One of the biggest advantages of creating custom signage is the chance to make a unique and interesting appeal. If you're trying to think of what ought to be on your custom signs, here are 5 broad appeals that can help you get started.

Fun

To be clear, not all fun appeals have to be funny. A water park, for example, might use custom signage that features a wave to show how fun it would be to play there. Fun appeals can be built around informative graphics, cartoon characters, bright lights, and colorful imagery. Humor is always welcome, too.

A major virtue of fun custom signs is that they are usually simple. Maybe the water park uses an image with two smiling kids tubing down a pipe, for example. Paired with information about the park, it's a message people can quickly process.

Scarcity

Fear of missing out, commonly called FOMO, is deeply embedded in the human mind. If you've ever seen a burger chain's sign saying a specialty sandwich is only available for a limited time, you understand how scarcity sells.

The big thing with signs selling scarcity is that they have to be honest. If supplies aren't limited, customers will figure you out very fast.

Joy, Love, and Belonging

People want to be happy, have love, and belong. There's a reason advertisers use families in their appeals. A real estate agency, for example, might use a picture of a smiling family standing in front of their first home. It conveys a sense of belonging, and viewers assume the family members love each other and are thrilled with the purchase.

Fear

Notably, not all fear-based appeals have to terrorize the audience like life insurance ads often do. A gas station's custom signage in the middle of an extremely rural area might simply inform drivers that the business is the last stop for gas for the next 80 miles. Fear-based appeals need to be simple to land, and information alongside fear often sells best. And yes, you can make the "what would happen" appeal that's more directly terrifying as long as the fear is real.

Social Appeals and Popularity

People want to be in on whatever the cool crowd is doing. Even if you're "just" the #1 oil change station in the Lower Valley, say it loud and proud on your custom signs. The confidence of the appeal is motivating in its own right, and stating that you've won the popularity contest is confirmation that you're good at what you do. 

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