Summer in Wisconsin is short, and it’s almost here. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, families making the most of the Midwest’s brief warm temperatures will flock to popular Wisconsin waterpark and watersport destinations, including the Wisconsin Dells and Madison Area Lakes.
If your business depends on a piece of Wisconsin’s $20 billion in annual tourism revenue generated by over 110 million visitors, you definitely aren’t alone. The Waterpark Capital of the World, Wisconsin Dells, has over 400 businesses including more than 100 attractions, 9,000 hotel rooms and 19 campgrounds – all located in less than 20 square miles.
As an affordable yet effective form of advertising, signage is a huge part of the Tourism industry’s marketing strategy. Vacation destinations like Wisconsin Dells are saturated with signage, advertising adventures like waterparks and escape rooms, restaurants, lodging, and entertainment, begging the question:
Use these 5 guidelines and tools when creating your signs and displays.
Make it Easy to Read – A good rule of thumb when it comes to the visibility and legibility of your sign is to use as few words as possible to get your message across – less than 15 if possible. Also, make sure not to use conflicting or elaborate fonts, and no more than two different kinds. Remember, people driving past your sign will only have a few seconds to read and understand it, so less is definitely more.
Skip the Clutter – Clean lines and plenty of clear space in your design will help it get noticed and easily understood. For optimum legibility, 30-40 percent of the sign should be empty space. Helpful hint: Placing a simple border around the outside of the sign could increase reading speed by nearly 25%.
Use Graphics – Whether it’s your logo, a photo, or strategic use of shapes, a graphic on your sign is a great way to add appeal and differentiate from text-only displays. Shapes, even when hidden within your design can elicit emotions from readers. For example, rounded edges give a soft and approachable feel, while sharp lines convey strength and presence.
Contrast your Colors – Not only does color directly impact how your brand is received (click here to read more about Strategic Use of Color), but it is also hugely important for visibility. The greater the contrast, the easier your sign will be to read, and from a greater distance. Good application of contrast would be to mix colors like black or dark gray with yellows, whites, and oranges, and greens and blues with whites and yellows. As always, focus your color contrasting on your main message, rather than around the border of your sign or supporting graphics.
Location Always Matters – No matter how easy your sign is to read or how thoughtfully you’ve selected your graphics and color, none of it matters unless your sign can be seen. It is crucial that people can read your sign from all possible angles. Make sure to have your sign high enough so that it can be seen from below, but not too high to be blocked by vehicle roofs or windows. It’s also important to consider whether you want to place it on a building, a vehicle, outside your business, or in a yard to achieve maximum impact
