What To Consider When Choosing a Yard Sign Size

Yard signs are an affordable and highly-versatile tool for marketing your business. Whether you’re installing your sign in front of your own storefront or in an off-site location, it’s going to attract attention and hopefully generate new business. An important part of the yard sign ordering process, however, is selecting the size of your sign. There’s not necessarily a right or wrong size to order, but there are some guidelines you should consider when choosing the size of your lawn sign.

Display Area-You should have a good idea of where you’d like to display your yard sign. Most are mounted in a lawn, but others are screwed into a wall, Velcro-ed to a sign stand, or even attached to a fence. Thus, it’s important to measure the dimensions of the area where your sign will be displayed to make sure you choose the right size. The sign should fill up the space but not be so big that it looks inappropriate or doesn’t fit.

Viewing Distance-Another factor to consider is how far away people will be when they view your sign. The further away your reader is from the sign, the bigger it will need to be. A good rule for text size is 1″ tall text can be read from 10′ away, increasing at that ratio. Thus, if you’re just ordering a sign that you want readers to see as they walk up to your store, it doesn’t have to be large. For signs that you want to catch the eye of potential customers from far away, however, think big and bold.

Message-The content of your sign can also affect the size you choose. If you have a lot to say, obviously you’re going to need room for it. Keep in mind, though, that unlike a print ad, your reader probably won’t spend much time looking at your lawn sign, so your message should be fairly-simple and to-the-point. For the average yard sign, use around 4-5 lines of text at the most-anything more will look cluttered.

Frames and Accessories-Many customers use sign frames, stakes, or other accessories to display their yard sign. If you already have one of these, you’ll need to order a sign to fit it. If you’re ordering an accessory at the same time, keep in mind that most sign frames aren’t available in custom sizes (if they are, the cost is usually quite-substantial), so you’ll need to select a standard size that will fit your frame. Common sizes for political yard signs and real estate signs (and the frames that go with them) are 12″x24″, 18″x24″, and 24″x36″.

Budget-The last thing to consider when sizing your yard sign is your budget. Many companies offer wholesale prices for large-quantity orders of standard sizes, which is great for political candidates, real estate agents, etc., who are looking to order in bulk. If your order is going to be smaller, however, size your sign carefully to make sure you stay within your budget constraints.