A good sign starts long before anything is cut or printed. A professional sign designer turns your logo and your building into a drawing that can be built, permitted and read from the street. If you know what to bring and what to look for on a proof, the design stage goes faster and you get the sign you pictured.
Gogi Signs designs and builds signs for businesses across New Jersey and New York City from our shop in Linden. Our designers work next to the people who fabricate and install, so every proof is drawn the way it will be built. This guide explains what a sign designer does, what to send, how proofs and revisions work, how long it takes, and who owns the files.
In this guide
What a Sign Designer Does
A graphic designer makes your logo look right on a screen. A sign designer makes it work on a wall. That means choosing letter height for the viewing distance, picking materials and lighting, fitting the sign inside the town limit, and drawing it so the shop can build it. The International Sign Association puts it this way: a sign company can advise on effective sign elements and make sure your sign meets local regulations.
On a typical project, the designer handles four things:
- The look. Layout, colors and typeface for the distance people read from.
- The build. Sign type, materials, depth, lighting and how it mounts.
- The rules. Size, height and lighting limits from the town and the landlord.
- The paperwork. Proofs for you, permit drawings for the town and production files for the shop.
What to Bring to the First Meeting
The more you bring, the fewer rounds you need. The list above covers almost every project. Two items matter most.
Your Logo Files
Send your logo as a vector file: AI, EPS or PDF. Vector files are made of lines, not pixels, so they scale to any size without blurring. That matters because the same file drives the router, the plotter and the printer. Convert fonts to outlines before you send the file, so the letters cannot change on another computer.
Photos and printed graphics are different. SpeedPro’s print resolution guide puts 100 to 150 DPI at final size as enough for banners read from a distance, and 200 to 300 DPI for close viewing. A logo pulled from your website is usually far below that. If vector files do not exist, the designer can redraw the logo, and you should ask whether that is included.
Photos of Your Building
Take photos from across the street, from the parking lot and from the direction most customers arrive. Include the storefronts on both sides. These photos are what the designer lays the proof over, and a site survey adds the exact measurements, the wall type and the power.
How the Design Process Works
Five stages from brief to production file
Concepts
Most projects start with one to three concepts. A concept shows the layout, colors and sign type on a photo of your building. Pick the direction you like, not the finished details.
Proofs and Revisions
A proof is the detailed drawing you approve. Two rounds of changes is common and enough for most signs. There is no industry standard for the number of rounds, so ask what your quote includes before you start. Extra rounds usually come from new opinions late in the process, so collect feedback from partners and your landlord before the first proof, not after.
The designer chooses how each part is built, not only how it looks
Final Approval
Once you sign off, the designer makes two more sets of drawings. Permit drawings show the town the size, height, location and mounting. Shop drawings show the fabricators the frame, lighting and fixings. Changes after this point cost the most, because they can mean a new permit filing.
Shop drawings show the frame, the lighting and the fixings inside the sign
How to Read a Proof
Seven things every proof should show
A proof is a contract drawing. Check each of these before you sign:
- Sizes. Overall width and height, and the height of the main letters.
- Materials. Face, returns, backing and finish, written out.
- Colors. Pantone or paint references, not only a picture on screen.
- Lighting. Front lit, halo lit, back lit or unlit, and the LED color.
- Mounting. How it attaches to your wall, and whether a raceway is used.
- Context. The sign drawn to scale on a photo of your building.
- Spelling. Every word, every number. Read it twice.
Our guide to common sign design mistakes has a five minute check you can run on any proof.
Mockups, Proofs and Samples
You will see three kinds of preview, and each one answers a different question. A mockup shows your sign on a photo of your building, so you can judge size and style. A proof is the measured drawing you sign off on. A sample is a small piece of the real material, such as a painted metal swatch, a vinyl color or a lit acrylic face. For a lit sign or a strong brand color, ask for a sample before you approve. It is the only way to see the color in real light.
Questions to Ask Your Sign Designer
You will see three kinds of preview, and each one answers a different question. A mockup shows your sign on a photo of your building, so you can judge size and style. A proof is the measured drawing you sign off on. A sample is a small piece of the real material, such as a painted metal swatch, a vinyl color or a lit acrylic face. For a lit sign or a strong brand color, ask for a sample before you approve. It is the only way to see the color in real light.
