Naming a business can be critical to a company’s success. Is it memorable? Meaningful? For whatever reason you select a name, the way it’s represented in a sign can be the difference between success and failure too. We’ve talked in other Blogs about size, contrast and color, but really the most important thing is to tell people what you do. For example “KORT Sign Design” is pretty self-explanatory. But what about McDonald’s? If that was a new company, how would you know what they sell?
When McDonald’s first started out they added “Restaurant” or “Hamburgers” under their name to define the business. It was only after years of brand marketing and business growth that they were able to shorten it to just McDonald’s. Same with Domino’s Pizza – after 15 years in business, just this year they shortened it to Domino’s (and are re-doing all their signage).
One of our favorite clients, Gophermods, is an electronics repair shop specializing in mobile devices and gaming consoles. But since that isn’t obvious from the name, they hired us to help call attention to their services via signage. Big window graphics can be seen from quite a distance and certainly clarify what they do. We’re thrilled to have been working with them from the beginning, and are very excited about their rapid growth and success. Their newest store in Eagan, which is pictured above, marks the seventh location. At this rate, in a few years they’ll be a household name like McDonald’s and Domino’s!
By the way, we’re big fans of the McDonald’s commercials that shows a variety messages in the marquee on various pole signs around the country. It’s part of their brand refresh to reinforce their involvement in the communities they serve. The commercials have gotten mixed reviews because some people say they’re taking advantage of bad situations. But we think it’s a nice way to show that they are people too, and affected by the same issues we are all faced with in society today. And it demonstrates how much of an emotional factor signs play in our daily lives. You can see some examples on their Tumbler page.