Signage Seminar
I just returned from Sturbridge, Massachusetts, where I presented on the demonstrable benefits that a well-designed sign can bring to a small business.
Yes, I'm still involved in the subject of signage. For those of you who don't know, we wrote a book on the subject (What's Your Signage?) in 2004, and created a website for it in 2006. The New York SBDC is seen by many people in the signage industry as great advocates in this area.
I was one of four people who spoke to a collection of 100 or so building inspectors and code administrators from around Massachusetts. These are the people who are charged with enforcing the sign code ordinances of their town. An ordinance in one town can be completely different from the town next door. Just as easily, an ordinance in one town can be friendly to its business community, while the one next door can be terribly restrictive.
These folks are the people who have to judge a sign and whether it should exist. They straddle the line between promoting a town's business community, and promoting the "look" a town may wish to project.
Yesterday, we advocated on behalf of the business sector. There is an unbelievable wealth of scientific data that shows just how the human eye & the human brain can process information contained in a sign. A sign should be a certain size, the lettering should be a certain height, colors should be of a similar contrast.
Other studies have been done that show how towns that write laws that keep these things in mind can expect a business community that generates a healthy dose of sales tax income to the area.
There was a lot more discussed, and it was a very helpful dialogue for both sides. Signage is a multi-billion dollar industry, and worth such seminars. The group that organized this one (the Northeast States Sign Association) has long hoped to have a similar discussion for a similar audience in New York. Should that happen, I'll be part of their marketing efforts in getting people to attend.
One of the elements of my presentation was discussing the plight of one of our clients in the Mid-Hudson region. He had questions about how he could argue his case to his town, and I was able to find some people in the signage industry who could help him out.
As always . . . if you have a client who has a similar need, then, by all means, let me know. And, as always, remember that a well-designed sign can be the most effective marketing tool a small retail or service business owner can have.
Yes, I'm still involved in the subject of signage. For those of you who don't know, we wrote a book on the subject (What's Your Signage?) in 2004, and created a website for it in 2006. The New York SBDC is seen by many people in the signage industry as great advocates in this area.
I was one of four people who spoke to a collection of 100 or so building inspectors and code administrators from around Massachusetts. These are the people who are charged with enforcing the sign code ordinances of their town. An ordinance in one town can be completely different from the town next door. Just as easily, an ordinance in one town can be friendly to its business community, while the one next door can be terribly restrictive.
These folks are the people who have to judge a sign and whether it should exist. They straddle the line between promoting a town's business community, and promoting the "look" a town may wish to project.
Yesterday, we advocated on behalf of the business sector. There is an unbelievable wealth of scientific data that shows just how the human eye & the human brain can process information contained in a sign. A sign should be a certain size, the lettering should be a certain height, colors should be of a similar contrast.
Other studies have been done that show how towns that write laws that keep these things in mind can expect a business community that generates a healthy dose of sales tax income to the area.
There was a lot more discussed, and it was a very helpful dialogue for both sides. Signage is a multi-billion dollar industry, and worth such seminars. The group that organized this one (the Northeast States Sign Association) has long hoped to have a similar discussion for a similar audience in New York. Should that happen, I'll be part of their marketing efforts in getting people to attend.
One of the elements of my presentation was discussing the plight of one of our clients in the Mid-Hudson region. He had questions about how he could argue his case to his town, and I was able to find some people in the signage industry who could help him out.
As always . . . if you have a client who has a similar need, then, by all means, let me know. And, as always, remember that a well-designed sign can be the most effective marketing tool a small retail or service business owner can have.
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