Your civic organization plays a critical role in your community, but do people know what you're doing? If you don't share your message with the community, you may struggle to attract new members or elicit donations, but on the other hand, if you get your message out, you can enhance your efforts in all kinds of exciting ways.
Digital signage offers you a lot of ways to share messages and promote your civic mission, but when you're buying a sign, you need to make all kinds of decisions. Wondering how large your civic sign should be? Here are the factors you need to consider when making that decision.
Sighting Distance
How far away is your target audience? This piece of information is critical to assess when deciding how big your sign needs to be. Generally speaking, letters need to be at least one inch tall for every 10 feet of distance. So, if you want your sign to be visible from 40 feet away, your letters need to be 40 inches tall. Once you estimate the letter size you need, you can start to think about numbers of lines of text, graphics, and other elements that play into the overall size of your civic sign.
Speed of Traffic
In addition to considering the distance guidelines discussed above, you also need to think of the speed of passing traffic. If you're simply trying to reach pedestrian foot traffic, you don't need to worry about speed, but most civic signs are positioned in a location where drivers are the primary audience for the sign. If that's the case, you need to think about how their speed affects their ability to take in your message. If traffic is passing by at 40 mph or faster, a large 12mm medium resolution sign can work perfectly. If you want a smaller sign, you need a higher level of resolution so that drivers can read the text easily. If passing drivers are going over 55 mph, you usually need a large billboard-size sign, but you can get by with lower resolution.
Competing Signs
As they say, size is relative, and that's certainly true when it comes to signage. Your civic sign will be affected by the signs around it. If there are a lot of large signs in the area competing for attention, your sign also needs to be large to get noticed. On the other hand, if all the other signs are small, you may get the same eye-catching effect you need with a medium-size civic sign or even a small sign with a compelling digital display.
Your Messages and Creatives
The creatives you plan to display on your sign also affect how large your sign needs to be and the resolution it needs to have. If you simply want to display a short message such as "Now Accepting Donations" or "Open to New Members," you can choose nearly any size of sign. You can opt for a small sign, but you can also choose to install a billboard-size sign and because your messages are so short, you don't have to worry about paying for a high-resolution display for the big sign. On the other hand, if you want to display long messages with several lines of text, you need a larger sign. As a rule of thumb, the smaller your sign is, the higher the resolution needs to be in order to display a large message. But, a large sign with high resolution is ideal if you want long messages, lots of graphics, and high-quality details. Ideally, as you shop for a civic sign, you should take some time to note some of the sample messages or graphics that you want to display on the sign. Then, you can narrow in on the right size and specs for your needs.
Local Ordinances
As you choose your civic sign, you're thinking about visibility and your messaging, but you also need to think about local ordinances. Counties and towns often have rules on the size or height of signs that are allowed in certain areas. They may also have ordinances related to the number of colors that can be displayed, whether or not videos can be shown, and other details. When you purchase a civic sign from Stewart Signs, our sales reps can do that research for you. We know that a sign is a significant investment in your organization, but we also understand that you are busy working on your mission. To make the buying process as easy as possible for you, we research the ordinances in your area and secure permits as needed.
Installation and Style Considerations
Finally, you need to consider how the installation and style of your sign may affect its size. For instance, if you're putting a sign on a pole, the pole may only be able to hold a certain size and weight of sign. Similarly, if you're putting the sign on your storefront or attached to a monument style frame, you also must take into account the sizes that can be accommodated in these spaces.
At Stewart Signs, we specialize in helping people find the best digital signs possible for their civic organizations, municipalities, schools, churches, and non-profit organizations. Want to enhance the marketing efforts for your civic organization? Ready to reap the benefits of digital signage? Looking for a dedicated sign professional to guide you through the process? Then, contact us at Stewart Signs today.
