Hello all! I am just announcing the completion of our recent 900 Wilshire Sign Program. For those of you who use them, I hope you’ll be impressed. If you are curious about what they are, I think the attached file below will give you an idea:
If you are in the market for one, let us know! We are experts at them and have done them all over the state of California. Just call 714-637-9900 or email us at sales@landmarksignsinc.com!
John
The advertising world is changing rapidly, becoming more internet and social media focused all the time. At the same time, people’s traveling habits are changing. Less and less people, especially of the up and coming Millennial Generation, are obtaining driver’s licenses and automobiles, preferring instead to ride share, use ride services like Uber or Lyft, public transportation, bike or walk. And instead of going to shopping malls to purchase clothing or durable goods, they are opting to use internet services like Ebay or Amazon instead.
Lyft co-founder John Zimmer predicts that by 2025 private car ownership will end. The Wall Street Journal suggests that self-driving cars will soon take over to such an extent that only “hobbyists, hot-rodders and flat-earth dissenters” will own cars. And according to an article on CityLab, there has been a growing trend starting with the GenX’ers and continuing with the Millennial generation that has led to a significant decrease in obtaining driver’s licenses and automobiles, with a preference to use other public and sharing modes of travel.
So what does this all mean for us business people who depend upon customers to come to our locations for services? Will on-premise signs even be necessary?
While it is true that it is imperative that any successful business take advantage of and spend a significant amount of their time and resources on social media and internet marketing, it is also true that through these mediums we are becoming inundated with advertising so that in many cases a good message is just going to be drowned out. So how can you, Mr. or Ms. Business Owner, really make your company stand out in such a crazy environment?
A well designed and attractive sign just may be more key to your success than ever!
Consider the following:
As people rely more upon ride sharing, biking, walking or public transportation, they are going to be doing things closer to home. In fact, mixed use developments are on the rise, where services such as dental, physicians, fast food, and specialty shops, etc. are all in the same buildings and complexes as the apartments where people live. As people stay closer to home, neighborhood shopping areas are going to be on the rise. And what will be the primary way they are to know about you and make a decision as to whether or not to use your services? Your sign.
Secondly, when people are riding either in autonomous vehicles, buses or sharing, they are going to have a lot more time to watch their surroundings. Have you ever experienced riding with someone else over a route that you have driven over hundreds of times? It’s amazing how many things you never noticed were there. Soon a lot more people are going to be able to do the same. And again, what will be the best way to inform them of your existence in such a compelling way that the next time they’ll tell their car “go to ‘Jones’ (your) Barbershop'”? By your sign.
The trends aren’t making signs less necessary, they are making them even more crucial to your success!
This is where “What a sign can do for your business” comes in to play.
Most people if asked “What does a business sign do?” will reply, “It shows people where you are and what you do.” But location and information are only part of what a sign really does. If that were all it did, then it would be enough to take a can of spray paint and have a teenager spell our your name, services and address on the sign of your building. And believe me, I’ve seen something like that on more than a few occasions!
But much more than just location and information, a sign does at least two other and arguably more important things:
It can make a favorable impression so that people don’t just know you exist and what you do, but are compelled to single out your business as preferable just because your sign is so attractive! And with a unique design it can drive your logo into the minds of the public by repeat viewing, so that when the time comes that your services are needed, they will remember you favorably and make a point of coming to you or contacting you.
Down the freeway from my house there is a warehouse location for Yamaha instruments. They don’t cater to the public and functionally they only need for truckers to find them to do pickups and deliveries. But they have a large, handsome and well made sign right on the freeway, much larger than it needs to be and much more expensive than was necessary to just let delivery vehicles know where they are. Why? Because they know that they have to be careful to take every opportunity to make a good impression on the public and create a repetitive, positive memory in their minds. You need to do that too.
With the necessity for making your business stand out and get favorable attention more imperative than ever, your sign could very well make the difference! Don’t skimp and buy the least you can get away with. Don’t waste a valuable opportunity to make a great impression and create a lasting memory in your customers. Perhaps thousands of persons are passing your door every day, do you really want to risk the possibility that they won’t notice you or consider you first when it comes to needing your services?
You need a Great Sign Company!
You need a great, marketing savvy and experienced sign company. One that knows the psychology of marketing and can do unique, compelling and beautiful designs. Signs although relatively costly, if made properly can last many, many years. For that reason, your business sign has always been and will continue to be the most efficient and cost effective form of advertising!
