A Really Useful Guide to Internal and External Signage

Look around you. Most of us take the existence of signage for granted.

Signs inform, direct, attract, persuade, guide, instruct, prevent – and so much more. If you think about it, there’s an appropriate sign for almost any scenario or environment. They’re a seamless part of everyday life and everywhere you turn.

They are, in fact, ubiquitous.

Where are Signs Used?

It’s an almost redundant question, surely.

Perhaps “Where are signs not used?” would be more appropriate. The answer is, and this is the point: all over. Shops, offices, trade shows, events, hotels, museums, tourist attractions, airports, stations, etc.

However, in a world of ever-present signage, as a business owner, you may not be interested in the stuff of ordinary.

You want outstanding. You need exceptional.

First impressions do count – and signage communicates in the blink of an eye. The best versions are so subtly effective we barely register their brilliance. We simply absorb what we need to know, like ink into blotting paper.

Successful Signage for Your Business

Xpress Group designs and produces a wide range of external and internal signage for all types of organisations. Our creative team will work closely with you to understand your audience, what you’re looking for, and what you need the signage to do

Established over 30 years ago, our reputation for high-quality, impactful products precedes us, and we’re delighted to have a number of high-profile clients for this essential service. (We’ve briefly explained a few of our projects towards the end of this article.)

With such a broad variety of signage on the market, knowing where best to direct your budget can be tricky.

This article explains the different uses of internal and external signage and what it could do for your business. It’s not just something on your To Do list for your shop front or company premises. Here, to a degree, we’re getting strategic.

When it comes to hoardings, A-boards, advertising displays, wayfinding signs, wall graphics and countless other media, there’s much, much more to signage than you may have realised.

What Does Signage Do?

With helpful communication cues, signs play various roles. Here are some of the key ones:
Conveys Character and Brand Identity

Signs tell people who you are and what you do – one of the most obvious reasons to use signage. Your business name and the nature of your products or services. Quite basic, yes?

Then again, no.

You can build strong brand awareness with the right look and feel in your signage. To be effective, you must reach out and “touch” your customers, creating a specific emotional response to create positive vibes about your business.

What does this mean? How, exactly?

Through colours, colour contrasts, font types and sizes, and graphics you could portray your business as a leader in your space. And, tell people immediately what your business is all about at a much deeper level. You will stand out from all the “noise” out there, pushing your would-be client closer to a sale without being pushy.

Provides Clear Information

When faced with too much information at once, your customers may be unable to process what you’re trying to tell them. If there are numerous graphics or excessive text, most likely, they will switch off in a nanosecond.

Cognitive overload.

With signage, clarity is everything, and the best signs focus on a straightforward message delivered simply and cleanly. Excellent examples include signs displaying opening hours, product offerings or service information. Likewise, directional or wayfinding signs (one of Xpress Group’s primary services) are not just indicators of A to B. They also guide, direct, warn of danger or hazards, and identify exits.

And, they can substantially improve the customer experience.

Generates Sales, Including Impulse Sales

For the retail sector, signage interacts immediately with a customer; when done well, it encourages them to act. For instance, who wouldn’t notice a bright red “Sale” sign?

Signage includes outdoor signs, digital signage, window displays and much more.

A sign communicates with a large target audience at once and can be highly cost-effective for a smaller business.

People make split-second decisions when they shop. So, given that storefront signage is the first thing they see, potential customers could be going home with things they hadn’t planned to buy – having been drawn in by an attractive, inviting sign.

From the Outside In:

External Signage

If your physical location is prominent, with passing vehicle and foot traffic, investing in good-quality external signage makes sense.

It will set your business apart from your competitors and help customers remember your company when making a purchase decision.

In other words, if it’s unique and memorable, it puts you on the map. Again, it’s all about branding; instilling trust and confidence in the people you want to sell to. External signage includes hoardings, projecting signs, monolith signs, A-boards and floor graphics.

Outdoor signage tends to be larger and more impactful than its internal counterparts. Equally, it must be weatherproof to withstand our British storms, wind and rain, so we use high-standard, UV-protected materials.

We design, print and finish everything in-house

Internal Signage

You may wish to think about internal signage as a way to welcome and further inform people once they’ve entered your business.

You’ll enable people to navigate your space. And, apologies for the cliché, you can create the perfect customer journey.

Examples could include window vinyls and graphics, directional signs, or illuminated displays. Consider 3-D lettering, pop-up systems, architectural lettering, custom light boxes, and door signage. The possibilities for internal signage are endless. We can’t list them all, but Xpress Group can help you create a memorable commercial space and customise everything to your corporate identity.

Again, we produce everything in-house with a state-of-the-art large-format printer for high-quality results.

Digital Signage

Looking to make an impact?

Digital signage really grabs people’s attention. It engages them, too, and despite its increasing popularity, it’s still unusual enough to catch a second glance or two.

Likewise, in public spaces, digital signs can offer practical information, provide directions, and entertain your audience. Don’t forget that they’re an ideal platform for advertising – with “space” available at an airport, say, or a business park.

Xpress Group provides a complete hardware and software digital solution. Plus, we can take care of installation.

Xpress Group Installations

Read our case studies by clicking on the links.

We’ve worked with Vail Williams in Crawly, updating and creating internal and external signage following a UK-wide rebranding exercise.

IT Document Solutions commissioned us to produce and install brand-new signage to increase the company’s visibility at the high-traffic location of their headquarters in Manor Royal, Crawley.

The team designed large, attention-grabbing logo signs for two sides of the building, with five further signs placed over the other existing fronts.

To mark the opening of the Elizabeth London, Transport for London engaged Xpress Group to survey and update the old TFL graphics to include the new line. The brand-new signs were destined across locations throughout three stations and four airport terminals.

This was a value-added project, as we also identified location gaps where clear information was missing.

The Right Message to the Right Customer at the Right Time. Key Take Aways:

Signage is a multi-purpose marketing tool that comes with exciting possibilities:

1. Build and increase your brand awareness to determine how your customers interact with you.
2. Draw attention to promotions with external and internal signage to capture the imagination.
3. Convey critical information to keep your stakeholders safe, or get them from one place to another easily.
4. Gain that all-important competitive edge, through unique, eye-catching signage to attract customers from a distance – and make them remember you.
5. Communicate like a pro with quality signs that warn, advise, celebrate, motivate, inform – and even amuse.

The signs for your branding are looking good. Contact Xpress Group for more information on digital, external and internal signage.