National Clothesline

Good signage is crucial to any retail marketing effort and requires good planning before it is actually installed.

Ironically, a key component to this advance work is often overlooked — namely, ways that the

store environment itself can impact the sign graphics.

Drycleaners come in a wide variety of formats, shapes and sizes. Signs are not used in a vacuum, they have to function in the real world. However, the factors for success apply consistently for all store types, regardless of the individual environment.

Here are seven important rules to help ensure your signage program will work with, and not against, you.

For in-store signs, the first step is to consider the layout and general environment of your call office.

Is your store wide open to the plant with warehouse-like space that will require large, oversized graphics, or is your store more of an intimate boutique, where signage should be much smaller?

Some stores are much larger than others and require more graphics in larger bolder colors to increase their visibility. Consistent frames and holders will help to tie the look of your signage together.

For external signage, consider the location of your store. Is it located in a strip shopping center or is it a stand-alone structure?

Signage in strip shopping centers should be larger and bolder to attract attention and “pull in” customers from the street.

These environmental factors will impact how and where you place your signage.

After you take into account the physical space in which your store resides, consider the overall look and feel of the store environment.

Is the call office interior warm, with wood floors and walls painted in warm tones, or does it have a more contemporary look with sleek, metal fixtures, white walls and glass?

Whatever the look, you can use different types of signware to reinforce and enhance it.

For example, keep wood and colored frames consistent with flooring and wall colors. Consider aluminum or black frames to add to the sophistication of your interior. Select signware with a curved profile to echo rounded design elements.

If you are planning to suspend from the ceiling, begin by looking up.

That may sound obvious, but the height of the ceiling needs to be sufficient to accommodate the size of the planned signage.

Next, is the store ceiling an open truss or “drop” ceiling? If the store has a drop ceiling, is it a regular grid (1" wide) or a mini-grid (usually ¾" wide)? Is the grid recessed or flat?

All of these factors will impact the type of mount that can be used to hang your signs. Butterfly-clip mounts may be your best solution if you are working with a grid ceiling.

Before you decide how you’ll hang signs on windows and walls, you should determine if there are any restrictions.

Shopping centers often have rules about displaying signs in windows, while stand-alone buildings can be affected by municipal regulations. Make sure you thoroughly research and understand the ordinances in the area where your store is located.

Besides considering the type of wall surface, what is the climate where your store is located, and in what direction are the store windows facing?

In warm weather, windows exposed to direct sunlight throughout the day can become very hot, causing non-metal frames and holders to lose their integrity. (The same applies to signs hung near high intensity lighting.)

To avoid this problem, use aluminum or wood frames. If heat and humidity are significant problems, consider printing your signage on a thick backing, like styrene, that can be hung without a frame.

More drycleaners than ever are discovering the power of placing signs directly on the floor.

Begin by examining the store’s flow patterns. If floor graphics will be subjected to heavy foot traffic, make sure they can stand up to this type of wear and tear.

If you have harsh winters and an entry directly from the street, carefully plan where you ’ll want floor signs to be during those months when customers will be tracking in snow, sand and salt.

It’s probably best to use rugs, printed with your message, that can capture loose dirt and moisture, or at least not be damaged by them.

Rule 6
Wind is your enemy

There are some issues that can sneak up and surprise you, and air patterns inside your store can be one of them.

Wind tunnels created when doors open and close can cause problems if you have signs hanging too close to entry ways.

Air conditioning units, fans and spot coolers can also cause signs to blow in the breeze.

Before you position any of your signs, test for wind tunnels and drafts that may occur.

If you do hang signs near entryways or air conditioning units, consider using rigid structure hangers that will eliminate any movement. These hangers consist of an aluminum pole that is anchored to the ceiling with a frame attached at the base where you can insert your graphics.

Signs will not be seen, much less read, if the size is too small; if the copy is too small; if the typeface is not readable; and, if they don ’t stand out from the environment. Forcing customers over visual hurdles to see your message is the best way to make sure no one ever reads your signs.

Signs that are most likely to be read will have at least 40 percent white space.

With these rules in mind, a little research and planning can help you select the best ways to present revenue-producing signage within your store ’s environment.