Epic Signs & Graphics Blog

You see it all of the time. A sign telling you what to do or where to go. Most of the time you don't have any real connection to the sign, it is just information or just noise. It's that lack of connection that is the problem.

Imagine you are enrolling your child in school. You are anxious about the big day, and you set off on your journey. Things are going well, your child is happy and healthy. But as you get closer to the new school you begin to notice signs that are weather beaten and tired. You think nothing of it - maybe its an old sign. As you approach the destination a billboard shows a picture of your school - but it holds no appeal. The picture has no "pop" and does not inspire you to really stop and look, it just looks like a regular photo some one shot quickly without regard for how it would look on a professional sign. 

So you continue on and pull into the school to see directional signs that are faded. Now you walk in and notice lobby signs, office entry signs and wall lettering that is old and not in style.

Now you meet the principal who tells you this is a great school with modern learning techniques and state of the art technology . What do you think?

• (A) This is a great school that does not invest in signs
• (B) This is a school that does not really invest in technology- since the signs are antiquated
• (C) You have doubts

The problem with choosing C for the school is there is no immediate sale. Your doubts will not be dispelled easily. The more you look into it you find other issues. Things like the bathrooms are old. The teachers seem like they don't relate well to the students and more.

The real issue is the drive to the school set the stage for the school to fail. If you are in business, you have to understand your customers, vendors and prospects. They are deciding what type of person you are, what type of business you run and what type of outcomes you can provide.

Epic Signs & Graphics can help you that impression. We are in the business of branding you strongly so your customers will have a great impression of you before you meet. We will design interior signs and lobby signs that showcase your business in the best light possible.

The lettering can been contemporary, maybe ii can be made with shiny new acrylic lettering or raised off the wall for a classic look. These types of options prevents any disconnects between your message and you. If budgeting is a problem. try updating in phases, no reason it has to be done all at once, also we may be able to tailor signs to meet the budget goal. The point is, there are lots of options to meet the goal. 

To learn more about classy well designed signs reach out to Epic Signs & Graphics today and we would be happy to provide a free consultation.

The business world can be very fearful..There are so many worries that stem from cash flow. The bills never cease- and payroll is always around the corner! The pressure is always on to do better and produce results before it is too late.

Every business owner has limited resources to work with. It is common to delay bills and take risks to improve the bottom line. Given the volatile nature of business and the ever present risk of failure what can be done?

Steps to succeed when it seems hopeless

1. The first thing to do is relax- take a walk. Know that there is help all around you.
2. Now, reach out to those who can help- begin with sign companies.
3. Install top quality signs for maximum visibility at your business and surrounding areas that are allowable.
4. Take advantage of the lead generation potential and close deals on profitable jobs.
5. Take advantage of a vehicle wrap to capture a wider market. Vehicle advertising is a powerful method of lead generation.Your customers will see this.
6. Park your well wrapped vehicle in high traffic areas at peak times.
7. Drive your highly visible and professionally decaled vehicle in the vicinity of parades and public gatherings.
8. Take advantage of the extra leads to close deals on profitable jobs.

Learn about vehicle wraps

Successful companies always make it look easy. We have all been stuck in traffic behind semi's showcasing truck decals with top brands. It is clear that the highest acheivers in our country have not failed to get our attention - and focus on their products.

There are 7 concepts we will discuss today:

1. Van wraps
2. Truck wraps
3. Custom wraps
4. Van decals
5. Truck lettering
6. Fleet graphics
7. Commercial fleet graphics

The van wrap

I am advocating today is a sophisticated marketing tool. It removes the frustration from the passenger cars that is caused in traffic delays.It sends a message to the motoring public of a service or benefit they can take advantage of now or in the future. The van must be attractive and lettered so well it serves as a mobile call to action.

Truck wraps

Truck wraps are a brilliant marketing strategy as the billboard is visual and large. The advertising can be very attractive with a call to action in lettering that is appealing and effective. This is the same strategies that are used by fortune 500 companies- If you have a truck you need to do this just to compete.

