Fonts & Colors for Signage & Vehicle Graphics

Have you ever looked for fonts to use on your projects? If you have then you are probably aware of the thousands of fonts available to use. Some fonts are better to use for signs and moving billboards aka your vehicle graphics than others. Some things to keep in mind when you are thinking of fonts and designs for your signs and logos. 

Viewing distance is very important. Your logo is most likely going to be used on a sign at some point, and most signs are rectangle shape. It would be good to know what the letter size would need to be for people to be able to read it. This is the general size chart we go by: 

100 ft ----------  4" Tall Letters
250 ft ----------  10"
350 ft ----------  16" - This roughly a City Block
500 ft ----------  22"
750 ft ----------  33"
1000 ft --------  43"
1320 ft --------  57" - 1/4 Mile 

When thinking of your signs, rather they be on the front of your building, a free standing sign, yard sign, vehicle graphics or magnets... size does matter. I once saw a 18" w x 12" vehicle magnet that looked like it had a paragraph on it. You could not read it very well, and after a few seconds of looking at it, people loose interest. Make sure your message is short, sweet and to the point. Grab their attention with graphics and make sure in those few seconds they see it they know who you are and what you do. Chances are they will google you to get your contact information when they need you. (So make sure they can find you when they search for you, that is a whole other topic, we can chat about a different day.) 

So now that we talked about size and visibility, lets talk about the fonts themselves. It is always a good idea to have an idea for what styles you do like and what styles you do not like. Fonts that have serifs, like Times or Georgia, are called serif type, these are considered to be more of a classic font. Fonts that do not have serifs, like Arial or Helvedica, are called san-serif fonts. These fonts are considered to be more modern font types. Although both types, depending on the actual font, can be easily read. Knowing what you like and don't like will help your artist cut to the chase and be able to give you art proofs that are closer to your style. I suggest you browse through your fonts on your computer or through websites like http://www.dafont.com/, that offer thousands of free fonts and fonts you can purchase. Print these fonts out and see how easily they can be read when you look at your page from a distance, or when you are walking by it trying to read it at the same time. This is a way to see how these fonts will read on your signs and vehicles. When working with a trusted marketing professional or sign company, don't hesitate to ask them how easily things can be read on your marketing materials. 

Colors can also effect how easily things can be read. Having a contrasting background color and text or logo color is very important. See some examples below that show some color combination effects: 

An outline or drop shadow can help make letters stand out when there is not enough contrast between the letter color and background color. However, be careful, sometimes an outline can make a design to busy, which makes it harder to read. This is especially true for moving vehicles or glass window lettering. It is a good idea to have an artist proof the artwork with and without an outline so you can see it. Print your art proof out and put it on a wall, then stand back or walk by it and see how easy it is to read. The last thing you want to do is have a sign or marketing piece made that is not effective. 

I hope this article has been helpful for you.

Shannon A Engler
Branding Warrior at LBM Solutios
785-233-1102
Shannon@Logan1972.com