Salon Signage Design Tips

The safe thing to do when making signs is to outsource the job to a graphic designer. If you’re part of a franchise, you don’t even have to worry about it because the corporate office will probably provide you with all the signs you need. But if you elect to make your own signs, remember that the simple rules of design are CRAP. (Yes, we said it. And now, you’ll never forget it.)

C – Contrast

Make the elements of your sign different enough from each other that each element pops out. Black text on an orange background is better than gray text on a white background. This simple concept will increase the visibility of your sign.

R – Repetition

Have you ever tried to read something that used five different fonts but stopped because it was too busy and overwhelming? Don’t do this with your signs. Stick to a couple of core colors, one for background and one for text, and vary the fonts and type sizes only enough to show an intended difference, such as the difference between a title and a few lines of promo copy.

A – Alignment

There are several different ways to align text vertically, but the three main methods are left, right and center. Just make sure that your sign picks one pattern and sticks with it. Left-aligned is the most common, but center and right can be effective when used sparingly.

P – Proximity

Wide gaps between elements—especially elements that are related to each other—will confuse the reader. If the sign is advertising a special, make sure that the dollar amount for the deal isn’t hidden several inches away from copy explaining the offer.

Source: “The Non-Designers Design Book” by Robin Williams

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