Build contrast
Strong color contrast keeps letters and graphics from blending together. White and black are reliable accents for separating the message from its background.
Design & artwork
Good signs get read.
A design can look great close up and still fail from the road. Signs 2 U starts with legibility, then adds the color, character, and original artwork that make the message recognizable.
The fundamentals
Designed for the real viewing distance.
The legacy design guidance focused on practical decisions that still matter: contrast, brevity, hierarchy, and scale.
Keep copy simple
A sign is usually read at a distance and in motion. Short wording and bold, readable typefaces give the message a better chance to land.
Create hierarchy
Alternate type styles, scale, or reverse-color bands to separate titles, phrases, phone numbers, and the information that matters most.
Design for distance
The farther away the audience will be, the larger and simpler the sign needs to become. Final size should reflect the real viewing conditions.
The distance test
If this gets hard to read, the design is doing too much.
A good sign keeps its essential message intact as it gets smaller in your field of view. That is why the most important words need the strongest size and contrast.
OPEN TODAYOPEN TODAYOPEN TODAYOPEN TODAY
Three design levels
Start simple. Add only what helps.
The amount of layout and artwork affects the finished cost. These three levels give the conversation a useful starting point.
A
Clear & economical
Basic sign design
A straightforward layout using basic text, alternating colors, and type changes. This keeps assembly simple and is the natural starting point for basic sign production.
- Basic text layouts
- Alternating colors
- Type-style changes
- Simple production
B
A little more character
Custom layout
Shapes, color changes, distorted text, clip art, and layout effects create a more distinctive sign without moving all the way into original illustration.
- Specialty layouts
- Clip-art graphics
- Text effects
- Added design time
C
Made for this business
Original artwork
Original logos, hand-drawn graphics, recreated specialty designs, shadows, imagery, and designed backgrounds create a one-of-a-kind visual system.
- Original illustration
- Custom logos
- Graphic conversion
- Custom estimate
Original artwork
From rough idea to production-ready graphic.
If off-the-shelf clip art does not fit, the original process starts on paper and ends with artwork that can work across signs and printed materials.
- 01
Explore three directions
Begin with three rough sketches so there are real ideas to compare—not one concept that has already gone too far.
- 02
Narrow and refine
Choose the strongest direction, then work together on proportion, wording, color, and the details that make the image fit.
- 03
Convert for production
Turn the approved artwork into computer graphics that can be used for sign production and coordinated print pieces.
Product design artwork
Ideas for more than signs.
The original Design Specialties service also supported craftspeople and product makers who needed a visual idea worked out for production or presentation.
- 01Hand-drawn concept sketches
- 02Computer-generated graphics
- 03Hand-sculpted models
- 04On-site design consultation
- 05Painted pictures and presentation diagrams
Have the words but not the look?
Start with the message. We’ll build the visual around it.
Bring a rough sketch, an old logo, a reference you like, or simply the business name and what the sign needs to accomplish.