When you are a business owner, you spend a great amount of time in your business’s physical space. You are deeply aware of every aspect of the company, so it can be difficult to step back and truly evaluate if your business’s signage is a benefit to you or not. Your built environment is crucial to your consumers overall experience, so ensuring that your signage is innovative, accessible and inclusive helps contribute to your overall success.
When you begin to analyze your business’s built environment and associated signage needs, begin by asking yourself the following questions.
“If I walked into this building for the first time, would I understand how to navigate the space?”
One of the best ways to evaluate if your signage is effective or not is to assess the space as if you have never been there. By approaching your environment in this way, it can enlighten you to where you may need to place additional wayfinding or explanations. We also recommend multiple people practicing this in your building to understand multiple perspectives and experiences.
“Is my signage ADA-compliant?”
Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is important to ensure that your business is accessible for individuals of all ability levels. The ADA establishes guidelines for accessible signage such as requirements for Braille lettering, color contrasts, distance between placements and more. The ADA is more comprehensive than just signage, and exploring all ADA regulations can help improve the overall functionality of your business.
“Do I provide different ways for consumers who may have unique accessibility needs to interact with my business?”
When analyzing how effective your business’s signage is, evaluating every way that consumers may need to interact with it is crucial for inclusivity. By considering a wide range of physical and mental disabilities, you can ensure that you are providing the best experience for all people in your built environment. Consulting others in this exercise is beneficial for broadening your personal experience and understanding of the space.
“Does my signage reflect my brand?”
Branding consists of more than your logo and visual presence, it expands to the user experience of those interacting with your business. Not only is it important to incorporate your brand’s aesthetic into your signage, but also consider the overall value and functionality that your signage provides to those who may be navigating your built environment.
“When was the last time I analyzed my physical space?”
If you are an established business, it may have been years since you truly analyzed your space. Doing this will help you consider any accessibility concerns, and it helps you understand if there are opportunities for improvement when it comes to your signage. Have you undergone a rebrand? How is your signage weathering the years? Does your wayfinding strategy make sense in the eyes of a consumer? Asking yourself questions like this will allow you to utilize signage as a tool as your business grows and evolves.
Here at Acorn, we partner with our clients to be your brand stewards in built environments. We provide in-depth consultations and ongoing communication throughout all of our projects, and our Account Managers excel at ensuring that our clients needs are being met and exceeded. To read more about our capabilities or to ask us any questions you may have, visit us at https://acornsign.com/capabilities/.