Your shop signage is an essential part of your marketing strategy. It catches customers’ attention, leads them to make choices, and creates your brand identity. However, you can’t just slap on any old thing — your signage design needs to be compelling.  As one of the leading sig companies in Glasgow, we work closely with our customers to design signs that are innovative, compelling, & high quality. The secret formula? Read on…

1. Include an action

A shop sign can be advertising a product, offering a deal, or simply promoting your brand. But no matter the content, you always want to do one thing: prompt the customer to act. Whether that be trying a sample or inquiring within, think about what they should do next. A simple and effective technique is to use the imperative form of the verb: ‘try’, ‘get’, or ‘be’. A strong verb not only persuades but also makes the next step clear. And the clearer and more convenient it is, the more likely it is they’ll do it.

2. Keep the copy simple

Once you’ve written out your copy for your sign, try to reduce it down as much as possible until you can convey your message in only a few words. It’s easier said than done — choosing what to cut out is deceptively hard — but it’s possibly the most important step on this list. You only have a very short window of time to get your message across, and most potential customers won’t stop to read a dense piece of text. Keeping your copy short increases the chance of a customer reading the sign and following up on it.

3. Easy to read

Tying in with the previous tip, it’s essential that the visual design of your sign is easy to read. A clear, large font, plenty of contrast in the colours, and a good balance of white space mean that you can convey information quickly. Your copy can be as short as you can get it, but if a potential customer finds it too time-consuming to read, it’s likely they’ll move on. Clarity is especially essential for shop front signs.

4. Keep it on-brand

A little bit of whimsy can go a long way to getting a potential customer to remember you — if that suits your brand. Do jokes, puns, and humour suit your company image? If not, it’s best to avoid. Make sure your shop signs are in keeping with your values. Does your brand exude sophistication? Then ensure your signage presents this messaging — think elegant simplicity. 

5. Make it personal

Signage doesn’t exist just to inform or persuade, it exists to create a connection between your business and a potential customer. There are a couple of techniques you can use to make this work. Using the second person pronoun ‘you’ speaks directly to the viewer and prompts them to visualise themselves using your product. Another way to make it personal to them is to think about what they’re looking for. How can your product solve a problem? Let them know.

6. Hire a professional

For professional quality-signage designs, there’s really no better option than hiring professional sign makers. A signage company with extensive experience will have the expertise to bring your vision to life in the most effective way possible.

Quality signage design in Glasgow

As one of Glasgow’s top sign companies since 1998, Glasgow Creative specialises in designing, manufacturing, and installing signs for businesses in Glasgow and the surrounding area. If you’re looking for help with creating compelling shop signage, just get in touch — our team is always happy to help.