A Historical Perspective to the Future
Signs are the oldest, most proven way to keep your business on the front burner...
As a business person you of course want your company to be on the front burner of your customers' minds. You most likely accomplish this through several avenues such as advertising, sales calls, public relations, and hopefully custom signage.
Signs are one of the oldest methods for advertising businesses. In fact, King Richard II enacted a law in 1393 requiring that all alehouses hung a custom sign outside so that others could recognize them as establishments that sold ale. These signs actually enabled the Ale Tasters (inspectors) to find the ales that needed testing. As a Chef, at least of Signs, I think that sounds like a pretty intriguing job. These aren not the oldest signs, but to me they are quite relevant to the Lowcountry.
Here in Charleston, one of the oldest English settlements in the United States, history is repeating itself, much like a Chef will make a recipe over and over again if it sells well at a restaurant. If you walk around downtown Charleston you will see signs that still remain today, such as the signs at the corner of Ashley Avenue and Spring Street - "FOR GOOD SPORTS. KRUEGER BEER AND ALE," and "ASHLEY CREAM."
Although the technology behind the signs has changed a great deal, the core ingredients from hundreds of years ago are still the same today. As people are walking or driving by your business establishment, you want them to:
- Know that your business is there
- Easily be able to identify what you do
- And of course retain this information even if they don't stop right at that moment
I liken this to flipping through a cookbook. Wouldn't you rather stop and make a yummy-sounding recipe with a nice picture than a recipe with a bland name and without an idea what it'll look like when you're done?
Creating a sign that does all this isn't as hard as it may sound. One of the benefits of having been around so long is that the art of signage can actually be broken down into a recipe for successful signs.
The basics are:
- Size
- Placement
- Material
- Color
- Lettering
- Image
Fortunately for you, I will continue sharing the secret family recipes for signs in future columns. Until next time, remember that you always want to be on the front burner of your customers' minds, and by having the right out front, you'll be able to do just that.
Visit Our Custom Signage Page For More Information