Signage is one of the key ways of getting noticed. Electronic school signs, like the outdoor LED school sign or digital school signs, are becoming more and more popular. They simply look better then traditional signs, and they’re easier to change. They can be seen at night without special lighting. As important as signs are, it’s equally important that your sign say the right things. An outdoor LED school sign that is unreadable will get noticed for all the wrong reasons.
One of the most important times to change up your sign messages is at the holidays. This is the perfect moment to give your marquee signs a special holiday twist. Here are a few sign ideas to make your outdoor LED school sign really stand out.
Change Up the Font, But Do It Right.
A lot of these school signs look identical. If you want people to notice something different about your sign, the thing to do is change up your font. Just remember the golden rules: always use a sans serif font and never use more than two fonts. It’s very tempting to use script fonts during the holidays, but these rarely look good on an LED sign. Never forget that the pixelation on an LED sign is much different from that on your computer. To be safe, always double check by sending someone out to look at the sign and see precisely what the message looks like.
Use Icons the Right Way
We’re back to the pixelation issue. There are plenty of holiday icons that you can use to dress up your sign. Just remember, your color choices are more limited in outdoor LED school sign. Just because something looks great on your computer does not mean it will look good on your electric sign. Simple elves, reindeer, pumpkins, flags, bows, candy canes, fireworks, four leaf clover, and many other holiday icons are available. You can also put up a more elaborate sign or icon next to your LED sign if you really want to do something intricate.
Make Your Message Readable
It’s easy to get so excited about a clever message that you forget to check whether anyone will be able to read it. Make sure that you choose characters of a size that someone standing 100 feet away can clearly read. At the same time, make sure you use just the right amount of words. If you have a lot of icons on your sign, remember that this will limit the words you can use. There should be no more than five words of text on any line, and it should be possible for anyone to read it in just a few seconds. What is the speed limit on the road outside your school? Your sign will need to be readable to someone driving along at that speed.
Get Creative
A witty sign can really get attention. In fact, a funny or witty sign says something about your school. Something positive. Just make sure that your funny message is not so large that it obscures the name of your school! For schools in particular never put anything obscene, controversial, or risqué on an outdoor LED school sign.
Use Color and Special Effects Smartly
Color is great and you should not be afraid of it. However, you should never have more than three alternating colors on any outdoor LED school sign. Any more than this will simply overwhelm the viewer. One of the great things about marquee signs for schools is the ability to use special effects. Your text can blink, flash, drop down from above or rise up from the bottom. These are great attention-getting devices, but remember that you can completely overwhelm your viewer but putting in too many. Choose just one special effect and use it only for the most important part.
Your sign is a great way to get attention and raise awareness for your school. It’s also something let can bring students, teachers, parents, and all the staff together. It says something about your school and its values. Make sure your school is saying the right things.