Custom wraps

A vehicle wrap can be as individual as you.Since no two people are alike - your personality should shine through.A custom wrap will have its own:

• Background
• Colors
• Color fades
• Layout
• Styles
• Text
• Highlights
• Images

Customizing your vehicle is fun- we really enjoy helping customers navigate the world of design and layout to produce a car scape that amazes all.

Van decals

The highway is congested with white vans. Why should yours blend in with the homogeneous sea of white fans. You only have one chance to make a good impression.This may be your only shot. Make it count.

As we said earlier, success and failure are closely related. In this case- one rival captured a lead that turned into a sale today - and maybe for generations of repeat business- because of a beautiful van decal.

Truck lettering &  Commercial Fleet Graphics

In business it is not good enough to be good. You have to be exceptional. This is because the competition will not rest until they have pitched to your accounts.

This is not something you can do yourself like a home tinting job on a passenger car. This is the domain of professionals who are enthusiastic about getting results for you.

In order to be exceptional your trucks and fleet have to look exceptional. It begins with hiring professionals who deliver results every single day. When you look great - better quality prospects will want to do business with you. They associate your success with their success

This is the domain of Epic Graphics. It's time to make the impossible possible. Make it Happen!

It is no wonder so many small business fail.So many small business owners overlook the value on signage and suffer from lack of sales or customer awareness. In addition to lack of sales they cause frustration and confusion every step of the way.

The failure points are:

• No signage and poor visibility that results in vendor and consumer frustration
• Antiquated or dilapidated signage that was once done professionally
• Amatur signage done cheap
• Poorly placed signs that compete with visual noise
• Signage that is too small
• Graphics that are hard to read. The writing is competing with the images.
• Professional signage that does not immediately convey the message clearly.

Carrying on in this manner is costly:

The hotel industry and astute business owners have realized that guest experience has to be high in order to capture repeat business. Repeat business is the key to solving cash flow issues and generating more profits.

The steps to take to earn repeat business:

• Be professional - Look professional, have signs that reflect your competitive advantage to your customers, prospects and the public
• Educate your customers with design, articulate signs that showcase your brilliance.
• End your customers heavy reliance on Google Maps to  find you. By the time they have found you they are too upset to buy from you.
• Invest in yourself and your business. Understand your company or enterprise will thrive when you have a system for lead generation. Those leads and prospects begin when you have a professional sign to showcase you.

The investment

• Directional Signs to guide an otherwise frustrated customer or vendor directly to you. The sooner your customer finds you the sooner business can begin. This is the first step in building your business. It can be as simple as a well placed professional sign to guide your traffic.

• Lobby Signs tell the customer that they are in the right place. In order to encourage investment in your company the signage has to provide a visual example of your brand, The sign has to be a reflection of you- therefore   it can be nothing short of the highest standards.

• Office signs that convey excellence to the beholder. The office sign has the power to reinforce the notion of success. Given the fact that successful people choose to do business with successful vendors this is a critical step in your customer's confidence in you.

• Suite signs are critical . Have you ever wondered who is wandering around your building with a personal GPS ? That is your prospect that could have been a customer had he been able to find you. It is clear in office parks a suite sign ends the search and lets business begin.  

• Office Door Signs  speak to your level of professionalism and expertise.Often times a paper tag on the door indicates you have found the right office- but it has to convey your brand in a manner that tells the reader they have made the right decision to work with you. A poor office sign done in a sub standard way reflects on you personally. Avoid the mediocre at all costs .

In summary

The evidence is clear. You need great signage in order to succeed . Your journey begins with directional signage and ends with an office door sign. Do nor frustrate your customers by keeping that old sign that is shrouded with visual noise.

Reinforce your brand and marketing by providing clear entry way signs. Make it clear to your buyers they have made the right choice to hire you. Amature signs reak of un professionalism. Do not skim on the pennies only to loose dollar bills from your back pocket. The time has come to take your company to the next level. To learn how, call Epic Signs & Graphics today!

