THE BSGA SIGN BUYERS GUIDE

The very first thing most prospective customers see of your business is its sign.

Your sign does two things. It acts as a beacon, guiding the customer or visitor to the right location and, more importantly, it delivers a message about the business to potential customers.

Get it wrong and it will convey the wrong message, which it turn will discourage customer from buying your product or service. However, if you get it right, signage can be a powerful marketing tool which will attract customers and generate profits. The importance of well designed signage as part of your overall marketing strategy can not be overstated.

The question is how do you get it right?

In finding the answer you will need to consider a number of factors. Deciding, which is the right type of sign for your business, finding a signmaker to make it; the materials used to construct the sign not to mention planning applications.

The BSGA Sign Buyers guide is designed to help you navigate your way through this process with the aim of getting you the right signage for your business; signs which contribute to its success and maximise profits.

The final section of the guide is an image gallery. The photographs in the gallery have been selected to illustrate the wide range of sign types and systems available. A number of the signs are award winning designs, from both large and small signmakers, which show what can be achieved with creativity and good design. They range from large rebranding projects to one-off bespoke designs produced using traditional materials and methods.

To compliment the Sign Buyers Guide we have included a number of journal articles, which expand on the concepts and themes outlined in the guide. These can be downloaded using the link at the bottom of this page. The various articles, commissioned by the BSGA were written by a number of industry experts and appeared in trade journals such as The Retailer, Health Business, Education Business and Museum & Heritage.

A number of other useful documents, referred to within the pages of the guide, which cover in more detail subjects such as planning regulations can also be downloaded using the following links:

DCLG – Outdoor advertisements and signs: a guide for advertisers
BSGA – Technical Guideline K1: The Control of Advertisements Regulations
BSGA – Technical Guideline A3: Glossary of Terms
BSGA – Technical Guideline C3: The Sign Function – Concepts and Types
BSGA – Code of Conduct and Obligations of Membership