How Big Can My Sign Be?

Selecting an LED sign to communicate your sales, hours, advertise, or whatever your purpose can be an exciting time for your organization. Signs for any town or city involves a number of decisions, however, so here are some notions to consider while thinking about your sign.

1. How far away from the street or roadway will your sign be placed? Developing a message is sort of like going to the optometrist; “Can you see this? How about now?” A rule of thumb is text size should be 1-inch tall for every 10-ft of distance from the sign. Thus, at 40-feet text should be about 4-inches tall. City streets are about 10-feet wide, so a 5-lane road (4-lanes plus a turn lane) is about 50-feet wide. A sign with 4-inch letters should be visible from across the street.
2. How fast is traffic around your anticipated sign? For foot-traffic and slow neighborhood traffic any sign size will most likely work. Signs will need to be high-resolution for traffic at slower speeds. The speedier the traffic, the larger your sign might be, however you won’t need as high of resolution.
3. What types of messages do you plan on creating? If the intent is simple, short messages, then sign size can be smaller. Maybe only a single line of text is required, or perhaps two lines. However, consider how your needs may grow over time. Simple text may seem fine for today. Next month or next year, flashy color graphics or motion video may be desired. Then, a larger sign will be necessary. Think about how your business will grow.
4. Check with your county or city planning department. Many communities dictate sign dimensions, placement, and may require inspection, filing of sign plans, and the purchase of sign permits. Make sure to check with your local community for special rules governing signage.
5. Where do you plan on installing your sign? Signs can be installed or mounted in a variety of locations. Stone or brick-style monuments can support signs of most any weight or dimension. Signs mounted on a pole or storefront may need the expertise of an engineer to ensure the structure can support both the sign and mounting equipment.

These concerns are a few of the technicalities associated with any sign and an LED sign is no different. Our staff at Numeritex is well-versed in all of these considerations and would be happy to help you select a sign to meet your unique requirements. Give us a call today!