Seattle restaurants and food trucks need attractive and memorable signage to promote the business and drive repeat customers. There are many different types of signs that will allow you to differentiate your business from your competitors.
If you’re the DIY type and like to design your own signs, there are several things you can do to ensure they make as big of an impact as possible. Read on to learn more about the six essential signage design elements for your Seattle food truck or restaurant.
Keep it Simple
No matter the type of restaurant or food truck sign that you’re designing, try to keep the overall design as simple as possible. While it’s very tempting to cram as much in there as possible, you’ll only confuse the person reading it.
Signs are not restaurant menus—their purpose is to convey information as quickly and efficiently as possible. Nobody is going to take the time to sit there and decipher an overly complex design.
Short and crisp messages are highly effective.
Use Correct Contrast
Contrast serves two main purposes. For starters, it allows people from far away to make out what the sign says. It also helps older people and those with visual impairments to more easily read your sign.
In fact, the Americans with Disabilities Act prescribes the usage of high-contrast signs to help those with disabilities. If you’re unsure what signage you need to comply with the ADA Act, contact the experts at McNamara Signs in Seattle. We’ll be more than happy to help.
To add the proper contrast to your sign design, use a dark-colored background and light-colored text. Alternatively, you can use a light-colored background and dark-colored text.
High-Resolution Graphics & Images
If you plan on adding images or graphics to your design, make sure that they’re as high-resolution as possible. What looks good on your computer monitor screen will not translate very well into real-life physical signage.
For example, .jpg is a common image format found on the web. These types of images often have a very low resolution to ensure quick website loading times. Consider using higher resolution image types, such as .AI or .PSD.
Take into consideration the types of images that you’re using as well. Let’s say that you operate a food truck that sells lobster burritos. Try to avoid using images that look like they’re straight out of a 1980s magazine.
Instead, hire a professional photographer and have them take pictures of your actual burritos. Hanging a mouth-watering picture on your food truck will help increase your sales tremendously.
Consider Your Environment
Take into consideration the ambiance of your restaurant when designing your sign. For example, if you have an intimate decor with low lighting, dark-colored walls, and table cloths, you might want to design a sign with colors that are slightly brighter.
The same advice goes for outdoor signs as well. If there are a lot of bushes, trees, and other assorted greenery, consider using colors that visually contrast with the green colors. Window graphics work extremely well in these situations.
Use the Right Font
Avoid the temptation to use overly fancy fonts. You often see this phenomenon in upscale restaurants. However, it’s challenging for someone to visually decipher a complicated font. If your company branding mandates a complex font, consider opting for a partial or full rebranding.
Common fonts that work extremely well for restaurants and food trucks are Helvetica, Verdana, and Arial. They’re easy to read and won’t take away from the rest of your sign design. Older people and those with disabilities might also have a hard time reading a complex font. In short, keep it simple and leave the fancy stuff to your kitchen chefs!
Keep Things Consistent
Consistency is key to ensuring your signs make the biggest impact possible. For starters, make sure that they all adhere to your branding. If your company colors are green and white—avoid designing a sign with red and black colors. It will make it seem out of place.
If you’re designing more than one sign, make sure that the colors and design are consistent from one sign to another. Otherwise, it will only wind up confusing people on a subconscious level. Finally, make sure that the design of your outdoor signs matches up well with your indoor ones.
Restaurant and Food Truck Signage in Seattle
If you’re having difficulty designing your own restaurant or food truck signs, or would like someone else to handle that highly important task, contact the experts at McNamara Signs.
We’ll create the perfect design and sign that will help keep your brand consistent and work to drive new traffic through your front doors. To learn more about how we can help, give us a call at (206) 284-0809 or contact us via our website.