Commercial signage

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The sign for the Saracen's Head in Bath, England, like many pub signs, reflects a time when signs had to be comprehensible to the illiterate.
The sign for the Saracen's Head in Bath, England, like many pub signs, reflects a time when signs had to be comprehensible to the illiterate.

Commercial signage identifies a business or similar entity, assists in wayfinding and attracts customers. In societies where literacy is not widespread, such signs are necessarily primarily based on images rather than words. Since the rise of mass literacy, such signs generally include the name of the business, often in the form of a logo, but also continue often to use images in addition to and in the place of words.

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[edit] Types of commercial signage

Signs come in various shapes and forms, and each commercial sign has the purpose of identifying or attracting business for the sign owner displaying the sign. Commercial signs are generally ordered and purchased by the owner of the business indicated on the sign.

However, many large corporations, such as beverage makers and oil companies, provide signs free-of-charge to business environments where the corporation’s competitive products may be sold. In a drinking establishment, for example, numerous small neon signs might be located on the wall, each advertising and suggesting that the patron drink that corporation’s product.

Billboards are sometimes rented by corporations, suggesting the viewer purchase its products. In some cases, such billboard signs may tend to be generic in nature and paid for by an industry or a community, with signs such as, “Drink more milk,” or “Visit Las Vegas,” etc.

Some typical commercial sign structures:

Los Angeles' famous Hollywood sign, now a symbol of the entertainment industry, originally said Hollywoodland, and advertised a real estate development.
Los Angeles' famous Hollywood sign, now a symbol of the entertainment industry, originally said Hollywoodland, and advertised a real estate development.
  • Aircraft smoke-formed sign (Skywriting)
  • Aircraft towed sign
  • Banner
  • Billboard
  • Blimp-painted signage
  • Complex outdoor sign, neon and lettering
  • Complex outdoor sign, sheet metal with lettering
  • Distributor advertising sign, metal, lettered
  • Distributor advertising sign, neon
  • Exterior wall sign, lettered
  • Hanging sign, lettered
  • Hanging sign, multi-listing
  • Interior wall sign, lettered
  • Lettering on glass
  • Lettering on glass with goldleaf
  • Lettering on vehicle side(s)
  • Mural sign
  • Neon sign
  • Oilcloth sign, lettered (similar to banner)
  • Paper sign, lettered
  • Plastic sign, lettered
  • Plastic sign, engraved
  • PVC sign
  • Proprietor sign
  • Proprietor sign, hanging
  • Rooftop sign
  • Sample sign
  • Showcard sign, lettered
  • Silk screen processed sign
  • Wall lettering sign

[edit] Gallery

Multiple logos on the Virgin Megastore in San Francisco, California

Sign, hanging, proprietor, small

Sign, hanging, proprietor, large

Sign, hanging, multi proprietor

Sign, lettering on truck

Sign, indoor, listing price of bait

Sign, sample, humorous

Sign, outdoor, price display

Rooftop sign

Sky writing by airplane

Complex outdoor sign

Wall lettering

Signage on Goodyear blimp

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Look up hang out one's shingle in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.


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