Signdealz Blog | Commercial Outdoor Signage

Blade and Projecting Sign Cost and Design Considerations

Written by William (Bill) Hayes | Jan 8, 2014 2:36:00 PM
One of the biggest trends in mall construction is the pedestrian based open model. This provides a more open concept that saves on utilities for the mall operator. It's a great model as long as you dent live in Fargo or Chicago.

Pedestrian Based Store Identificaton

Understanding how to correctly determine what type and size of sign for this environment can be a little challenging. Open mall concepts often have a lot of architectural awnings and other structures that can add to the challenge of sign design and fabrication. Design always affects cost.

Design Considerations

There are two types of Pedestrian malls. The first is used in more traditionally urban environments where land is at a premium. In this configuration you find there are more two and three story buildings with covered sidewalks. The sidewalks are smaller and more compressed. Signdealz has found that mall operators become more liberal with thier sign programs for second and third story tenants, because in an open model there are usually no escalators and pedestrians are less likely to go up the stairs to shop on the second and third story. So, what ends up happening is those tenants usually are allowed to have much larger signs, up to 20% to 40% larger, in hopes of driving more traffic up.

For the lower tenants in an open model, you now find both wall signs and blade signs are allowed, these two sign types working together to help drive traffic into retail stores. One of the nice trends we are seeing from architects and designers is the use of more exotic materials and design types for electrical signage. You are also seeing more neon in designs of signs, so I guess you could say it's making a comeback.

 

 

 

Cost Considerations

So with all of these design considerations comes a secondary effect on your budget. I guess I don't need to lead you on. It's a rise in the cost of your sign project for your new location. One of the drawbacks with designers and architects is that they don't always think from the aspect of cost, and because of this, your sign might look cool, but it's going to cost big $$$. This is where our cost model at Signdealz is far superior than other traditional sign companies. When a traditional full service sign company bids your project they look at it from a very linear point of view. They are going to fabricate that project in house using their fabricators which is very costly. Signdealz uses a radically different approach.

  • We use the open market to find out what your sign should cost. This can be +/- 50% on either side of an average quote
  • We can have your sign fabricated by over 60 custom wholesale sign shops from around the country who want to compete for your job
  • We also use owner/operator installers who's cost is substantially lower and install quality is substantially higher because they need our continued business
  • We grade our fabricators and installers on quality and on the on time fulfillment of our orders. If they don't perform, they don't get our business.

If you are looking for a great sign company that can deliver your sign project on time and on budget then look no further. Signdealz operates in all 50 states. Give us a try.