SignsByTomorrow Irvine's Blog

A-Frame Signs

sbtirvine — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:22:35 +0000

A-Frames and Sandwich boards make a versatile, durable and affordable advertising solution!
Business owners and marketers realize now more than ever the importance of targeted messaging. Marketers need to deliver different messages through different channels to reach prospective clients. This can not only be overwhelming, but also extremely expensive. This is where Signs By Tomorrow can help. A-frames are a cost effective form of advertising that can deliver multiple messages at one time. Whether you are a restaurant that is advertising happy hour specials and event planning, or a retail location that is advertising a sale or the announcement of a new line of designer products, you can reach multiple target markets with unique messages with one low-cost investment.

Lobby Signs – Office Signs

sbtirvine — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:58:58 +0000

Reception signs are the first impression of your brand that your customer sees, while your office signage needs to leave the right impression on both customers and employees. What does your first impression say about you? Whether your company says “neat and tidy,” “old school” or “corporate and trendy,” we can design the perfect office signs and other visuals that capture the brand and the look you are after and display it proudly to visitors and customers alike.

By nature of the word “custom,” we approach each and every reception and office signage project differently www.sbtirvine.com.

Have you ever been in a company’s reception area that is so impressively stylish that your concept of their professionalism or importance changed for the better? This is the magic of great design. Even something simple, like some professionally done wall decals, can make all the difference. Regardless of the visual solution you choose, your reception area makes a profound impression. It can make the difference to the value of the contracts you win, and the clients who choose to entrust you with their business. Your reception signage sets the tone and makes the statement, while your entire office sign solutions can often play a large role in customer recognition and retention.

Your Reception Area and Office Signage Can Leave Lasting Impressions
In a Fall 2005 report conducted by Business Week, the look of your office or facility’s interior can play an unexpected role in both employee and customer retention.

On the employee side…
70% of the polled individuals stated that their decision to remain at a given job depended on many issues, including the physical layout, proper upkeep and visual appearance of the reception area and office or facility itself.

On the client side…
A group of “first-time” customers and/or clients were polled about their initial experience while at a particular office or facility. Visually appealing and coherently presented messaging played a major role in both their first impression and, more important, their ability to retain physical and visual information about the company and office itself.

Sign Goals

sbtirvine — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 01:22:31 +0000

When developing visual solutions for your business, you must consider the goals you have set forth for them.
Every sign, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is intended to accomplish a goal, and “achieving your desired marketing results through effective use of signs and graphics” or Signvertising, is not just a casual concern. There are an array of visual advertising solutions, including everything from standard to high-end products.

The Purpose of a Proper Sign Strategy
It is very important to determine a sign strategy that can convey or transmit a variety of reactions, depending on their purpose. Signs and other visuals can maintain a brand (identity), persuade viewers toward some sort of action or response, display regulations and compliance, recognize other people’s efforts and/or performance, direct employees and visitors, promote a product, event, or service, or to properly inform your customers, employees, or event attendees, etc.

Advertising signs need to convey your message while also maintaining your brand. At Signs By Tomorrow, we know how hard it can be for a visual idea to translate to an actual project execution. We also believe in creating nothing but the best visual solutions that truly reflect our clients’ long-term goals. Whether your design is fabrication-ready or just an idea sketched out on paper and now requiring further development, Signs By Tomorrow can provide expert support at each and every phase of your visual sign project.

In determining the ideal solution for your visual presentation, we start with a core group of three questions, which we ask all of our clients:

•What are you trying to do?

•Who is your target audience?

•What is the sign’s goal?

But no matter what your answers are, your goals are our goals. From the beginning of your project to its completion, we remain ever cognizant of the fact that the quality of our work represents both the quality of the design and the brand. With this responsibility in mind, we provide the highest quality signage fabrication and technology and the best in top-notch project support services, to ensure that every project detail has been carefully thought out.

Please visit our web page at http://www.signsbytomorrow.com/irvine to view samples of signs we have created, to assist other businesses in meeting their goals.

What is the process for determining the best sign for my needs?

sbtirvine — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:55:39 +0000

We begin every project with a new customer discussing the intention or purpose of the sign. Where will the sign be viewed? How will the sign be placed or installed? Etc. This series of questions will help us determine the best materials, colors and mounting methods in constructing your sign to achieve your desired outcome.

