Signage can enhance brand visibility. These clever design and colour tricks can help you get the most out of your signs from The Sussex Sign Company
Effective signage makes for effective marketing for your West Sussex business. So understanding how colour and design work can really help you maximise your ROI. Remember, you only have three-five seconds to capture the attention of your audience and get them to engage, so knowing some tricks of the trade helps your signs to shine.
The colour wheel
If you’re not familiar with the colour wheel, now’s the time to review it. The human eye is naturally drawn to high contrasts and colours that sit opposite on the colour wheel, like blue and yellow – think Ikea.
These high-contrast colours are easy on the eye and will boost visibility when viewing your signs from a distance. Using high-contrast colours can also help your signage meet guidelines for accessibility.
You can also use analogous shades, those that sit next to each other on the wheel, to create subtle contrast and depth. For example, analogous colours used for fonts and subtext can create some pleasing design effects.
Colour psychology
Obviously, the colours you use will be dictated by those associated with your brand. But if you have free reign to design with colour, it’s worth thinking about psychology and the emotions that different hues can unlock in your viewers.
For example, companies such as PayPal use blue to signify intelligence, calm and trust – all desirable qualities for your brand signs to evoke. Green is associated with peace, harmony and nature, while red evokes power and confidence. A good rule of thumb is to use no more than three complementary colours in your design.
Intensity and saturation
We’ve all experimented with Instagram filters and know what a difference they can make to an image. Similar levels of contrast and saturation can be used to make your signage pop.
The higher the colour saturation in your signs, the richer and more vibrant they appear. On the other hand, if you’re looking for vintage styling, try reducing the colour intensity for a familiar faded look. Be wary of going too full-on with colour, as your images can start to look unnatural.
Warm and cool tones
All colours have a temperature. If you look at the colour wheel, those on the left – blues and greens – are cooler than those on the right, the oranges and reds. But why is that important for designing signage?
There’s a reason fast food brands tend to use a lot of warm colours in their designs. These are the colours that urge us to take action and feel instantly inviting – think Coca-Cola red and MacDonald’s golden arches.
On the other hand, cool colours create a calming, clean feeling. They’re often used by banks and other businesses that need to create a feeling of trust and dependability. Whichever scheme you choose, understanding how colour works can create a real statement.
Colourful signage by The Sussex Sign Company
If you want to make your signs more effective, our professional design team knows how to make colour work for you. Why not contact The Sussex Sign Company for eye-catching and effective signage.