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Customer College

Welcome to our version of sign school.

When you get ready to purchase a sign there are many aspects you will want to be informed on so you can get an attention grabbing sign that does its job.

Brings customers through your door!

You may want to go all the way through our "College" or just skip around, either way you will be more informed and you will have acquired some basic understanding of what is involved in creating the right sign for you.

Whether you already have a logo, a design for a sign, or no idea of what you want or need, you will gain a lot of knowledge and important things to think about prior to ordering your sign.

Go ahead have fun and enjoy !

PREPLANNING

There are numerous ways to manufacture signs. Choosing the correct materials and methods determines the design, durability, and value of your sign.

At Advanced Sign & Design, we have many years of experience in both design and production. It is our goal to provide you with a durable eye-catching sign that exceeds your expectations and stays within your budget.

Consideration needs to be given to the following factors for you to get the most value and the longest life from your sign:-Will your sign be indoors or outdoors?

-How long will it be in service?

-What is the size of the available area and the distance for viewing?

-Is your current logo (if you have one) appropriate to use in the overall design in order to "say'' what you do?
Click here for more on Design.»

-Do you have a color scheme in mind? Each color emits a different response

-Have you chosen a standard letterstyle or do you want a custom one?

-Are there any restrictions or requirements suggested by landlords, zoning, ordinances etc?

-What type of installation is required: hanging, on posts, wall mount, or other? (temporary or permanent)

-What type of surface will it be mounted to? (brick, concrete, wood, glass etc.)

-What is your budget?

-Time-frame (availability) sign production can take 1 week to 3 months depending on the project

DESIGN

"What Makes a Great Sign Design?"
"What Can It Do For Me?"

Signs are the most efficient and effective form of communication available to any business.

Signs present the first impression of your business, they help people locate your business, and they grab the attention of people passing by your establishment.

A sign tells people who you are, what you are selling, and where you are located. Signs are a great form of advertising and help people form a memory of your business name and location.

A good logo design is the first step in creating a great sign.

The images above are all logos we have designed for our clients.

If you already have a logo design please click here to read about our Artwork Requirements »

In order for a sign to be effective it must have the following:

Convey an image that best represents your business.
It must be noticed - eye-catching and demand attention.
It must be readable at a given distance and rate of speed.

Focus on key words and be brief. (keep it simple and clear).

For more information about how we can create a design that is perfect for your business please contact our design team or give us a call at: 208-345-8682 or 1-800-949-2343.

ELEMENTS OF A SIGN

The function of design is to capture the viewer's attention, inform them, create a desired image and to use materials effectively and efficiently.

There are many elements to consider in the design of a sign. Here are a few ideas to think about:

	Layout is the organization and arrangement of copy, the stage when proportional relationships of positive and negative space are tuned and adapted to a given format. Good layout leads the eye through the composition quickly by emphasizing the most important information.
	Format is the area and shape of the sign face, or space to design within. The format is part of the whole and the goal is to create a unified whole.
	Negative Space is the area around and within the letter forms and ornamental designs, extending out to the edge of the format. Negative space is just as important an element as the positive space in design. The main role of negative space is to heighten the positive form.
	Line Value is the relative thickness of line in letter strokes, illustration and ornamentation. There are three distinct line values, light, medium and bold. One way to make a sign more interesting to look at is to use variation in line value. A light line or stroke would be comparable to the background if compared to an illustrators use of space. A medium stroke would be comparable to the middle ground and bold would be applied to the foreground.
	Rhythm in its simplest definition is a pattern, sense of direction, or illusion of movement created by colors, forms, and lines. It can result from any one of these elements or a combination of them.
	Selecting Alphabets focuses on the design function of different uses of upper and lower case as well as different letter styles or fonts. Most design specialists recommend that you use only two alphabet styles or fonts, with possibly a third for a company logo. A design with upper and lower case letters is easier to read than a line of all capital letters. The arrangement of upper and lower case letters also creates more interest to the eye.
	Color should be based on image appropriateness and overall effectiveness. Red, Black and White are a traditional combination that will always have its place in creating a sign. One must remember that color is but one element of design. Color alone does not make a good sign, but it can destroy an otherwise good design.

