Letters: Appear simple to create but not so easy to perfect

by brittney_cutler | 25 October 2021 5:00 pm

By Craig Berger

Drive down any main street in North America and you will notice the domination of brands integrated into the architecture. Digital screens, large-format graphics and, of course, dimensional illuminated channel letter signs—all reaching out to you. The goal of these elements is to communicate brand value, consistency, and quality. However, the one difference you will also find is the quality of the display is not consistent.

Their aim is to reinforce the brand iconography, colour, and quality while also maintaining a strong image during different daylight and evening conditions. Signs also must be built to withstand environmental rigours with little to no maintenance, while maintaining consistency of brightness across the face.

Dimensional illuminated channel letter signs appear simple to construct, but are difficult to get totally right. They have to suit the demanding conditions of indoors and outdoors, of varying light conditions and, of course, the cost versus quality considerations.

Key lighting factors for channel letters

Powerful brand-oriented illuminated channel letters require an understanding of the balance between illumination, colour, materiality, and design, including the following factors:

LUX and brightness

LUX is lumens per square foot and is the key determinant for measuring brightness. While there is one measurement for LUX, actual visible brightness on signs is determined by a variety of issues, including exterior and interior lighting conditions, contrasting nearby lighting, the context for how the sign is being used, and the colours. Without field testing, a simple LUX measurement is not enough to determine the brightness of a sign.

When LEDs are specified, the output of the individual LED is important, but so is the depth of the letter and its placement. More LEDs do not necessarily produce a brighter sign, and more complex channel letters require careful selection of the LED, and most importantly, the placement.

Colour and light consistency

Colour and light consistency are also major factors. LEDs in most cases are white and filtered through a substrate to achieve the proper brand colour. That substrate is usually acrylic, but can also include vinyl, mesh, or fabric. Matching a brand colour to an illuminated sign starts with a colour match, but then delves into material properties, light approach (reflective or transmissive), and the gloss level of the surface.

Optix by Plaskolite for smaller letters or polycarbonate and vacuum-formed plastic for larger letters, are acrylic surfaces used for both indoor and outdoor channel letter and cabinet signs. Colour consistency can be influenced by not just the colour of the acrylic, but also its thickness, the depth of the channel letter, and the colour temperature and power of the LED itself. By selecting the correct substrate, the channel letter can both achieve colour match and light output. These examples show the difference between translucency levels of the same colour acrylic.

Hotspot and shadowing

Colour consistency is important, but light consistency across the sign determines overall quality and look of the sign. Poor LED placement will result in shadowing around the edges and details, while improper depth and acrylic specification can result in hotspots or pinpoints of light that break the consistency of the sign. Low quality LEDs or acrylic can also lead to hotspots by degrading over a period of time.

Shadowing is a common problem in complex signs that use flourishes and serifs, particularly with thinner channel letters.

Day and night effects

Channel letters must be effective both during the day and at night. There are specific acrylic and mesh products that allow signs to change in colour between day and night, but even if the colours are meant to stay the same, the appearance will change with the dimming or absence of illumination. In addition, many white LEDs today are now ‘tunable’ meaning they can adjust colour temperature based on daytime, dusk, and evening/night conditions.

Quality

Generally, top brands use tier 1 LEDs which are higher quality engineered products that have lower lumen depreciation, high binning quality (illumination consistency across large numbers of LEDs), and layout support services. In addition, the quality of the surface and base materials effects overall letter quality, particularly when the element is meant to be seen up close.

RBC Centre by Kramer Design Associates illustrates the importance of higher quality materials for landmark projects. These channel letters not only must meet the vigour of an exterior environment, but they must also be tactile and seamless.

Letter effect

A channel letter is not just about light, but about effects. A basic illuminated ‘trimless’ face letter or icon is most common, but there are dozens of effects that are popular including faux neon and reverse illuminated letters. Even for traditional channel letters there are endless letter effects that affect the quality of light output, including depth, tactility, and complexity.

Low profile trimless channel letters are a big trend. This illuminated letter is being tested by Urban’s Signs D2 brand. However, there needs to be an increase in the number of LEDs to compensate for the shallowness of the letters.

Designing a channel letter sign for brands

Designing an illuminated channel letter is beyond the abilities of one person, but a strong collaborative process can create powerful letters for dozens, if not hundreds, of locations. What needs to be done is to form a close relationship with a LED company or lighting specialist.

Most designers and sign fabricators are not lighting experts. Lighting experts are people who work, not just with LED lights, but understand the entire ecosystem of channel letters including acrylic, depth, specific effects, and how all these factors affect the brightness of the sign. Forging a strong relationship with a LED partner must start before there is a specific project, and all the details and issues that must be considered before designing a sign, must be clearly communicated.

Toronto-based Brandactive has a close working relationship with the Bitro Group. The two work closely together on projects, starting with educational outreach, followed by sharing project guidelines and design. Bitro proposes lighting solutions (optimal product and layout), and finally prototype samples. For institutions like Cytiva, this process had to be repeated across the entire sign vocabulary to ensure consistency.

Prototype before implementation

It is difficult to prototype for every small project. However, for any multi-facility effort, prototyping is important and should include mockups of the complete element including depth, acrylic face, and LED population. Fine-tuning the prototype is critical for creating a tight specification.

Tight specification

After prototype approval, it is important to create strong documentation and tight specifications for the channel letter, including LED selection, layout, depth and materials. For ongoing brand rollout, a combination of product and performance specification is a must. That means including both exact product descriptions and overall performance goals such as lumen output and colour temperature and consistency. This will ensure fabricators will meet the standard established by the prototype.

The City of Ottawa employed Entro to design their illuminated icon for the OC Transpo system. Tight documentation for vacuum-formed coloured acrylic ensured every sign met the high-performance standards including colour matching and brightness.

Guidelines

Guidelines are important for any ongoing project. They include final documentation, but also establish procedures for design review, sample letter, and installation procedures. Guidelines can even include operational information for fine-tuning illumination to meet specific exterior conditions. They also enshrine design intent when expanding to multiple locations and creates a clear line of communication between the client, designer, and the fabricator.

Cygnus created comprehensive guidelines for ICBC focused on maintaining consistency across all sign types including illuminated letters and icons.

Craig Berger is chair of the Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design Program at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, as well as a consultant on professional, manufacturing, and academic projects. He has been a researcher and writer for the Society for Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD), International Sign Association (ISA), and Sign Research Foundation (SRF).

Source URL: https://www.signmedia.ca/letters-appear-simple-to-create-but-not-so-easy-to-perfect/

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