Adding Your Business Name to an Awning: Tips for Success

An awning helps to shade the entryway of your business, and it provides a bit of rain cover for your customers. However, those are not the only functions of an awning—you can also use it to hold your company's name and logo. To guide you through this process, here are several tips:

1. Consider the size of letters you need when choosing the shape of your awning.

There are many different shapes of awnings, and when choosing your awning, you need to consider the shape that works the best with your building, but you also have to consider which type of awning offers the space you need for your letters.

For example, you can buy awnings that have one piece that extends perpendicular from your building and another piece that hangs down at a right angle. These signs typically host words along the part of the awning that hangs down. Alternatively, you can opt for awnings that make an acute angle with your building and host the words on the slanted part of the awning. In addition to these two shapes, there are several other possible shapes you can choose. When looking at awnings, make sure that the awning offers enough room for your letters.

To determine how large your letters need to be, think about where potential customers will be standing when they read the sign on your awning. Will they be across the street? Will they see your awning from down the block? Figure out where the majority of your customers will be when they read your sign, and use that location to determine how large your letters should be.

As a rule of thumb, your letters should be one inch tall for every ten feet of visibility you want. This means that if you want your sign visible from across the road, you should estimate that distance. Then, plan your letters accordingly. For example, if the sidewalk across the street is 50 feet from your awning, your letters need to be at least five inches high. Ergo, your awning needs to have a spot that can easily accommodate five inch tall letters.

2. Choose contrasting colors.

Once you've decided on the shape of your awning and the size of your letters, it's time to consider colors. Your awning can be any color you like, and ideally, you should choose a color that compliments the exterior of your building.

The color of your letters should be the color that will pop up the most effectively from your awning. Simply choose the color that is opposite your awning color on the color wheel. For example, if your awning is red, green letters will be the most visible. Alternatively, white letters show up well against most colorful backgrounds.

3. Select your printing method based on how often your awning is going to be handled.

There are several different ways to print letters onto awnings, and the type of printing you select should be based on how often your awning is going to be handled. If you plan to put up your awning and leave it in place indefinitely, you should choose solvent inkjet or UV-curable printing. These processes involve inks that resist fading from the sun, and these inks last for two to five years on most awnings. However, if you are going to be handling your awning often, you may want to avoid these two types of ink as they can be easily scratched.

Instead, if you plan to put your awning up and take it down on a regular basis, you need to opt for inks that can handle a lot of human contact. In these cases, talk with the awning salesperson about dye sublimation. This process embeds ink into the fibers of the awning. These inks don't last as long as solvent or UV-curable inks, but they stand up to handling better.

For more tips on adding your business name or logo to an awning, contact an awning salesperson from a company like Hightech Signs. They can help you select the best awning shape, determine how tall your letters need to be, and help you select inks and colors.


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