It is an understandable situation to be in; you’ve been assigned by your boss to find a sign company and buy a lobby sign but you don’t know where to start. Along with not knowing what questions to ask you will rely on guidance through the essential process to obtain a quote and an idea of what the sign will look like. Although you know what your company logo looks like you may not know what it looks like in the three dimensional form.
Here at Caliber, we have created a tool to answer all your questions about the uncertainty of buying a sign. Our document called “Lobby Sign – Next Steps” provides certainty to the process of buying a custom made sign. The final product will have everyone including your boss proud as it will be a strong company representation in one of the most visible areas to your clients – the lobby area. It is also good to know that lobby signs are also referred to as reception area signs, interior wall sign and even office entrance waiting area signs.
- Be prepared.
- How soon you get a quote depends on how much information you provide. Know where the sign is going and the type of sign you need. You may not have all the information but here are the basic things you need to know before calling.
- Know the three most fundamental types of signs.
- It will help you communicate any preferences and identify the type of sign to be quoted
- Dimensional letters & logos, Acrylic panel floating off the wall, Backlit sign
- You are asked for a vector file.
- If you have ever printed business cards, you or your printer should have a vector file of your business name and logo. The file format should end in .eps or .ai
- When enlarging a small image like a logo appears on your screen to a size like 6’ lobby sign, the image does not distort with a vector file
- JPG and PNG files are not vector, they are used for websites but not sign making. If you have ever zoomed in on an image on your computer, take a look at how fuzzy the image is.
- Send at least a JPG or PDF for quote purposes but neither are suitable for producing a sign.
- Pictures speak a thousand words.
- Most sign companies offer installation services. It is therefore helpful to see first-hand where you want to install the sign.
- It is helpful to be able to recommend colors, sizes and determine the complexity of the installation which should be included in the quote
- If you are a visual type person and want to see images of sign examples, visit our online gallery here.
- Color and Material choices.
- Color choices usually follow your brand guidelines but the metal look is very popular replacing colors with a brushed satin metal look.
- We can quote colors based on availability of standard material colors or if you have specific brand colors to Pantone numbers, we can closely match to the PMS colors
- Most common materials are Foam, PVC, Acrylic, and Aluminum. In terms of durability, they follow the same sequence and also price! Foam being the lowest price and durability to Aluminum being the most durable and highest in price.
- Lead Times.
- Be sure to mention if you have a deadline. Custom signs take a few weeks so make to ask about production lead times to ensure it fits into your timeline.
- Contrasting colors.
- The sign colors should contrast slightly with the color of the wall the sign will be mounted to. If the colors of the sign cannot be changed, consider painting the wall to have an accent color that contrasts the sign colors to make the sign really stand out.
- Scaling the sign to the wall – PRO TIP.
- When sending in a photo of the wall the sign is to be mounted to, take one looking straight on, if possible, but take the photo with a sheet of paper 8.5” x 11” lightly taped to the wall. This allows us to scale the sign to the wall and quote based on a recommended size.
- Provide the height and length of the wall. If this is not possible, or you need a little help figuring all this out, just ask Caliber for an appointment and we’ll try to oblige within a reasonable time
- Removing signs from the wall.
- Remember to mention if there is a sign currently on the wall that you may need help removing since it will need to be included in the quote. When installing new signs, remember that when it comes time to removing it, there will be damage on the wall from the removal and most likely the wall will need to be repainted. It is not the responsibility of the sign company to repair the wall.
- The importance of a ‘proof drawing’ and signature approval.
- The proof drawing allows you to visualize how the sign will look on the wall before producing the sign. It certainly helps to review the colors, the size and placement, especially if a rendering is provided showing the sign superimposed on the photo you sent beforehand. It is important to the sign company that you sign and date this proof as acknowledgment that you agree to the proposal and approve to proceed to production. It is part of our quality process that our production team must have a signed drawing in front of them that qualifies this is the final version going into manufacturing.