The need to stand out from the competition is the difference between success and failure. A sharp image that connects your message to your customers results in leads and calls that drive sales. 

The challenge is finding a professional sign company that can deliver excellent results at affordable prices. But that alone is not enough, finding professionals that are local, reliable, trustworthy who are responsive to your needs is even harder.

It seems like an impossible task

• To find professionals who have the skills to install amazing window lettering and decals
• To have custom window graphics done by caring,responsive master craftsman
• To get window designs at an affordable price- without stressful negotiation
• To install “see through graphics “ that are so expertly done that people pay attention and call you to learn more about your business.

How to find true professionals:

We encourage you to find professionals who:

• Are reputable with excellent testimonials and a strong customer base.
• Are responsive to your needs. Your call should be answered quickly with a friendly helpful staff member assisting you at every turn.
• Cares about you as a person. The size of the job should not determine the level of customer service you receive.Your sign and graphics company should care if the images worked - and your phone rings with prospects for you to convert to sales.
• Respects your time. They are never late or laden with excuses. You are the most important job they have ever done.

These standards are impossibly high for the ordinary sign and graphics companies to replicate day after day..

But Epic Signs & Graphics is not Ordinary….. ..We make the impossible possible:

What is impossible for others is routine for us. When you are seeking professionals who are experts in their field - who deliver on their promises, look no further than Epic Signs & Graphics. You don't get a second chance to make a great impression.

Business owners, entrepreneurs and consumers seek us out for our knowledge, but soon realize we offer more than just signs and custom window lettering and decals. We are providing a key tool to help our customers succeed in a marketplace dominated by instant messaging and social media.

We have built our company on:

• Professionalism that is without comparison.
• Reliability - You can count on us, each and every day.
• Customer service where you are the most important job we have ever done
• Results- Our signs work, the phone rings -leads are created for you to convert to sales

Lets get it done . Call 440-799-8235 Today for your custom window tinting, window lettering, see through graphics and more, or use the below click through link for a on-line request.

If you are undecided about where to put your advertising budget this year, consider truck lettering and truck decals as an option. It is hard to deny the fact this is a full time option that works with little effort once it is in place. The following article give you the ins and outs for this opportunity.

First off, every one calls vehicle graphics wraps. Technically not all vehicle graphics need to be a wrap and cost thousands of dollars. There are ways to avoid the large expense of a full truck wrap. Designing a layout for your fleet of vehicles can effectively be accomplished with nice lettering and full color decals. See the examples to the right and you can see what I mean. Some times they can look like a wrap but in fact, they are not. The messaging will be delivered just the same.

The important factor in  any mobile marketing strategy is to make sure the message is communicated for people driving by at least 35 miles per hour. With that in mind, you only have a few seconds to let people know where your vehicle is from. There are also  instances, however the vehicle could be parked in strategic places for a longer impression time. So you need to strike a balance of large clear lettering and a few specific services or products you provide in smaller lettering. A benefit is these can be updated easily with cut vinyl incase you change a service.

Another component to keep in mind in a truck lettering program is to ensure consistency. If you have even just one vehicle and you are driving around daily, it is remarkable how much people see you around town. It is that very fact if you have memorable vehicle graphics on your car or truck, that impression will stick in people's minds easier. If you have a fleet of 2 or more, the message is compounded as those vehicles also travel around town.

At Epic Signs & Graphics, we can design using full color graphics so any logo can be reproduced. Even if full color is not needed, we can provide a wide array of cut vinyl colors to go with the vehicles or support your brand image. Give us a call for a free consultation and potential design ideas. We would be happy to work with you to get a design that you would be proud to show off.

Are you looking for a sign company as a partner?

If have a consistent need for signs, everything from banners to ADA compliant signage, dimensional lettering, window graphics, vehicle wraps or lettering, to monument signs, or custom wall murals, commercial sign companies provide solutions for many types of companies that use signs as a way to communicate their brand consistently.

