When advertising your business to the outside world, you need to consider the impression that your advertising materials leave on your potential customers. This is an integral part of creating a brand experience that helps customers connect with you by drawing them to your business and keeping them there. Your signage is one way to convey brand messages, and for many brands, nostalgia is a staple. Vintage business signs have risen to popularity because nostalgia works. They exude a certain charm and still do, but we’ve since improved on them quite a bit! Signs of the past weren’t created with the modern technology and materials we now have at our disposal. Here are some vintage sign ideas you can use to get that old time charm while making the most of more durable modern materials.
Carved signs made with more durable high density urethane
Carved wooden signs were among the first seen on city streets when businesses began capitalizing on the power of the signage. They have classic, natural appeal and can be used to create a cozy feeling. There’s something inherently welcoming about encountering a little wooden hanging sign outside a restaurant, cafe, or pub. However, wood as a material has a few drawbacks. Over time, it can crack, rot, and warp as a result of the outdoor elements. High density urethane (HDU), on the other hand, is a modern and synthetic equivalent that comes with a longer lifespan and enhanced durability. While HDU, also known as sign foam, can replicate the natural look of wood and be carved and sandblasted, it won’t fall prey to weather and moisture.
Metal signs made with rust-proof aluminum
Often seen in shop windows to advertise anything from store hours to popular products, the tin sign is a retro mainstay. Most of these signs were actually made of steel, not tin, and while very cheap, steel is prone to rusting. Indeed, the rusted look of tin signs is part of their vintage appeal to collectors, but perhaps not to proprietors. Today’s metal signs are typically made with coated aluminum, not steel, and aluminum is able to resist rust. Printing vintage imagery on your aluminum signage can create the same retro feel without resulting in rust that compromises the structural integrity of the sign. If you do want your sign to have that “rusty” look, you can incorporate some fake rust into the graphics, and your sign will still be around for years.
Marquee signs and vintage “neon” signs made with energy-efficient LEDs
The carved sign and the tin sign preluded the electric sign, but as soon as business owners were able to create signs that shone bright at all hours of the night, they took the opportunity to attract as much attention as possible. There was demand for signs to get in the faces of potential patrons who may have been riding in a car rather than strolling along the city street.
Marquee Signs
The marquee sign in particular played a major role in the history of theater with its flashing lights that created excitement. Marquee-style signs are still widely used today by theaters, hotels, casinos, and businesses that just want to look vintage, but there are better options for lighting them than the incandescent bulbs of technologies past. Namely, LED is energy-efficient and longer-lasting, and it shines far more brightly.
Vintage Neon Signs
The neon sign is another type of illuminated sign that is now a bit outdated in its technology. The glow of the tubing on exposed neon channel letter signs is strongly associated with restaurants, bars, and other attractions, but there’s no longer any need to deal with neon that leaks and causes your sign to go unlit. After all, what’s the point of being retro if no one can enjoy your sign at night? For some businesses, there’s no replacing the vintage neon sign, but this is another area where LED is a welcome improvement. On an LED channel letter sign, words and designs are formed by tiny little dots (the LEDs) rather than continuous tubes of neon. Still, from a distance, it’s hard to tell the difference, and a brighter LED sign is easier to see from a distance in the first place.
You can get that retro look without doing the retro maintenance
We’re living in a great age of signage—one where we can use vintage business signs to inspire nostalgia without having to deal with the upkeep of traditional signage. If you’re looking for a way to adapt your vintage sign ideas into a more modern equivalent, a designer can help you bring that vision to life. Your business signage is a powerful advertising tool, and it deserves to last so you can get as much mileage out of your investment as possible.
