Everyone loves a good before and after office makeover. It lifts the spirits of all who walk into your business. But in times like these when we continue to face a recession, making office enhancements can be quite a challenge when budgets are tight. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Rather than spending a fortune on furniture upgrades and fancy paintwork, it’s simple to give your office a facelift with some budget friendly options.

Vinyl Wall Murals

After a few years, painted walls can easily get scuffed, marked and dirty. Colors can begin to fade. But a fresh coat of paint throughout your business can be pricey (for example, the national average just to paint one room of a home is $1,805!). An easy fix is applying a vinyl wall mural. You can easily transform the look of a space. As long as all debris is removed from the wall, a vinyl mural can be placed anywhere.

What’s even better is since these are designed digitally, the image possibilities are endless. You can feature your brand by placing a logo or business tagline. You can lay graphic images of your work or local area views and photographs to liven up a bare wall. Or, if you’re just looking to make your space more attractive, we can help you create a digital wallpaper.

Installation also won’t disrupt business operations. When you have a space repainted, furniture needs to be covered, there’s drying time to consider and touch-ups to be made, plus there are paint fumes to contend with. But with wall murals, installation is quick and we are happy to come in after hours if you prefer.

Window Treatments

Another area to consider utilizing in order to bring a fresh look to your business are your glass and window spaces. Whether it’s a glass storefront or office windows and doors inside your company, decorating them is easy and a great way to make a space look like new.

If you’re looking to liven up the inside of your office, etched glass vinyl graphics are a great choice. They’re affordable, plus they can provide privacy if needed, or just add some décor. There is a large selection of textures and colors we can put together to make it pop!

For exterior glass decorations, using vinyl films will ensure the application lasts and stands out to all who pass. We can do simple lettering if you’re just looking to convey a message or special offer, or we can create a full-color window display to really showcase your brand. Plus installation is a snap and they’re reusable!

Additional Makeover Options

If your budget allows, some other options to consider are a new lobby sign, dimensional wall letters, directional signage, exterior business signs (like illuminated building signs, electronic message boards, monument signs, and post and panel signs). We at Epic Signs & Graphics are happy to work with your budget to give your business the update it deserves!

Navigating a school building is like finding your way through a maze. Whether you’re on a college campus or the grounds of an elementary school, it is so simple for anyone to get lost. It begins by locating the proper building, followed by figuring out parking and entrances, and then finally finding your way through endless hallways, alleys and staircases inside the structure to get to your destination. It can certainly be frustrating and it takes practice! But having clear signage inside and out of your school’s campus will help everyone get on the right path. Plus you can do it all while promoting school spirit!

Signage Needs in Schools

There are many instances when it’s important for a school to convey directions or a message to students, staff and guests.

• Safety: This comes first on the list for a reason—everyone’s safety is of the upmost importance. In general, a lot of the direction in this category comes from state and local requirements and guidelines. But beyond signage for safety exits and evacuation plans, schools need signs for pedestrian traffic, school crossings and speed calming signs. Standard metal signs on stakes will help with many of these needs.
  

• Exterior Directional: Beyond safety directions, there are many reasons a school will need other directional signage outside of the building. Signs are needed to direct traffic for carline pick-ups, bus pick-up/drop-off areas, and parking spot signs for visitors. For larger campuses, signs are often needed to direct drivers and delivery trucks toward popular buildings and areas of campus. Again, metal signs will work for these needs, as well as wooden post signs.

• Interior Directional: The maze continues! Not only will students need to find their way to your building, but inside as well. Directional signs help students find their way to certain wings of a building, a cluster of classrooms, the auditorium or gymnasium. But individual room signs are also necessary so students can find their specific classroom, a restroom or office.

• Building Welcome: Is it clear to newcomers that they have indeed found the right building? It’s important for a building to have the school name attached to the outside of the building, as well as street signs welcoming people to the school. This is a sign that often gets overlooked. Schools are usually happy to just stick with what’s been there for decades. But having dimensional letters attached to the building with its name is important, as well as a street sign (which can be a standard sign, or electronic for announcing important upcoming events and due date reminders).

• COIVD-19: The pandemic brings additional needs for signage—by showing the proper direction to walk to minimize crowding in halls and safety markers so students keep a safe distance in lunch lines and from the office desks. These can be done through vinyl wall and floor art, making them easily removable.

• Team Spirit: Using signs to decorate and promote school unity and team spirit is definitely one of the more fun sides to school signage. Window clings are great for projecting a message as people enter your building (the clings are see-through from the inside), and creating colorful, promotional window posters for display cases also will get your message across. Vinyl wall panels can help brighten up a hallway and cheer on your students.

