8 Company Branding Problems Easily Solved By Signs

Written by: Fargo Inc

Photos provided by Office Sign Company

So, you’re having a brand identity crisis. Your company’s blue-and-gold logo is thwarted by the dull walls in your new rental space, your employees are wearing “Hello, My Name Is [scribble in name]” stickers to corporate outings and your company’s vibrant culture is lost behind bland doors.

Take a few breaths and relax.

The beauty of any brand crisis is it can be treated. All it takes is a little attention. Not every company requires a high-premium agency to be handling their design, just a few brand warriors who are committed to maintaining the visual integrity of their business.

One of the easiest ways to begin solidifying your company’s brand is through the implementation of signage.

Signs of all sizes and all price levels can work together to help create the image your brand wishes to portray, and in effect, can solve a variety of problems your business is facing. Although the process of branding your workplace through signage and print materials may seem a bit overwhelming, don’t worry.

We’re here to discuss eight of the most relatable company branding problems that can be solved by signs.

1. People ask your employees where they work when at community events.

Solution: Name Badges

Netflix Office Sign Company
Name badges Office Sign Company made for Netflix

Although a name badge isn’t the first thing you think of when you hear the term “sign,” I’ve always lovingly referred to name badges as wearable signage. These tiny signs with metal or pin backers are essential sign items for one reason: their mobile. Rather than needing individuals to enter your office to view your brand, you can proudly represent your company’s brand on your clothing with this sign.

From FMWF Chamber events to Rotary Club, 1 Million Cups and more, you can wear your badge around the community and help market/brand your business to every person who sees you. It’s the perfect, inexpensive sign option for branding.

2. Your company’s windows are bare.

Solution: Window Vinyl

window vinyl Abovo
Window vinyl Office Sign Company made for Abovo

An inexpensive option: window vinyl. It’s the perfect way to put your logo on any glass surface inside or outside your building. There are near infinite options when it comes to color, size and layout with window vinyl.

Businesses can also appreciate the ease of application and the price. Budget-conscious companies who are looking to brand their business should definitely consider window vinyl. Just note, if the windows you select to put vinyl on are exposed to a lot of sunlight, the longevity of vinyl may be at risk. Please consult your local sign experts before moving forward.

3. Customers are having trouble finding you.

Solution: Exterior Building Signs

Boulger Funeral Home Office Sign Company
Exterior illuminated sign Office Sign Company made for Boulger Funeral Home

Often times the priciest way to brand your office, exterior building signs are very large in size and quite laborious to install. But they make a lasting impressing on passersby. Most necessary for folks whose offices are on busy roads in town, every person who walks or drives past your building can be introduced to your company’s brand by viewing the signs on the exterior of your facility.

For this reason, you should highly consider unique ways to brand your business, such as illuminating the sign with LED lighting, tying in a variety of colors, having multi-dimensional effects, etc. Usually, the best practice when your business is first moving into a new building or going through a rebrand is to make sure to carve out some room in your budget to devote to your exterior sign.

4. Customers walk in and ask, “Is this [insert company’s name]?”

Solution: Dimensional Lobby Signs

Dimensional Lobby Signs Office Sign Company
Dimensional lobby signage Office Sign Company made for Altaire Medical Spa

You’d like to think your business stands out from competitors, right? Well, then your signs should stand out, too, literally. Putting some dimensional lettering on your lobby wall is a great way to be loud and proud about your brand, and introduce visitors to your logo and color pallet as soon as they enter the office.

With a variety of material options (metal, acrylic, PVC and more), you’ll have no trouble finding the perfect lobby sign that fits your creative direction and your budget.

Oh, and you can also choose the amount of “dimension” (depth) you want to employ. Some of the most common examples are ¼ inch thick letters, ½ inch thick letters and 1 inch thick letters. We trust that you’ll make the right call for your workplace.

5. Customers and employees don’t know whose office is whose.

Solution: Wall/Door Name Plates

FM Area Foundation Office Sign Company
Wall nameplates Office Sign Company made for FM Area Foundation

Pending how many employees are in your building, this can be a bit of a pricey endeavor. However, I can assure you that there is virtually no better way to ingrain your brand in the minds of your employees and those who visit their offices than incorporating brand elements on your walls or door nameplates.

Not being confined to ADA compliance guidelines when placing signs by employee’s offices, you have a beautiful opportunity to show your creativity by implementing some truly unique nameplates for your office. Although I’d love to tell you you’ll never lose an employee, a wise practice is to tie in a removable insert slot for the name portion of the sign.

6. Your office signs don’t reflect your company’s culture.

Solution: Writeable Signs

Hours of Operation Signs Office Sign Company
A writeable name sign Office Sign Company made for TrinSpin

Want to truly show the character of your business and its employees? Leave a portion of your signs open to editing.

Tying in a chalkboard, dry-erase board or magnetic elements to your signs is a great way to display your brand, while also showing off a little bit of personality from those who represent it.

Although writeable signs are most commonly used for entering employees’ names, you can also use them as menus in break rooms, welcome signs in your lobby or as ideas wall for employees to display creative suggestions for your business. For optimal branding effects, make sure to have your company’s logo engraved or printed on the sign, too.

7. Your hours of operation sign lacks pizzazz.

Solution: Decorative Hours Of Operation Signs

Decorative Signage Office Sign Company
Hours of operation sign Office Sign Company made for Twenty Below Coffee

One of the best opportunities to get your brand in front of the eyes of potential customers is to incorporate it on your hours of operation signage.

Why?

Don’t act like you haven’t been caught driving slowly by windows or peering into offices trying to figure out if a store or restaurant is open. We’ve all been there. As a business person, on the receiving end of that quasi-stalking, you have a perfect opportunity to get your logo and brand elements incorporated on a creative hours of operation sign. It’ll both serve to inform your potential patrons on when they can enter your facility, as well as educate them on what your brand identity looks like. It’s a win-win scenario.

8. Your company’s walls are bland.

Solution: Decorative Signage

Office Sign Company Decorative Signage
A decorative sign set Office Sign Company made for City of Fargo

I always tell people there are two main reasons for signage: (a) to inform, and (b) to show off. Informative signage includes wayfinding signs that direct you to where you need to be in an office, name plates and desk signs that inform you on who you’re speaking with, building signs that inform people that they are at the right location, and the like. Signs for showing off are simply used to spread your brand throughout the office.

And believe it or not, both serve a vital function in your building.

The decorative signs are instrumental in helping solidify your company’s brand by putting your logo in big bold letters all over your office. It implements color schemes, imagery and text that meshes with your brand to help create the ultimate visual representation of who you are.

 

Fargo Office Sign Company
Fargo INC! partnered with Office Sign Company in Downtown Fargo to provide creative ideas on how to tie branding in with your company’s signs. Each of the above office signs were designed by Office Sign Company. Reach out to Marketing Manager Jack Yakowicz at [email protected] or call 701-526-3835 to start branding your business through signage today.

officesigncompany.com
310 NP Ave. N, Fargo
Store Hours: Mon. – Fri.  8 a.m. –  5:30 p.m.

(701) 526-3835
[email protected]

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Brady Drake is the editor of Fargo INC!