We’ve all seen poorly designed signs, banners and vehicle wraps. Usually, they’re busy, unattractive and packed with too much information. Sadly, they serve as a reminder that simply having a vinyl cutter doesn’t qualify one as a professional sign maker.

As professionals, we strive to help our customers put their best foot forward. Further, we believe their success is our success. Today, after 40 years in the sign business, we can honestly guarantee beautifully designed signs and vehicle graphics. Simply put, good sign design starts here.

The fundamentals of good design

We utilize basic “rules” of design to create attractive and effective communication art. Here’s how we do it:

Together, contrast, color and font are three fundamentally basic and important elements of effective sign design. Usually, signs and vehicle graphics are seen by people driving by. So, it’s important that they’re easy to read at a glance. Therefore, by keeping all sign elements simple, organized, and using contrast, a sign will stand out. Below, the black and white “contrast” example, shows how effective this is.

High-contrast – grabs attention. White on black or any intense color works well to create interest and draw attention.

Good design – makes use of both positive and negative space. Basically, positive space includes letters and images. Alternately, negative space includes everything around and in between. Unfortunately, the most common mistake is cramming too much information into a design, leaving no room for contrast, let alone organization.

Font selection – can make or break a sign design. We use different fonts that look good together. For example, we use one font for the main message and another for a secondary message. However, never more than three fonts on a sign.

Kerning – the space between letters – is an important design element. All letters are not the same design. Therefore, they need to be organized, sized and spaced appropriately.

Below – a well-designed Paxton sign that achieves all aspects of good design: Contrast, color, fonts, and kerning. It’s finished off with an overall pleasing shape, a faux leather background, interesting art elements, set inside a faux stone monument wall.

Good sign design makes a difference