Quite often you will see a beautiful home, architecturally designed with love and thought, topped off with a cheap letterbox.
The same neglect is common in hospitality and retail design.
The humble sandwich board is also overlooked in the design stage but perhaps one of the most important elements, after all, it's the first thing your customers see.
Think of your store's A-Frame sign as a staff member, standing on the street and bringing customers from the street into your store.
Here are a few things to think about when choosing your street sign.
This sign has good vibes and welcomes the customers into the cafe well
Message
Writing a custom message on your sign is a great way to rally customers into your store. It could be a fun message to crack a smile when people walk past, relatable messages and funny quotes even encourage people to post a photo on their social media, so it is always a good idea to have your cafe or store logo on your footpath sign.
A common problem is that staff at your store will all have a range of handwriting styles, some neat and some terrible. It is important to have a system where you do not rely upon the ability of your staff to the message on your A-frame sign look good.
There are a few different ways to write your message;
Magnetic Letters are quick, easy. Your sandwich board may need changing everyday so it is important it is fast. Our A-frame board now comes with a magnetic faceplate and you can use our baker menu letters to convey your message.
Chalk is a classic and sparks a bit of nostalgia inside everyone, a refreshing contrast to the perfect digital world. However, this still leaves you with the inconsistent handwriting issue. We have created a stencil with our Market Chalkboard which can be used by anyone to get a clean look.
George & Willy Chalkboard Stencil
Changeable Letter Tiles are another option - We are currently designing an A-frame sign which supports this style. There are some options currently out there but they are not very nice
Jane Motorcycles Brooklyn, a light-hearted message
Felt Letters are also a great option for your store sign. We are also currently designing a felt letter street sign. Everyone loves a Feltboard!
Wind
Wind is something to keep in mind, you don't want your A-Frame sign falling over and making a loud bang, giving your customers a fright and scratching your sign. If you do like in a high wind area there are a few ways to combat the wind and protect your sign.
You can drill a hole with a concrete drill into the footpath and screw in a very low profile bolt to clip the sign to - just make sure people will not trip up on your bolt.
We offer these sandbags to help stabilise your footpath sign in mild wind areas.
Carry
Taking your sign outside at the start of each day and in at the end is a task your staff will be doing. It is important to make this a simple task. There are three things to consider here; weight, ergonomics and storage.
This Ch. Freestanding sign has character but does not seem functional for wind, carrying or storage.
You want the sign for your cafe, restaurant or store to be nice and light so anyone can carry them with ease. At George & Willy we make most of our street boards out of aluminum, this makes them half the weight of steel and ensures they will never rust.
It is important to have a good carry handle on all sandwich boards.
Foldability is also a nice bonus, so the A-frame Sign can be stored nicely in your cafe when you are not using it.
Character
You could buy a standard board from Amazon, if your want to be a standard outfit. We believe it is the details which make a space great. At George & Willy we make signage for stores and cafes fun with creative designs to catch your customers attention.
The Merchant sign is a good example of a characteristic A-frame sign which has been sold to over 70 countries around the world.
We will also soon be offering a lower version of the Standing Sign which is a cool options for stores with a circular logo.
Our range of A-frame signs have become very popular for cafes, restaurants and bars around the world. If you have any questions, concerns or ideas please send us an email - signage for business is our passion and we would love to help.