As the old saying goes: "Meet by clothes." The store is also greeted by the clothes, or to be more precise, by the sign. Its main task is to attract as many customers as possible, to interest buyers. The sign must be conceptually and stylistically appropriate to the store: for example, grocery store signs will be effective if they cause hunger and food shopping, and clothing store signs should be stylistically appropriate, it is better when a logo is used that immediately signals about company.
A sign for a store is the second advertisement, and it is very profitable, because you pay for such advertising once, and then it will work for you for several years, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, without days off, holidays and breaks for lunch.
Some statistics
The significance of the sign is also underlined by statistics: according to the latest data, approximately 50% of the surveyed buyers enter the store precisely because they were attracted by the sign. The figure is not so small, so it would be completely irrational to neglect the advertising sign. Interviewed customers also spoke about which sign attracts or does not attract them. Based on the answers, the statisticians prepared a report on how the company's sales level will increase in percentage terms when using a good sign. For example, an ordinary flat sign located on the facade of a building will increase sales by only 3%, while a sign that is made in the form of a free-standing structure will attract more customers and increase sales by 15%.
Effective shop sign
Many factors influence the effectiveness of a sign: the font, color, style, letter size, and backlight effects are important here, thanks to which the name of the store will be visible at night or in poor visibility conditions. Luminous letters for signs are a very profitable option, which is preferred by many companies today. If any of these factors is not met, then the sign may turn out to be ineffective and not bring the desired effect in the form of a large number of customers.
Let's figure out which signs really work and bring a tangible effect to the store, and which ones do the opposite.
- Font is one of the most important parameters that can make an advertising sign effective or ineffective. Try to choose fonts that are simple, easy to read, with harmonious line spacing and letter spacing (that is, not too large or too small).
Be sure to coordinate the type of font with the concept of your company:
- for example, simple sans-serif options are suitable for a grocery store;
- for law and law firms, classic options will be appropriate (you can use a serif font, but in this case it is extremely important to observe the letter spacing in order to avoid the “sticking together” effect);
- but creative organizations (studios for organizing holidays, dance parlors, barbershops, etc.) can give preference to artistic fonts, but be careful with decorative elements - remember, the name should be clear and well readable.
If the text on your sign consists of one sentence, then use the font of the same size, and if you have several lines, then the spacing between them should not exceed the size of the letters more than twice. Interesting options will be when the first line is made larger than the rest or in capital letters. When choosing a font of the same size for all lines, use the same letter spacing.
- The size of the sign, proportions is another important parameter that affects the perception of your sign as a whole. The most optimal sizes are 1/3, ½, 3/5. By the way, the windows of houses in Western Europe are made exactly in such proportions - it looks very attractive and at the same time natural.
- The color of the sign - this parameter should fully comply with the style and concept of the company: for example, you should not choose gloomy, gray tones for holiday organization salons, and bright, flashy shades will not be appropriate for administrative organizations. Choose a color according to the theme of your company. You should know that red is best perceived by the human eye, but it can also irritate, so it should be used with caution.
It is worth mentioning the compatibility of colors. In order for the sign to look harmonious and whole, it is worth choosing a single color scheme for it - colors that will look attractive together. Here are some working effective "color sets" (bright base shades):
- white, red, green;
- white, green, yellow;
- white, red, purple;
- red, yellow, purple;
- yellow, white, red.
- The features of volumetric letters are an interesting and profitable option that can be used as an advertising sign for a store. You need to know that if you choose three-dimensional metal letters for a sign, you should not make both the front and side of the letters of the same color - this will lead to the fact that they merge, and at a long distance the sign will be difficult to read, especially for those who will look at her from the side. In case you want to stay in the same color scheme and stick to the same color in the sign, make the sides of the letters darker than the front. This will allow you to kill two birds with one stone: the color scheme will be the same, and the letters will be clearly visible even from a great distance. To solve this problem (readability of letters of the same color), you can also use backlighting. Luminous letters for a sign are a profitable option for a clothing, cosmetics, technology store, as well as for a food store.
- Be sure to take into account the environment of the store - which signs are located nearby, how they work, with the help of what parameters they attract customers. If there are several signs around, made in bright red colors with backlighting, then it is hardly worth choosing this option, even if red is the most eye-catching color. In this case, you will get the exact opposite effect.
Several options for a bad sign, or what not to choose
Legislative settlement
It is worth remembering that any sign will need to be regulated by law, namely, to register with the relevant authorities. This is a long and laborious process, so it will be beneficial to immediately agree on everything with an advertising agency, where you order the sign. You can register the sign yourself, but it may take you longer.
