You might be unaware about the subtleties of yard signs and how they can be extremely effective for so many uses. This article will lay out just how potent they can be, advice on where you should place them, and let you know which kind is the right one for you. So without further ado, let’s get to it.
Types of Yard Signs:
Maybe you’re in the market for a new advertising tool. You’ve looked at several different potentials and realize yard signs are a possible path. Maybe you live in Seattle or Florida, where rain is prevalent. So you begin to question the merit of yard signs. You ponder over what will happen to your promotional item when it sits out there with all that precipitation hitting it on a daily basis. We’re here to set your mind at ease. We have three different types of signs available for you. And guess what? All three are impervious to rain. We do want you to know that they are susceptible to extreme weather conditions, such as snow and high wind conditions. They are as follows:
- Corrugated plastic, also known as coro or Coroplast™, is the go-to material for yard signs. Its low price and ability to last a couple years outdoors makes it the industry standard. It’s a lightweight and versatile material with which to work.
- Aluminum is a prime choice for those in the real estate game. It delivers a slick-looking, high-gloss finish, and its appearance is elegant. Like corrugated plastic, aluminum is extremely weather-proof. This material is rust-proof, so any precipitation won’t affect it.
- Alumacore is like aluminum on steroids. It’s a sturdy material made up of a high-density, fluted plastic core with a pair of thick aluminum sheets which bond to it on both sides. Even though there are two pieces of aluminum, the inner plastic core makes it less heavy than a solid aluminum sign.
Digital vs Silk Screen Printing- Perhaps the next question on your mind is, “Which is a better option, digital printing or getting my signs printed via the silk screen method?” Not to worry. We’ve got you covered. Printing either way has its upside, as well as a detractor. We’ll start with digital print. This mode is exactly what you want for low-quantity orders. Digitally printing yard signs produces a photo-realistic image with a high dpi (dots per inch). DPI refers to the number of printed dots of ink for every inch on the surface area of your sign. The higher the number of dpi, the richer, crisper look the graphics will appear.
As for silk screen printing, it’s more costly for low quantity orders (less than 100) and multiple colors. But before you think digital is the only way to go, know this—for larger quantity orders and fewer colors, silk screen actually becomes much more inexpensive and much less time consuming. Like with the digital print mode, silk screen produces rich, bold colors. This technique also allows for a nearly infinite amount of spot colors. There are benefits to both approaches, without a doubt.
Best Places to Use Yard Signs:
When placing your awesome new yard sign, be a bit careful and do some homework. Here’s a cheat sheet on said homework. You’ll need permission in a couple ways. First, no state or city is exactly the same with regard to laws that regulate where you can and can’t put your promotional piece. Some states have rules like the following:
- Outdoor advertising signs that are within 660 feet of the edge of a right-of-way of the highway on the Interstate Highway System are prohibited
- Signage is prohibited within 100 feet of playgrounds, state forests, public parks, and cemeteries
- Signs are not allowed within 15 feet of the outside line of highways outside the “thickly settled” or business centers of a city, except on the walls of a building in which the products advertised are offered for sale or the business advertised is conducted
Also note that you can’t place a sign on another store’s property or a residential property without getting the OK to do so.
Driving consumer engagement- If you’re wondering where to place your sign to drive consumer engagement up, it depends on whether you run a business or are simply having a garage sale. If you’re having that garage sale, put it near the road on your property, plunk those wire stakes into the grass, and make it a lawn sign, or (with permission if needed) at a busier intersection in your neighborhood.
If you’re the owner of a company, put it outside your place of business or a nearby busy intersection (if allowed). Both lend themselves to draw the eye of potential customers, who will then shift their gaze at your shop, enticing them in. If you’re running a political campaign, you want your sign ideally at an intersection with stoplights. A red light gives drivers time to read your campaign sign and absorb it.
Come voting day, voters may not know who’s running for the same office as you, but your name will have been imprinted on their brains, and you may tally a whole bunch more votes.
