who does the design work for your marketing materials, packaging, and any other images you are presenting to your customer base? Is it someone with a strong background in graphic design? Or, are you saving a couple bucks by having a friend’s kid who is just learning the skill do it? With competition so fierce in just about every industry, you cannot afford to put your company’s reputation in the hands of an amateur. Read on to learn why you need a graphic designer in Los Angeles.

1. Packaging

We think of the box an item came in when we hear of packaging, but really, it is an art that goes beyond that. A few of the ways packaging can be memorable for a consumer are what coupons look like, how giveaways are presented, and how a company packages its mailings. You want to make sure all of your marketing campaigns have consistent graphic design elements.

2. Logo Design

Though this may be obvious for some, when it comes to a company logo, many smaller businesses may overlook this detail. Your logo needs to be ready to use in different media as well as memorable as you build your brand. When making changes to it for different promotions, products, or events, your logo should stay distinct. Your brand message is key. Do not let the artistic value of the design distract from it.

3. Social Media Posts

Second only to the logo, this might be the best use for graphic design. If you take advantage of graphic design opportunities, followers will remember your business and recognize your posts quickly. These days there are a long list of overused memes on social media, but you can catch eyes with beautiful graphic images.

4. Website Design

The only graphics on your website shouldn’t just be your logo. At the other extreme, avoid packing your site with too many images. You can help your site stand out from the competition with strategically placed graphics with customer reviews, product info, article links, company motto, and other pertinent information.

5. Jazz up Marketing Materials

There are many companies out there that use plain, boring brochures, letterhead, business cards, and other stationery. Out of the many business cards people get, you can make yours stand out with sharp graphics. Your font needs to speak volumes if you choose to make a bold, direct statement with black lettering on a white background. Also, your images should use colors that produce a mood, make emotion play into your service or product, and represent your company.

6. Signage

One of the most cost effective marketing tools you have at your disposal is your signage. A well-designed sign will get the attention of thousands of people per day. A graphic designer can incorporate your company logo, colors, and name in an attractive way that will get the attention of consumers and help build your brand.

Do we have you convinced yet?  If so, we recommend you contact The Sign Studio for graphic design Los Angeles will remember. We have a team of expert designers who can make your signs and other marketing materials really pop. To get started, contact us today for a free consultation!