4 Design Skills To Expect From Custom Sign Companies In Southfield, MI

Today’s post reviews 4 graphic design fundamentals that every custom sign company should know. Use these tips to level up your graphic design knowledge and evaluate custom sign companies before you buy.

1.  Custom Sign Companies Need To Understand Balance

“Balance lends stability and structure to an overall design,” writes Anahat Rawal in her seminal design theory breakdown.

To wrap your head around this idea, imagine that there’s weight behind each design element. Shapes, text boxes, and images all have a certain amount of visual heft that needs to be put in balance, not so that they’re all equal, but so the most important features make the greatest impact.

Any custom sign company you work with should understand the difference between symmetrical and asymmetrical balance, and be an expert in the latter. Symmetrical balance is when the weight of each element is equally divided on both sides of the design, whereas asymmetrical balance refers to the use of scale, contrast, and color to create flow and natural points of emphasis.

Check our Instagram (@misignscapes) to see an example of symmetrical design balance in our work for City Year Detroit, as well as a recent asymmetrical design completed for this custom trailer wrap project.

2.  Custom Sign Companies Need To Understand Proximity

“Proximity helps in creating a relationship between similar or related elements,” writes Rawal.

Put simply, design elements become more closely related when they’re visually connected. But design elements need not be strictly grouped side-by-side; using complementary fonts, colors, and sizes can also do the trick, as can clever use of borders to group related items, like with our recent yard signs for Southfield’s Sharer Design Group.

3.  Custom Sign Companies Need To Understand Alignment

“Alignment plays a pivotal role in creating a seamless visual connection with the design elements,” writes Rawal.

Aligning all of your design elements (i.e. putting things “in frame”) gives your business signage an ordered appearance and helps funnel the reader’s attention towards what’s important. While disorderly designs can be appropriate for artsy, avant-garde businesses, these are usually enhanced by proper alignment. Strictly aligning visual elements is particularly effective for serious professionals, like legal offices—just check out the authoritative impact of this recent cabinet sign face for a Southfield law office.

4.  Custom Sign Companies Understand The Visual Hierarchies

“A hierarchy is formed when extra visual weight is given to the most important element or message in your design,” writes Rawal. The foremost position is usually at the very top, which is why many clients reserve this spot for their most important piece of information, whether that’s the company name, contact number, or major value proposition. However, you can create a visual hierarchy in different ways, such as using bolder fonts to highlight important areas or surrounding key points with colorful visuals.

It’s important to create a visual hierarchy for your design (i.e. identify its most important parts, then make them sing), whether you’re creating a massive billboard or a small sticker. Check out how we draw the readers’ attention to the words “FOOD BOX” in a recent custom sticker design for our friends at Atlas Wholesale Food Company.

Free Quote From A Custom Sign Company In Southfield, MI

Visit the SignScapes website or call 1-248-354-8346 to book a free custom sign consultation and get a quote today.