According to SignForce, there should be a focus on getting your message across to your intended audience in a way that will add income to your bottom line, in other words making your sign an investment. Colour, contrast, size, distance and noise are the five factors that make signs visible.
Colour
Colour refers to both the colour of the text as well as the colour of the backing of the sign. This also includes other possible ‘noise’ that can distract from the main intended message of the sign, such as your business’s name or what your business does.
Contrast
Contrast refers to the difference between the colour of the logo or text of the sign as well as the colour of the backing behind the sign. It is great to see subtle logos, for example a black on black logo with the backing being matt and the logo or text being gloss, or the other way around when looking at paper or anything at close range. The low contrast, however, does not always work as expected when the logo or text need to be expanded from a small logo on paper to a much larger sign, not necessarily even a massive sign.
For signage, the greater the contrast, the more visible the sign tends to be, especially from a distance, with the greatest visibility being black on yellow.
Size
The further away from the sign one wants the viewer to be able to read the sign, the larger the logo and text, and hence the sign, need to be. The general rule is that the larger the sign, the easier it is to read from a distance. That said, it is also possible for a sign to be too large for the available space; for the sign to be too large for it to be easily legible from the available distance; or for the sign to be spaced so far off a backing that it looks gaudy.
Distance
As stated above, the further away from the sign the viewers will be, the larger the sign needs to be. This is amplified when a sign will be installed at height. The higher the sign, the larger it needs to be as height tends to be a double whammy when it comes to visibility.
It is quite simple to understand that the higher the sign, the further it is from the viewer (think of Pythagoras’ theory). The not-so-simple part is that the same sign at the same distance that looks large always looks smaller when the sign is installed at height. We don’t have an explanation for this phenomenon.
Noise
Noise, visual pollution or visual distraction all refer to anything that can challenge a viewer’s attention, distracting the viewer’s eyes from the intended message and ‘polluting’ their attention. Noise can refer to a complex design that distracts from the intended message. Or it can mean the font is too sophisticated or too artistic to be read at a glance, or that there are a number of other elements that distract one from the intended message.
SIGNFORCE
+27 11 440 7525
https://signforce.co.za