- How many concepts and how many revision rounds does the price include?
- Will I see the sign drawn on a photo of my building, and a night view if it is lit?
- Have you checked my town's sign rules and my landlord's criteria?
- Who prepares the permit drawings, and who files them?
- Can I see a material sample before I approve?
- What files will I receive at the end?
A designer who answers all six clearly is one who has done this many times. Our guide on what to send before you request a sign quote covers the next step.
Getting the Color Right
Your brand colors look different on a screen, on paper, in vinyl and on a lit face. The designer matches them to a Pantone reference and then to the closest vinyl, paint or acrylic. Expect a close match, not a perfect one, and ask to see a physical sample for anything important. Our sister shop in New York explains why logos sell the brand in its guide to logo signs, and Pixel Wraps, our sister graphics shop, explains why the same color can shift between prints in why fleet wrap colors differ between reprints.
Designing for Legibility, Not Just Looks
The prettiest proof is not always the most readable sign. A good designer will push back on thin scripts, long messages and low contrast, because those choices cost you customers from the road. Our design guides cover the details: viewing distance, sign size, typography, color and placement.
The approved proof becomes the production file the shop builds from
Designing Around Town and Landlord Sign Rules
In New Jersey, every town writes its own sign rules, and your landlord may add more. A designer who starts from those limits saves you a second round of drawings. In Morristown, for example, the town ordinance does not allow projecting signs on properties facing the Green. In New York City, signs over 75 square feet or 25 pounds must be hung by a licensed sign hanger, according to the NYC Department of Buildings, and the designer needs that in mind when choosing materials and weight. Our guide to avoiding permit delays covers what to check.
How Long the Design Stage Takes
Design is usually a week or two of the project when information arrives early. The International Sign Association notes that design, production and installation can take up to eight weeks overall, depending on how complex the sign is. Permits often take longer than the design itself. Our guide on how long a custom sign project takes shows where the time goes.
Vector files drive the router, so every curve is cut where it was drawn
Who Owns the Design
This is worth settling before you start. Under U.S. copyright law, artwork created by an outside designer belongs to the person who drew it unless there is a signed agreement that says otherwise, as the U.S. Copyright Office’s guide to works made for hire explains. Your logo stays yours. The new sign drawings are a separate question.
Sign shops handle this in different ways. Some include the files in the price, some charge a release fee, and some keep the files when no separate design fee was paid. Ask in writing what you receive at the end: usually a PDF proof, and the vector production files if you want them.
Common Questions About Working With a Sign Designer
Do I need a logo before working with a sign designer?
No. A sign designer can work from your business name and a few examples you like. If you plan to use the logo on vehicles, cards and a website too, it is worth having a graphic designer create it first, then adapting it for the sign.
What files should I send for my sign?
How many revisions are normal?
Two rounds of changes is common for most signs. There is no industry standard, so ask what your quote includes. Gather feedback from everyone who needs to approve before the first proof.
Can the designer match my brand colors exactly?
Close, not exact. Each material renders color a little differently. The designer matches your Pantone references to the closest vinyl, paint or acrylic and can show you a physical sample.
Who owns the sign design?
Under U.S. copyright law, artwork made by an outside designer belongs to the designer unless a signed agreement says otherwise. Your logo stays yours. Ask in writing what files you will receive.
Is sign design included in the price of the sign?
At Gogi Signs, design is part of one price that also covers the survey, fabrication and installation. Some shops charge for design separately, so check every quote.
Start Your Sign Design
Send us your logo, a few photos of your building and your opening date, and our designers will start with the rules for your town and a concept on your actual wall. Request a free quote or see our sign design page for how we work.
Sources and further reading
- International Sign Association: working with a sign and graphics company
- Gogi Signs: common sign design mistakes
- SpeedPro: print resolution guide
- Signs NY: how logo signs sell your brand
- Town of Morristown NJ: sign ordinance amendment
- NYC Department of Buildings: sign permit requirements
- U.S. Copyright Office: works made for hire, Circular 30
