Use a ruler or tape measure in the photo when showing brick dimensions. This eliminates the need to make notes which always pose the potential of being misread. This also eliminates the need for clarification as to the exact point of which the brick was measured.

Opportunity: To streamline communications between design and sales for better efficiency in the design/sales relationship. 

Challenge: Design requests that are missing minor details that can make the difference between a successful design and one that misses the mark.

Solution: A comprehensive list of questions that sales people can use to provide you the facts, details and information needed for designing the sign. 

The following is an outline that I’ve compiled over the years of questions to ask, information to gather and situations to consider when designing a monument sign (or any type of electrical sign project). 

As the designer, you can compile these questions into a double-sided cheat-sheet for your sales people and field survey people to take with them in the field. Customize it by adding additional questions that have been problematic situations for you in the past. Provide space for them to write out the answers with a box to check that lists “electronic file” or “hard copy” provided. Remind the sales force that although not every question will apply to their job, this fact sheet will help them avoid going back to the customer for more information.

This shot measures an architectural feature on the building. I can read the tape measure, but I have no clear understanding of how big this is in relationship to the building. I need a photo that shows this with the tape in place.

FACTS & DETAILS

• Project name, address, sign copy information:

• How is the name of the shopping center, development or building supposed to be listed on the sign? Is there a logo to be used? 

• Who is the primary (anchor) tenant on the sign? Who are the other tenants? In what order are they listed? In some cases there are multiple anchor tenants and the landlord may be able to help with the order of placement and prominence of the tenants’ graphics. 

• Single face, double face, V-shape or other? Typically based on the location of the sign, their budget and code allowances. 

• Average viewing distance from sign faces? Where is the traffic approaching from? What is the distance the sign will be read from?

• What is the “read time” at the required viewing distance? Read time is the length of time a driver has to read and understand the message on the sign while traveling at the posted speed limit. This information is absolutely critical for signs that are obstructed by an overpass, trees or buildings. 

This shot shows the feature being measured, with the tape in place. I can see what is being measure, and how big it is on the building. Stand back, way back and use your camera’s zoom feature to capture the shot. Take several at a couple different zoom rates and be sure to include enough surrounding photo area. Wider shot allows me to crop the photo, especially important to include lots of sky for monument photos. The yellow border shows the final cropped photo used in the presentation.

DESIGN PARAMETERS

• Overall Height: Based on where it will be located on the property, what is the overall height that the city or county will allow for the sign?

• Square Foot Allowance? Does the sign code include the base as part of the overall square footage or do they count only the sign face area? Do they count one side or both when calculating square footage?

• Restrictions? Are there restrictions or directives in place by the city, county or landlord as to electronic message centers, exposed neon, channel letters, illumination?

• Does the shopping center have a sign criteria and how is it affected by the city or county sign code? The municipal sign code isn’t always the final word; get all the facts before determining what will or won’t be allowed.

• Will the sign be on a level grade or on a slope? What direction does it slope? How steep is the grade? Grass, rocks, dirt or other?

• Will sign be located on pavement or on the greenbelt? If it’s located in the parking lot you have a host of situations to consider. When necessary, focus on designing “teen-resistant” signs by keeping all dimensional graphic features out of the reach of rambunctious mall rats. If it looks like you could climb the sign to the top, or the exposed neon is too close to the ground, or your base provides the perfect grinding rail for skateboarders; you may want to reconsider your design.

• Are there overhead power lines that may affect the installation of the sign? Very important to note as power lines and cranes usually don’t play well together. Your design may have to allow for non-traditional installation methods.

• Is there flat, level ground around the sign site for the crane to extend its outriggers? There is nothing worse than finding out after the fact that the installers need to rent a bigger crane with a longer reach. Some how that spacious flat area where the sign is to be installed is now a sea of freshly placed, soaking wet sod.

Here is an easy to make scale marker that fits in the trunk of your car, is lightweight and very visible in photos. I used a 42” piece of 1” aluminum angle, welded a foot peg about 6” from the bottom and covered it is 12” strips of brightly colored film.

PHOTOGRAPHS

• Placement photos with scale indicator: Straight-on photos taken from a distance and using the camera’s zoom feature to frame the photo. (see Scale Placement Photo Sheets for Channel Letters and Monuments Signs)

• Placement photos for presentation: Same photo used for scale but without the scale indicator in the photo. 

• Existing signage photos: Photos of any existing signs on the property for comparison of style, fabrication and illumination methods. 

• Existing signs to be replaced? Take clear, precise photos of the existing signs that are being replaced. Use a tape measure in the photo to eliminate the need to guess on dimensions. If the sign is to utilize existing structural supports, a thorough field survey by an installer might provide the most accurate information.

• Brick or stonework dimensions and details: If you are matching the brick or stonework on the building, be sure to get a scaled photo of the brick or stone with a tape measure in the picture. Bricks come in a plethora of sizes... assuming all brick sizes are the same can be disastrous if you are showing placement on a building or wall and your dimensions are wrong. (see photo of ruler measuring brick) Close up photos also help in recreating the color and pattern of the brick for the presentation drawing.

This is an example of a monument sign scale placement photo. I have placed a marker in the ground at the point where the leading edge of the sign will be. This photo provides a reference of scale in the photo for a more accurate placement of the proposed design.

ARTWORK & BLUEPRINTS

• Logos or artwork to be used on the sign: These files should be available in an electronic format. If there is no vector artwork available, considerations must be made for recreation of the artwork or creation of the artwork as a new original design. This can be time consuming so be sure to account for your extra design time in the estimate.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

• Is there a requirement or a desire to match the architecture of the building? if so, what elements would the customer expect to see? (roof peak, trim work, columns, etc.) 

• What design concepts has the customer expressed to the sales person? Have there been discussions on what they would like to see? Are there sketches or photo examples to follow?

• Are there “Green Construction” parameters in place that consider power consumption or materials to be used? Boulder, Colo., is considered a “green” city and efforts to accommodate this directive (when materials are considered for their impact on the environment) will always win favor with city officials and the project’s planning committees. 

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

• Is this a replacement sign due to a traffic accident? Has the sign been hit by a car? Perhaps it’s happened several times because of a curve in the road or its location near an intersection? Considerations may need to be made regarding the signs’ redesign and fabrication to provide easily replaceable lower skirts that break away from the upper body of the sign. This provides an easy and less expensive repair the next time a vehicle can’t make the corner. 

• Installation Scheduling: Sod, asphalt, parking lot striping, concrete work, sidewalk installations; a couple of phone calls by your sales person or project manager can help eliminate costly setbacks and delays due to conflicting schedules.

As I have discussed previously, there are additional questions that the sales person should be asking as part of the consultative sales interview. These questions address the customers’ emotional buying triggers and how you might create a design to address them.

I hope this list of questions provides you new insight and a new tool for gathering the info you need for your sign presentations. Your sales department will appreciate the help with the cheat sheets and you will benefit from better surveys and more concise project details on design requests.