Signs 101: Lighting your Signs
Over the past two weeks, we’ve discussed why your business needs a sign and all the types of signs your business could have. This week, we’re talking about how lighting can take your sign from good to great.
If you’re happy with your current signage design, placement, and type, but still feel your sign is missing something, the problem might be its lighting. No matter how great your sign is, if it’s invisible at night, it’s only reaching half of its potential. Lighting can do more than just spotlight your existing signage. It enhances your sign and your brand by helping your sign stand out, creating different moods, and giving your sign personality.
Types of Light
When you think of illuminated signs, do you think of glowing, colorful letters reading “Open!” or “No Vacancy”? These are classic examples of neon signs. Neon signs have historically been a go-to option for signage. Popular throughout the first half of the 20th century, they work by passing electricity through a glass tube full of gasses, primarily neon. Different gasses and gas ratios produce different colors.
Make no mistake: neon signs can give your business a unique retro flair. On the other hand, they can also give your business a massive headache. Neon signs are fragile and prone to leaking gas, require significant upkeep, and have a shorter lifespan than other lighting options.
LED, or light-emitting diode, is the bread and butter of modern signage lighting solutions. It is the most energy efficient and cheapest of all of your lighting options. LEDs use 75% less energy than incandescent lighting and last nearly twenty-five times as long, according to the Department of Energy. Additionally, LEDs and LED signage are incredibly versatile. In fact, it’s likely that many of the signs around you that you think are neon are clever LED replicas.
Types of Lighting
Lighting is often categorized in two ways: “lighted” or “lit” signs, which are lit with one of the several types of external light, and “illuminated” signs, which are illuminated from within through a variety of techniques. These terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Be sure to establish what exactly you’re talking about with your sign professionals.
External Signage Lighting
External lighting is a flexible lighting option that can achieve many different effects. Existing signs can have exterior lighting installed, making your signage work overtime to promote your business even at night. Mounting lighting strategically can enhance your signage as well. Lighting can be used to spotlight interesting textures or architectural features on or around your signage. Different colors, luminosity, or amounts of lights can enhance the mood of your signage. For example, the scalloped effect created by having multiple, smaller point lights is very different from the soft gradient effect created by a single linear light.
You have many options when choosing how to light your sign. Some of the most popular and accessible types of external lights include:
- Flood lights: Flood lights can light up large signs and the surrounding areas. If you need cost-saving, multifunctional lighting, this may be most effective.
- Linear lights: Linear lights are very popular, in part because they provide even, comparatively soft, but still clear lighting.
- Spotlights/point lights/bullet lights: there are many names for smaller, more focused lights, but all are versatile and useful. When used singly, they are effective at bringing attention to a feature, be it graphic or architectural. When used in combination, they can light up an entire sign and create unique visual effects.
Internal Signage Lighting
Illuminated signs, or signs which are primarily lit from the inside, are incredibly common for modern businesses. Any design you can dream of can be illuminated, making it pop without sacrificing detail. Illuminated signs can be divided into two subcategories:
- Channel letters: Have you ever seen a business whose name just glowed? That was probably a channel letter sign. These signs can either be face lit, meaning the light within shines out only through the face, or front, of the letter; or backlit, with the light shining out of the back of the letter to create a halo effect. Despite the name, this technique doesn’t just apply to letters. Your logo can pop, too!
- Cabinet signs: These signs are also referred to as “lightbox” signs, because a lightbox sign is a box… with a light in it! In cabinet signs, a frame holds your design(s) with light behind or between, depending on whether both sides of the sign are visible. Cabinet signs are especially useful for detailed designs such as photography.
Now that you understand the options you have for lighting new or existing signage, join us next week for our final Signage 101 lesson on sign design and placement. If all this signage info is overwhelming, we’ve got a tool coming out next week to make choosing your signage as easy as M-R-C. Follow us on social media or signing up for our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss out. If you’re ready for the next step, reach out to our team to get a quote.
