Thanks to 3D printing, brands can incorporate unusual shapes, curves, different angles, and side textures to ensure signage is more creative and effective.
By Matan Weinstein
Whether one is selling a product or service, it has never been harder to attract the attention of the target audience than it is today. According to a recent Forbes article, digital marketing experts believe the average person is exposed to between 4000 and 10,000 adverts every day. With all the many brands and different messages bombarding one’s life, it is not surprising that people have learnt to tune out from the majority of them. However, one marketing medium that remains hard to ignore is channel letters (also known as built-up letters). This illuminated signage, used to display a brand name or logo on the side of a building, in a shopping mall, or at a trade show, continues to help companies stand out from the crowd and attract customers.
Endless creative possibilities
So, how can brands up their game when it comes to ensuring signage is creative and effective? Traditional production methods (using acrylic/aluminum sheets or thermoforming) for complex signs can only offer so much. Basing the design on 2D graphics that are simply protruded by 90 degrees means texture, design, angles, and geometries are limited with regards to conceptualization and production capabilities. In addition, it is a time-consuming and predominantly manual process to create channel letters using these methods, which can negatively impact costs and delivery times. As such, brands are understandably reluctant to increase the complexity of a design.
That said, there is light at the end of the tunnel—large-format 3D printing technology.