Finally, you need to know that we at Landmark Signs recognize and appreciate your need for great, well designed and effective signs. At Landmark we have one of the top sign designers in the world, having won first place in the state of California and finishing in the top twenty internationally! You can see some examples of our design expertise below.
We want to share our wealth of experience with you. We are offering highly discounted rates on custom sign designs in our working area. So call us today at (714) 637-9900 or email us at sales@landmarksignsinc.com. We can help you with a sign that really works!
John Myres, The Sign Expert.
Pylon Sign with “Pole Covers”
Sometimes the “lingo” or language used to describe signs and sign products is a little confusing.
This I think is the case with the terms “Pylon” or “Pole” Signs. Although everyone has seen one, you may not know why they are called that, what they are best suited for or even what they are. In this article I hope to clear all that up for you.
To begin with, “Pylon” or “Pole” Signs are typical terms for the very same thing. They are called that because they are signs that are mounted atop or over large steel structures made typically out of round steel pipe, ranging from 6 to 22 inches in diameter. Some you will see are very evident as the pipes may be exposed from the ground to the bottom of the sign. Others may have “Pole Covers” or other cladding to disguise or decorate the internal pipe structures more pleasingly. So essentially, they are called “Pole Signs” because they are mounted on steel pipe or “poles”.
Additionally, they are often called “Pylon Signs” because that same structure is very similar to the pylons or columns supporting bridges. The pipe structure like bridge pylons, is embedded deeply into the ground in large concrete footings. So, in the sense that they are like bridge pylons, they are often called “Pylon Signs”. But again, no matter what you call them, “Pylon” or “Pole” Signs are the same thing.
60 Foot Pylon Sign With Exposed Pole
Pylon / Pole Signs are the tallest ground signs made, exceeded only by those placed on top of skyscrapers. They are at minimum taller than monument signs, starting at about 12′. They can in certain circumstances be 200 feet or higher. Think of the large ground signs in Las Vegas. Although they don’t appear to be, many of those are easily in that size range.
The main benefit of Pylon / Pole Signs is that they can be seen from greater distances. Monument Signs by contrast, are much more intimate, being valuable to advertise at eye level to passing street traffic. But when your location can be seen from a distance, Pylon / Pole Signs make it possible for your business to be noticed over the top of ground obstructions such as trees, trucks and even buildings, far in advance of a driver arriving at your location. So it’s advantage is that you can attract attention in time enough for the passersby to turn into your location and take advantage of your services. Also, they are an advertising device that can often be seen by autos traveling away from or only near your business, planting your image in their minds as a service they may want to use at a future time. And typically they are much larger and more legible, meant to be easily read from a mile or more.
One major issue with Pylon / Pole Signs is that they are often frowned on or extremely limited by city codes. Understandably many cities consider them eyesores and either ban them, limit their height or require careful and creative designs that make them as attractive as possible. We at Landmark Signs know how to deal with city planners, take the most effective approach and the best way to design Pylon / Pole Signs so that they will be beautiful and accepted. So don’t worry, if a Pylon / Pole Sign is the best option for you, we can help that become a reality.
It Might Not Be Big But It’s A Pole Sign!
If you have a business that is hard to see because of nearby buildings, trees and ground obstructions, a Pylon / Pole Sign may be perfect for you. If you have services that are especially important to or need to be advertised to the traveling public along highways and freeways, a Pylon / Pole Sign may be essential to your success. If you want your company to make as many good impressions as possible to everyone near or far so that you are remembered and sought out when your services are needed, a Pylon / Pole Sign could be just the thing you need.
At Landmark Signs, we are highly knowledgeable and proficient at obtaining permits, designing, manufacturing and installing Pylon / Pole Signs. If you think one might be best for you, contact us today at sales@landmarksignsinc.com or at 714-944-7257.
Thanks for your attention and best wishes!
John Myres, The Sign Expert.
714-944-7257 (my cell).
Landmark Signs New Logo Rollout!
Hi Gang!
Just wanted the all to know that we are rolling out a new logo and slogan, ready to take on the “sign world”! In the course of the next few weeks, look to see that this will change on all our social media.