But, how do you choose the best commercial sign companies in Northeast OH with so many to choose from? This blog should help you in picking the best company for your purposes.

Go Local

When you do a Google search for sign companies, your search results generally give you a list of franchises. Even some of the results that look like they are local are actually just a city or region specific site for a national chain. When you go with a national chain, you can expect cookie cutter answers that do not take your company’s specific needs into consideration.

Epic Signs & Graphics is a locally owned and operated company that serves the Rocky River, Lakewood, Seven Hills, Brooklyn, Strongsville, Middleburg Heights, Parma Heights, Cleveland, Bay Village, Fairview, Independence, Old Brooklyn, Brookpark, Berea, Olmsted Falls, and Parma communities. We believe our success is deeply tied to the success of our area, so we seek to serve it well.

Do They Listen to You?

A good commercial sign company in Cleveland OH will first listen to what the client wants. Then, they will work with the client to figure out what the best signage options are for their needs, including providing attention-grabbing visual branding when needed. Once the client is happy with the signage plan, the company should create the signs promptly and offer timely installation.

Many businesses, do not listen well when you are explaining what you want. This leads to signage that is useless to you or does not meet your expectations. Epic Signs & Graphics does it all for you, and we do it right the first time. If you are not satisfied, we are not satisfied.

Experience and Technology

Any commercial sign company should have a full staff of experienced workers who have access to the latest state of the art technology. There are new advances in signage technology making waves on a monthly basis. To ensure your business is getting the most out of its signs, you need to go with a company that is staying ahead of the curve with the latest equipment and has the know-how to use the equipment well.

The team at Epic Signs & Graphics has plenty of experience in the graphics and signage industry. We are constantly updating our technology and software. Our cutting edge wide format digital printers make printing any image or color simple on almost all materials.

With the appropriate signage, you can advertise your organization within a budget and we can help offer solutions. Epic Signs & Graphics wants to help your enterprise succeed. Contact us today for a free consultation!

Recently we were installing interior office signs for a business that was moving and as we were getting close to completion after a long day, I could here employees looking into the conference room where they had new dimensional letters installed and I can hear words like...WOW....AWESOME....and then laughing and then I see employees walking around smiling!

What a great feeling to see the excitement of a company either moving into a larger facility which means they are growing or they are launching a start up and every one is happy to be on a new exciting journey. It's not unusual to get that good feeling and it is one of the rewards of being involved in the sign business. After a lot of planning, adjusting, a few meetings and depending on the type of project, city approvals, it is great to see the end result go into place as planned.

If you think about it, the sign is one of the key items that's like the crowning statement that says "Come on in!....See what we have to offer! It is a large visible statement to the world that represents you, particularly if you are a business owner, but also if you are an employee because it provides a source of pride.

This is true with monument signs, lobby signs, office signs and even window graphics. A monument sign is the first thing a visitor see's on their way to meeting you. The sign begins the evaluation of your organization subconsciously as a visitors.

• A shlocky sign....oh oh, are they in trouble? Do they really have a well run business? I wonder how long they will be around?

Versus........

What does your interior signs around the company say to emplyees and clients? Not literally of course, but how do they look? Are the messages up to date? Have they been painted over a couple times over the last couple decades? Are there images of past products or services that have gone extinct? If you said yes to these questions....give Epic Signs & Graphics a call! Lets take a stroll around the company and see how we can help you with updating your internal branding program.

Lobby Signs

signs or put in new ones that have the same style as the lobby sign? This can be achived easliy by using similar styles of materials such as brushed aluminum letters and or brush aluminum sign faces for the offices plaques.

How many times have you seen a wrap, and wondered, what was that message? It happens all the time that the design gets in the way of the message, so much emphasis is placed on the design that the intent of the message is totally lost. A lost opportunity for sure!

It is fairly easy for anyone to get into the wrap business these days, printers are coming down in price all the time, but the key is within expertise and great employees. Then, if you cannot install it professionally ..... forget about it! You need all three phases of the game to work together, that is design, quality wide format printing and installation in order for the wrap to stand out. If you are missing one these three components, the risk of problems increases. But starting with an effective design is the first step.