Get an A+ for Proper School Signage

There are so many ways Epic Signs can help your school provide people with the directions they need and promote school spirit. Whether it’s through interior vinyl wall panels or exterior digital signage, we can help get your message across. 

With all the technology we easily have at our fingertips these days, even if a person happens to get lost, it’s so simple for them to find their way. Google Maps, Waze, MapQuest … all these directional apps can help someone get where they need to go. But once a traveler arrives at their destination, there are times when they need specific directions within and around a business. Having proper directional signage can save a lot of time and confusion, making for a smoother visit.

Times When Directional Signs are Needed

When a person arrives at your business for the first time, regardless of if it’s a new employee, a delivery person, a prospect, visitor or client, there are times when having directional signage can help them know where to go. For example:

• Delivery vehicles come from all over the country to deliver supplies and products. A lot of times, they arrive at places they’ve never been before. So if it’s a large truck arriving at your location with a large cargo, a sign directing them to the proper door or loading dock can make driving, parking and unloading that large vehicle a lot simpler.
• On a smaller scale, for individuals in their car, if your business shares a large lot with others, it can help if there is signage pointing a driver toward parking, as well as even having parking spot signs exclusive to your visitors. It makes for a friendly welcome!

• Once inside your building, safety signs are the most important signs to have (plus they're required), directing people to safety and emergency exits. It’s important they have clear directions and are placed in crucial spots (your local Fire Marshall can direct you where they should be put).
• If you have a large business with multiple offices and rooms, signs that direct visitors toward groups of office numbers and restrooms can minimize confusion and help them get where they need to go on time.

• With COVID-19 continuing to wreak havoc across the nation, having signage to direct traffic flow through heavy-traveled areas is important, as well having signage to encourage people to keep a safe distance from others waiting in line or from your front welcome desk.

Signage Suggestions

Once you’ve identified what directional signage your business requires, you’ll then need to consider a few things—budget, design and communication. It’s important your signs clearly communicate where you want people to go, while staying on-brand and within budget. At Epic Signs & Graphics, we have the design expertise to help you communicate your message, as well as so many options to help you fulfill all your directional signage needs.

For exterior signage, we have simple, low-budget options like yard signs and banners, as well as more permanent options like metal or woods signs on stakes or posts. For interior directions, vinyl wall or floor art can easily adhere to almost any surface. Window clings and artwork are also another way to direct traffic. But for something more substantial, we have the capabilities to create plastic, metal or wood wall signs if that’s what you prefer.

So whether you’re directing traffic, helping visitors with parking, or pointing clients toward your office, having clear directions is so helpful—and your guests will appreciate it. We can help them get there ... easily!

For Sale signs, windows boarded up, landscape not kept up with… This is a familiar scene across America right now as we continue to face a global pandemic and a major recession. In fact, according to the Washington Post, over 100,000 small businesses have closed since March. With small businesses closing left and right, if your business is still going strong, it’s important to project stability to your customers and prospects. It’s also critical to let people know, “Yes, you are open!” so they don’t pass you by. One way to do this is by having effective business signage.

Here’s the Math: It’s Affordable

Many businesses are being careful with their spending right now. But those businesses that continue to invest in themselves are the ones who will step ahead of their conservative competitors. They are the ones people are seeing and hearing!

Example: Let’s make a conservative estimate that 10,000 vehicles pass your business every day (that’s the average for a moderate to low traffic area). And a newspaper ad in the Plain Dealer has the possibility of reaching 125,000 readers in a day. Divide 125,000 by 10,000, and you will find that the sign reaches the same value as the paper ad within 12.5 days. Signs last much longer than that, of course, so you can expect the cost per impression to be quite low over time. Plus, the business sign does something the ad does not do: It delivers multiple impressions to your potential client base. This helps build your brand recognition.

Good Signs are a Sign of Good Business

So how can you update your exterior marketing without breaking the bank? We have some ideas! Are you more likely to check out a business with outdated or home-printed signs or one with modern graphics clearly more recently applied? Fresh signage builds trust! Here are some low-cost signage updates you can consider:

• Window Signage: By applying full-color perforated window graphics to your store front windows, it not only makes a statement, but it provides additional marketing space and can be see-thru on the inside.

• Yard Signs: Remind passers-by you’re here and in business with simple signs on the street. Use them to highlight features like drive-thru availability.

• Banners: If you’re adding a new service or changing a service in a lasting way, share and promote it with banners in front of your building or on the nearby roadways.

Signs are Simple, Effective & Affordable

We are living in an odd time. There are so many places going out of business, so it’s your duty to make sure your customers and prospects know you’re still there for them. Drive by your business and assess where you can do a better job of showing off your business. Then let us help you figure out the sign that best accomplish your goals.