There has been a definite graphic trend towards cleaner and more contemporary logos and marketing that we both accept and find refreshing. The reason is, we are all being bombarded with advertising and visual graphics on every medium. It’s all over our cell phones, pads and computers, as well as on television and on signs. That means that whatever visual medium you are using, it needs to be as clear and impactful as possible. So, we are embracing this trend and reflecting that in our new logo / slogan change.
A major difference in what we are doing is increasing our use of the color blue. For decades it has been recognized that blue is the subliminal color of security and trust. It was said that the originator of the use of this color was the IBM Corporation and for good reason, since that company came to be known as extremely reliable with products of the highest quality and dependability in its day.
In this day and time, “the woods are full” of sign companies producing mediocre signs and services. The emphasis is on “cheap” and “fast” without the concern for long-term durability and the necessity for making the right impression upon the buying public. People often get fooled into thinking “a sign is just a sign” or that one is not different than another. And so there is a proliferation of “fast sign” companies with an emphasis on making a sale without consideration for the client’s long term welfare or giving the best overall value for the client’s hard earned dollars. Landmark Signs is not that kind of company!
And so, our slogan has also changed, not negating the previous one as unworthy, but with a more direct emphasis on quality. At Landmark Signs we take your overall needs into consideration, desiring to give you the benefit of our decades of service by making sure that what we provide you will last, and beautifully so. We save you money because we are making you a sign that won’t cost you over and over again as you have to replace it or constantly repair it. We also expertly analyze your needs and your location, making sure that your new sign from Landmark does its job as a marketing and identifying vehicle effectively. And all our products are permanent, manufactured of the highest quality materials and durable. Landmark Signs does not make “fast signs” just great ones!
So, if you are in the market for a permanent, well designed, high quality, extremely effective and beautifully crafted custom sign, Landmark Signs is your “go-to” sign company!
Contact us today at (714) 637-9900 or email us at sales@landmarksignsinc.com!
The Sign Expert Says: Comprehensive Sign Programs – How Can I make Sure I Get the Right One?
Does it pay to have a professional prepare a Comprehensive Sign Program or just have your secretary type one out? Is there any benefit to doing it well as opposed to just getting it off of your lists of things you have to do as quickly and cheaply as possible?
Having been in the business for over 35 years, I have seen many sign programs from the sublime to the barely legible. Many were obviously done just well enough to get by and meet whatever was required by the city but no more. The result in many cases is a document that confuses the tenant, irritates the city planner and costs your management time, money and patience as they attempt to make the tenants understand it and have to fight to keep them from taking advantage of its inconsistencies. A bad one can make things worse rather than better. It can cost you far more that a properly prepared one would have in the first place!
“But” you may ask “How do I know that I’m getting a good one? What should I expect the sign expert I hire to do differently than just anyone can do? What features of the Comprehensive Sign Program itself should I be looking for to know its right?”
It’s All About Who You Hire.
More than anything else, the best Comprehensive Sign Programs begin with the person or company you hire. Developing Sign Programs requires experience and forward thinking. The professional you should be working with is one who understands the future issues you may face, such as:
- The future loss of sign options as City sign codes become more stringent.
- The possibility that you may want to subdivide spaces and will need sign allowances to cover that.
- Your need to draw in high profile tenants by providing adequate sign opportunities that have the flexibility to allow their trademark logos, fonts and colors.
- The desire to have the latest in technology that is the least invasive to your buildings and landscape.
We at Landmark have produced many Comprehensive Sign Programs and are aware of all of the issues and your needs so that we are able to anticipate and cover every potential problem.
You Need a True Professional.
Comprehensive Sign Programs also often need to go through a process that includes thorough research of city codes and possibilities, engaging and negotiating with city planners and attendance and representation of your interests before a Design or Architectural Review Board or City Council. You’ll need a company who can handle your project with professionalism and tact, with the right mix of assertiveness when necessary to protect your interests. You also need someone who can speak with understanding and knowledge with your architect, someone who knows the critical issues and problems that need to be worked out so that the beauty of your premises is maintained while making sure that your tenants will get adequate and effective signage.
At Landmark Signs, we have the experience and professionalism to deal appropriately with all the parties involved, whether they be City Planners, Board or Council Members, Architects, Property Owners and Tenants and others. We are respectful and considerate while courteously but insistently negotiating on your behalf to protect your interests. We keep you informed so that you are free to make the critical decisions if necessary, while supplying you with the detailed information so that you are fully informed of all the nuances of the issues that arise.
