Custom Signs in 1393

Signs are the oldest, most proven way to keep your business on the front burner"

As a business manager you want your company to be on the front burner of your customers' minds. You most likely accomplish this through several avenues such as advertising, sales calls, public relations, and hopefully custom signage.

Signs are one of the oldest methods for advertising businesses. In fact, King Richard II enacted a law in 1393 requiring that all alehouses hung a custom sign outside so that others could recognize them as establishments that sold ale. These signs actually enabled the Ale Tasters (inspectors) to find the ales that needed testing. As a Chef, at least of Signs, I think that sounds like a pretty intriguing job. These aren't the oldest signs, but to me they are quite relevant to the Low Country.

Here in Charleston, one of the oldest English settlements in the United States, history is repeating itself, much like a Chef will make a recipe over and over if it sells well at a restaurant. If you walk down the streets of Charleston you'll see signs that still remain today, such as the signs at the corner of Ashley Avenue and Spring Street - "FOR GOOD SPORTS. KRUEGER BEER AND ALE," and "ASHLEY CREAM."

Although the technology behind the signs has changed a great deal, the core ingredients from hundreds of years ago are still the same today. As people are passing by your place of business, you want them to:

1. Recognize that your business is there
2. Easily be able to identify what you do
3. Remember this information even if they do not stop right at that moment

I liken this to thumbing through a cookbook. Wouldn't you rather stop and make a yummy-sounding recipe with a nice picture than one with an ordinary name and without an idea what it'll look like when you are done?

Designing a sign that does all this is not as difficult as it may sound. One of the benefits of custom signs having been around so long is that the art of signage can actually be broken down into a recipe for successful signs.

The basics are:

• Color
• Lettering
• Image
• Size
• Placement
• Material

Fortunately for you, I will continue sharing the secret family recipes for signs in future columns. But until then, remember that you want to be on the front burner of your customers' minds, and by having the right custom sign out in front of your business establishment, you'll be able to do just that.

To learn more about custom signs, Ms. Klein invites you to check out TheSignChef.com, where "Flawless Sign Recipes are Guaranteed." TheSignChef is constantly developing free-to-use sign design software, custom sign decision-making tools, and How-To videos to make your sign buying experience efficient and your new custom signs effective.