Your business’s identity starts from the moment your landscape is seen – whether it is from a customer entering your shop front, or passers noting your exterior signage.
Having a proper visual identity can help you to create the foundations for how people perceive your brand. Internal and shop front signs play an essential part in creating a strong brand message of professionalism and character. This is why businesses must invest time in ensuring they are communicating the right message to their customers.
In this blog post, we take a look at how you can develop both internal and shop front signage. How it reinforces who you are as a company, as well as provides further thought on what elements make up great sign designs.
Internal Signage
Internal signage refers to the signs and visual graphics displayed within a business establishment. It aims to communicate important information, guide visitors, and influence customer behaviour. It plays a crucial role in enhancing customer experience, reinforcing the brand identity, improving safety, and increasing overall efficiency.
Types of Internal Signage
Directional Signage
Guides visitors or employees through navigation within the premises. Hence, providing clear instructions on where to find specific areas, rooms, or facilities.
Informational Signage
Communicates necessary information or instructions, including opening hours, rules and regulations, and safety measures.
Promotional Signage
Advertises products, services, discounts, or special events within the business, persuading customers to engage with the brand and make purchases.
Design Considerations for Internal Signage
Clarity
Ensure the message is concise and easily readable at a glance, using simple text, large fonts, and bold colours.
Brand Consistency
Incorporate elements that match the brand’s visual identity, including colors, logo, and design style, to create a unified customer experience.
Placement
Strategically place signs to maximize visibility and impact, considering factors such as distance, angle, and lighting.
Accessibility
Comply with accessibility requirements, including provisions for those with visual impairments, by using braille, proper fonts, and color contrasts.
Material and Durability
Choose long-lasting materials suitable for the environment in which the sign will be displayed, guaranteeing minimal wear and tear.
Examples of UK Businesses with Effective Internal Signage
John Lewis
A well-known UK department store, John Lewis utilises precise directional signage. This aims to improve customers’ in-store navigation while also incorporating digital promotional displays, showcasing brands, and special offers.
Pret a Manger
With clear menu boards and promotional signs that highlight daily specials and nutritional information, Pret a Manger efficiently communicates important information to customers while reinforcing brand identity through consistent design elements.
Virgin Active
Virgin Active health clubs effectively employ internal signage. This helps to guide members through the facilities, display safety and rules information, and promote upcoming classes, ensuring a seamless customer experience.
The British Library
The British Library’s vast space warrants a need for clear wayfinding solutions, effectively utilizing directional signage to guide visitors to specific areas, exhibitions, and services. In addition, informational signs help establish and maintain a calm and controlled environment.
Coordinating Internal and Shop Front Signage for a Strong Brand Identity
Consistency in branding is essential for fostering a strong brand identity, as it drives customer recognition, recall, and loyalty.
By maintaining uniformity across all touchpoints, a business can create a seamless and coherent experience for customers. Hence, reinforcing its image and core values.
This approach can also make a brand appear more professional, reliable, and trustworthy in the minds of its target audience. Thereby giving it an advantage in the hyper-competitive retail market.
Strategies for Coordinating Internal and Shop Front Signage Design
Maintain consistency in colour palette and typography
Ensure that the colours and fonts used in both internal and external signage reflect the brand’s personality and values. This creates an instantly recognizable look that customers can associate with the brand.
Create a unified theme and image style
Design internal and external signage in a way that resonates with the target audience. Ensure this while incorporating elements that are relevant to the brand’s theme and image style. This can help develop a connection between the brand and its customers.
Use consistent logo placement
By placing the brand logo prominently and consistently across all signage, businesses can help customers quickly identify their presence, enhancing overall brand visibility.
Invest in high-quality materials
Materials used for internal and external signage should be durable and visually appealing, reflecting the brand’s commitment to quality and professionalism.
Collaborate with professional designers
Engaging experienced signage design experts ensures a cohesive brand identity, enabling businesses to make a lasting impression on their customers and stand out from the competition.
Examples of UK Businesses with Strong, Coordinated Internal and Shop Front Signage
Selfridges
The luxury department store chain Selfridges boasts a grand, bold exterior with its signature yellow hue and large window displays that reflect the brand’s extravagance. Inside, the store continues the upscale theme with elegant signage that directs shoppers while maintaining a sense of grandeur.
Pret A Manger
This popular food-chain has a clean, simple, and easily recognizable shop front with bold red signage and natural wood finishes. The interior design follows suit with consistent colour schemes and messaging that differentiate each section, creating a cohesive and inviting atmosphere.
John Lewis
Acclaimed British retailer John Lewis consistently showcases strong internal and external branding with their coordinated signage strategy. The dark green and white logo, presented prominently on the shop front, is continued in the interior, where clear wayfinding signs guide customers throughout the store.
Lush
Cosmetics retailer Lush employs vibrant, eye-catching, and colourful shop fronts that draw in customers. Inside, the store’s uniform font usage and minimalist design effectively convey the brand’s ethical and environmentally-friendly values, creating a cohesive customer experience.
By carefully crafting a coordinated, memorable, and visually appealing internal and external signage strategy, businesses can strengthen their brand identity, generate customer loyalty, and stand out in today’s competitive retail landscape.
Bottom line
Signage is a critical aspect of building a strong brand identity that helps to draw potential customers. It reflects the brand’s core values and gives customers a sense of direction within your store or office, allowing them to quickly identify what type of product or service you offer.
With internal signage and shop front signage in place, customers can easily spot your business, develop their trust in it, and be inspired to purchase goods or services from you.
Internal signage should be designed strategically with both form and function in mind so that it’s not only aesthetically pleasing but also serves as an effective tool to communicate with customers.
By investing in quality branding design elements such as custom-made internal and exterior signs, businesses can create an alluring brand experience that will bring them success for years to come.
