Interior Sign Planning for Offices and Commercial Buildings

Interior signs are often the last thing ordered on a fit out, and it shows: a logo with no blocking behind it, a lit sign with no power, room numbers that do not match the plans. Planning signs with the build avoids all of that, and it usually costs less.

Gogi Signs plans and builds interior signs for offices and commercial buildings across New Jersey and New York City. This guide shows when to start, what to budget, how to build a sign schedule and which signs the codes require.

In this guide

When to Start and What to Budget

The AIA recommends addressing signage in the early design phases, and warns that leaving it late can hurt both the design and how the building works, in its best practices guide. The same guide says 5 to 7 percent of the buildout cost is a realistic budget for signage design and construction. A small office refresh will spend less, and a large building with lit signs and a full wayfinding system may spend more.

What a Typical Office Sign Package Includes

Reception. Logo wall or lobby sign, often in dimensional letters.
Directories. Building or floor directories with changeable inserts. See our directory signs.
Room signs. Tactile room numbers and names for offices, meeting rooms and restrooms.
Wayfinding. Directional signs at elevators and corridor turns.
Glass. Frosted film for privacy and safety. See our window frosting.
Code signs. Exit, stair, elevator and fire door signs.
Small signs. Push and pull, private, staff only and kitchen signs.

Small door signs are easy to forget in a sign package

Start With a Sign Schedule

One row for every sign in the building

A sign schedule is a spreadsheet with one row for every sign. It lists the sign number, location on the plan, type, exact wording, size, mounting, whether it needs braille and whether it needs power. It is the document that the designer, the contractor and the sign company all work from. It also makes it easy to price, approve and install the package.

Use the room numbers and names from the architect’s plans, and keep them the same on every sign. Our sister company in New York explains sign types for NYC offices in its office signage guide.

Room numbers should follow the floor plan

Coordinate With the Build

Plan signs with the build, not after it

Design phase. Draft the sign schedule and the look of the sign family.
Before walls close. Add blocking and power where needed.
Finishes. Approve proofs and material samples.
Before move in. Fabricate and install, starting with code required signs.
After move in. Walk the space and adjust. The AIA also suggests a review after people move in.

Blocking in the Walls

Heavy logos, large dimensional letters and wall mounted directories need solid backing inside the wall. Drywall alone is not enough. Mark these spots on the plans so the framer adds wood or metal blocking before the walls are closed. Adding it later means opening finished walls.

Power for Lit Signs

Lit reception logos, halo lit letters and digital displays need power at the right spot. Mark the outlet or junction box location on the plans, and have the electrician run it while walls are open. Put lit signs on a switch or timer.

Room Signs and the Accessibility Codes

Signs that identify permanent rooms need raised characters and braille under the 2010 ADA Standards. Directional signs need to meet the visual rules only, and occupant names, company names and directories are exempt, according to the Access Board guide.

State and city codes apply too. New Jersey’s barrier free subcode, N.J.A.C. 5:23 7, now uses chapter 11 of the 2024 International Building Code and ICC A117.1 2017, adopted August 17, 2026, according to the Department of Community Affairs. New York City’s 2022 Building Code references ICC A117.1 2009, according to the Department of Buildings. Our guide to ADA sign requirements covers the details.

Elevator and stair names should match the building plans

The Code Required Signs

Based on the International Building and Fire Codes; check your local edition

Some signs are required by the building and fire codes, not chosen. A facilities checklist based on the International Building Code from Arizona State University lists the usual ones: exit signs readily visible from any direction of travel, tactile exit signs at stair and exit doors, an elevator sign next to each call button saying elevators are out of service in a fire, fire door signs, and area of refuge signs. Stairs connecting more than three stories need stair identification signs at each landing.

In New Jersey, elevator identification numbers must be at least 1 1/2 inches high and in a color that contrasts with the background, under N.J.A.C. 5:23 12.12, as quoted by the Department of Community Affairs. Who supplies these signs varies. Exit signs are usually part of the electrical scope, while stair and elevator signs often fall to the sign package. Settle it early.

Shop Drawings and Approvals

Before fabrication, your sign company should send shop drawings for each sign type showing sizes, materials, colors, mounting and the exact wording. For tactile signs, ask for a physical sample. Check it against the rules and the room numbers on the plans, then sign off. Changes after approval cost time and money, so take the review seriously.

Install Day

Interior signs usually go in after paint and flooring and before furniture, so walls are finished and reachable. Code required signs come first, because the building inspector may check them before the certificate of occupancy. Have someone with the sign schedule walk the space with the installer and check each sign against its row.

Permits for Interior Signs

Most interior signs do not need their own permit, but lit signs need electrical work done to code, and code required signs are checked during the building inspection. In a larger fit out, the architect usually lists the code signs on the drawings. Ask your sign company to match their sizes and wording exactly, so nothing fails at final inspection.

Glass Film for Privacy and Safety

Frosted film on glass walls and doors gives privacy and makes the glass visible. Plan the band height and any logo or pattern with the interior designer so it lines up across the space.

Multi Tenant Buildings

In a multi tenant building, the landlord usually sets sign standards for directories, suite signs and corridor signs. Ask for the tenant sign criteria before you design. Our guide on tenant signage guidelines for property managers explains how those standards work.

Materials That Suit the Space

Choose materials that match the interior finishes and hold up to daily use: acrylic, brushed aluminum, wood and photopolymer for tactile signs. Order everything from one maker and one color standard so reorders match. Pixel Wraps, our sister graphics shop, explains why colors drift between print runs in why fleet wrap colors differ between reprints.

Brand colors can carry through to small signs

Common Questions About Interior Sign Planning

When should office signs be planned?

In the design phase, before walls are closed. The AIA recommends addressing signage early so blocking, power and names are set before construction.

What is a sign schedule?

A spreadsheet listing every sign with its number, location, type, wording, size, mounting, braille and power needs.

How much should we budget for signs?

AIA guidance suggests 5 to 7 percent of the buildout cost is realistic for signage design and construction on a new project.

Which interior signs are required by code?

Usually exit signs, tactile exit signs, stair identification signs, elevator fire signs, fire door signs, area of refuge signs and tactile room signs for permanent rooms.

Do I need blocking for a reception logo?

Usually yes. Large or heavy logos and letters need wood or metal blocking inside the wall, added before the drywall goes up.

Who supplies stair and exit signs?

It varies. Lit exit signs often come with the electrical work, while stair and elevator signs are often in the sign package. Decide early so nothing is missed.

Office Signs Planned With the Build

We build the sign schedule, coordinate with your contractor and install on time. See our office signs, then request a free quote.

Sources and further reading

Tony Kamal

Tony Kamal has been making signs for two decades and works at the Gogi Signs of New Jersey shop in Linden. Since 2025 he has also been researching permit rules, materials and lighting, and he writes these guides with input from our designers, fabricators and install crews.