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What is a "Vector" Logo, anyway?

When you are in the business of producing large and grand-format graphics that are intended to drive business into your clients' businesses, use of scaleable or vector-based artwork is critical to producing the quality graphics needed to project the best image possible.

This picture from the Wikipedia site does a good job of comparing a vector art (text) with bitmap art, both under magnification. For more detailed information, click the link to the Wikipedia page.

Colors and Logos

We were recently asked to produce a dimensional sign for a local business that had a really cool logo made up of letters and shapes.

They had previously used the logo online and for business cards. Upon inspection of their logo in Illustrator CS3, I found that the 4 spot colors in the logo were CMYK mixes rather than PMS colors. Since we were planning to produce the logo out of routed and painted acrylic, I needed to come up with a target to shoot at for the custom paint colors. Upon consulting with the client, I learned what has become a routine finding for us when working with small businesses; the client had no idea what the PMS colors were and said he trusted me to pick them out - no physical color match required. I know better than to take that decision into my own hands, and I have no desire to own one of their logos to put on my wall!

The point of all this is simply to say to all those small business owners out there, take a few minutes to sit with your sign designer to pick out the PMS colors if you have not previously done so. You can then provide that as a reference for whoever will print posters, banners, vehicle graphics, and even business cards for you. I can't say enough about how important it is to keep your branding consistent, that is if you wish to grow your business! Your logo sends a message about what kind of business you run, and you want that to be a positive message.

Scotty
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

How long will that sign last outdoors?

That is one question that we hear from clients every day. The answer isn't always clear-cut. Factors that impact a graphic's durability outdoors include:

• Whether it gets direct sun (afternoon is worse than morning) or not
  
• Temperature extremes
  
• Type of substrate
  
• Type of vinyl
  
• Type of ink
  
• Whether it has a UV-protective overlaminate or not
  
• End-user's quality standards (we've all seen signs that were way past time to replace)
• etc, etc, etc
  

Generally speaking, digitally printed graphics using solvent-based or UV-curable inks on self-adhesive vinyl will last 2-3 years outdoors without lamination. Adding a UV-protective overlaminate will extend the lifespan by a year or so. Low or "eco-solvent" inks typically last 1-2 years outdoors without lamination.

Cast/High-performance vinyls have better outdoor durability than calendared/intermediate vinyls due to the manufacturing process. They tend to be significantly more dimensionally stable, which means less shrinkage over time and less chance of edge curling and cracking.

One other factor that people do not always think of is color. Although when I researched the topic I wasn't able to find any any hard evidence to support one color fading faster than others, our perception is that colors in the red range fade faster than the other end of the spectrum, which can leave a graphic looking older than its true age.

Impact of Permanent Signage On Commercial Real Estate

As I drive around Richmond and take note of the high percentage of retail centers with permanent destination or monument signs, it is clear that most owners of retail shopping centers understand the importance of driving traffic into their tenants' stores. I would say that 8 out of 10 of the large "strip shopping centers" have a destination sign that has tenant panels where the individual tenants can advertise their business. 

We work with a number of commercial real estate management companies, whose leasing agents recognize how much easier it is to rent retail space where there is a destination sign with room for the tenants to advertise. With all the bad news about the economy in the media, it seems that the attitude of "if you build it, they will come..." is changing to something more like "if you show that you are serious about helping your tenants increase traffic, they will come!"

"Brooks Real Estate professionally leases and manages the New Kent Commons retail center in New Kent County.  We were going back and forth in negotiations with 2 potential Tenants.  During that time we erected our monument sign and within weeks the deals closed." Adam Nash - Brooks Real Estate, Williamsburg, VA

Font Size and Signage

For your sign to have maximum impact, customers need to be able to read it at a glance. Choose a location that will give you the greatest exposure to your target audience. From there, you can use this table (provided by Signs By Tomorrow - USA) to help determine the appropriate sign and lettering sizes for your selected viewing distance. Keep in mind that other factors come into play when determining readability, such as the boldness of a font, serif vs san serif, etc. for maximum legibility, keep your fonts simple and lean more towards bold.

Large/Grand-Format Banners and High Winds

Although large-format outdoor banners are a very cost-effective method of advertising, one thing to be aware of is the potential of damage from high-winds. With Springtime comes more thunderstorms and more chances to have your investment trashed within a few minutes. Here are some things you can do to extend the life of your outdoor banners.

1. Take the banner down when high winds are expected. This isn't always a great solution, as uninstallation can sometimes be a pain at a minimum and costly if it is a more technical installation (up on the side of a building, extra-large banner, etc).

2. Use mesh instead of solid banner medias. Mesh is a newer media that has been gaining popularity over the last few years. The mesh allows more of the wind to pass through the banner, thus lessening the wind load on the tie-down points.

3. Make sure your sign/banner provider puts wind-slits in any standard banner material that is larger than 4'x6'. If you are going to go with the traditional scrim vinyl media, wind slits can lessen the wind load significantly. They are not particularly attractive, but are functional.

4. Make sure the banner is installed securaly so it cannot flap in the wind. 

a. For large banners, the life will be greatly extended if it is installed in a banner frame system. There are several on the market; some are even designed for installation of grand format banners on the sides of box trucks or tractor-trailer trucks. This is the best solution we've found, but if you can't use a frame system, ensure that the banner gets installed flat against a building with hard anchor points at each grommet.

b. For medium-sized banners, we love to use heavy-duty bungee cords. They stretch under the load of wind gusts, but if installed properly, will keep the banner nice and tight.