Classic and Timeless Exterior Tips for Your Business

Location, Location, Location

Where your business is situated is the first part of considering what will go into the front-facing side of your building. For example, is your business facing out towards a busy street, in a smaller shopping center, or is it a boutique tucked away in a well-manicured promenade? How much natural lighting does your business get? What is permissible from your landlord, including in terms of painting your exterior walls, and other decorations that take up space, such as potted plants, tables and chairs, and A-signs? Is there a lot of parking, or are your customers primarily using public transportation or walking to get to your business?

Geography, and the related logistics, matter when determining how your choice of exterior design will complement and even enhance the shopping experience, and will cue your customer that you are already thinking about how they will feel when they approach your storefront.

Working with what you have is an essential philosophy for any successful business. When it comes to pairing your business’s story with your physical realities, even with the limitations of space, possibilities can be endless.

Considering tradition in architectural and exterior design is a great way to help convey the mood and enhance the experience of a business.

Similarly, strategically using open windows and bright, well-lit signs with crisp fonts can help convey a sense of cleanliness, and order.

Strategic choices of exterior paint that complement the playful display of color-coordinated vinyl records, along with music posters, have ensured that this German record store attracts the attention of anyone hustling by what may otherwise be a drab street, inviting them to stop in and enjoy a fun musical experience.

Give Me a Sign

Quite literally, there’s more to signage than meets the eye. One only has to think of the headache-producing flickering lights of a neon sign fritzing out, or the comical moments when paint fades or lights stop illuminating certain letters to create new words that the business owner did not intend to say, to recognize the importance of correct signage.

Font choice also matters, along with color choice as well that complements logos while remaining visually pleasing while also legible, including for people with limited sight. Fonts are additionally helpful subtle cues that help convey your business’s overall feeling, just as much as your decision in opting for the material used in the sign itself. This can include aluminum composite - also for the exterior of the building as a whole, wood-carvings, painted signs, 3D signs, channel letters, and more, just to name some choices.

Additionally, perhaps you want to go with a full mural or decorative tiling, especially if your business is deeply tied to the arts and/or rooted in a cultural tradition where colorful, personal expressions are valued and help tell your story.

Pick the right team

Above all, you’re a business person, but you’re not necessarily in the business to focus on all things exterior design. This is when it’s important to work alongside professionals who are passionate about helping your business stand out from the rest. Just as importantly, it’s critical to remember that red tape still applies: There are multiple codes in ordinances that vary by jurisdiction. Working with a licensed and bonded signage professional can help ensure that both you, and your local government, are happy with the finished product.

Live Long and Prosper

Even if the amount of choices can feel overwhelming at first, the process of creating the right exterior for your business can be an exciting opportunity to tell your story for years to come, enhancing your bottom line in a way that is genuine to you and the work that you have already invested so much into. Knowing that you are not doing this alone, but in and alongside your community, can help define how you meet the moment while remaining a timeless centerpiece of your neighborhood.