How to Advertise Clearly on a Yard Sign:
There are some best practices for use when advertising with a yard sign. The one we strongly want to implore you to take into consideration is to be smart about not using trademarked, licensed, or copywritten material on your sign. Let’s move on to design.
What the fun post was telling you, Seussian style, was about color and text. Let’s delve further into those topics with a more article-style tone.
No matter what you’re using a yard sign for, the intended effect is to draw the eyes of people you’re trying to attract. Let’s start with the importance of color. The colors on a sign can make or break your impression count.
Hear us when we tell you that bright, rich-colored lettering against a white background on a sign draws the eye. It’s clean and crisp. Doing that will garner you instant recognition. Light colors on that same white background will look washed out and will be difficult to see, even up close. Imagine a potential client driving by that kind of look at just 35 miles per hour. That sign can’t be easily read, and is now wasted. If you want to go with a lighter color of text, combine it with a darker color background. Yellow ink pops great when in combination with navy blue as a background, for example.
If you go with similar colors for both the background and the text, your message will be lost. Guess what just happened? You lost conceivable sales. The bottom line is that you should combine a very dark color text on a light color background, or vice versa.
Analysis on readability at a distance was researched and some helpful results were delivered by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA). They provided us with the top color combinations of lettering and background that have been tested for effectiveness. This analysis was based on readability at a distance, which will likely be your scenario with a yard sign. They gave us the top 15 combinations, but we want to keep things moving. We’ll run through the top 5, because that’s how successful we want you to be.
#5- Green on White: This combo for any size or special shape-cut yard sign ought to be music to your ears. Get It?
#4- White on Blue: Like Spotify, this is a simple color combination that’s recognized worldwide. We recommend that you strongly consider going with this pairing of colors on your custom yard sign. #greatcombo
#3- Yellow on Black: This color combination is so readable. If you’re not old enough to recognize this music group from the 1990s, Nirvana has sold the 27th most albums of all-time. And they were only a band for 7 years. They’re widely considered to be the top group in that decade.
#2- You may not have recognized the last logo, but keeping it short here, we’re banking on the fact you’re familiar with this black on white one. Enough said.
#1- The top dog is black lettering/graphics on a yellow background. It came in as the ultimate authority logo. The two colors are the duo of domination. We highly suggest employing these colors.
Interested in more? Click here to see the other great color combinations that will have people riveted to your yard signs.
As far as text goes, it’s simple. If you think you have too much text on your sign, you most definitely do. Imagine being a realtor and coming up with this ad.
There is likely not a single person on the planet who could read that as they drive by. Less truly is more with signs. Less text also allows for BIGGER letters. The graphic below gives you an indication as to what people driving by can absorb in the fleeting glance they get at your ad.
See How We Make Our Full Color Yard Signs!
How to Order a Custom Yard Sign:
We’d like to think we are the place to go for all your sign needs. If you choose us, there are three easy ways in which you can order your custom sign.
- Option #1- You can simply pick up the phone and call our talented professional design team. They’ll listen to your needs and help guide you through the process.
- Option #2- You can bypass the first option, head to our website, and use our handy, helpful, and user-friendly design tool. Click on “Get Started” when you choose your sign(s), and you’ll be off and running.
- Option #3- If you have the means to use your own software like Photoshop, you can create your own graphics and email them over to us at www.customer.service@goodguyssigns.com.
As for knowing which kind of sign is right for you, it depends on your budget, how many yard signs you’re looking to order, and how long you want them to last. Aluminum signs and alumacore signs last longer than a corrugated plastic yard sign. So, if longevity is what you’re looking for, they would be the way to go. However, that extended lifespan means a little more cost to you. If you’re only ordering a small quantity of yard signs and you have three or more colors in your design, a digital print is what you’ll want. A large quantity of yard signs that have only one or two colors in the design…silk screen printing is your best bet.
In Closing:
We are here for you. We’ve been in the yard sign printing biz since 2009, and we’ve gotten extremely proficient at it. If you still have any questions or are ready to order a birthday yard sign or political signs, reach out to us at (800) 614-8040 or head to www.goodguyssigns.com. We’ll be ready at the word go.
