Signage that Gets Noticed

Dull, homemade signs have a low likelihood of registering in the minds of potential clients. Here's how to make sure your signs—from the shop to the trucks—get noticed.

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A logo can't sell your product. But, if created with care, your logo can pique interest, visually identify your company and provide an essence of what you offer.

Your brand or identity is your calling card. Often companies graphically condense their identity into a "brandmark." A brandmark can be a logo, an iconic image, a slogan, your company name in a distinct typeface and color, or a combination of each. This calling card then can be your business card, your letterhead, truck signage, lawn signs and/or a storefront "marquee."

Get Graphic
Ben Dozier is a principal for Root Design Co., a landscape architecture and pool construction firm based in Austin, Texas. "We had been trying to visually brand our company in a way that was verbally concise, visually tight and distinctive," Dozier says. "One day the word ‘root' came to me and I knew I had a memorable name for our firm. I then searched for graphic designers whose own logos illustrated their talents."

Dozier couldn't be more pleased with the results. "People now know us from our signs," he says. Emblazoned on trucks, on four-sided aluminum lawn signage and outside the company office is an iconic image of a tree and the company name stacked in a simple font.

Nate Marks, president of DesignMarks Corp. in Chicago, specializes in brand identity, having created a number of brandmarks for landscaping companies. For him, the more information he has on a company, the better. "We use art and graphics to deliver the company's message," Marks says. "So it's important that I know a client's business objective, see the business plan and know the target audience." He visits his customers' operations to see first-hand what they sell. "Each company has its own personality. I need to find out how it can stand out in the marketplace."

Let Your Brandmark Evolve
Sacramento, Calif.-based landscape architecture firm The HLA Group's logo, now 25 years old, is a work in progress.

"We invest in reinventing," says John H. Nicolaus, ASLA, principal landscape architect for The HLA Group. Nicolaus has been with The HLA Group for 18 years and has seen the firm evolve from a "bread and butter" design firm to a sophisticated firm.

"Our graphic decisions are always tied to our business and strategic plan," Nicolaus says. "We're a company that grows each year." He cites the firm's recent 25th anniversary as an example of a logo evolving in order to communicate a specific message.

"If you can create an enduring graphic, you've accomplished something," Nicolaus says. "You can tweak it as time goes on. To commemorate our 25th anniversary, we wanted to convey our success and continuing relevance as landscape architects. We tweaked the logo by dropping ‘The' from our name, because people know us, and employed some eye-catching trendy colors. The changes hopefully communicate the image of success and of professionals that understand design is never static and is ever-changing."

Be Seen
Root Design Co. and The HLA Group both seek high name visibility in their communities.

"We located our office on the busiest street in Austin so our logo can be exposed to the greatest number of people on a given day," Dozier says. "We also revised our color scheme for higher impact using a black background, a gold logo for contrast and beige text. The look is pleasing yet distinctive and memorable. You need to do something that pops quickly with easy name recognition."

Marks agrees. "If you have a delivery van someplace, you need to recognize it from several blocks away," he says. "Art that is simple, relevant and different will stand out."

"Tasteful" is another trait Nicolaus would add. "Don't over design," he says. "That draws attention away from your message. The last response you want from a customer is, ‘Wow, you must have spent a lot of money on that logo.'"

Dozier and Nicolaus also recognize the importance of their websites. "Graphically, our website needs to look like part of a family," Nicolaus says. "We are working with a designer to revise the site and improve the graphic continuity."

Distill Your Brandmark
Your brandmark needs to provide visibility and identity, yet be read easily. So how do you distill the various services you provide? "You have to make choices," Marks says. "You have to narrow your focus, especially if you offer multiple services. Sometimes a motto can help."

Root Design and HLA have taken such advice to heart. In most cases, the companies' brandmarks have brief identifiers neighboring their logos. For Root Design, it's "landscape architecture and pool construction." HLA's tagline reads, "landscape architects and planners." Each is simple, informative and reinforces the logo for a complete brand message.