Mobile Advertising

sbtirvine — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:47:46 +0000

When we think of signs, we usually envision store awnings, billboards, banners, or other types of on-premise signage that includes a company’s slogan and promotes its brand name. However, also within the spectrum of the signage industry are vehicle signs – which are gaining popularity.
With the average American traveling 302 miles over a seven-day span, a business’ vehicle graphics could have quite an impact on consumers. Industry statistics show that more than 95 percent of Americans are reached by media targeting vehicle drivers and passengers and one vehicle wrap can generate over 30,000 to 70,000 impressions daily.
We have noticed first-hand how more business professionals are interested in signs on the go. The whole idea is to maximize your company’s visibility – and, getting signage on your vehicle is your best bet for visibility. Just think of it; your vehicle is always in motion for everyone to see, and vehicle signage is a cost-effective way to promote your business in town, as well as throughout the country.
According to the International Sign Association, when signage is part of a company’s overall marketing strategy, the company’s increase in revenue is extremely profound. Vehicle signage is emerging as a prominent way to build awareness. In fact, company vehicles can be turned into “bumper-to-bumper marketing machines.”
The following ideas that you can brainstorm over as you decide on the vehicle signage that best fits your needs:
• Car, Truck & Van Graphics and Wraps – With this option, you can create a consistent brand image across all of your company vehicles.
• Magnetic Vehicle Signs – Looking for something a bit more versatile and cost-effective? Magnet signs come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colors. They are easily removable, making it simple to transfer between cars, vans and trucks.
• Customized Graphics – Implement your own design into the signage for your vehicles and combine your design with multiple media to accommodate any mode of transportation.

When it comes to choosing the graphics and lettering for your vehicle sign, the primary goal should be to attract additional customers and you need to take several steps: It begins with a design that needs to be clean and make an impact, and then the wrap or lettering must be properly sized to the vehicle. The selected material and the printing using a strong solvent printer will ensure that the graphic will not fade quickly and last longer. Lastly and maybe most importantly the wrap needs to be installed correctly. When this is done poorly, the entire process fails.

Is your car ready to Wow?

7 Tips for Affordable Advertising

sbtirvine — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:38:31 +0000

Vehicle Graphics

: Sidewalk Signs

7 Tips for Affordable Advertising

1. Location

Even the best GPS systems won’t assist some prospects in finding your store. But, a colorful roadside sign will definitely lead them in the right direction. Share a building? Branded directory and reception area signs will ensure your clients find their way through the maze of suites to your front door.

2. Impact

Supplement your current advertising strategies at a fraction of the cost with signage. Vehicle graphics can garner nearly 900 impressions per mile driven for one time investment. Also, vehicle wraps and lettering are usually more cost effective alternative than yellow pages advertising

3. Promotions

From the road to register, signs ensure your sales promotions are successful. 85% of purchase decisions are made in the store. You can drive those impulse buyers to buy what you want them to buy with the right point of purchase signs and banners.

4. Visibility

Give your sales team the tools they need to close the deal. Professionally printed graphics, renderings and product specs will clarify your points and distinguish you from the competition as the better prepared and more valuable organization.

5. Branding

The quality and consistency of your overall sign package can dramatically affect the client’s perception of your business. With wide format digital printing, color matching is simple no matter the size, type or application of the sign!

6. Networking

Make trade show attendees stop in their tracks with your full color tradeshow booth and presentation materials. Can’t afford to purchase your own full size booth? You can still make the competition envious with affordable table top booths or rented booths.

7. Gain Market Share

Signs are versatile, durable and affordable. And, signs deliver many of the same desired results of traditional forms of advertising. While your competition is cutting their advertising you can use signs to expand your advertising and market presence without expanding your budget!

Take Pictures of Your Trade Show Display

sbtirvine — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:45:54 +0000

Taking pictures of your trade show display are important. Not only because it is nice to see the different places that the display has been and the events that you have participated in, but because it is also important to see the different ways that the display has been showcased. You can then go back and see what has worked best with your set up. Did the traffic with your trade show exhibit booth increase with certain set ups or did it decrease? What was the best display lighting? How did it look in a corner or on the end of an aisle? Keeping track of these things through photographs can help you with future set ups. The other thing that it allows, is for you to be away and have another person set the trade show display without you being present. Perhaps your flight was delayed and you need to have someone else set up the booth. Sending them a picture on their cell phone can help them see how the display is to be set up. Taking pictures can be important. Tell your exhibit booth to strike a pose next time it is in place.

How long will my sign last?

sbtirvine — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:16:48 +0000

That is one question that we hear from clients every day. The answer isn’t always clear-cut. Factors that impact a graphic’s durability outdoors include:

Whether it gets direct sun (afternoon is worse than morning) or not

Temperature extremes

Type of substrate

Type of vinyl

Type of ink

Whether it has a UV-protective overlaminate or not

End-user’s quality standards (we’ve all seen signs that were way past time to replace)
etc, etc, etc

Generally speaking, digitally printed graphics using solvent-based or UV-curable inks on self-adhesive vinyl will last 2-3 years outdoors without lamination. Adding a UV-protective overlaminate will extend the lifespan by a year or so. Low or “eco-solvent” inks typically last 1-2 years outdoors without lamination.

Cast/High-performance vinyls have better outdoor durability than calendared/intermediate vinyls due to the manufacturing process. They tend to be significantly more dimensionally stable, which means less shrinkage over time and less chance of edge curling and cracking.

One other factor that people do not always think of is color. Although when I researched the topic I wasn’t able to find any any hard evidence to support one color fading faster than others, our perception is that colors in the red range fade faster than the other end of the spectrum, which can leave a graphic looking older than its true age.