So we’ve just given you the lowdown on a few core principles that in our long experience every good sign should use. Let’s now couple that with the stuff you really shouldn’t be doing.
Sit back and have a look at the FASTSIGNS Manchester guide to making sure your signage doesn’t become an epic fail…
New signage is a great way to refresh your premises and boost your brand visibility to attract a whole new customer base, but it is also an area where even small oversights can lead to expensive mistakes.
Over the years, we have seen numerous promising commercial projects compromised by avoidable errors in planning, material selection or design execution. Understanding the core pitfalls before you begin can save your business considerable time, stress and capital. And a fair dollop of egg on your face.
Ignoring the Physical Environment
One of the most frequent mistakes we see is a sign designed on a backlit monitor but without fully considering its real-world surroundings. A colour palette that looks vibrant on an artwork proof can all but disappear against a dark brick façade or beneath an overhanging stone canopy. Seeing the design in context, ideally as a visualisation placed on a photograph of your actual building, will often reveal problems that a flat proof is always going to make you miss.
Failing to account for environmental factors also leads to rapid deterioration. Exposed, elevated sites can face high wind loads that call for specialist structural calculations and heavy-duty fixings, while persistent rain and road grit will quickly ruin unsealed metals or cheap vinyl laminates.
Signage must be engineered for its specific resting place, taking account of factors including wall substrates, fixings, background colours and weather exposure. A fixing that suits solid brick may be entirely wrong for render, cladding or an older lime-mortared wall.
Overcrowding the Display with Secondary Information
It is natural to want to maximise your investment by squeezing as much information as humanly possible onto the main fascia. Phone numbers, email addresses, website URLs, social media handles and an exhaustive list of services create a chaotic layout that passers-by simply tune out. More really is less.
High-impact signage relies on simplicity. The primary job of exterior signage is to establish your identity, signal quality and draw people through the door. Secondary contact details and detailed lists belong on window graphics, entry plaques or digital channels, where people have time to read and note them down. A useful discipline is to ask of every line of text whether it helps someone decide to walk in. If it doesn’t, it can -and should - probably live a happy life elsewhere.
Skipping Local Regulations and Planning Permissions
Few things are more frustrating for us than manufacturing and installing a brand-new sign, only to receive a notice demanding its removal. And you can imagine how the business owners feel.
In England, with few exemptions, the display of advertisements is controlled by the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007. Under these, an advertisement needs either deemed consent, which applies to certain classes of sign provided they meet set conditions, or express consent granted by the local planning authority.
Limits apply to matters such as illumination levels and the type of sign, and premises in conservation areas or on listed buildings are likely to face closer scrutiny, with listed building consent potentially required as well. Deemed consent can also be restricted in particular areas, so assuming that a sign qualifies without checking is always a significant risk you can probably do without.
Confirming the position with your local council before committing to fabrication is a non-negotiable step. If you rent your premises, remember to obtain your landlord’s agreement too.
Quick public health warning: if you’re reading this from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, you’ve got your own set of rules you should immediately go and check.
Cutting Corners on Materials, Safety and Installation
Selecting lower-grade materials to reduce the initial outlay is an absolute classic false economy. Monomeric vinyls can peel within months, unsealed metals corrode and stain building façades, and low-quality plastics yellow under UV light. Nobody wants that.
Beyond appearance, structural safety is paramount. Signs mounted on exterior walls are subject to wind loading, thermal expansion and vibration. Skimping on the structural framework or using the wrong wall anchors turns a commercial sign into a genuine physical hazard. The only thing worse than flattening customers leaving your premises is flattening customers before they’ve come into your premises.
So trust us: using certified, experienced installers like FASTSIGNS Manchester keeps your signage safe, legally compliant and visually striking throughout its operational life.
Forgetting About Long-Term Maintenance
Last but not least: remember your signage isn’t just for Christmas (unless its Christmas signage. In which case, please do keep it just for Christmas, not the early Autumn).
Even well-made signs need ongoing care. Illuminated signs need safe access for servicing, and fixings should be inspected periodically so that any loosening is caught before it becomes a safety issue. A sign that is cleaned and checked regularly will keep looking as good as the day it was installed, which protects both your investment and your brand.
So there you have it: FASTSIGNS Manchester’s handy guide to the basics of good signage , just some of the things we’ll help you think through when you’re next thinking about upgrading your own.
Make your life a whole lot easier: give us a call and let us get stuck in right from the word go.