The Bottom Line – A Good Comprehensive Sign Program is Very Important.
As a long-time sign professional, I encourage you not to underestimate the value of a well prepared Comprehensive Sign Program. Done properly, it can make your job and that of your manager’s a lot easier in communicating and regulating your tenant sign issues. It can help you establish and maintain a good working relationship with your city’s officials and workers. It can protect your interests, helping you to attract and keep valuable and high profile tenants by making sure their sign marketing opportunities are sufficient and effective. And it can protect your facility’s structure and enhance it, with thoughtfully and creatively design sign solutions that are up-to-date in technology and forward thinking.
When hiring a company to do this service, be sure to check out the quality of their work. Talk to them about the issues you are concerned with and feel them out about whether or not they even understand the problems or have any real solutions for them. At times you may even ask a City Planner who they would recommend. At Landmark we have been recommended may times by city officials.
And don’t “cheap out”. Spending a fair amount will lead to lesser costs in the long run, with minimal work on the part of your employees and greatly reduced costs of repairs due to improper signage.
If you are in our service range of Southern or Central California, please call us and let us take care of this service for you. You’ll be glad you did!
John Myres, The Sign Expert.
The Sign Expert Says: Comprehensive Sign Programs – What Do They Do and How Do They Do It?
Comprehensive Sign Programs – Blog Two
As a multi-tenant property owner or manager, what is really your biggest problem? What is the factor over which you have the least control? Isn’t it a “people problem” primarily?
What Happens Without A Sign Program!
And of all the objects that are found in, around and on your facilities and its grounds, which are the most noticed, attracting the most attention? More than likely it would be the signs, for good or for bad.
Combined together then, a major issue you have to deal with has to be tenant signage, the lessees’ tendency to do what they think is good for them without consideration for the damage it could do to your property or for how it may detract from the beauty of your buildings and campus.
So, how can you deal with this effectively? Is it best to just deal with every issue as it comes up and not worry about it until it does? Or is there a better way?
There is, and it’s called a Comprehensive Sign Program. It’s taking a proactive approach to the problem by communicating to your tenants what they may and may not do, in advance and clearly so that there is no question. And if your City cooperates, they can become a partner with you in insuring your rules will be honored.
What it Does and How It Does It.
Primarily, a Comprehensive Sign Program is a very detailed and sophisticated document that establishes every rule regarding every sign on your property. Many owners make it an addendum to the lease, so that at the very outset of a relationship with a tenant, they are bound by it’s rules or they will have broken their lease
In our Comprehensive Sign Programs we begin with a page dedicate to General Requirements. These will include the types of signs that are acceptable as well as those that are not allowed, definitions as to terms and directions as to how a tenant can obtain permission from you to proceed for permits. They establish that a city permit must be obtained and that the contractors they hire must be qualified, licensed and insured so that they don’t use a fly-by-night company to save money or attempt to do an amateur job themselves. All of this can be supplemented by a warning as to what your legal rights are and what you will do if they violate any of the regulations you’ve established.
Following General Requirements, our Comprehensive Sign Programs then begin to address every sign type that the tenant may be allowed to use or be a part of. There will be pages on Monument and / or Pole Signs, Individual Tenant Building Signs, and sometimes Window Signs, Address Signage and Temporary Signage. In each case, there
will be fully illustrated designs, showing the sizes, colors, materials and detailed construction, so that there will be no questions as to what level of sign manufacture and installation is expected. As regards individual tenant signs, there will pages showing exactly how to determine what size and area the tenant’s sign can be, as well as where on the building their sign can be placed. Whatever sign type it is, there is plenty of information, direction and detail that can assure you that your tenants will know exactly what to do.
Also included will be a detailed Site Plan. This helps orient the tenant as to what types of signs are allowed on the property and where they can be located.
For some of our typical examples, click on the links below (please note that these have old phone numbers!):
It Can Protect You and Secure Your Rights
But more than just for the tenants, a Comprehensive Sign Program can help protect and even enhance your rights with the City to obtain permits for the signs you want to have or reserve for your tenants to have.
There is no doubt that having good sign opportunities is an attraction to potential lessees. So, more than likely you will want to have sufficiently sized and attractively designed Monument or Pole Signs that have plenty of tenant panels. You may also want to establish that tenants who are leasing corner, end or pad shops have rights to have signs on more than one wall so that they are sufficiently seen from all approaches. And if you have large or big box tenants, you’ll want to make sure they can have signs that are sizable and attractive enough to be seen from a distance and display their established trade marks effectively.