You can order effective signboards for shops in our Green Light company. We can offer you three-dimensional metal letters and other options. Find out all the details by phone or on the official website.
Thanks to it, the maximum effect is achieved - a product, product or service does not go unnoticed.
This psychological technique has a positive effect on the future potential client or buyer of the advertised products.
Advertising, executed qualitatively and professionally, must have catchy color picture, catchy font and text. Only then can certain success be achieved. Advertising objects can be in the form of a sign or poster, poster or billboard. For this, light installations are also used, which are placed on the corners of buildings, on sidewalks, along the road. In evening time overlook such advertising very difficult.
In order for a sign to be remembered, it must:
- have a bright font color
- should be easy to read
- be original
- stand out from the crowd
For advertising posters that can be found on the territory of Russia, the usual Times or Arial font type is used. The size of the letters depends on the size of the entire poster being used. According to experts, handwritten font is not suitable for outdoor advertising. It is used for writing flyers and letters.
Highly strong influence affects the psychology of a future potential client color combination letters and the main background of the poster.
As an example:
- the background of the poster is green and the letters are white;
- yellow background and green letters;
- yellow letters on a black background.
Some color combinations unsuitable for outdoor advertising:
- black background and blue or purple letters;
- blue or purple background and black letters.
Color combinations are considered neutral:
- white background, blue letters;
- blue background and blue letters;
- blue background and purple letters.
Statistics show that perception worsens in the following sequence (note that for advertising, the order is usually reversed, as attention must be drawn):
- black letters on a yellow background
- black letters on white background
- yellow letters on black background
- white letters on a black background
- blue letters on white background
- white letters on a blue background
- blue letters on a yellow background
- yellow letters on a blue background
- green letters on white background
- white letters on a green background
- brown letters on white background
- white letters on a brown background
- brown letters on a yellow background
- yellow letters on a brown background
- red letters on white background
- white letters on a red background
- red letters on a yellow background
- yellow letters on a red background
Aggressive and non-aggressive" color combinations
According to psychologists, there are "aggressive" and "non-aggressive" color combinations.
"Aggressive" combinations cause a surge of negative emotions in the consumer, and, as a result, a negative perception of information from the advertising poster.
For example, a poster advertising a double boiler, on which red and black colors are used, will be remembered for a long time, but it will not cause a desire to buy this technique.
Example two: a ripe peach, depicted on a light background, looks very appetizing, and a dark background will make it tasteless, despite its ripeness.
"Aggressive" combinations include: red, black, purple, brown.
Neutral colors: blue and white.
Always Measure Results
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that it is imperative to test the results from each advertising material.
It may sound trite, but in most cases outdoor advertising DOES NOT WORK!
Before ordering a banner, billboard or other advertisement, think about how you will analyze its effectiveness.
Always consider the cost of advertising and what results it has brought.
We tritely take measurements of how many visitors there were to your store or office before and how many after. What percentage of them converted into buyers.
Introduce deadline elements, this greatly increases the return, for example.
Color has ample opportunities to attract the attention of potential buyers. There are several researchers who have compiled a list of perfectly matching colors.
The so-called circle of natural colors Goethe claims that the following contrasting color combinations harmoniously complement each other:
purple and yellow,
blue and orange,
red and green,
red and yellow.
Less harmonious combinations:
blue with yellow
red with blue
green with orange
orange with purple
purple with green.
According to T. Koenig, the following color combinations are most preferred:
red with dark blue and green,
orange with sky blue, purple,
yellow with purple and blue,
green with purple
purple with orange.
Do not forget that individual colors on the sign must be contrasting enough so that a person can read the name of the store without any problems.
red with yellow
orange with red
yellow with purple
green with purple and yellow.
Combinations are not accepted:
red with purple and purple,
orange with yellow and blue-green,
yellow with green
green with blue and orange,
purple with magenta and blue.
“Chromatic color tones with achromatic ones are most harmonious in the following combinations:
red, orange and yellow (warm) with black;
blue, blue, violet (cold) with white.
Among the features of color contrast are the following:
a light color, being next to a dark one, seems even lighter, and a dark one next to a light one seems darker;
red, in contact with green, seems more saturated;
on a red background, a gray square will appear greenish, on yellow it will appear bluish, on green it will appear slightly pinkish, and on blue it will appear yellowish (chromatic contrast).
