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Sign, Sign, Everywhere A Sign

Jim Correll, director Fab Lab ICC at Independence Community College, Independence Kansas 

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign; so go the lyrics to the 1971 song called “Sign” by a group called “5 Man Electric Band.” Indeed, there are signs all around us. Some like the road and street signs that convey information to help us get from point A to point B without crashing into each other are generic and consistent, a good thing given their purpose. Early in the days of automobile travel, road-builders saw a value in this consistency. The purpose of other signs is to convey information about businesses, products and services. Today, elaborate digital signs are available so messages can be changed every few seconds. 

Most signs in businesses and organizations should be used to welcome customers or patrons to use their products and services. The messages conveyed by our signs go far beyond the words and images. Many times, the subtle—or not so subtle—message beyond the message is counteracting the intent of the sign. 

Look around. Many signs you see are worn out, dirty or faded. Often, there are too many “No’s.” No Public Restrooms, No Substitutions, No Shoplifting-You Will Be Prosecuted and We Are Watching YouNo [insert your text here] Allowed. Finally, many of our signs try to say too much. 

People want to buy from or otherwise patronize businesses and organizations that are clean, welcoming and up to date. Signs that are worn out, dirty or faded make the opposite impression. 

The “No” signs usually are a result of a small percentage; let’s say 10%, of customers doing something that makes us mad. We want to make sure the offending practice doesn’t happen again, so we put up a “No” sign.  The problem is that the 90% of us that would never do the offending practices are a little (sometimes a lot) put off by all the negativity. Sometimes, we’re put off enough that we don’t come back. Many “No” signs can be reworded to eliminate the word “No.” “Restrooms Are For Our Customers.” 

Many signs are too wordy. Most people will only spend 3 – 5 seconds reading a sign, while driving; it’s more like three seconds. Words and images and even the fonts should be chosen very carefully to be very brief and concise. 

It’s a good idea periodically for us all to take a look at our signage and try to do so with the objectivity of a stranger. There are many tools at Fab Lab ICC available to help with the physical upgrading of many types of signs. We have people in our network of entrepreneurs and small business owners that are very good at wording and layout to help make sure you are conveying the messages you intend. 

Jim Correll is the director of Fab Lab ICC at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on the campus of Independence Community College. He can be reached at (620) 252-5349 or by email at jcorrell@indycc.edu. Archive columns and podcasts at www.fablabicc.org 


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