As you probably already know, yard signs come in lots of different sizes and materials. Signs can come in sizes ranging from 6 inches tall × 24 wide to 4 feet tall x 8 foot wide … and that’s just yard signs. Two of the most common sizes for corrugated plastic lawn signs are 1) 12 inches high x 18 inches wide and 2) 18 inches high x 24 inches wide. Obviously, this does not include the addition of wire stakes. At A.G.E. Graphics, our sturdy wire stakes are 9 inches wide x 24 inches tall allowing you to adjust the height of your sign off of the ground.
So what’s the best size for your yard sign? Below are 4 things to consider when deciding on the size of your signs.
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Message and Design
For your yard sign advertising to be effective, the message must be short. The most effective yard signs include a one or two word offer and a phone number (ie. Credit Repair 123-4567). Your yard sign design should also be free from unnecessary graphics that distract from the message. We believe the best lawn signs include just the message with no graphics at all.
It’s important to keep in mind that you are advertising to people moving relatively quickly past your message. As a general rule, your text should be at least 2 inches tall to be read from 50 feet away standing still. This means that your text should be even larger if you are placing your signs by a road by moving traffic. Therefore, if your message is 2-3 words, a smaller size sign would be sufficient and would allow you to purchase more signs. However, sometimes your message can’t be reduced to 2-3 words and needs to include pertinent information that would clutter a smaller sign. In this case, a larger sign would be more appropriate.
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Sign Locations
The best locations to place your yard signs are intersections on high traffic roads close to your business. This allows stopped traffic time to see and read the message on your sign. If you can place your sign close to the road, an extra-large sign wouldn’t be needed. If you are not fortunate enough to be able to place your signs at high traffic intersections or close to the road, you may want to consider a larger format sign to grab the attention of passing traffic.
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Material
Yard signs are most commonly made with cardboard, plastic bags, or corrugated plastic. Large cardboard and plastic bag signs have a hard time standing up to wind and other damaging weather conditions. We recommend only using corrugated plastic for your yard signs. Yard signs of just about any size printed on A.G.E. Graphic’s heavy duty Econoplast® Corrugated Plastic are strong and will withstand some of the most extreme conditions.
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Local Signage Regulations
In many towns and cities across the country, signage is regulated by local and state zoning laws. In the October Term 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned previous lower court rulings concerning signage in general. REED ET AL. v. TOWN OF GILBERT, ARIZONA, ET AL. This ruling, in a nutshell, stated that any type of signage is Free Speech and thus protected in Article 1 of the Constitution. Basically, if a government entity, (i.e., town, city, state ) allows any signage be it permanent or temporary to be used, that government entity must allow all signs of similar size and placement without exception. So, if your town allows Real Estate signs, Political Signs or any type of sign, then they must allow all signage of similar size and placement, no matter what the content. This, as we understand the attached ruling, applies to permanent store signage, billboards, banners and virtually any type of sign venue. The ultimate responsibility is on the person placing the sign, but the link below is the actual ruling. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/1 3-502_9olb.pdf.
As a general rule of thumb, the bigger the better when it comes to yard sign advertising. Just like purchasing an ad in a local newspaper, the full page ad will always get more attention than the business card size ad stuck down at the bottom of the page. If you have questions about your signs, call the professionals at A.G.E Graphics. Click here to get started or call us at (877) 973-3225 today.