Whether the signs in your business are brand new or have stood the test of time, it is always a good idea to conduct a sign audit a few times each year. A sign audit allows you to determine if a given sign is working for your business or if it needs to be refreshed and replaced. Knowing how to conduct one of these important tests is essential if you want to make sure that your signage is having the biggest possible impact. 

Learn more about how to successfully conduct your own sign audit in this short guide:

Put Together a Team

While you could conduct a sign audit completely on your own, it often helps to have the feedback of others. Involve other office employees in the process of conducting your next sign audit. You may be surprised at how their opinions differ from your own. Be sure to select employees from a couple of departments so that you are getting a representative sample of opinions. 

Once you assemble your team, it is time to give them their instructions. Tell them to give their honest opinion about what is and is not working about a given sign. Even though they likely see these signs every single day, ask them to view them with fresh eyes as if they have never seen them before. 

As the leader, you should take good notes while your employees share their concerns related to your signs. You may even want to take pictures of flagged issues so that you can remember to address them later on. 

Evaluate Visibility

Where should you start your successful sign audit? Visibility should be your top priority, especially for outdoor signage. Take a field trip to the outside of your building and survey whether the colours and font sizes are visible from the street. If you have never done this before, you will want to make sure that the stroke width and size of your letters are visible from the desired distance. 

Make sure that nothing new is obscuring your sign, like landscaping or a new building.  Likewise, you need to make sure that your sign isn’t blocking any other important notifications such as regulatory signs. Signage that blocks necessary postings will need to be moved to a new location or taken down altogether. 

Consider Messaging and Branding

Does your sign still accurately represent your brand? This applies to both the content of the sign as well as the colour scheme and visual representation. Make sure that all of the details displayed on the sign are consistent with your business, such as office hours and the mission of the company. However, you should also make sure that the branding is upheld in your image. 

If you have recently changed your brand colours or logo, it is the perfect time to conduct a sign audit. This will show you which signs need to be updated to keep your image consistent for your customers. This reduces confusion and ensures that everyone is on the same page regarding your recent brand change. 

Sometimes, you may find during your sign audit that your banner has faded somewhat, which can affect the appearance of the colours. This can make your brand look washed out or change the colour of your business logo entirely. If you notice this during a sign audit, it may be time to update that particular sign with a fresh version. 

Check for Necessary Repairs

Signs can deteriorate over time, so it is important to keep a close eye on them with regular sign audits. If you notice that your illuminated sign has a burned-out light, it is time to replace it. You might notice colour fading, loose fittings, or UV damage on acrylic that leads to yellowing. All issues should be corrected soon after your sign audit. 

Consider What You Can Add

The purpose of a sign audit is to determine whether there is any way to update or refresh signs that you already have. However, you may also want to pay close attention to whether there are any locations that could be used more effectively for your signage. 

Look at underutilized areas in your business space and make a plan for what type of promotional signage you could hang in these areas.Window graphics can be a great addition, especially if you are doing a short-term event or sale. They take up no wall space and allow you to more fully utilize the storefront space that you have available to you. 

Call the Professionals 

A good sign audit takes into account the signage you already have as well as the signs that could be implemented to better your bottom line. If you are looking for quality signs in Winnipeg, look no further than SpeedPro Winnipeg North. 

We can guide you to solutions for signs that need some refurbishing and help you plan for new signs. Be sure to give us a call today to learn more about the services we can offer you!