Shopfront signs that retailers generally require can be broken down into 3 main categories:
- Awning fascias
- Under-awning signs
- Window graphics
Some retailers also request signs to be placed above awnings to attract attention from further away.
Awning Fascias: generally made out of colorbond or Aluminium Composite Panel (ACM). A good way to clad the awning is to bend the material top and bottom so it wraps around the awning face. This looks better and ensures the fixings are top and bottom, and not through the face of the sign. Vinyl lettering and graphics are placed on the face of the panels. If your awning is exposed to a lot of direct sunlight, a UV laminate can be placed on top of the vinyl, however you can still expect more than 5 years before the vinyl starts to fade.
Under-awning signs: 99% of these are double-sided lightboxes that illuminate at night. Lightboxes can be a few different styles, the most common being an aluminium extrusion with two opal acrylic panels and vinyl or digital prints to the face of the panels. Another option is a fabricated lightbox using aluminium with the lettering and/or logo cut out of the the box and opal acrylic pushed through so that only the logo/lettering illuminate.
Window graphics: trading hours, store promotions and graphics on the window are used to attract customers into the store and provide them with important information. Two common options here are vinyl lettering or digital prints. If you dont want to block sunlight from coming into your store, you have the option of printing onto optically clear film or one-way vision so you can see out from inside the store.