Colors carry well-established symbolic meanings, the perception of color is the same for all groups of people, regardless of their place of residence.
Here are the main ones:
Red is considered the most powerful color, it is associated with danger, but also with love, power, fire, war. Causes anxiety, dignity, passion.
Orange - also has a strong effect, excites, creates a feeling of well-being. It is a symbol of celebration and nobility. The orange color is noticeable from afar, and is stored in memory longer than other colors.
Yellow - life, movement, work of thought. Cheerful, lively, a little disturbing.
Green - this color calms, neutralizes the contradictions between other colors. Green is a symbol of peace and tranquility. Gentle, soothing.
Blue is associated with serious, strict behavior. Distant, mysterious.
Violet is an expressive and solemn color, it emphasizes maturity. Important, mysterious, ceremonial.
Or, on the contrary, cause them negative emotions? We will talk about this in our article.
When the customer of the sign fills out the brief offered to him by the manager of the advertising and production company, he is obliged to indicate his color preferences. At the same time, do not forget that colors refer directly to human feelings, and not to logic. As you know, each tone or shade of a certain color causes a number of associations in the subconscious of people. Let's try to analyze how ideas for choosing the color of a sign are born and how the chosen color scheme can affect the overall effectiveness of an advertising structure.
Free choice
There are cases when the client gives complete freedom of choice to the designer, but they are quite rare. Such situations, as a rule, occur when it comes to the design of large complex objects, or when the client fully trusts the professionalism of the contractor and relies on the experience of the manufacturing company or design bureau.
Compliance with corporate style
The choice of the color scheme of the sign according to the already existing corporate standards of the customer is one of the most common solutions. At the same time, one should always be careful about design finds implemented in the corporate style, since what is good on a business card may look extremely unattractive on a sign or cannot be approved at all. For example, not so long ago, at one of the exhibitions, I had a chance to talk with the owner of a flower shop, which is located on the Garden Ring. According to the new corporate style of this salon, black and white colors have become branded for it. But the Moscow Committee for Architecture did not approve the draft of a black-and-white signboard, pointing out the excessive “mourning” of such a color.
The power of red
The next option is to simply choose red. As is known from psychology, it is red that is the most noticeable color for the human eye. I think about 30% of the signs are in this color. Another reason for its popularity is the fact that neon red is cheaper to manufacture than gas tubes of any other hue. It is commendable that business owners want their sign to be visible from a distance, but we must not forget that for some types of business this color is simply unacceptable. Red is the color of anxiety and danger, which symbolizes aggression and struggle. It is not suitable for pharmacies, restaurants, dry cleaners, post offices and other service businesses. But meanwhile, it goes well with the image of entertainment venues, nightclubs, cinemas, shopping centers, car dealerships. Wherever fun and pleasure await a person, this color is perfect. In some cases, pure red derivatives, such as cherry or red-orange, can be used to avoid the negative effect of red on the audience.
Competitive environment
When designing a new signboard, one of the most significant points is the analysis of the situation in the place where the advertising structure is supposed to be installed. The sign must stand out clearly from the surrounding objects. This can be achieved in a number of ways, such as making the ad brighter than the signs next to it, using a different color, or using original manufacturing techniques or creative design.
fashion factor
An important aspect that must be taken into account when designing an advertising and informational design of an object is the fashion for signs. When several blue signs appear in the city at the same time, other customers gradually begin to use this color. Such observations have been made by me in the course of many trips to cities.
Feelings born of color
Now let's look at the effect of different colors on the psychological state of a person. Moreover, this influence is brought up in us by the cultural environment in which we were brought up and in which we live. As already noted, colors appeal to feelings, not to the logic of people. It has been reliably established that each color stimulates the birth of certain associations in the human subconscious. Each of the colors in different countries of the world personifies the following feelings and concepts:
- red: in America - love, in China - kindness, celebration and good luck, in Russia - high activity, aggression and struggle, in India - life;
- yellow: in America - prosperity, in Russia - sunshine and separation; in Syria, mourning and death; in India, splendor; in Brazil, despair;
- green: in America - hope, in China - a luxurious life, in India - peace and hope;
- blue: in America - faith, in India - truthfulness, in China - mourning (along with white);
- blue: in Russia - night rest;
- Violet: in India - sadness and consolation, in Brazil - sadness;
- white: in America - purity and peace, in China - meanness, danger, mourning; in Europe - youth;
- black: in America - danger, test, in China - honesty.
