Many people have a negative impression of this idea – perhaps from seeing some examples of overblown posters packed with flowery or nonsensical phrases. Yet, whenever we are allowed a peep on TV inside the dressing rooms of top sports teams, there they are!
With the green agenda high on the list of every set of corporate objectives, making sure that your business operates in an environmentally friendly and energy efficient way doesn’t just help the planet, it also helps maximise output and profits. Often, timely reminders to adopt energy saving measures can have a measurable impact on meeting your environmental targets. So why not use custom signs to prompt your workforce towards eco-friendly behaviour?
If you’re a business owner, you’ll no doubt be aware that there are plenty of regulations regarding which signs are vital on your business premises. If you’re only a small business, some of these health & safety signs may seem irrelevant – do you really need a first aid sign or a no smoking sign, for example, if there are only two of you on the premises?
We’re all aware that we should wash our hands at certain points in time: before handling food, after handling raw meat, after using the toilet and so on. For businesses, signs advising people to wash their hands are a key part of legislation – more so for some business types than others.
When it comes to health and safety signs, you’ll no doubt notice that different types of signs have different shapes: triangular or diamond shapes for warning signs, round for prohibitive signs and so on. But have you stopped to think about the different colours that are used in safety signs and why they are actually used?
As a pub landlord or landlady, you’ll know that your customers (and your employees) aren’t always as predictable as you’d like. Your pub is likely to be everything to you – your home, your business and a place where your socialise with friends. So you don’t just need signs to provide instructions, you also need signs to protect yourself, your pub and the general public. Here are a few to include:
You might assume that hygiene is a basic in a food preparation or drink serving environment, but surprisingly your employees might need the occasional prompt.
The history of signs and signage is a complex and fascinating topic; from blue plaques indicating the homes of important historical and cultural figures, to significant street names and iconic symbols, signs play an important role in our cultural heritage.
Recent research has shown that so called ’emotionally intelligent’ signage is much more effective than signage that is not sensitive to human psychology. So how can you make your signs as emotionally intelligent as possible, and maximise their effects on the minds of people viewing them?
Depending on whereabouts your business is based, you may already have experienced some of the winter weather that has swept across parts of the country. While many businesses will have taken precautions to protect themselves from the wintry weather – precautions such as gritting walkways, protecting stock and others – have you stopped to think how the weather will affect your mandatory signs and other signage?
Since this blog started, we’ve talked a great deal about both the visual and functional effectiveness of signs. But what factors make a perfect sign? What attributes enable a sign to fulfill its purpose with the greatest possible level of efficiency?
No business buys health & safety signs as decorative items: they’re there to be noticed. Some businesses may be tempted to buy the cheapest possible signs in order to save money while still complying with legislation…but this is one area where size matters. It’s no good buying the cheapest and smallest safety signs if they’re too small to even be read.
Ultimately, you want your mandatory signs to be visible from a distance to ensure safety at all times. Some signs are perfectly adequate in small sizes: for example, a warning sign relating to a small piece of machinery really needs only to be visible as this machinery is approached. However, some need to be larger: if you’re putting a “no entry” sign up on a car park exit, for example, you’ll need it to be legible from a distance in order to avoid collisions.
We see signs everywhere. Some are providing warnings, some are giving directions and some are offering us instructions or presenting us with useful information. Your home might be the only ‘sign-free’ zone that you ever spend your time in, but have you ever stopped to think how breaking down the barrier and adding signs to your home could make your life safer and easier?
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