Remember these are considerations to be aware of before ordering your sign. If this sounds a bit complicated, not to worry, our experienced sales staff understands these principals and will help you incorporate them into all of your signage needs. Contact Us Today !
Call at: 208-345-8682 or 1-800-949-2343

COLOR CONTRAST CHART

A lack of contrast can create big problems to any design. When considering the colors for your design keep in mind that the more contrast you have between colors the more visible it will appear to your audience. Below is a chart showing contrasting colors in the order of most contrasting to least contrasting. If you need more help with this please contact one of our friendly sales representatives

Black on White	White on Black
Black on Yellow	Yellow on Black
Navy on White	White on Navy
Purple on White	White on Purple
Blue on White	White on Blue
Red on White	White on Red
Green on White	White on Green
Purple on Yellow	Yellow on Purple
Orange on White	White on Orange
Violet on White	White on Violet
Lt. Blue on White	White on Lt. Blue
Green on Yellow	Yellow on Green
Black on Orange	Orange on Black
Navy on Lt. Blue	Lt. Blue on Navy
Black on Red	Red on Black
Blue on Orange	Orange on Blue
Red on Green	Green on Red
Green on Blue	Blue on Green

LETTER VISIBILITY CHART

Their are many factors that can enhance or inhibit the following information, but in general these numbers represent the average distances a certain letter height can be seen and read by your audience. If you need more help with this please contact one of our friendly sales representatives.

Size	Impact	Maximum
1"	10 ft	30 ft
2"	20 ft	70 ft
3"	30 ft	100 ft
4"	40 ft	140 ft
5"	50 ft	175 ft
6"	60 ft	200 ft
7"	70 ft	275 ft
8"	80 ft	350 ft
9"	90 ft	400 ft
10"	100 ft	450 ft
11"	110 ft	480 ft
12"	120 ft	525 ft
24"	240 ft	1000 ft
36"	360 ft	1500 ft
48"	480 ft	2000 ft
Impact - Distance a letter is most readable. Maximum - Farthest distance it can be read.

STANDARD FONTS

Below is a list of our most common fonts. Please understand, the purpose of this diagram is to help you choose a common font for standard signage. We have well over a thousand different fonts available to incorporate into your design for custom signage.

COST vs. INVESTMENT

Your sign is one of the most permanent components of your business. It is exposed to weather (if outdoors) and to constant use. The average life of a sign is five to ten years depending on the type of materials used, the environmental location and several other factors.

It pays to purchase high quality materials and fine craftsmanship if you anticipate your sign to last for many years.

Here is a scenario to consider:

If you paid $2000 for a sign for your business and that sign lasted for seven years in the outdoor weather conditions, your monthly cost for advertising would only be $24 per month over the 7 year period.

RASTER vs. VECTOR

Raster Image

A Raster Image is a graphic that is created by combining a series of dots called Pixels.

As you can see from this close-up view, the edges can get very saw-toothed.

Vector Image

A Vector Image is a graphic that creates it's shape with straight or curved line elements.Vector Images can be enlarged or reduced without losing resolution, thus eliminating all saw-toothing.

Although there are some instances when a Raster Image is necessary (ex. photographs, full color image, etc...), due to the requirements of most of our manufacturing processes, we usually need Vector Image artwork to create your signage.

We can recreate your artwork into a Vector Image, but that can take several hours and will require an additional fee.

If you have any questions concerning this or any other issue please contact our friendly sales staff.

ARTWORK REQUIREMENTS

Advanced Sign & Design can accept your artwork in several computer forms.
We prefer, PC based computer generated artwork in the following order:

#1 Gerber Graphix Advantage (.plt)
#2 Corel Draw any version (.cdr or .cmx)
#3 Adobe Illustrator 8 or earlier (.ai or .eps)
#4 Macromedia Freehand (.fh9)

or Mac:

#1 Adobe Illustrator 9 (or earlier)
#2 Macromedia Freehand

Any other computer file types will most likely require an additional artwork charge.

We accept Rasterized computer artwork in the following forms, but please understand that approximately 80% of all signwork requires Vectorized artwork in order for our sign artists to complete various production processes.Acceptable Rasterized file types:
.tif, .bmp, .jpg, .psd, .cpt, and .png

Advanced Sign & Design can also accept photographic mechanical transfer (PMT) or film transparencies. A small fee will be required to scan and clean up artwork.

We cannot accept artwork that has been printed by Deskjet or Laserjet type printers as clean/ready to use artwork.

Additional charges will be required to prepare this type of artwork for production.

Artwork on PC-CD, PC-ZIP Disk or 3.5" floppy disk can be delivered or mailed to:

Advanced Sign @ Design
511 West Highland St.
Boise, ID 83706

We can accept email attachments, sales@advancedsign.com, but please do not e-mail files that are larger than 2 megabytes.

You also may UPLOAD your file: Click Here »

1. Preplanning

2. Design

3. Elements of a Sign

4. Color Contrast

5. Letter Visibility

6. Standard Fonts

7. Cost vs Investment

8. Raster vs. Vector

9. Artwork Requirements

10. Upload Image

Customer College