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
Giving your brand a visual boost doesn’t have to be an afterthought. Whether you’re hosting an event, promoting a product in a retail space, or dressing up the office walls, branding with signage is a must when creating a visual presence for your business.
When it comes to marketing your brand with custom signage, there are several substrate options to consider. What kind of signage material do you want to use (there are many)? What size signage will be most effective in the space you have to work with? Will your sign be mounted or displayed in a stand? And, is your signage for indoor or outdoor use? How do you choose?
To make the decision a little bit easier, we’ve included a breakdown of some of the most common signage materials (substrates) used in today’s business marketing signage.
Perfect for: A great way to convey messages, promote an event, or educate your audience.
Details: A wide range of stocks, semi-gloss to gloss along with many weights depending on use.
Perfect for: A economical way to showcase your conference or promote a product.
Details: Is lightweight, and great option for a one-time use. Can dent easily.
Perfect for: Use in your sidewalk signs or for outdoor events/ directional messages.
Details: Corrugated plastic is a weather-resistant board making it a great material for outside use.
Perfect for: Excellent for retail signage, menu boards, and conferences.
Details: Is lightweight and has a smooth surface. It is also a rigid foam. comes in a couple thicknesses.
Perfect for: Great for getting your message across in a big way. Incorporate bold and colorful image for a grand opening, promotion, special events, or even warehouses or lobbies.
Details: Can be used indoor and Outdoor. Durable weather-resistant vinyl.
Perfect for: Great when used for outdoor parking signs or building signs.
Details: Are half the weight of solid aluminum and have excellent durability in outdoor applications.
Perfect for: The perfect fit for any lobby and/or interior building signage.
Details: Many sizes and options for printing i.e. white, transparent, frosted or in color.
It’s good to learn and know the basic qualities of popular materials before you have your sign made. The signage material you choose could determine how long your sign will last and look in your space, so choose wisely. Material matters!
It’s time to take your event signage to the next level! You know you really need to stand out at the upcoming expo, but where do you start? Should you give your tradeshow booth a complete overhaul or simply invest in one specialty item?
If you’ve been to a tradeshow or two, you’re familiar with the rows of cookie-cutter booths that are just OK. But every now and then you see that booth. The one that makes you stop and want to learn more. Think about what made that booth unique. How did it grab your attention? Was it the bright colors, the imagery, or the booth itself? If you’re not paying attention to some of these details for your booth, there’s a big chance your potential customer will walk on by.
What does it take to make your tradeshow booth stand out?
Tip 1– Invest in your booth Tradeshows are a big investment, and if you’re looking to make an impact, spend your dollars on a quality booth! You’ll want to think of this as an investment in your brand and its image. Decide on a unique display and a smart design that you’ll be able to reuse for many events down the road.
Tip 2– Top-notch print collateral We’ve all been there, scoping out our competitor’s fancy booth and perfectly branded print brochures and flyers. You and your sales team should be proud of what you’re handing out to potential customers. This is an important piece of your brand! Most people won’t make a decision right then and there, but hopefully they’ll look at your brochure later and it will remind them of the benefits of your business. This is all the more reason to make sure your print game is strong!
Tip 3– Professional design This one speaks for itself. Always use a professional graphic designer. They are worth the investment for a great design and keeping your brand looking its best! Impactful imagery speaks volumes about your brand. Just think about the three Cs: creative design, clear message, and color.
Additional ideas to engage your audience beyond print.
The additional tips below are definitely areas that you likely already do, but if you put a little strategy behind your effort this will also help you create engagement before and after the show!
Giveaways It’s important to think strategically about what you’ll be giving away at your booth. You will have to purchase quite a few items, so you’ll want to make sure you’re getting your best ROI. You might consider spending a bit more on a product that will continue to promote your brand after the tradeshow. Consider a canvas tote bag that your customer might use for groceries, or maybe a water bottle with your logo. Be sure to add a creative tagline to catch people’s attention. Always look for a quality product that people will want to use over and over again, and not just push to the side.
Social media By now I’m sure you know how beneficial it can be to tie in your event with your social platforms. You have three prime opportunities to connect with your audience—before, during, and after the show. Before the show is a great time to get your existing and potential customers excited to see you, do lots of self-promotion, and let your audience know what’s in it for them! During the show, take pictures, post to social networks, and show them what they’re missing! Then after the show, share pictures and takeaways and encourage people to reach out if they weren’t able to attend. Share your experience!
We all want our brand to stand out, but if you can do just one thing, invest in your booth! This is the first glimpse of your brand that people will see. Anything you can do to make an impact and set your brand apart is totally worth it!
It’s the international meeting place for all things dairy! You’ll find the best dairy cattle breeds in the world, cutting edge research, and modern technologies. And of course, don’t forget to check out demonstrations and seminars on trending topics at this year’s World Dairy Expo in Madison, WI.
We are always excited to be a part of such a great event and able to work with many of the respected world dairy exhibitors. We enjoy helping them with creative design, printing of tradeshow booths, to retractable banners and marketing collateral. (more…)
Want to make an impact with your customers and get your message across? Signs can be, and should be an essential component to your organization’s overall marketing strategy. Whether you’re looking to get noticed at your next big event, conference or looking to promote your brand, signage is a great way to bring those ideas and your brand to life!
Below are a few great ways signage can be used indoors and out.
Indoor
Outdoor
The possibilities are really endless when looking at how signs can work for you and your organization.
So why should you use signage?!
1) Signs are impressive! They will attract the attention of potential and existing customers. They will also attract attention to your promotions or information you have to share.
2) Signs help to create and keep your brand image.
3) Signs are Cost Effective! You can leave signs up for a period of time, or print often whichever you prefer.
Just think of it this way, signs serve as a primary link between a business and its customers, they are always on the job! They advertise for you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So it’s time to make signage work for you, think outside the box and get noticed.
Need help discovering which type of signage would best work for you and your organization, we can help you with everything from banners to creative design solutions!