Consider brand identity. We see many companies approach us with their logo and we find out it is one version of many, or it has been revised recently....again. People need to see your brand consistently repeated many times over before it sinks in that they really do see you getting around town. If the brand gets changed continuously, you never have a chance to educate the customer.

Do you really need a photo on that vehicle wrap? This must be the biggest offender. When I see a vehicle wrap that fails to deliver a message, there is usually a lot of "design noise" in the background and many times it is a photo. If you feel the photo adds something to your message, then it can be used. Use them sparingly or placed strategically and make sure it is a high quality photo that shows your product or your service in action.

Don't use too many words. You only have a few precious seconds of time to catch someones eye so keep it simple, but catchy and pleasing to see. Your company name, your slogan, your phone number, website are the important first items to have figured out before a long list of services or products. If services must be listed place them on the back where someone could potentially read them while stopped at a red light or a long train stop.

Epic Signs & Graphics would love to help you with your next truck graphics project. We like to keep it simple so your name or your message does not get lost. Call us for a free consultation and quote. We would be happy to look over your vehicles and provide an assessment of how to implement your logo, brand message and colors into an effective vehicle wrap.

There are lots and lots of options available for designing and fabricating custom office signs. They can be done simply with white acrylic flush mounted to the wall and full color vinyl applied on the face, or they can be very complex with multiple layers, dimensional letters, offset mounts and second surface images applied....fancy talk isn't it? The point is we can fabricate almost any type of office sign to go with your decor.

Materials

Lets start with the materials that are used shall we? Most of the time the basic material used is acrylic. Acrylic comes in various thicknesses, but the common are 1/8" or 1/4" thicknesses. Acrylic is good for interior or exterior directional signs although some have laminate finishes that are better off left for interior use only, for durability sake. There are matte non-glare finishes, gloss and even those with a textured finish that come in a nice selection of colors. There are options for a mirror finish in various colors. Safety glow in the dark acrylics are available in red, green, blue or black. These are also known as photo luminescent signs and they meet specific guidelines according to ISO, IMO and MEA standards. The plastic absorbs normal ambient light, and they will glow when lights are unexpectedly lost, so people can still find their way. There is also an edge glow type system that makes for cool looking signs that get attention when illuminated with LED's. Applique is a dimensional letter or design that is mounted to the surface of a sign that is 1/32" thick. 

Colors

The acrylic we source includes hundreds of options for colors, shades and finishes. There are opaque (can't see through) colors and translucent colors. There are also laminate finishes to simulate metal or wood grains. The metals can look like solid gold or there are options for a brush metal look in steel or brass or copper colors. There are also options for a marble look that could come in handy for some applications like for a company that sells masonry or stone engraving services, or just because it would look good. 

Design

Now the fun part! By observing and listening to your goals, we can come up with a design that will blend with your office. We like to be sure though that we try to keep things simple for the sake of readability. Nothing irks me more than to see a sign that you cannot tell what it's trying tell you, don't over think the design, remember what it is intended to do for you. There are office signs that can be done in one layer with either vinyl applied to get the image placed, or we can engrave words and some times images if there is not too much detail. Another way to achieve lettering or even a simple design is to route out images. The layers can be applied directly over one another or they can be offset from each other by various depths. Signs can also be mounted either flush against the wall or they can be mounted with offsets, Even the size of the offsets come in various sizes, diameters and finishes. Don't forget ADA signs. This option can be worked in without a problem but they should be done with  certain requirements in mind such as spacing and positioned correctly on the wall so they can be found. Not a problem at Epic Signs & Graphics.

We have only scratched the surface as you can see, there are hundreds and maybe thousands of ways you can go with the design for an office sign. They key is to contact us to check out some options. Come on in or call for an appointment and we would happy to show you all of these ideas and samples to help you decide what is best for your office environment.