Whether it’s practicing social distancing, increasing the use of sanitizer wipes, or wearing masks, the importance of safety in a business setting is something we all face on a daily basis these days. It’s important to communicate to anyone entering your place of business the safety requirements and precautions you’re taking during these unprecedented times. Vinyl decals are a great way to provide the signage you need.

The Importance of Clear Signage

It’s important your visuals clearly communicate with your visitors. Sure, anyone can grab a piece of paper and tape it to the window, or slap masking tape on the floor. But it a) won’t look professional, b) won’t represent your brand, and c) can be unclear. Visitors can be confused about where to go or what requirements are involved once they enter your business. By applying window decals and vinyl decals throughout your workplace, you’ll make it clear you’re taking the situation seriously and they can feel safe entering your business.

Vinyl Sign Usage

There are many ways you can use vinyl decals and window vinyl decals to communicate with people who come to your business.

1) Directional Signs

In these COVID times, it’s so important to communicate where people should go. Many businesses are required to have different entrances and exits of their facility. Also, they need to be able direct the flow of traffic in order to minimize contact with others, as well as show where pick-up areas are. Vinyl signage is great for this because it can easily be applied to any window, wall or flooring to make the pathway clear for your visitors.

2) Social Distancing

It’s important to keep your distance while waiting in line, whether it be to check in at the front desk or checkout counter. Having a big duct-tape X on the floor isn’t very appealing. But with vinyl decals, they’ll not only look professional, but won’t peel up like tape will. They stay put!

3) Mask Wearing Requirements

It’s important to remind people to wear their mask before entering a building. By having a vinyl window decal communicating this, you’ll avoid the uncomfortable conversation of having to ask them to leave. They’ll clearly see it’s required before walking in.

4) Enhance Your Barriers

In many restaurants and beauty salons, they now have clear, vinyl barriers put up between patrons. But you can make them more attractive with decorative signage applied to those barriers, or use a frosted decal to provide more privacy between guests.

It's important to visually communicate how safe your business is--and Epic Signs & Graphics can help you. Keeping everyone safe is important to us, too!

Is the glass on your doors, storefront, or office windows plain and boring? Are you looking for a way to jazz it up? Or, perhaps, you have a giant display window in your retail space, and you want to take full advantage of it? Window graphics are the ideal way to advertise, decorate, and inform your customers.

CashSmart, living up to their name, realized the benefits of this affordable form of marketing and contacted the pros at Epic Signs & Graphics for window graphics for check cashing stores in Northeast OH.

A Little About CashSmart

With eight store locations in northern Ohio, CashSmart’s motto is “The Cash You Need – When You Need It.” They provide an array of services including consumer loans, check cashing, Western Union services, money orders, prepaid credit cards, bill payment services, faxes, copies, stamps, and more.

CashSmart came to us with a big order for window graphics in six of their locations. As you can see from the pictures, we delivered! We incorporated the company’s colors and logo into all of the graphics to keep the branding consistent across all stores. This is important in helping CashSmart build trust in the community. In the end, we had another satisfied customer!

Window Graphics Are Great for Retail

It is just plain boring when retail stores have bare window glass. You can try installing decals and stickers you buy online on your own. However, you just get one shot at it, and if you screw up, that money goes down the drain. When you contact the experts at Epic Signs & Graphics, we get it right every time. We will install graphics that not only look great but will also last you a long time.

We have a broad range of vinyl options to choose from. If you are looking for a classy, attractive, inexpensive, and attention grabbing alternative, etched glass vinyl graphics are a great choice. In addition, we have a multitude of different vinyl colors from world renowned manufacturers, such as 3M, Avery, and Oracal.

To reel in foot traffic, you can transform the window space in your health food store, boutique, restaurant, grocery store, or any other kind of retail space with graphics, messages, or other text. Popular uses for these vinyl films are

• Etching your retail store’s hours of operation
• Creating a seasonal display
• To make windows pop, installing stunning graphics of all sizes and shapes
• Announcing huge discount days and sales
• Installing product silhouettes

All Businesses Will Benefit from Window Graphics

Standalone establishments and office buildings can also benefit from vinyl window graphics. Northeast OH businesses can use large shapes of darker colored or frosted vinyl film to break up conference room windows or add an inexpensive touch of privacy. In addition, easy to remove etched vinyl works great for putting staff names on office doors. Window graphics are also an ideal solution for adding your company name, logo, slogans, and mottos to glass anywhere in your building.

Are you ready to utilize your window space to its fullest potential? If so, contact Epic Signs & Graphics for a free consultation!