Sign shops often receive questions from customers about which material they should choose for their signage. The signage material you recommend to your customer will depend primarily on the design ideas they have and their budget for the project.
Here are a few considerations to take into account when making recommendations for signage material:
- Indoor vs. Outdoor: Where will the sign be located? Outdoor signage will be exposed to sunlight and subjected to all kinds of weather. This means you should recommend materials that will not fade, peel, crack or otherwise deteriorate over time. This includes high-impact plastics, metal letters and one-piece signage. Indoor signage has fewer restrictions—photopolymer is an option for indoor signage that is not used outdoors.
- ADA requirements: If a customer has requested ADA-specific signage, there are certain types of materials that work better with Braille and tactile lettering. Therefore, if a client says they are specifically looking for ADA signage, make sure you only recommend those types of materials.
- Price: As much as you might like to recommend top-of-the-line materials, some customers simply do not have the budget to get the best of the best. Therefore, when price is a consideration, you should present your customers with the various lower-price options that use less expensive materials and processes. Low price does not necessarily have to mean low quality, so make sure your customers understand there are still certain benefits that come with these types of materials despite their lower cost.
- Design: Does your customer already have a specific custom design in mind for their signage? Certain types of designs work better with different types of materials, especially if particular colors are needed to create the design.
- Usage: A sign that is only going to stay up for a few weeks or months before being taken down for the rest of the year does not need to be made with quite as durable or expensive of materials as a sign that needs to last for years and years.
These are just a few examples of considerations to keep in mind when helping customers choose materials for their signage. For more tips, contact us at Erie Custom Signs.
