How to create visually impactful signage?

In today's age of information explosion, a signage that can instantly catch people's eyes is undoubtedly a powerful booster for brand communication and information delivery. How to make signage stand out among many visual elements and leave a deep impression on people?

 

In today's age of information explosion, a signage that can instantly catch people's eyes is undoubtedly a powerful aid to brand communication and information delivery. How to make signage stand out among many visual elements and leave a deep impression on people? This requires us to carry out a full range of careful planning from design, color, material, layout and environmental adaptation and other dimensions.

1. Color matching: the magic of high contrast

Color is the primary tool for signage to attract attention. High-contrast color matching becomes the key strategy to create visual impact. For example, the match between complementary colors, like red and green, blue and orange, they are opposite each other on the color wheel, when juxtaposed together, can set each other off and make each other's colors more vibrant and eye-catching. In addition, the contrast between light and dark is also an extremely effective way of color matching, such as the classic combination of black and white, yellow and black eye-catching match.

In practical application, warning signs generally use the combination of “yellow + black”, which, with its high contrast and powerful warning, can quickly convey important information in complex environments and remind people of potential dangers.

2. Graphic design: simplicity is power

In this fast-paced era, people are often willing to spend only a very short time to get information. In this fast-paced era, people are often willing to spend only a short time to get information. Therefore, the graphic design of signage must follow the principle of “get it in a second” to convey the core information in a concise and powerful way. Symbolic graphics have become the preferred element in signage design because of their versatility and ease of recognition. Internationally recognized icons, such as arrows to indicate direction and exclamation points to indicate warnings, are able to cross language and cultural barriers and allow people to instantly comprehend their meaning.

 

The use of dynamic lines can also energize graphic design. Tilted, radial or flowing lines can create a strong sense of visual dynamics, making the signage seem to be full of energy, attracting people's attention.

3. Typography: the art of strategy

The choice and design of fonts play a crucial role in signage. For the title section, a bold serif font, or a bold sans serif font, with an appropriately enlarged font size, should be chosen to ensure that it can stand out from the crowd and become a visual focus. The auxiliary text, on the other hand, needs to focus on readability, and can be easily read by people at a distance.

There are also a number of taboos that need to be observed when it comes to the use of fonts. Avoid mixing more than three fonts, so as not to cause visual confusion and incoherence. Although handwritten fonts are unique, they are relatively difficult to recognize, so they can only be used with caution if they are highly compatible with the brand's tone.

4. Size and Environment: The Importance of Accurate Adaptation

In long-distance scenarios, such as signage next to a highway, the height of the text should follow a basic principle: the height of the text needs to be ≥10cm/meter sight distance. In other words, if the signage is 30 meters away from the viewer, the text height should be at least 30cm to ensure that the message can be clearly recognized.

Three-dimensional design is another effective means to enhance the visual impact of signage. Through the use of protruding modeling, embedded lighting or 3D letters, etc., can add rich shadow levels for signage, so that it can show a unique three-dimensional effect in different lighting conditions.

In addition, the use of reflective materials should not be underestimated. In highway signage, the use of reflective film, can make the night lights under the signage brightness increased by 200%, greatly improving the safety of night driving and the accuracy of information transfer.

Signage Design Classic Mistakes Avoidance

In the pursuit of visual impact, we also need to be vigilant about some common design mistakes:

•Over-design: when a signage contains more than 7 elements within a range of 10 meters, it tends to be counterproductive, reducing the cognitive efficiency of the audience and making the information transfer blurred.

•Neglect of maintenance: outdoor signage is exposed to the natural environment for a long time, facing multiple tests such as wind, sun and rain. Therefore, outdoor signs need to set aside 30% of the budget for cleaning, paint repair and light source replacement.

•Cultural misinterpretation: Cultural differences in signage design should not be underestimated. The same color in different cultures may contain very different symbolism. For example, red represents joy in the East, and symbolizes death in some South American countries.

In practice, the signage production material is also an important factor affecting its visual effect and service life.

 

Fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) signage is strong and durable, waterproof and sunproof, and can maintain good performance in changing environments. It has good impact resistance and corrosion resistance.

Applicable Scenarios : It is applicable to outdoor billboards, marine environments, and industrial areas, etc. It can meet the needs of use in different environments.

By systematically applying the above strategies, signage can not only realize strong visual impact, but also accurately deliver the message and prolong the memory of the brand in the audience's mind. The key lies in finding the optimal balance between innovation and practicality, so that the signage can attract attention while ensuring the effective communication of information. I hope today's sharing will be helpful to you!