DIY vs Hiring a Professional Sign Company for Your Business

When you’re thinking about getting a new sign for your business, you might be tempted to leave sign companies out of it and just make the sign yourself. After all, there are so many graphic design tools and DIY printing services out there these days – how hard could it be?

As you’ll soon find out, the issue is much more complicated than it first appears. It may be easier than ever to make your own sign, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get good results that way. It’s worth your while to work with the best sign company you can find, and in this post, we’ll tell you why.

Advantages of Hiring a Custom Sign Company

1. Professional Quality

Your company’s sign plays a major role in shaping your customers’ perceptions of your business. You don’t want to make a bad first impression with a sloppy, damaged, or unattractive sign. Sign companies create signs that meet professional standards and will help you spotlight your business without giving your audience the wrong idea.

2. Expert Branding

Good branding is the key to success. An expertly designed sign will display the colours, fonts, logos, and overall style you want to be associated with your company, creating a link between these design elements and your brand. You can then reinforce this branding with your marketing efforts to show your customers what your business is all about.

3. Unique Signs

You know your business needs to stand apart from the crowd to succeed, so you should never settle for generic signs that look like they could be advertising any other business on your street. A good sign company will make you a sign that is uniquely tailored to your business’ image and needs. It will be impossible to confuse your company’s sign for anyone else’s, and that’s a huge advantage in the business world.

4. Bring Your Vision to Life

Do you have a great idea for a business sign but just don’t know how to make it a reality? A professional sign company can translate your vision into a concrete sign design that looks just like what you’ve been picturing in your head. They’ll also help you fine-tune some aspects of your dream design to ensure that the end result is clear and memorable as well as faithful to your initial concept.

5. Design Inspiration

On the other hand, maybe you have no idea what you want your sign to look like. With professional sign companies on your side, that’s okay! You can tell them what you want your sign to convey from a business standpoint, and they’ll translate that information into an eye-catching sign design that is sure to put your business on the map.

6. Creative Help

Sign companies are happy to take input from their clients, but they can also take the reins on design projects when needed. If you don’t have the time, resources, or creative skills to handle your sign design tasks, these professionals will gladly take the problem off your hands.

7. Sign Consultation

Like all design projects, it’s very rare to come up with the perfect sign design on your first try. If you’re creating your sign on your own, you’ll be stuck reworking your design over and over again until you get it right. A professional sign company will do all this extra work for you. They’ll create a few different mock-ups for you to look at and will always be willing to refine your sign design based on your suggestions.

8. More Materials Options

When you make a sign yourself, you’re limited to using simple materials like paper and cardboard. A professional sign company has the freedom to create many different types of signs. They might use stone, glass, wood, backlit lightboxes, or even neon tubing to achieve the effect you’re looking for. The result is an impressive and durable sign that makes your company look like the competent, trustworthy organization it is.

What Is a Sign Company’s Process?

1. Design Drafting

Before they begin any of the graphic design tasks involved, your sign company will ask you some questions about your business and the sign you want to create. Some topics these questions might cover include:

• Your industry and niche
• Your company’s branding elements, including your company colours, logo, slogan, and other details
• How big you want your sign to be
• Where you want your sign to go

Your sign company will use this information to create several digital mock-ups you can look through.

2. Selecting a Design

Once your sign company has come up with a few different designs for you to review, you’ll be asked to pick the one you like best. You can speak to representatives during this process to get more insight into some of the design elements they used and which of the designs they think is the most effective.

3. Obtaining Permits

Outdoor signs must comply with your city’s building codes to ensure that they won’t cause any injuries or property damage. Your sign design company in Toronto will tell you which permits you need to put up your sign and show you how to get them. Some may even take care of the entire permit application process for you.

4. Installing the Sign

When all the necessary permits are in place, your sign manufacturer will fabricate your sign using high-quality professional materials. They will then take your sign to your business location and install it with their own team of technicians. These workers know how to properly secure your sign and protect any vulnerable parts of it from the elements. Once they’re done, your sign should be all set to serve as the face of your company for many years to come.

The Cost of DIY

Let’s be honest: the real allure of DIY sign projects is their up-front lower cost. Unfortunately, the truth is that these amateur signs often cost much more in the long run. Here are just a few of the expenses that companies that go the DIY route may end up facing.

Multiple Signs

If you design your own sign and find out after manufacturing it that the design just doesn’t work, you’ll have no choice but to pay for a new sign. This expense could have been avoided by consulting a professional sign company in the first place.

Replacement Signs and Repairs

Sign companies don’t just create beautiful graphic designs for signs. They also decide which materials the sign will be made of. Their expertise allows them to choose materials that suit the conditions the sign will be exposed to every day, dramatically extending their lifespan. Signs you create yourself, on the other hand, just won’t have the same longevity. You’ll need to repair and replace them far more often, costing you more and more money each time it happens.

Lower ROI

There’s a reason that professional design services are worth the cost – they’re tailor-made to make you money! If your sign wasn’t made with established best practices in mind, it won’t generate as much revenue as it could. You want your investment to pay off, so it’s worth sinking a little more money into your sign to get a much greater future return.

Design Your Sign with The Sign & Graphics Manufaktur

Your business deserves a quality sign that you’re proud to show off to the public. Working with a professional sign company to create an incredible investment that will boost your business’ revenue and reputation. The Sign & Graphics Manufaktur is your “sign company near me,” and our team of designers is always ready to help our customers create the perfect sign for their needs. Contact us today and tell us what you want to see in your company sign, and we’ll work with you to make a sign that meets all of your expectations.

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