In many cases, your city government may require a Comprehensive Sign Program or encourage you to submit one. Often they will allow a higher percentage of sign area and other sign allowances in appreciation for your cooperation and expense. The end result is, with a Comprehensive Sign Program you will typically be able to secure sign rights and better allowances that will benefit not only your tenants but your own sign needs. Becoming an established document, the Comprehensive Sign Program can hold these rights for you into the foreseeable future, even if the City becomes more restrictive over time. The way many cities are going, you may want to consider submitting a Comprehensive Sign Program as soon as possible!
The City Can Be Your Last Line of Defense
Finally, since many cities will accept and approve of your Comprehensive Sign Program, they become your last line of defense. They will not allow your tenants to obtain permits that do not agree with it. They will (if it is in the rules) make sure you have signed it off before letting the tenant proceed. They will also make sure the contractor your tenant is using is qualified by requiring them to present appropriately professional sign designs and to have contractor’s licenses. And if your tenants ignore your rules and fail to get a permit, the city has legal remedies to force the tenant to remove their signs or bring them up to code and even fine the scofflaw.
If you are like most property owners and managers who have sign issues with tenants and the city, a Comprehensive Sign Program just might be the ticket to your peace of mind! If you have a need for one, just let us know and we’ll be glad to help.
Stay tuned to my next blog about Comprehensive Sign Programs, “How Can I Make Sure I Get the Right One?”, coming soon!
John Myres, “The Sign Expert”
The Sign Expert Says: Comprehensive Sign Programs – What Are They? Why Should You Care?
Comprehensive Sign Programs – Blog One
If you are a medium to large retail, commercial or industrial property owner or developer, chances are good that at some point the city in which your real estate exists will require you to submit a Comprehensive Sign Program. This may be prompted by your presentation of plans for a new development, or simply by a tenant of yours going to City Hall just to get a permit for a sign. Either way you may be tempted to consider it a bothersome inconvenience just planted there by the city government to take more of your money and make your dreams a little harder to get. So you may be asking not just “What is it” but also “Why should I care? Isn’t it just something I have to get out of the way?”
But believe it or not, a well designed Comprehensive Sign Program can be a great help to you on a number of levels and well worth the cost.
Have you gone to great expense having a talented architect draw up plans for a unique and beautiful building? Or do you have a property that’s special to you, with features and improvements you’ve personally overseen and are proud of? A Comprehensive Sign Program can help you protect and beautify your investment by assuring that no tenant will place an unattractive, poorly built and architecturally offensive sign on your wall.
Have you or are you planning to use some very expensive and unique materials on your structures? Is your landscaping, whether existing or in the works, very special, beautiful and expensive? A well prepared Comprehensive Sign Program can specify very particular and even groundbreaking methods of the construction and installation of signs to insure that your building components and grounds won’t be permanently damaged or suffer.
Of course you understand and are compassionate that your tenants are just business people like yourself and need attractive and effective signs to succeed. But do you worry that your lessees would be tempted to consider their concerns greater than yours and either damage your property or mar it’s magnificent looks? A Comprehensive Sign Program protects you against this and more.
Specifically speaking, a Comprehensive Sign Program is a multi-page document similar to architectural plans and designs. It deals with every sign type and sign issue that may be needed or encountered on your property. But it goes beyond this by building in regulations and becoming a part of your leases to insure that your tenant’s signs are controlled, being checked not only by you, but at the city too as they will use it to double check what is permitted. Even still, it can do much more for you than these things too.
For a look at some of our Sign Programs, click on these links:
The bottom line is, a Comprehensive Sign Program is a valuable tool you can use to:
- Keep your beautiful and expensive investment safe from harm by tenants and others;
- Help make an impression on the City government as to your good intentions towards beautifying your surrounding area and respecting your fellow citizens and property owners;
- And if properly and skillfully done with coordination with your architect and your personal oversight, a well designed plan that will enhance, beautify and add that extra special touch to your property that really sets it apart!
In the following blogs, I’ll explain more about Comprehensive Sign Programs including, “What Do They Do and How Do They Do It?” and “How I Can Make Sure I Get the Right One?”. So, stay tuned and thanks for reading!
John Myres, The Sign Expert.
