Are Your Office Signs Doing Their Job?

In a seminal report for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Signage and Wayfinding, authors James Kellaris and Karen Machleit identified the following three primary functions of office signs:

1. Identification of office building
2. Way-finding for new arrivals
3. Branding

Today’s post takes a closer look at each of these imperatives to make sure your office signs are doing their duty. Read on to learn whether you’re getting your money’s worth—and how to fix your office signs if you’re not—or call 1-248-354-8346 to speak directly with an office sign specialist in Southfield, MI.

Simplify Office Building Identification With Clear Office Signs

Did you know that as many as 61% of consumers fail to find office buildings they intend to visit due to poor signage? It’s true, according to a new report by the Sign Research Foundation.

In the same way, consumers rely on pylon signs to spot businesses on the road, your guests depend on clear office signs to find your company in crowded buildings and business plazas.

While marketing and branding are both vital sign functions, “Identification of office building” takes the number-one spot for a reason—it’s undoubtedly the most important function of an office sign since even fully “converted” prospects (e.g. those fully intending to patronize your business) rely on your office signs to reach their destination and complete their transaction. Thus, if your office signs fall short in this regard, you’re blowing your marketing budget with no chance of worthwhile returns.

If your office signs aren’t doing their building-identification duty, consider the following design fixes:

• Adding attention-grabbing brand graphics
• Cranking up the contrast between font and background
• Increasing the size of your font, or simplifying the typeface for better readability
• Illuminating your office sign

Whether you need office sign design remediation, or the only option is to start from scratch, we guarantee great results on time and under budget.

Facilitate Better Wayfinding For Smoother Customer Experiences

Even after visitors have identified your place of business, they’ll rely on wayfinding cues to help them navigate your office space. Office signs can easily be customized to facilitate better wayfinding by adding directional arrows or clearly delineating between public/private spaces (e.g. “Authorized Personnel Only” or “Employees Only” tags). If you’re getting negative feedback from frustrated customers who get lost in your office building, but your wayfinding message is on-point, it may also be worthwhile to review best practices for sign visibility.

Establish Brand Authority At-A-Glance With Custom Office Signs

Kellaris and Machleit (2016) note that custom office signs provide “inferential cues and basis for thin-slice judgements about the business they represent” (p. 1). In other words, since office signs are among the first things visitors see upon arrival, they’re often used as the basis for first impressions about your brand.

What are your office signs saying about your brand? Old, faded, chipped, and dated office signs cast your company in a bad light, whereas modern, high-quality office signs imply authority and attention to detail. If it’s time for an office sign facelift, our team can help.

Free Office Sign Quote And Consultation In Southfield, MI

Call 1-248-354-8346 or visit the SignScapes website to book a free consultation and get a same-day quote on any custom office sign order.