5 Sign Design Tips That Actually Get Noticed
You have about three seconds. That’s how long a driver has to read your sign as they pass by. A well-designed sign communicates your message in that window. A cluttered one gets ignored. Here’s what works.
1. Keep Text to a Minimum
The biggest mistake on portable signs is trying to say too much. A sign is not a brochure. It’s a billboard. You get one message.
Good: “Pizza by the Slice — Open ‘til Midnight” Bad: “Welcome to Mario’s Authentic Italian Kitchen! We serve pizza, pasta, salads, and desserts. Family-owned since 2019. Dine-in, takeout, and delivery available. Visit us at 123 Main Street.”
Aim for 7 words or fewer on your main message. Add a phone number or website below that. Done.
2. Use High-Contrast Colors
Your sign needs to be readable from 30+ meters away, often through a windshield. That means high contrast between text and background.
Best combinations:
- Dark text on white or yellow background
- White text on dark blue, black, or dark green background
- Black text on bright orange or yellow
Avoid: Light text on light backgrounds, red text on dark backgrounds, or any combination where the text blends into the background in direct sunlight.
Your brand colors matter, but readability matters more. If your brand palette doesn’t have enough contrast, use your brand colors as accents and keep the core message in a high-contrast combination.
3. Make the Phone Number Huge
If your sign generates a phone call, it worked. Make the phone number the second-largest element on the sign, right after your main message. It should be readable from a car.
Same goes for a website URL — but keep it short. “onepointsolutions.com” works. “www.onepointsolutions.com/contact-us-today” does not.
4. One Message Per Sign
Don’t try to advertise your lunch special, your new hours, and your hiring needs all on one sign. Pick the one thing that will drive the most business right now.
If you need to communicate multiple messages, rotate them. With a portable sign from OnePoint, panel swaps are included. Run your “Grand Opening” message for the first month, then switch to “Daily Specials” or “Now Hiring” when the time is right.
5. Use Your Location to Your Advantage
A sign isn’t just about what it says. It’s about where people see it.
Face the traffic. Orient your sign toward the direction most cars approach from. A double-sided sign covers both directions.
Don’t compete with clutter. If your storefront is in a busy strip mall with ten other signs, put your portable sign at the entrance to the parking lot where it’s the first thing drivers see.
Consider the speed of traffic. On a 60 km/h road, text needs to be larger and simpler than on a street where cars are crawling through a parking lot.
The Design Process at OnePoint
When you rent a sign from us, we handle the design. We’ve made hundreds of sign panels and we know what gets results in Edmonton. You tell us your message, we create a proof, you approve it. If it doesn’t look right, we revise until it does.
We also tell you if your message is too long, your colors won’t work at distance, or your layout needs adjusting. We want your sign to perform, not just look good on a screen.
Need a sign that gets noticed? Contact OnePoint Solutions — $149/month, free design, no contracts.