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Backlit sign design
- Thread starter tim99
- Start date
Gino
Premium Subscriber
There are basically two schools of thought on this.
The old traditional way is to have it light up and be seen from as far away as possible [at night]. The newer ideas seem to be..... a reverse.
While a reverse is certainly a worthwhile thought, it seems silly to me in this instance. Why, if you have a backlit cabinet sign face, would you blacken out the sign entirely except for the letters ?? If your lettering were to end up being the size of normal channel letters, then yes, this would work, but the size of most sign cabinets is smaller and won't do the proper job, so I think keeping the background light in color and go with powerful graphics and/or lettering. The sign cannot be read from a great distance, but at least you can see a lit up box on the horizon. As you get closer, you'll be able to read it. As for a reverse, you won't be able to read it, until the last moment, so why even bother. However, there will be exceptions and mostly due to location. If the sign is located at a busy intersection, then maybe, but if it's a well lit intersection, then again it probably won't, again.
Now, if you cover the entire background with a digitally printed graphic, you're probably doing your customer a disservice for any distant or closeup readership. It will look great on a computer screen, but not in real life at night.
The old traditional way is to have it light up and be seen from as far away as possible [at night]. The newer ideas seem to be..... a reverse.
While a reverse is certainly a worthwhile thought, it seems silly to me in this instance. Why, if you have a backlit cabinet sign face, would you blacken out the sign entirely except for the letters ?? If your lettering were to end up being the size of normal channel letters, then yes, this would work, but the size of most sign cabinets is smaller and won't do the proper job, so I think keeping the background light in color and go with powerful graphics and/or lettering. The sign cannot be read from a great distance, but at least you can see a lit up box on the horizon. As you get closer, you'll be able to read it. As for a reverse, you won't be able to read it, until the last moment, so why even bother. However, there will be exceptions and mostly due to location. If the sign is located at a busy intersection, then maybe, but if it's a well lit intersection, then again it probably won't, again.
Now, if you cover the entire background with a digitally printed graphic, you're probably doing your customer a disservice for any distant or closeup readership. It will look great on a computer screen, but not in real life at night.
Fred Weiss
Merchant Member
Reverses have two competing effects:
1. Characters appear 25% larger to the eye than do dark characters on a light background.
2. Reading speed is 33% slower than dark characters on a light background.
Reverses are good for drawing the eye to them but should be limited to phone numbers or very short phrases.
Blue is the least desirable color to use because the eye tends to focus behind blue characters when illuminated making them appear blurred to many people.
Black on white or black on yellow will have the greatest legibility at a distance.
Gino
Premium Subscriber
Fred Weiss
Merchant Member
At this point, no. I can only tell you that it was from studies published by the old National Electric Signs Association (known these days as ISA) in the 1980's.
Gino
Premium Subscriber
Ahhh...... now that makes more sense. Back from a time, when all of the statistics were made up by the people trying to sell/push things. Not saying your memory is correct or not, but for the most part, those stats would work with just about anything from electric signs, to pylons to countertop shocards. However, when you do introduce an illuminated background..... most stats become a little skewed, hence why I said from when people were pushing this stuff. Regardless of regular light backgrounds or reverse backgrounds, all letters at a particular distance according to the size they are, create a kinda tension with the rods and cones in peoples' eyes. Where dark and light meet, the image tends to have motion/tension, making it somewhat difficult to focus instantly. So, the real reason for an electric sign..... any electric sign is to be noticed before anything else in the same vicinity from as great a distance as possible. Readership is second and will come into play as the viewer comes into focus. You don't often see a lighthouse with black shutters over the glowing light, huh ?? Normally, in your study or living room, you don't sit under a light with a black lampshade to read. These people that get cutesy with the electric signs are really doing their customers a disservice. Not to say people don't do it, but there is right and there is wrong..... and then, there's whatever the customer wants or what the professional recommends. That's the difference.
Like just mentioned...... ride around at night in not so well a brightly lit area and see what hits ya first and what you read first.
signbrad
New Member
Prevent light leaks
If you design adjoining colors, it's standard practice to trap one with the other. Otherwise, as the vinyl shrinks you will have unsightly light leaks.
Regarding traps, I think most people try to make them as small as possible. But I don't think it's critical. I have let faces go out the door that I thought had traps that were way to big, but once the sign was up it looked fine. It looks far worse to try to cut the trap too skinny and end up with leaks.
Also, I have always in the past made a great effort to trap light colors with dark colors, but if you do it the other way around it is often not objectionable-looking. I have seen traps that I thought looked horrible up close in the shop, but once the sign was in place it was hardly noticeable. For example, I used to go out of my way to make sure a black outline was on top of a colored letter, rather than the colored letter on top, even though it's harder to register. I don't worry so much about it anymore. From the ground it usually looks fine.
Of course, if your design has no adjoining colors at all then you avoid the problem of traps and leaks. I am assuming you are lettering white or clear faces with first surface translucent vinyl. If you are back spraying all colors, second surface onto clear plastic, it's especially important to keep the design simple, if at all possible. Adding outlines and shades, or having translucent colors butt each other, can turn into far more work than you expect because of all the masking and re-masking necessary.
Applying a digital print, of course, is easy, though fading is always an issue.
If a cabinet requires pan faces, avoid using flat plastic. The mark of a well done lighted sign is even light distribution. Hot spots and shadows spells "cheapskate," in my opinion.
Brad in Kansas City
If you design adjoining colors, it's standard practice to trap one with the other. Otherwise, as the vinyl shrinks you will have unsightly light leaks.
Regarding traps, I think most people try to make them as small as possible. But I don't think it's critical. I have let faces go out the door that I thought had traps that were way to big, but once the sign was up it looked fine. It looks far worse to try to cut the trap too skinny and end up with leaks.
Also, I have always in the past made a great effort to trap light colors with dark colors, but if you do it the other way around it is often not objectionable-looking. I have seen traps that I thought looked horrible up close in the shop, but once the sign was in place it was hardly noticeable. For example, I used to go out of my way to make sure a black outline was on top of a colored letter, rather than the colored letter on top, even though it's harder to register. I don't worry so much about it anymore. From the ground it usually looks fine.
Of course, if your design has no adjoining colors at all then you avoid the problem of traps and leaks. I am assuming you are lettering white or clear faces with first surface translucent vinyl. If you are back spraying all colors, second surface onto clear plastic, it's especially important to keep the design simple, if at all possible. Adding outlines and shades, or having translucent colors butt each other, can turn into far more work than you expect because of all the masking and re-masking necessary.
Applying a digital print, of course, is easy, though fading is always an issue.
If a cabinet requires pan faces, avoid using flat plastic. The mark of a well done lighted sign is even light distribution. Hot spots and shadows spells "cheapskate," in my opinion.
Brad in Kansas City
visual800
Active Member
first thing is the business. what type of biz? the sign should match the biz. backlit is no different than any other sign. make it simple and quick to read the information OP it would help if you told us the biz this sign was for. Just because it lights up is no need for special treatment
and as far as a reverse sign, they dont all to be blacked out. Fred is right if a sign has to be red and white the white letters on red stand out lots more than red letters on white background, thats just common place in sign biz. you can tell the difference in a side by side layout