The use of font can change the feel of a sign. Serif fonts are expressive and decorative while sans-serif fonts can feel more modern. Photos courtesy Gregory Signs
By Boris Kaminsky
Signage can make or break a company, so it needs to be applied strategically. Researching and following signage trends can make a huge difference to a company’s success. So when clients reach out to you for advice on how best to get noticed, consider sharing the following hottest trends for 2022.
Colourful minimalism
Minimalism and simplicity were strong trends in the signage world last year and that hasn’t changed for 2022, if anything, that trend has accelerated. Not only are clean and simple signs popular, but signage that is bright and colourful is now in, too. Suggest to customers their signage needs to be loud, but still professional.
Not only are clean and simple signs popular, but signage that is bright and colourful is now in, too.
Serif fonts for nostalgic purposes
Not to be mistaken with sans-serif fonts (the complete opposite), serif fonts are expressive and decorative at the beginning and end of each letter, making for an old-fashioned and nostalgic look.
Nostalgia is in right now. You could say society is a little obsessed with it. Nostalgia is a great thing because it provides a sense of comfort and connection.
By using serif fonts and making signs a little more retro, your clients can make a connection with people in today’s day and age. Nostalgia allows people to feel safe. What business owner doesn’t want people to feel that way with their company? Advise clients to try this style of signage this year for a retro look that is bound to turn heads.
Serif fonts are expressive and decorative at the beginning and end of each letter, making for an old-fashioned and nostalgic look.
Geometrical symmetry
Continuing with the idea of comfort, people appreciate signage that is easy on the eyes in the sense of geometrical symmetry. In a world of chaos and loud marketing coming at everyone left and right, people find comfort in the signs that feel familiar and offer a calming effect.
In previous years, abstract signs were usually the ones trending. However, due to the barrage of ads popping up daily on people’s mobile devices, the trends now favour straightforward signage that looks clean and professional. Ask your design department to create designs that feature simple logos and geometrical shapes which could help gravitate people towards a brand.
This trend could go hand-in-hand with the minimalistic approach previously mentioned—clean and simple is always a safe bet in the professional world.
Signage with simple logos and geometrical shapes can help gravitate people towards your brand.
Incorporating QR Codes
If we can take anything out of last year, it’s the use of QR codes. The pandemic has brought QR codes back with almost every business using one. People feel most comfortable getting information on their own devices nowadays, and QR codes are a fantastic means of sharing information in a safe way with no contact.
That said, what do QR codes have to do with signage? Everything! When most people think of signage, they think of big outdoor signs and logos, but signage can be big or small, indoor or outdoor, and QR codes can be included on almost any of them.
QR codes are ideal to use on digital signage where they can be changed and updated with ease and allow businesses the opportunity to share all kinds of information about a business at various times. Customers should be aware that if a QR code is linked to a website indefinitely, then it can be incorporated onto signs in stores or offices. QR codes are not going anywhere anytime soon, so tell clients to take advantage of this incredible trend and share a large amount of information with their audience with just a small code located somewhere on the signage.
QR codes allows a business to share a large amount of information with the audience with just a small code located somewhere on the signage.
