Why is Lighting Important For Business Signs?

Your business signage is an important marketing asset that lets people know where you’re located, what you do and who you are. It tends to be the first thing people see when they visit your business, which is why you want it to be as visible as possible. 

Failing to use adequate lighting for your business signs can mean that they don’t have the same impact, can’t be seen easily and fail to stand out. This isn’t ideal for customers or your business, especially when you consider the investment that goes into the creation of your signage. 

Ensuring you have adequate lighting for your signs, as well as the right type of lighting, will make sure they can’t be missed while also supporting your branding. Here’s what you need to know about lighting and your business signs. 

What are the benefits of lit business signs?

Installing a lit business sign, such as a fascia sign, is beneficial to your business and your customers in several ways. 

Improved visibility

For starters, it improves your visibility and discovery – especially during the winter months when days are shorter. Even if you close your doors at 5pm, it pays to have your sign lit for brand awareness and discoverability. 

Visibility isn’t just important outside the building though. When it comes to signage like wayfinding signs, lighting these can help customers find where they need to go inside your business. 

Reflects your brand

Illuminated signs can help to build your brand identity by reflecting key aspects of it. The right lighting can make your business look fun, add an element of class, make it seem stylish or ensure it gives off the appearance of being effortlessly cool. This is important in ensuring you are attracting your target customer. 

Makes you stand out

You want to make sure that you stand out from your competitors and lighted signs can help you do this. It forms part of your visual branding, so you should consider how lighting allows you to literally outshine your competitors and makes sure you’re more memorable.

Versatility of design

There is a lot to consider when designing your business signage, including placement, the surrounding environment and much more. Lighting can help make your signage more versatile by allowing it to stand out in placements that might otherwise be less than ideal. For example, if you need to install a sign on a wall that is the same colour as the sign itself, lighting can help the sign stand out. 

What type of lighting is best for your business signage?

There are a lot of available lighting options when it comes to business signs, which can make it difficult to know exactly what the best selection is. What works for one business may not be the ideal choice for another, so understanding the benefits of each type can really pay off when designing your signs. 

Internally illuminated signs

Internally illuminated signage has a light source that is inside the sign. This type of sign can also be referred to as face lit. Essentially, the sign will have LEDs mounted inside each letter or shape to provide the perfect level of illumination. Block acrylic letters are often internally illuminated.  

This type of lit sign is suitable for indoor and outdoor use and can make sure your sign makes the right impact and is completely visible. 

Externally illuminated signs

An externally illuminated sign will have a light at the top or bottom of the sign, designed to light up the face of the sign. These are a more traditional option but can mean that a sign is less visible than an internally illuminated one. 

Halo lit signs

Similar to internally lit signs, halo-lit signs also have LEDs built into the letters or shapes of a sign. However, rather than the light shining through the front, it shines through the back, creating a softer halo effect. 

Neon signs

Neon signs are electrified glass tubes or bulbs that contain a gas that emits light. They can create a cool look for a business, but they don’t tend to be the best option. This type of lighting can stand out but it requires a lot of power and gives off less light than other options. 

With neon signs, you are also quite limited on colour and only one colour can be used at a time. On top of this, neon signs are very fragile and one crack will mean it stops working. Luckily, you can create a similar effect that is more energy-efficient and has lower maintenance costs with block acrylic signs.