Psychologists have found that all colors have additional properties that are inherent in them or attributed to the way in which they are used. Some medical, physiological and psychological characteristics of color are shown in the table.
According to the degree of deterioration in perception, color combinations are arranged in the following order: blue on white; black on yellow; green on white; black on white; yellow on black; white on black; green on red; red on yellow; white on blue; red on white; blue on yellow; orange on black; yellow on blue; orange on white; white on green; red on green; brown on white; white on brown; brown on yellow; yellow on brown; yellow on red.
It is usually recommended to use no more than two different colors for a sign, which, however, can be diversified due to related shades. This relationship creates a sense of color consistency and does not irritate the eye. If the perception efficiency of a black-and-white image is taken as 100%, then the efficiency of a two-color image increases by 20%, and a multi-color image by 40%.
Another trick that works great is getting people's attention through the shape given to the object of perception. In particular, an effective way to attract attention is to highlight any one element among others. Such an element, regardless of its spatial position, becomes a place of concentration of attention, automatically drawing attention to information that is in close proximity to it. In signboards, this can be a single letter, highlighted in color, or simply turned upside down. It can be a character, a three-dimensional element or an image.
Having an idea of the wide possibilities of different colors, the question remains, how to implement all these color solutions? Neon and colored light-diffusing films act as the main assistants. These technologies make it possible to implement color schemes of various complexity and originality, and at the same time ensure reliable and efficient operation of the sign for years to come.
In order for advertising to bring results in the form of increased profits and the number of customers, it must be in the right color. Psychologists say that the right color calls a person to action and challenges him. As for the shades of lighting, they affect the mood and should emphasize all the advantages of the proposed product, and hide the shortcomings.
Thanks to psychological research, it was possible to find out that too low lighting does not arouse the interest of a potential visitor and tires his eyesight. Based on this, when ordering a sign, it is necessary to pay due attention to the backlight and choose sources of bright light.
Color affects the perception of the weight of the proposed product, the temperature of the room and the assessment of the distance of the object. For example, orange, yellow and red colors visually increase the volume of the object and bring it closer. Black, purple, blue and cyan - visually reduce the subject and move it away. If you need to make a choice, then it is better to take these parameters into account.
The emotional state of a person also affects the perception of color. Only in this way can one explain the fact that a person reacts violently to some colors, and becomes indifferent to others. Such patterns of perception were discovered by Max Luscher in the middle of the 20th century. As a result of the tests, he was able to find out that colors form human emotions.
How to choose a background for a shop sign?
In order not to be mistaken, it is necessary to study the semantics of color well.
Red color sets a person to decisiveness and can cause a strong desire to perform a certain act. It quickly draws attention to itself and is able to fix the gaze of passers-by on the sign. This color has a certain sexual connotation and should be taken into account, especially if you are going to advertise products targeted at men. With red, the main thing is not to overdo it, because its excessive use can cause aggression and irritation on the subject of advertising.
Orange color personifies optimism and causes a surge of strength. In ancient times, it was considered the color of health and creativity. It is better to use it to decorate the background of a store sign with children's goods or medicines.
Yellow promotes communication and openness. It allows you to balance emotions and calm emotional excitement. Yellow color is constantly used in their signs by advertising and PR agencies, as well as travel companies.
Green color relieves all the severity of experiences and has a relaxing effect on others. It is used to design advertisements and signs for pharmacies, shops with water treatment systems, health and environmental centers.
Pink color enhances feelings and makes a person more attentive to others. The range of application of this color is quite wide: from advertising of perfumery to the services of marriage agencies and family centers.
Blue adjusts to more elevated feelings, to friendly affection and platonic love. This color represents harmony and emphasizes the connection of man with the universe. The scope is not limited, the main thing is to choose the right colors and shades.
Blue color helps to concentrate on the most important and a few elements of blue will attract attention no less effectively than red. In addition, it is worth noting that blue does not cause aggression or negative emotions.
Violet is the color of internal concentration, it helps to abstract from external fuss. Purple has been scientifically proven to stimulate the brain and help solve creative problems. Therefore, if your store or company offers a unique product, then this is the perfect color for the background.
Black color helps you focus on the important task. This color is associated with loneliness and isolation from the outside world. It is rarely used in print advertising. When it comes to signage, this is a one-stop solution for a modern and stylish backdrop.
White personifies openness and willingness to accept everyone as they are. It does not carry any negative emotions, but if there is too much of it, then a feeling of neutrality is created. In combination with white, it is necessary to use bright accents that will emphasize the benefits of the product.
