Top 5 Mistakes Businesses Make When Ordering Signs

After spending a few decades in the sign business, you start to notice that many of the problems customers run into could have been avoided with a little planning upfront.

A sign is an investment in your business, and getting it right involves more than choosing a logo and deciding how big you want it. The sign has to fit the building, work within the local sign code, hold up to Arizona weather, and be easy for customers to see. Here are five common mistakes we see businesses make when ordering commercial signs and a few ways to avoid them.

A sign can look great on a computer screen and still be difficult to read from a moving car. When you review a design on a screen, you’re sitting a couple of feet away from it. Your customers may be looking at the finished sign from across a parking lot or while driving down a busy street.

Letter size, contrast, viewing distance, traffic speed, and placement all affect readability. The amount of information on the sign also needs to be considered. A detailed logo or long business name may need to be adjusted to work well on the building. A good sign needs to look nice and do its job: help people find you.

We understand that every project has a budget. The least expensive option can become an expensive decision a few years later. Materials, fabrication methods, LEDs, paint, structural components, and installation quality all affect how well a sign holds up.

That becomes especially clear in the Southwest. Commercial signs in Arizona can be exposed to intense sunlight, heat, dust, wind, and monsoon storms. Lower-quality paint may fade or peel. Cheap LEDs can leave dark sections in illuminated letters. Poorly sealed cabinets may allow water and dirt to get inside.

There are usually ways to adjust a design to fit a budget. We may recommend a different material, lighting method, sign size, or mounting option. Those decisions should still give you a sign that performs well and represents your business properly. Our page about signs for small businesses includes several options for companies working with a tighter budget.

Every city has its own rules regarding signage, and what is allowed at one property may not be allowed at another. Size, height, square footage, illumination, setbacks, and placement can all be regulated. The building or shopping center may also have its own sign criteria covering colors, materials, mounting, and logo use.

It’s much easier to address those requirements during the design process than after you’ve approved something that can’t be permitted. Our team reviews the property requirements, prepares the drawings, and handles the permitting process. This gives us a clear direction before fabrication begins and helps prevent avoidable changes later.

This is a big one. Your sign doesn’t need to tell your entire story. Drivers may only have a few seconds to see and understand it. A clear business name, strong branding, and good visibility will usually accomplish far more than squeezing a phone number, website, list of services, tagline, and several other messages into one space.

Your building sign and your website have different jobs. The sign helps customers recognize your business and find your location. Your website can provide the details once they get there. When a sign feels crowded, we look at what customers need to see first. Simplifying the design often makes the business easier to identify from the road.

Good commercial signage takes time. Design, customer approvals, landlord approvals, engineering, permitting, fabrication, and installation don’t happen overnight. Larger monument and pylon signs may also require foundation work, electrical coordination, and inspections.

If you’re opening a new location or working toward a specific deadline, bring your sign company into the conversation early. We can review the schedule, explain the steps, and start working through any property or city requirements.

Waiting until the building is almost ready can create problems, especially when permits or custom fabrication are involved. An early start gives everyone more time to make good decisions and coordinate the sign installation with the rest of the project.

At Bootz & Duke, we’ve been building signs in Arizona since 1964, and one thing we’ve learned is that the best projects usually start with good communication.

You don’t have to know everything about signs when you call us. That’s our job.

Planning a new location or replacing an older sign? Contact Bootz & Duke or request a free quote. We’ll talk through the project and help you avoid these common mistakes.