Grabbing hold of the customer’s attention can be difficult, especially in a competitive business landscape where everyone has bright signs and blinking lights. How do you stand out and thrive? Consider for a moment the places where businesses compete relentlessly and what they employ to market their presence to the passerby. If you thought about bright signage with fantastic designs, you’re not wrong.
Vibrant, unique channel letter signs are the best way to get customers in retail, but since they come in a number of styles, which ones are the best for you? Let’s find out.
What Are Channel Letter Signs?
Before getting into how channel letters can help your business attract customers, let’s learn what this type of signage features. Channel letters are custom-made letter signs that are 3-dimensional and oftentimes contain a lighting element, such as neon or light emitting diodes (LED). Usually, the letters are made of aluminum, vinyl, acrylic, or another similar material.
When manufactured, channel letter signs are cut by computers with lasers to make the precise shape you have ordered. Then, strips about 3-6 inches wide are cut to ford the siding of the letters, giving them dimension. The 90-degree bent sides are known as returns. Next, the finish the channel letters, a trim cap is placed over the edges of the returns.
What Are The Best Channel Letter Signs For Retail?
Channel letter signs are different from the traditional rectangular sign board. Since every single letter is designed separately, channel letters are incredibly flexible. You can personalize the features, such as the font, color, size, and illumination, as little or as much as you want. That said, there are a couple of templates that all channel letters fit into.
1. Front Lit Channel Letters
The common type of channel letter Is the front lit style. This design features a light up display that is available day or night. These letters are best for shopping centers, business parks, or in other areas around businesses where you need enhanced visibility. The letters are called “front lit,” because they are internally lit with LED modules or neon tubing, and that glow is projected through the front of the letter. Front lit channel letters often have a clear or colored but transparent vinyl overlay so the light shines through.
2. Reverse Lit Channel Letters
Also known as “halo lit” channel letters, reverse lit is the exact opposite of front lit. This style is eye catching and much more sophisticated in appearance, making it excellent for both interior and exterior signage for hotels, doctor’s offices, real estate agents, studios, and so on. The reverse lit sign will have the lighting elements behind, so you get the effect of the light shining against the wall where the channel letters are mounted. The letter face is often aluminum, and the backing is vinyl or polycarbonate.
3. Front/Back Lit Channel Letters
Seeking the kind of sign that pops out at you? That makes your business unforgettable? Then you should look into the front/back lit channel letter type. This kind of channel letter gifts you with both the halo effect and visible light on the front of the letter. It looks excellent when you are using neon tubing and can come in a broad array of colors.
This dual-lit technique is ideal for businesses that are open 24/7, such as all-night shopping centers, bowling alleys, bars and taverns, hotels, sports clubs, and so much more.
4. Open Face Channel Letters
Open face channel letters are similar to front/back lit, except they do not have the halo effect. Instead, you are relying on the impressive shine of neon lettering. Although it might not seem like it at first glance, open face channel letters are the brightest options for signage, because the bulbs or neon is in plain sight. This style is ideal if you are looking for colorful combinations and a creative look.
5. Specialty/Customized Channel Letters
Do you a design that will not fit into the first four? Then you need to discuss your needs with the company that will be manufacturing your signage to see what they can do for you. Usually, they will recommend specialty channel letters to tailor the signage to your needs. You can get a number of fonts, colors, sizing, and spacing done with the letters as well as other unique elements, such as unique shapes.
For example, you might request a guitar for a music store to separate some part of the business name, or you might add some kind of food item beside the name of your restaurant (think Chiles or Red Lobster), or whatever else you have in mind.
6. Logo Boxes
Lastly, we have logo boxes. This is the kind of option you select when you want to showcase something specific, such as your logo, and increase brand awareness. Since your logo is an important part of getting recognition from customers, adding a logo box to your channel letter design or having it as a standalone is an excellent choice. Plus, having your logo on display is a relatively cheap way to advertise your business to the surroundings without even trying!
So, that gives you six-channel letter sign options for your business. Now that you know the characteristics of each channel letter signage type, you can make an informed decision about which is best for your business.
If you still don’t know which kind of sign to choose for your storefront or business interior, why not give us a call or fill out the contact form? We look forward to hearing from you!